11:24 pm, Xavier, Vermont, 10/7/23

Instinctively I slapped Harvey. He scared me half to death! I mean, I just woke up a couple hours ago to find him gone! Naturally I was pissed at him.

"So now you come back!" I snapped at him. " Do you realize how worried I've been?! It's a good thing you're alive! I've-" I started to ramble on. I kinda sounded like his mom or something.

Then it came to my attention that Harvey wasn't listening at all. He was clinging to the glass slide door for balance, looking sickly. He had a red mark on his right cheek (my bad...) that contrasted with his starch white face. He was quivering like crazy. Not to mention he was soaking wet. Harvey probably had hypothermia, among other things.

"I'm so sorry Harvey, I-i didn't mean to slap you that hard, I was just a-angry, honest..."

"N-no, it's okay- it's just my leg, it's-" Harvey said weakly.

"Omigosh!" I stared in horror, " Your leg!" His entire left calf was soaked in blood. I panicked and started to run for the bathroom to get towels and bandages. "Just stay right there!" I told him. It's not like he would try to move anyways.

Moments later, he was sitting on the couch, a bit embarrassed. " Here Harvey, take off your shirt, you might get hypothermia if you keep it on too long." I tried to make it sound professional and not incredibly awkward. He handed me his soggy, black t-shirt. "Um- p-pants too." I said uncomfortably, " I gotta bandage up your leg..."

Harvey scowled and his face had a pink tint to it. "I hate you." Jeez, he's said this a lot today. Maybe I should keep score. He gave me his jeans very hesitantly. In return, I handed him the pink butterfly robe, just so he would be in something but his blue boxers.

His whole face was red as though steam were coming out of his ears the entire time I wrapped the bandages around his leg.

"You okay?" I laughed a little. He nodded slowly. " Alrighty then. Can you tell me what exactly happened when you decided to leave?"

"Um..." He tried to start, " I had an encounter with a bear, fell into a river, and then cut my leg on a rock that was in the river... and that's it." I feel like he wasn't telling me everything.

Wait... A bear?! "Did the bear harm you in any way?!"

"No, it just spooked me and then I tripped and fell into the river."

I sighed in relief with my hand on my chest. I looked at Harvey. He seemed lightheaded. "Harvey, do you have a fever or something? I'll go check your temperature." I began to lift myself up from the couch. I wanted to seem busy so we wouldn't sit in awkward silence like this.

"No- no- I'm okay, really... honest..." He waved his hands in protest. Five seconds later he had a thermometer jammed underneath his tongue. "I hate you." Harvey said. Although, with the thermometer in, it sounded like: " I labe boo."

"You were the one who came back to me for help, so you have no reason to say that."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "I hate you." Harvey repeated. Just to tease me or if he meant it I cannot say. Presently the thermometer beeped and Harvey took it out of his mouth and read the results out loud. 102 degrees Fahrenheit. "$&%@!" he struck the thermometer down on the couch, making it spring upwards and go flying. I caught it thankfully.

"Hey! Watch your language- and your attitude!" I snapped at him. He started to tense up, "Uh- s-sorry..." Am I really that scary? On another note, why does he hate getting help from me? I'm helping him, aren't I?

I still need Harvey to help me with the treehouse though. That kinda evens it out, right? Speaking of which, "Harvey, we need to go over my plans for fixing the treehouse. I'll still let you rest, but when you're feeling better, we need to start building it." Harvey grumbled at the idea and sunk into the corner of the couch. "You do know how to build stuff- right?"

"I took woodshop in seventh and eighth grade." Harvey muttered.

"Great!" I said optimistically to lighten the mood.

-✩☺☺☺✩-

Sage was rambling on the treehouse crap and it was making my headache feel even worse than usual. I just want to go to bed, or home, or somewhere away from this psycho. My head felt like it was being hit with a mallet repeatedly and my skull would shatter any second. My entire body would probably melt soon too. I wasn't listening to a thing that Sage was saying either, it passed right through my ears without leaving a single piece of information for my brain. Her words sounded like TV static.

"Hey, Harvey? You okay?" she suddenly stopped. " You're looking lightheaded."

"What do you think?" I said weakly. I let myself lie down on the couch. The ceiling lights blinded me, making my head feel even worse. I closed my eyes, but the light made the inside of my eyelids red. I could hear nothing but my head pounding.

Five seconds later, I felt something wet and soggy placed on my forehead. Some water leaked from it and began to drip down my nose. "I got you a wet towel." I heard Sage say, " I'll let you take a nap now. Sorry you got a fever..." The sound of footsteps told me she was leaving. There was a little click noise, and then the lights went out.

I found myself in an unknown forest with ominous trees that stretched over me, casting a shadow even darker than the night sky. The whole world itself had sense to it as if it were filmed through "fish-eye" lenses. I walked for a while, until I spotted a fork in the road. The signs pointed directions, but they didn't say anything on them. My legs blindly carried my body to the right and I continued walking.

A black cat popped out from the shrubbery and started to follow me. I bent down and tried to pet it, but it hissed at me and then decided to go ahead the trail without me.

I walked along for what seemed like miles until I laid my eyes upon the gas station that I used to work at. It was decorated for Halloween with an assortment of pumpkins and a life-sized skeleton sitting on a bench with sun-bleached and peeled, green paint. The black cat stood outside the entrance, its tail wagging with impatience. I walked forward and opened the door, and heard the door ding with excitement. The cat followed me in.

The inside looked empty in an eerie way that made my bones feel as though they were frozen. Everything looked the same like how it was when I left.

"Duncan?" I heard myself say. I repeated it about five times. No response. I found myself wandering around the store. But I realized that the store wasn't like how I left it. Duncan's body was gone, same with Russell's.

My new fluffy companion meowed at me abruptly. It walked in circles around the area where my best friend's body once was. Suddenly, the world went black and white. What's happening?! Then, something grabbed my shoulder tightly. I turned around.

Duncan Ross stood there.

I cried out to him, but no sound came out. He looked deader than usual. His face looked exceptionally pale and his eyes had no light to them. I looked down. Blood poured out of his stomach, his hand trying its best to stop the flow. The only color added to the room was the bright red blood.

Then I heard a drowned out gunshot come from behind me. I swung around to see the black cat dead, blood issuing from its head. The shooter was nowhere in sight. Another gunshot occurred.

Next thing I knew, I was lying on the cold tile floor.

7:15 am, Xavier, Vermont 10/8/23

I woke up suddenly to the sound of Sage's voice. "Harvey..." she shook me awake in a sing-songy voice. I blinked my eyes open to find her about five inches away from my face. I yelped and tried to scoot as far away from her as I could. Within this instinctive motion, I fell off the couch.

"Don't do that!" I gasped after every word. My hands were still trembling. "I'm terribly sorry, Harvey." Sage said brightly, "But I woke you up because I've already missed two days of school and I want to get back to school. Am I able to trust you here by yourself?"

She woke me up for that?! I nodded quickly. Which made my headache worse. "Okay then!" she smiled. Sage was dressed for school in a light purple sweater with some white jeans and black Converse high tops. Her red hair was plated into two braids. French braids, I think. My sister Lindsay is in beauty school, so she would know these things.

Sage left soon after, and now it was just me. And Scout, unfortunately.