A Recollection of Ideas: A Series of One Shots

“OLI!” I screeched as Oliver climbed on top of me and continued to tickle my sides. I was helpless as I laughed and struggled to get out from under him. He locked my hands together as I pushed his chest away. My eyes squeezed shut from the intense laughs escaping my lips.

“Oh come on, Onyx! You can fight harder than that!” Oli chuckled, his thick British accent rolling off his tongue. I just went limp and buried my face into the pillow on the couch.

“I’M DYING!” I bit my lip hard, grinning like a fool. Oli eventually stopped and rolled onto the floor. His chocolate eyes stared up at me from the floor. Gasping, I rolled back over to face him, threatening to spill onto him. He was smiling broadly.

Oli Sykes has been my neighbor for about thirteen years. When I was five, these new people moved into the house next to us. They had a kid who was just a year older than I am. That day, I saw on my swing set in our fenced in backyard. It was a beautiful summer afternoon and the wind was tossing around little dandelion seeds that I blew gently. I had always kept my eye out on the house next door, hearing the purr of a motor park into the empty driveway. That day, I had gotten up, leaning on my fence and craning my neck to watch the movers unload box after box of a family’s precious cargo.

I had then resumed going back to my swing and pushing myself slowly. Even as a young five year old, I was a super shy kid. I didn’t have any siblings. It was just my parents and that occupied our house. There weren’t any other kids on the street. As I swung in the little green seat on the play set, a kid had wandered into the backyard right next to ours. There was a little drive that cut between his house and mine. The drive led to some other neighbors behind us. I looked down, trying to find interest in something else, or to make myself less noticeable.

Too late.

I looked up and I saw that the kid had disappeared. I perked up a little, trying to see where he went. He was literally outside for about a second and a half!

“HEY!” A voice called. The kid’s head popped up over the top of the fence, right by the gate. A mop of brown hair was mussed and teased, like he had been wrestling with someone. Brown eyes glittered like frozen amber. He had a cheeky grin that told me he was trouble. I really should’ve run away at that point. The kid waved. He had a weird accent. I waved back, stopping my swing.

“Do you live here?”

I nodded.

“Can I come in?” He asked sweetly. I thought for a moment, looking up to my house and then back to the boy before I nodded once more and went to the fence, letting him in. He closed the gate behind him. “My family just moved from England. My name’s Oli. What’s yours?” He jumped on the second swing, energy just radiating from him.

“Onyx.”

“Aw, that’s a pretty name!” He giggled. I blushed and sat on the swing next to him.

Thirteen years later and now we’re best friends. We practically grew up together. We went and saw stupid movies together, went to school and had classes together, we did everything as a duo. We were best friends and we liked it that way.

“I’m supposed to be studying for math, Sykes! I knew I should’ve asked you to help me!” I complained. He propped himself up on one elbow.

“Onyx, we have all weekend! Chill for a bit!” He said. I sighed and looked over to the books on my desk. In my room, I had a little couch, a bed, desk, and lamp. It wasn’t overcrowded, just cozy. Oli sat back up with me, handing me a book and sighing.

“Just a little more studying, Oli. If I study today, then we can go see a movie or something tomorrow.” I compromised. Oliver thought for a moment before laying back, putting his feet up on my lap.

“Can’t. I’m seeing Hannah tomorrow.” He closed his eyes. I poked at his knee, grinning. He blushed, his cheeks turning as pink as roses.

“Awww, you like her!”

“Yeah, I do! Now, what movie should I take her to see tomorrow?” He asked me. Oli always came to me for advice like this. I asked him for guy advice, like if I like a guy, what should I do to win him over, etc. We kept talking and talking until I realized that I really should do some studying.

A few hours later, Oli had to go leave for dinner. My parents were gone for the weekend since they went to go take a vacation up to the mountains for a little away time. The boy left, giving me a quick hug before running down my driveway and into his.

I sighed and went to the kitchen. There was barely any food. With a slow exhale, I grumbled and went to the couch, turning on the TV. Ten minutes into the show, I felt a prickling sensation on the back of my neck. It was getting dark outside. Shadows danced across the window, making me jump.

Nothing. It was just nothing.

Over the past few weeks, I had gotten this feeling over and over, but not in my family room. It was always in my bedroom, which made it ten times creepier….

It was if someone was watching me, keeping an eye on me. I could go to the grocery store. There was always a shadow that made me jump. My parents didn’t know about it. I kept it fairly well hidden. I hung out with Oli more and more. The shadow didn’t appear if I was with him.

I saw the shadow dance behind the porch again and I turned off the TV. The shadow was gone. I swear, someone was watching me. Getting up, I went to the porch doors. I locked ever door, every window. I pulled down the blinds. I closed everything, made the house safe. Going to the kitchen, I took out a knife and took it with me, pressing it against my side, shaking the entire way.

It was only eight o’clock, but I locked myself in my room anyways. Turning off all the lights, I put the knife right beneath my pillow, in easy reach. Pulling the covers over my head, I put in music and slowly drifted off.

When I woke up, it was pitch black. My headphones had fallen off and my phone had died.

There was a creak.

I grabbed the knife, slowly pulling it out. I was still completely hidden under my covers, shaking badly. Taking the knife handle in my hand, I looked over the edge of my covers.

The shadow was here. I swear, it looked like a man standing in the corner of my room, right by my door that was open a half an inch.

Wait.

I had locked my door.

“Please, don’t hurt me!” I sobbed, tears of fear streaming down my face. There was another creek as I ducked into the far corner of my bed, hiding under the covers like a coward. When I dared to look up after a long eternity of nothing happening, I saw that the shadow was gone.

The next morning, I was really tempted to call Oli and hang out at his place. Maybe the shadow would stay away. No, he was with Hannah. His phone went to voicemail both times that I tried to call his phone.

I had to relax.

Maybe it was a nightmare, a terrible, terrible nightmare. Either way, I had to go out and get groceries. I was hungry and we had no food in our house. Getting out of the shower, I threw some clothes on brushed out my hair, tossing it easily in a braid. As I grabbed my keys and headed out to my car, I made sure to have my phone on me. It held a little charge from when I plugged it into the car charger. Hopefully, it would hold out for today.

I backed out of the drive and went into town. Parking in the grocery store’s lot, I went in and began shopping. The shadow wasn’t here today. When I was checking out, I made the register guy nervous because I was constantly looking over my shoulder.

“Are you alright, ma’am?” He asked me kindly. I nodded before grabbing my bags.

“I hope so, sir.” I mumbled and headed back to my car. Loading the backs into the back of my car, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I had to calm down. Freaking out other people wouldn’t help anything.

When I got back into my car, I was a little calmer. I started driving down the road and pulled into my favorite little diner on the edge of town. Parking where there were a lot of cars, I took my keys and wallet and threw them into my pocket.

Ten minutes later, I had passed by many streets and made my way into the little diner. The food was good, service was fast, and the faces were friendly. I spoke kindly to the old lady that took my order, trying to focus on her and not the shadow lingering just outside.

He was here again. I swear, I saw the outline of his face, his dark eyes last night. So it was true. I saw a brief glimpse of his face before I turned back to the little lady.

So creepy.

When I was done eating, I paid the bill and looked out the window of my booth. He was gone. Everything was still. Walking back out the doors, I kept an even pace back towards my car.

“Eyyy pretty thing!” Some guy called. I didn’t even turn my head. Instead, I took a street directly opposite of them. Cutting down this street, I heard their footsteps follow me. Speeding up my pace, I kept an even expression and kept on weaving down the sides of buildings until I reached a dead end alley.

Crap.

I was out of options. I think I could fight my way out of this. The three boys that were catcalling me smirked as they turned down the alley. Wait! I could call the po-No. No. No. I forgot my phone in my car! I cursed lightly as I felt my back touch the wall.

Was it wrong to wish for my creepy little shadow now? Ever since he appeared two months ago, he never caused me harm, just lingering around me, like a guardian angel. He was a little creepy at times, like in my bedroom last night, but he was always there, hovering over me.

“Aww she’s a pretty thing! Come on, sexy. Let’s go back to my place and eat out.” The taller one grinned. The others burst into laughter. Eat out….gross! I pushed the guy away from me, but another came to fill in his place. This one grabbed my jaw, pinning my hands over my head with the other hand. I tried to kick him but he just shoved me back harder. I hit my head, whimpering in pain.

“Get away from her.” Someone growled, low in their throat. It felt almost animalistic. The men dropped me, turning around. I looked up as I fell to the ground, feeling dazed and confused. The tall man was shoved into the wall. The others tried to help him out, punching at the darker man who loomed over all of them. The dark man, snarled and punched the others, throwing them into a trash bin. As soon as the three recovered, they fled the alley. The shadowy man stooped down, dropping to one knee in front of me. His hand touched my shoulder and I cried out, flinching from his hand.

“Hey, I’m not going to hurt you.” The voice soothed. I curled up into a ball, head throbbing. The hand reached out, stroking my hair gently as I hid my face into my hands, not wanting to see who it was. Eventually, the man stopped and I looked up.

“Who are you?” I whispered. His face was pale, three piercings ringing his lip like silver sideways halos. He seemed like a dark angel that had been here to protect me. He was my shadow.

“I’m Chris Motionless.” He introduced, helping me stand up. I looked to him, wobbling as I stood. His arm snaked around me, gently encouraging me to walk. He was tall, looming over me. I was forced to lean into his side as I stumbled along.

“I’m Onyx.”

“I know.” He chuckled. My face paled a little at the fact he knew my name. I don’t think we needed anymore introductions. Chris helped me into the passenger seat of my car, me complaining that I could drive myself home. He silently buckled me in and closed the door. The man got in on the driver’s side, holding out his hand for the keys.

“I’ll drive you home.” He stated firmly. I took one look at his face and just nodded. It was strong, but not stern. There was no room for debate. I fumbled a moment before getting my keys and handing it to him.

We drove home in silence. The hum of the engine and the whoosh of cars beside us was the only noise. I closed my eyes, the throbbing going away in the darkness. When I reopened my eyes, the car was parked in the driveway and Chris was gone.

A few days later….

The headache had gone away but the memories lingered. I had called Oli immediately afterwards. He had actually picked up, sounding a little grumpy that I had interrupted his date, although after I told him what had happened, he was worried and asked me a million questions in the span of fifteen seconds.

We had just finished hanging out and Oli had gone home fifteen minutes ago. My parents hung out in the living room as I studied in my bedroom. The doorbell rang. Perhaps Oliver had forgotten his beanie over here? I was wearing his jacket, which he had managed to leave behind, saying that I could wear it. He didn’t mind me wearing his clothes, mostly because they were big and warm.

“I’ll get it!” I yelled to my parents as I jumped up from my chair, trotting to the steps. When I opened it, I nearly shrieked from freight.

“Hello, Onyx.” Chris stood there, holding a small bouquet of ivory colored roses. He looked nervous. My eyes were wide as I stepped outside for a little privacy. The door slowly swung shut behind me. It was quiet in the blackness of night.

“Hi, Chris.” I mumbled. He held out the flowers to me.

“I brought these for you.” He murmured. I grinned as my eyes darted between him and the beautiful roses tied together with a blood red ribbon. I took them, taking a slight whiff of the delicious scent.

“You’re a sweetheart, Chris. Thank you.” I laughed. He stood there, arms hanging limply at his sides. There was a long moment of awkward stillness before he spoke again.

“So, do you maybe want to hang out sometime?” He asked softly, nervously. I smiled and looked up to him, nodding.

“Well, we’ve already kind of hung out for the past two months…” I started. He looked at his shoes, jet black raven hair dipping over his eyes.

“Yeah about that…” he laughed. I shook my head.

“The past is the past. A movie, maybe some time.” I suggested. Chris stared up, relieved. The pink rose color of blush faded from his cheeks. I leaned up on my toes and kissed his cheek. His face exploded into happiness. I gave him a quick hug before ducking inside.

“Bye, Onyx.” He waved. I waved back, watching him walk back down into the darkness. By then, he had just faded into another shadow.

Notes

So this is another one shot for my babe @Covered in Flames! I hope you like this one like you loved the others!

Don't forget to keep on requesting one shots! Hopefully I can put more up soon!