Starfall

Haunting Me

It’s the middle of the night, and I’m streaming on Twitch. I’m playing Minecraft Hardcore with my friend, CJ, who’s also on call with me. My phone lights up. I notice it out of the corner of my eye. “Oh, hold on, I just got a text.” I say to my chat and CJ, letting go of my mouse and grabbing my phone. I turn it on. There were seven unread messages. They all came from an unknown number. I decide to read them.

“Nova Jessica Pankhurst, if you don’t get your **** together and come back to this ******* house, you won’t get to ******* live to your ******* sixteenth birthday. I know where you are, so don’t think that I won’t come and grab you my ******* self.” was the first one. “******* ANSWER ME NOW!” was the last one that was sent. It may have been an unknown number, but I know exactly who it is. I sit there in shock. I try to work out how he got my number.

“Oi, Nova! You good?” CJ asks. I snap out of my train of thought. “I-I’m sorry, I-I have to go.” I quickly answer, ending our call and my stream. I notice that my hands are shaking. I stand up and start pacing around my room, not knowing what to do. There’s a knock on my door. “Can we come in?” Alex asks hesitantly. “Y-Y-Yeah!” I reply.

Alex and Will walk into my room. They notice my distressed look. “Everything OK?” Alex asks. I give him my phone. He sits on my bed while Will stands by my door. Alex’s eyes widen as he reads the texts. He calls Will over. Will walks over to us and Alex passes my phone to him. Alex puts his arm around me, rubbing my back. Will’s eyes also widen. “What the actual ****?” he asks. I shrug, as a major wave of anxiety washes over me.

“What do I do?” I ask. “If he does come, we’ll keep you safe.” Alex says, grabbing my hand. Will nods. “He’s not going to come anywhere near you.” he says caringly. There is a brief moment of silence. “That’s actually ******* disgusting.” Will says, putting my phone down on my bed. I start to feel out of breath. “F-F-F-****.” I whisper, hoping they don’t hear.

“Wh-” Will starts, but as they look at me, the situation becomes eminent. Tears begin to fall and the voices start again. “What if he does come?” one whispers. “He doesn’t love you anyways.” another one says louder than the first. “He only wants you because you’re his toy.” a third voice adds. Black dots begin to mess with my vision. “NOVA!” someone screams. My legs buckle beneath me. 

I feel someone grab hold of me. I flinch out of instinct. “Nova, it’s okay, we’re here to protect you.” Will whispers in my ear. He holds me and rubs my back until I calm down and my breathing’s even. “Has your dad always been like this?” Alex asks. I think my answer through before replying with, “N-n-n-n-no. He’s p-probably dr-dr-drunk…” Will and Alex exchange glances.

“Does he get drunk often?” Will asks, but before I can answer, there’s a knock at the door. “Guys, can I come in?” Will’s dad and my uncle, Phil, asks. “Yeah!” Will replies for me. I’m still shaking quite badly. Phil opens the door. He came to visit for the day. He looks at all of us, frowning when he sees me. “Hey, what happened?” he asks, kneeling down to me. “P-p-panic attack…” I reply, sighing. Will lets go of me and Phil hugs me. “Oh sweetheart, I’m sorry…” he says, stroking his fingers through my hair. “You are such a dad.” Will says. “I’m your dad.” Phil replies. We all laugh a little. “Wanna go get something to eat?” Alex asks. “No thanks, I’m fine.” I reply. We all sit there for a little while before they leave, but sleep eludes me.