Maggie's POV
The road was really quiet. There were these warehouses with long shadows on the ground. I was in a hurry to get to Halia's house so I could talk to her mom. We really needed her now. The book I was carrying felt super heavy.
I thought to myself, "Who makes books this heavy?" I was getting annoyed, so I gripped the book tighter. Kept running.
I had to tell her mom what happened. I had to tell her that Halia was being chased by someone. I really had to. I was running through the side streets looking for a bus. My chest was out of breath, but I could not stop. Not right now.
Everything was going around in my head. The library, the newspaper, those sixteen girls who disappeared. The red moon. It all happened seventeen years ago. I remembered Halia's neck bleeding and her yelling at me to leave.
I was thinking, "What if Halia does not show up like she said she would?" I was getting anxious. I looked at the book. There was a newspaper hidden inside with some answers, maybe.
Then there was that dream she told me about. I thought, "What if it was not a dream?" Even though I tried to calm her down, to be honest, I was just as confused.
The bus doors opened, and I got off. Then I started running.
Halia lived a few streets away. It felt familiar and safe. It was like my home, where I would go when my dad was away, and our house was too quiet. It was where we had sleepovers and stayed up talking and laughing. Halia was not my friend; she was like my sister.
I got to her door. Knocked. Her mom, Auntie Lilian, answered. She was wearing a sweater and loose pants, and her hair was pulled back. She looked the same as if time had just passed her by.
"Maggie, it has been a while," she said with a smile. "What brings you here? Why are you sweating? Is everything okay?"
I said, "No, it is Halia." I was still, out of breath.
Auntie Lilian looked confused."Halia?" She moved aside. Opened the door wider. "Come in."
I went in. Stopped. My heart really skipped a beat.
Halia was inside, smiling like nothing was wrong. Like she had not just been bleeding. Like she had not pushed me away. Told me to run. Like everything that just happened was a bad dream.
Auntie Lilian said, "Come in, Maggie. Let's get some lunch. You must be hungry." She motioned for me to come further in.
At first, I just stood there. I was staring at Halia. She seemed fine, which was the problem. She was not bleeding, just smiling gently. Then I noticed she was not blinking at all.
She was staring at me like she was trying to remember how to act normally. My throat felt tight.
I said slowly, "Halia..." Her smile got a little wider.
She said quickly, "I'm fine." Her voice was steady. It did not sound relieved. It sounded like she was reading from a script.
It was then that I realized she was not Halia.