Storm ☾ Paul Lahote

~CAPABLE OF ANYTHING~

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"Sam! Come in the water with me!" My seven-year-old self called to my brother who was making sandcastles with our dad. My long hair was billowing in the wind as I motioned for him to join me in the water. The water was frothy around my small frame. The waves came up to my chest, almost knocking me over. I was too focused on Sam who was running towards me, a look of panic on his face.

"Reagan, get out of the water!" That was all I heard before being plunged into the water by a great force. The water was all I could see. Tiny bubbles escaped my mouth. I tried screaming, yet to no avail, I couldn't move. I was being pushed around. Every time I went to resurface, the violent water pushed me right back under. I got desperate. I called for Sam. I couldn't breathe, my lungs felt like they were on fire. I resurfaced again, I took a breath but water rushed into my mouth. I was thrown back under, I was being tossed like a rag doll. My chest felt heavy and the last thing I saw was a flash of red before succumbing to the darkness.

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I awake with a jolt, looking around while breathing heavily. I was still in my bed, the blankets were all thrown off my bed in a heap on the dark hardwood floor.

"Just a dream.," I mumble as I look at my bedside table, the clock read 6:37 AM. I sigh in relief, I wasn't late for school. In fact, I was way early.

'Sam and Emily should be up by now.' I thought to myself as I got off my bed, stepping onto the floor. I let out a shriek as my feet make contact with the cold floor. I look around, trying to find my slippers, but to no avail, I couldn't find them and I had to go on without them. I open my door as slow as I can to not wake Sam and Emily if they were still sleeping. I tiptoe down the stairs. The stairs always creaked whenever someone would go down them. I step down one at a time but suddenly a step creaked. I jolted and lost my footing. I fell forward, tumbling down the stairs. All that I heard was 'Thud, thud, thud, thud' with each step I hit. I finally stopped rolling when I landed on my back at the bottom with a final 'thud'. I'm surprised the wind wasn't knocked out of me. I can't believe I was so scared of a creak that I lost my footing and rolled down the stairs. The situation was so funny to me at that point so I just started laughing. My chest hurt, that's how hard I was laughing. I hear a door being opened and then rushing footsteps.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sam asks as reaches the bottom of the stairs. A look of annoyance and amusement was written all over his face. Emily was just grinning behind him.

"I'm juggling elephants, what do you think I'm doing Sammy." I grin up at him as he holds out a hand that I take gratefully. Emily lets out a soft chuckle.

"You just rolled down a flight of stairs, you should be injured or something." Emily voices from behind Sam.

"Well, I'm not so.." I chuckle as I walk over to the kitchen.

"Emily, did you make any muffins?" I ask looking around the kitchen, trying to find my chocolate best friends.

"They'll be ready for you after school! Which you need to get ready for!" Emily shouts from upstairs.

"All right, all right," I mumble as I trudge up the stairs. I walk into my room, it felt colder than usual. I noticed the window was open. How the hell can someone get in, it's the second floor.

"Hello?" I cautiously called out, grabbing my clothes hanger that was on the floor, holding it out in front of me in case of an altercation. I step forward, looking into my closet. Suddenly, a large hand covered my mouth. I let out a muffled scream, grabbing the hand of my attacker.

"Reagan! Reagan! It's just me." A familiar voice whispers. I turn and see Embry, who had a grin plastered on his chiseled face.

"Embry! You are an idiot! What are you doing here?! I could have killed you." I whisper as I drop the clothes hanger. He eyes the item I just dropped.

"With a..clothes hanger?" Embry asks, letting out an amused chuckle. I roll my eyes.

"You don't know what I'm capable of, but why are you in my house?" I ask as I walk towards my bathroom.

"I came to pick you up. Jake and Quil are already in the car." Embry answers. My dark eyes widen.

"Oh my god, Embry it's seven in the morning!" My voice cracks. He just grins. I speed walk into my bathroom closing the door behind me.

I walk out of my bedroom, racing down the stairs, trying not to repeat earlier's tumble.

"Reagan? It's only seven fifteen. Oh..Is Embry here to pick you up?" Emily winks as she mixes batter in the kitchen.

"Uh..yea," I respond as I grab my bag and unlock the front door. "And don't wink at me, you know I'm with Scott."

"Oh, okay. Be safe!" Emily calls out as I close the door behind me. Quil's red pick up truck was rumbling on the road. The rain was falling onto the ground, I could barely see five feet in front of me. I made a run for it, trying to not trip over roots.

"Run faster!" Embry yells out the driver's seat window. I make it to the truck, throwing open the back seat door.

"You couldn't have parked any closer?" I ask, annoyed that my clothes were wet.

"Now what's the fun in that?" Embry smirks at me as I hop into the passenger seat.

"Why didn't you tell me it was raining?" I ask with a huff, crossing my arms and sinking down into the seat.

"We thought you knew." Jake replies while looking out the window.

"Embry was completely dry." I tell him.

"There's these things called windows." Jake shrugs.

"I hate you all. By the way, it smells like McDonald's in here." I scoff in disgust.

"Yeah, yeah." Embry just shakes his head with a grin on his face as he hits the gas and drives towards the school.

"Is there any reason why you came to get me at seven in the goddamn morning? And why is Embry driving?" I ask as we stop at a red light.

"We need to grab our new schedules, new semester remember? And I need to learn how to drive somehow." Embry reminds me.

"Oh shit..Yeah. I forgot guys, sorry." I apologize as Jake just shakes his head in an amused manner.

"We thought you wouldn't be awake by seven. But you were, why?" Embry asks as he looks over at me with a hint of concern laced in his dark orbs.

"I uh..had the dream again," I tell them quietly while twiddling my thumbs.

"Oh.." Jake and Quil say simultaneously. Embry reaches over and puts his hand on my leg in an attempt to comfort me. I smile at the gesture. Embry, Jake and I have been best friends since kindergarten. Fast forward twelve years later and we're still going strong. Embry and Jake both hate my brother. One person comes over every day after school to "hang out" with Sam. He stays until extremely late at night and sometimes, he doesn't leave. Jared Cameron, I've never spoken to him despite him being in the same grade. Embry calls it a starting of a cult. I'm starting to agree. They even have matching tattoos.

We like to say we "adopted" Quil. We became friends when he was in our homeroom in the seventh grade. He fell in a trashcan. That's when I knew I needed to be friends with him.

"We're here!" Embry shouts, waking me out of my daydream. I groan, another day in this hell.

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