Chapter 6
Tina wasn’t sure she would make it to Friday to see the psychotherapist.
She wasn’t even sure a therapist could help. This shadow creature was real. She decided she wasn’t going crazy. She had seen it. What could a therapist do? She needed the police, the fire department, a swat team, and the FBI. People with guns, stunning Tasers, and flame throwers. A therapist’s words wouldn’t help.
What could words do against a monster?
Maybe a monster clean-up crew was on the internet. If it existed, it could be found on the internet. She thought about turning on her computer and checking.
Dad’s snoring drifted down the hall and into her bedroom.
She could be quiet, turning the computer volume off. But she didn’t want to disappoint him. If by chance, he woke—maybe needing to use the restroom—and found his daughter on the internet searching for monster clean-up crews, he would really think she lost it.
He needed to worry less about her, not more. She would help him with this. He did need sleep for work tomorrow to pay for all the bills she sees him bent over every night. Ever since Mom died, finances were worrisome.
Why did the shadow pick her to torment out of all the kids in Los Angeles? What had she done to provoke it? She lived a good life. She didn’t tease kids at school. She did all her homework. She cleaned the house, took out the trash, and washed the dishes each night to help her father.
Tina weakly whispered, “Is anybody there?”
No creature replied.
Where did it go? More importantly, when would it come back? If it returned when she was asleep, she would be defenseless.
***
“… and leave the lights off!” Ashley’s mother screamed, slamming the bedroom door closed.
The candle on Ashley’s nightstand flickered light, but not enough. In fact, it sort of made things worse. Shadows pranced and leapt along the walls.
Something moaned from the corner, behind the open bathroom door.
Ashley blew out the candle and pulled her bedcovers all the way to her nose, covering Pixie lying across her neck.
She wondered if she should call Jeff. He had made her memorize his cell phone number in case of emergencies. It wasn’t an emergency yet, but if she kept waiting, it would be too late.
She lay there undecided, eyes nervously traveling the room. If Jeff didn’t find anything, then he would think she was making stuff up, and perhaps wouldn’t come when she really needed him.
Tina.
For some reason that name popped into her head. She didn’t know why. Or did she? She concentrated on remembering all the girls’ names from her classes, but no one was called Tina. She didn’t know anyone in the neighborhood with that name either. But it seemed important. The name seemed to have meaning that she couldn’t comprehend.
Tina.
She said it aloud, “Tina,” as if that could summon understanding.
Just silence answered back.