Touched by the Fear

[10]

Perched at the edge of her bed, Hollis stared down at her laptop with mild interest. The glow from the screen lit up her face as she browsed the pictures she had uploaded from her camera. She scrolled through the album with Mrs. Carrillo's words from last week echoing in her head: pair a picture with a short story. It was a good idea but Hollis was still doubtful she could do it. But, then again, she wouldn't know for sure if she didn't try and trying was the least she could do. Having her work featured in the literary magazine had been something she had wanted once upon a time and, deep down, she still wanted it.

There has to be something here, Hollis thought.

The minutes ticked by, and she looked through several albums with dozens of pictures inside. Stifling a yawn, she ran a hand through her hair. Tired, Hollis was ready to give up but before she could, her eyes landed on an album from three months ago. She opened it hesitantly, knowing what she would find inside. Pictures of the wrecked Honda stared her in the face. Although it was still hard to look at, the pain had lessened some. She went through picture after picture before she stopped on a specific one. It was the one with the scratches, the one that wouldn't let her forget. Hollis zoomed in, wondering if a mountain lion could have done that.

"I doubt it," Hollis muttered to herself.

Curious, she opened a new tab and typed in 'animal attacks in Beacon Hills'. The myth her dad had told her stirred in her mind, making her wonder how much of it could be true. All myths and legends started with a single fact before they grew out. Although she didn't believe in the supernatural, she was still curious. Not only that but she was getting nowhere with her writing and a distraction was very much needed.

When the results came up, she stared wide-eyed at the amount of animal attacks that had happened in Beacon Hills over the last couple decades. Her curiosity peaked, she read through several first hand accounts, accounts that happened to delve into the myth of supernatural creatures in town:

'It was no mountain lion,' said Sara Johnson (34).

'It was like something out of a horror movie! Glowing eyes, big teeth that could rip you apart,' reported Debbie Burgess (66).

'Mountain lion?' Ross Lloyd (43) said, 'more like a werewolf!'

"Yeah, right," Hollis said, rolling her eyes. "People will believe anything."

"What will people believe?" Grant asked, amusement in his eyes.

She glanced up to find her dad in the doorway. "Oh, nothing," she said, embarrassed. "I was just looking into that myth you were talking about. Werewolves and all things supernatural. I can't believe people actually believe this stuff. It's insane."

"Says the writer in the family," he said, stepping into the room. "I thought you were supposed to believe in the impossible."

Hollis shrugged, briefly looking down at the laptop. "Anything can happen in writing, dad, that's what makes it interesting. But we're talking about real life here. It's just not...possible."

"Alright, alright," he said with a chuckle.

Tilting her head to the side, she eyed her dad. "Do you believe all this?"

Grant scratched his chin, lost in thought. "Well...no," he answered. "But, then again, what do I know?"

With a laugh, she rolled her eyes.

He laughed with her but, as their laughter died down, a silence filled the room. After a few seconds, he cleared his throat. "So, uh, are you ready for that talk?"