A teenage girl lept out of the car and hurried upstairs. School was over, summer was finally here, but her dress was not ready for the end of school year party at her friend's house. Almost tripping on the last stair, she staggered towards her room and hurried to where two female, headless mannequins stood, one wearing an off white lace dress with a thin, pale pink ribbon tied around the waist. She threw her black flats off, not bothering to change from her blue plaid school uniform, tied her long, dark brown hair back into a loose bun, and placed her glasses on her face. Her big, emerald green eyes focused on threading clear thread through the needle. Even in a rush, her stitches were even and neat due to five years of practice. Only a year ago she had begun making her own clothes, and she even made some dresses for her friends, which gave her money to buy supplies for her own dress.

    "Sylvie, your friends will be here in 30 minutes!" Mrs. Mullan shouted from downstairs.

    "Thanks Mum!" Sylvie called back. She tied off the final touch, quickly undressed the mannequin, and hurried to the bathroom to change. The door was shut and locked. Knocking on the door, she heard the shower running and her younger brother yelled, "I'm in here!"

    Growling, she locked the door in her room, shut the blinds, and changed into her dress. It fell just above her knees and the thin ribbon fitted perfectly around her waist. While congratulating herself, she slipped on matching sandals, brushed on makeup, and prayed that her brother would be out of the shower so she could curl her hair. To her relief, her brother was out. The bathroom was still steamy and smellled of boy's soap, but she had the sink to herself. When Sylvie was done, her thick hair hung in shiny waves down her shoulders.

    Looking out the window, she shrieked seeing her best friend, Tracy, waiting outside. Did it really take me half an hour to get ready? she thought, running down the stairs. She grabbed her purse on the way out and said her goodbyes before she shut the front door behind her. After having seated herself in the front seat of her friend's black Range Rover, she took one last glance at the house. An eerie feeling that she would never see her home again played in the back of her mind; that thought was quickly forgotten as her friend started up a conversation.

    The excited girls arrived at the location of the party, a distant friend's house who knew Sylvie well enough to put her on the guest list. They were greeted at the front door by the host and Tracy and Sylvie found their group of girls, sitting on the back patio. It was a cool, clear spring night in Chorley, England. All the girls in her friend circle complemented Sylvie about how pretty she looked. The party went on and Sylvie had a great time visiting with her friends.

    Her self esteem was boosted higher when she took a trip to the drink station by herself, and Andrew, a mid-field football player in her school team and Tracy's twin brother, introduced himself to her, "You're Sylvie Mullan right?" he asked, holding out a hand, smiling. "I'm Andrew."

    Sylvie shook his hand, her face feeling warm. Ever since she saw him when she visited, she had had a crush on him. He was tall and lean from playing the sport, his chocolate brown hair was always parted and his kind brown eyes always made her think of an adorable puppy. He was the most handsome chap she had ever seen.

    "You found me," Sylvie giggled.

    "Tracy talks about you all the time. I've really wanted to meet you, but you're always hanging around other girls," he told her, rubbing the back of his neck.

    "I understand, don't want word to get around," Sylvie smiled, feeling a little more comfortable.

    "Yeah, so, do you want to go for a walk so we don't attract any more attention?" he asked, jerking his head toward a group of girls, who were staring jealously at Sylvie.

    "Good idea," Sylvie felt her face grow even redder from the attention she had drawn.

    He held the door open for her and she made sure to keep her purse with her, in case she would have to pull the pepper spray; she walked out the door, thanking him and he followed behind her. Sylvie pulled her fleece jacket closer around to protect her from the cold. They walked side by side down the neighborhood sidewalk:

    "So," Sylvie started, breaking the awkward silence, "how is football going?"

     "Great actually, we've got a tournament coming up this weekend," he replied, seeming relieved that the lingering quiet had stopped. "Do you play any sport?"

    Sylvie shook her head, "Besides gym in school, I really don't do anything. I'm more on the small side."

    "That doesn't change anything, there's some professional football players that are shorter."

    "Still, I'm not really the aggressive type," Sylvie crossed her arms, looking ahead at the street light.

    "Every girl has a mean streak, especially in sports, girls are vicious," he chuckled, glancing down at her to see her smirking.

    "I'm guessing Tracy told you that?"

    He laughed, "Actually, I found that out myself through experience."

    Sylvie laughed, This night couldn't be any better, she thought, wistfully.

    Without any warning, the ground beneath her feet collapsed. Screaming, she fell into a deep ditch. Pain shot up her tailbone after she had landed and slid to the bottom of the pit. Cursing, she stood up painfully and saw that she was covered in dirt. Her dress was ruined!

    "Sylvie!" she heard Andrew's voice holler from the surface.

    "I'm fine!" she yelled back, she voice shaking from the shock.

    "You're too far down to reach! I'm going for help!" he shouted, and his head disappeared from the opening of the trench.

    "Of course, this day was ruined," she frowned, sitting down and hugging her knees. How did this ditch get here in the first place? she wondered.

    A few minutes later, voices were audible. Here's the rescue party, she thought, standing up. As the voices became louder, they didn't sound like human voices, they sounded foreign they but different from any she learned in school. The street light dimmed and Sylvie squinted to see two dark figures leaning over the pit. A small metallic ball landed at her feet with white smoke emitting from it.

    The white smoke blew into her face, causing her to breathe it in; she coughed and started feeling drowsy. Her more smoke blew into her face and her eyelids became heavy. She felt herself loose strength in her legs, her eyes closed and all was pitch black.