Hide & Seek 2: The Return of Mr. Harmon

Chapter 9: The Impossible

Doreen and Jerold end up going home. The both of them come up with excuses about wanting to spend time with their family, but I'm sure it is because of the disgusting smell of this house. Tomorrow, early in the morning, we'd meet up again to discuss our plan. That's the deal.

Carmen is afraid to sleep out of fear a roach would crawl over her face. Caleb and Helena are in the living room talking and Carmen listens to their conversation. I am in my room lying down, thinking. I am alarmed when I hear someone knock on my broken door.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Helena asks, walking over to the bed. She lies down beside me.

I have this weird feeling as she lay next to me. It feels so awkward. I want to sit up, but I force myself to stay where I am. "I'm just... so afraid," I admit. "I don't want to lose Caleb again."

Helena raises an eyebrow. I know what her sad expression means. The expression of pity.

"I know," I say, knowing what she is thinking. "He's dead, and there's nothing I can do to get him back."

"Did he die before the game? Or during the game?" Helena asks.

"Mr. Harmon killed him before the game," I say. I know she wants to know how. I want to know what happened to Caleb, too, but I am always too nervous to ask him what happened. He is here now, and I appreciate every moment of that.

Helena looks at the ceiling. I can tell she is in deep thought, too. "Anyone who died during the game is still alive. Like your friends you mentioned in the car. Jasper was it? And Caroline?"

I sit up. "So, he's not dead?"

"Doubt it," she said.

Both of us sit quietly for a minute. She finally breaks the silence. "You remind me of me."

I face her. "How?"

She turns her whole body to face me, lying with her hands pressed to her face. A smile sneaks onto her face as she begins thinking. "My life was normal. Well, somewhat normal," she started. "I didn't exactly play a demonic game of Hide and Seek. I can't top that." She looks at me with  squinted eyes. "I found out my mom had an affair with a demon. The person I thought was my dad wasn't. "

I stare at her with wide eyes. Helena laughs softly. "I was shocked too," she says.

"Guess we both have interesting stories," I say.

She sighs and looks away. "Everyone has an interesting story. We all live in a book that will either be judged or be a great success."

"You're right," I say then smile at her. "We're in a horror story."

We giggle.

"Damn right," she said.

Carmen walks in and sees us both on the bed. She looks so down, so sad. I don't ask her if she wanted to go home. You see, Carmen lives with her step-father, whom she hated and who hated her. Carmen's mom never seems to see why they hate each other. Her mom is lost in her own world, though and fails to see what goes on in her own daughter's life.

"What's up?" I sit up and face Carmen. She steps forward and sits down next to me. She is about to say something but pauses then lets out a fake laugh that sounds more like a sigh. 

"Sometimes I think this is nightmare," she says. "And I can't wake up."

Helena sits up and places a hand on Carmen's shoulder. "You're going to be fine."

Carmen quickly jolts away from her. I'm sure that shocks Helena as much as it shocks me. Carmen has never acted like that with anyone. Carmen's face shows that she is angry as she stared at Helena. 

"Are you okay?" I ask her. 

Without a word, she walk back into the living room. I look at Helena and am about to apologize for Carmen's behavior, but she knows what I am going to say. 

"It's okay." Helena raises a hand. 

I shake my head. "I don't know what got into her. She's the nicest person in the world, I swear."

Helena smiles. "It's alright. She's taking all of this in. It's probably just hard for her to trust me, that's all."

During that second, my eyes sort of glue onto her. Abby. I thought. How did I know I could trust her? My best friend turned on me, and now some stranger just entered my life. I watch as Helena turns around and lies down agaim, now facing the opposite direction. 

"How old are you?" I ask randomly. I have wanted to know for a while now.

She faces me. "Older than your grandmother." She smiles.

I laugh. She sita up and shows me her hand. "The ring keeps me from aging. That's so I can protect the book for as long as it lives."

I look at her. "So if the book dies somehow... you die?"

She nods. "Yup. I've been around for a long time. I've been seventeen for over seventy years."

"Wow," I say.

Suddenly, my phone begins to vibrate. I look at the notification box that shows on my home screen. I have a picture message from an unknown number.  Helena peeks over my shoulder. I think it's pretty rude to stare at my phone like that, but I'm glad she is looking. The phone turns black and for a second. I think I'm seeing things. I have to brighten the screen because I see something moving. It is walking closer and closer toward the screen, getting bigger and bigger. At first, it looks like a boy with hair, however, the closer it gets, I see that this "boy" has no eyes and no mouth attached to his face.

Fingers slowly reached out of my phone screen. I scream, and before I can react, Helena grabs it. She holds it in the air and attempts to smash it, but the hand grabs hers. I hear her let out a low scream. The hand has a tight grip on her finger. Helena struggles to free her hand but the boy's hand only holds on tighter. I get up to help her, but freazr when I hear Helena's finger pop. She cries and I hear the disgusting, chilling sound of her finger being snatched from her socket. The finger witch the ring. Before I can come to my senses, blood splatters onto my face. The boy's hand has ripped off her finger with the ring and slowly slides it back into the phone.

Helena lets the phone drop while she tends to her finger. She looks at me with tears in her eyes. "He has the ring," she whispers.

I feel my heart sink low in my chest. Caleb and Carmen run inside to ask what has happened. When they see Helena holding her hand, they both let out a gasp, because they both know something impossible has happened. At least, we thought it was impossible.