Brandon is coming over today. I don't usually worry about cleaning or cooking or anything when a friend comes over, but this is different. This is my popular boyfriend.

I clean up as much as I can and cook some mac and cheese, I know, pathetic, but what can I say? I've never been the cooking type, I guess that's one thing I didn't get from my mom.

Mom is waiting in the living room for his sweet arrival, when the doorbell rings, I run over as fast as I can, but still mom beats me to the door. She sticks her tongue out at me before smiling and opening the door. Instantly her face darkens, and her eyes widen with what looks like...fear?

I clear my throat and walk in front of my mom, over to Brandon "hey" I say giving him a quick kiss on the lips which he returns. Mom watches Brandon and I with a facial expression I can't quite pinpoint, looks kind of like a mixture of fear and maybe anger? But that doesn't make any sense, why would she be looking at Brandon like that? As Brandon and mom stare at each other (while I awkwardly watch them, unsure of what to do. I try reading mom's mind but for some strange reason she's thinking about rainbows, which totally weirds me out), mom's face slowly morphs into a smile, her eyes turn happy yet slightly...glazed over? Okay I must be imagining things, I have to be. mom steps aside and tells him to come in, in a overly chippy voice. Brandon and I walk to the living room "I forgot to warn you, but my mom is going to have to meet you, ask you a few questions, all that, before we hang out" I whisper to Brandon who laughs "that's alright" he says. We sit down on the coach as mom brings in the mac and cheese, a big smile still on her face.

"Alright, I've never been that cliche obsessive mom that asks Beth's boyfriends a thousand questions....but that's because she's never given my the chance!" Mom exclaims and Brandon laughs, giving my hand a squeeze. I feel my cheeks blush slightly and clear my throat. "Can you just ask the questions and get this over with?" I mumble looking away. I hear mom laugh "so Brandon, where do you plan on going to college after high school?" Mom asks leaning in "mom-" I start to say but Brandon interrupts "I've applied to Princeton, Harvard, and Yale, so far I've gotten into Yale and Princeton, but I haven't heard back from Harvard and that's my number one choice, so I'm still waiting" Brandon says. I have to admit, I'm really impressed by his answer, mom must be too because her thoughts are clearly excited saying that he's a fantastic influence on me. "Very prestigious, congratulations. What are you going to major in?" Honestly, I might be just as interested in these answers as mom is. "Surgical practice" he answers. Ooh a doctor. Mom nods, a bright smile on her face. "So you want to be a surgeon?" She asks and Brandon nods "wow. I'm more and more impressed by the second" my mom says and Brandon chuckles. "I must say, I was quite impressed myself, you're so young. At first I thought you were Bethany's sister" Brandon says charmingly. Mom blushes lightly and giggles, she actually giggles! Mom so does not seem like the type to fall for that time of charming "oh stop, you're just saying that" she says waving him off. Brandon continues to charm mom and mom continues to giggle and act totally out of character for a seriously long time, soon I'm almost convinced I'm not the one in a relationship with Brandon. After what feels like forever, they say it was nice meeting each other and mom leaves to the kitchen.

I look over at Brandon "okay that was seriously weird" I say and Brandon looks down at me confused "whaddaya mean?" He asks "it's just, one second my mom is like, I don't know,...scared or something, and the next she's laughing and giggling, not acting like herself at all" I say thinking out loud. Brandon waves it off "why would your mom be scared of me?" He asks in a skeptical voice. Thinking about it, the idea gets sillier and sillier by the moment, and I actually end up laughing off the thought "you're right, if she was scared, it was probably only because she was nervous that somebody as handsome as you could easily leave me for someone else" I joke "that would never happen" Brandon says kissing me softly on the lips. "I know" I whisper.

Brandon and I leave to my room where we watch movies, make out, eat some of my mom's homemade spaghetti, and then make out some more.

Soon it's night time and Brandon has to go. After he leaves I walk downstairs to see mom sitting in the living room, staring at an empty wall, with a lost look in her eyes. Seeing this makes a chill run up my spine. I walk up to her and grab her shoulders, giving them a light shake. Her eyes clear over slightly and she looks at me confused "oh hey honey" she says her voice sorta distant and confused "mom? What is going on with you?" I ask utterly freaked out. "Who came over again?" She asks ignoring my question. I feel my brows furrow as I sit down next to her on the couch "What are you talking about? Brandon did" I say. My mom nods slowly. "What did you think of him?" I ask hoping to bring her out of the strange and scary state she's in by getting her excited. Her eyebrows pinch together "I-I don't know, I think he was very kind and charming...wasn't he?" She asks rubbing her temple with a pained look on her face. Fear is running through me just as much as nervousness. I get this totally creeped out feeling as I watch mom.

What happened? Why is everything so hazy? I'm not so old that I can't even remember simple things like how I felt towards my daughters boyfriend, whom I just met earlier today!...can I?

"Mom you really liked him, you were smiling and laughing and everything. You seemed impressed too." I remind her hoping she'll remember. She shakes her head slightly and looks up at me, her eyes are clear and a small smile is resting on her lips "that's right. He was a very charming young gentlemen. I'm sorry if I freaked you out, my memory is just a little hazy today that's all. I'm good now though, I remember perfectly" mom says smiling at me before giving my cheek a gentle kiss and standing up, leaving to her bedroom. Relief floods through me. That was seriously terrifying, but it's over now, she's okay.

I have this strong want to go outside for a walk randomly, so I go to my bedroom and grab my jacket and cellphone before heading outside.

The moon is in a waxing gibbous shape, which means that tomorrow the moon will be full. I know more than the average person about the moon, like how the moon is moving 3.8cm away from earth every year, how it has no atmosphere, that it actually has moonquakes, that the moon is the fifth largest natural satellite in the solar system, the first-or last-quarter moon isn't even one half as bright as a full moon, the moon has a diameter of 2,000 miles, it weighs 81 quintillion tons, and so, so much more. Call me a nerd or a weirdo, but I have this strange obsession with the moon. I honestly have no idea why I have it or where my obsession came from, I just feel like the moon has so much power, and maybe it shares its powers sometimes.

I take a deep breath and close my eyes, as I feel the moon's light shine down on me. A small smile lifts my lips. I feel like the moon's power radiates to the earth, and if you really focus on it, you can grab some of its power.

Okay I'm realizing I sound totally crazy, so please ignore everything I just said. Moon is pretty, moon has shiny light, there, better?

I walk around the neighborhood, feeling oddly comforted and safe. Even though I'm all alone at night, a block from my house, I feel like I could take care of myself. I feel like at night, I'm always better at fighting, I just feel strangely stronger...hey here's a thought, what if I'm a vampire? That's totally what I sound like right now, don't worry, I won't suck the blood out of your body, yet, muahahaha.

After a good long walk, I'm too exhausted to continue on any farther so I turn around and make my way back to my house. When I get home, I see a figure jump out of my window and run into Jake's house. My eyes widen and I feel fear creep under my skin. Goosebumps fill my arms. I'm terrified to go inside, yet at the same time terrified to stay out here, finally I decide I can't stay out here all night so I quietly walk up the steps to my house and walk inside. My heart is pounding so hard I can hear it as I creep up the stairs and over to my bedroom door. Why was Jake in my bedroom? What did he do? I can hear my mom lightly snoring so at least I know she's safe. I hold my breath and count to ten, then without thinking I swing the door open, there's nobody inside, but there is a note lying on my bed next to a picture. I nervously walk over to my bed and sit down on top, just in case there's a guy underneath that's going to grab my ankle and yank me under. I carefully read the scribbled words.

Bethy, Bethy, Bethy. I hope you aren't starting to feel safe again, you should know better than to think that I, Slyder, would leave you alone. Just thought I'd leave you this note to let you know, that I've figured out your biggest fear, and I'll make sure that on the night I torture you, you'll stare your biggest fear right in the face.

P.S I'm always watching you.

By the end of the note I'm shaking so much I can barely read. Jake was in my house, he figured out my biggest fear, the night of torture is coming soon, he's going to use my biggest fear against me, he's always watching me, which means he's watching my reactions right now as I'm reading this note. I don't know what I'm fearing most at the moment.

I slowly pick up the picture terrified of what I'll find on it. As soon as I see it, my heart feels like it stopped, my breath gets caught in my throat, and I feel like I'm going to throw up and pass out at the same time.

In the picture is my mom asleep in her bed, with a large, sharp knife pressed lightly against her neck. The picture is taken from Slyder's point of view.

I feel goosebumps cover my entire body. I'm so, so scared of getting out of bed, but I do it anyways, I run out of my room and into my moms in mere seconds to find her sleeping peacefully. I quietly and slowly slide into bed with mom. Don't even start going off about how this is disgusting, or how I'm too old to sleep in my moms bed, your trying to tell me that you wouldn't stay in your moms bed if you just found a picture of a serial killer holding a knife to her neck as she's sleeping? Well then you're a sick person.

Slyder found out my biggest fear, watching my mother die, and now he's going to use it against me. I have no idea how Jake found that out, but at the moment, that's one of the last things on my mind, the number one thing is my mom's safety. I silently cry to myself until I'm all out of tears, which takes a very long time, trust me. I'm shaking, and tearlessly crying. I don't know what I'm going to do, I've never been more scared in my entire life. Oh how much I wish that Jake had never come into my life.

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