Prologue

People refuse to see the truth. It can be right before them, staring them in the eyes, and they will see nothing. Something, in the corners of their subconscious mind, blockades the grotesque truths of the world. For, the truth is not always pretty. It is, in fact, very ugly indeed.

Shauna swayed rhythmically on the swing. Back and forth, back in forth; her worn converses scraping the rubble on the ground brought her comfort. Silence. Everything was silent except for the slight crunching of her black soled shoes rubbing against gravel. Her soft midnight black hair flowed freely down her shoulders, casting shadows around her flawless oval face. Deep blue eyes, peered into nothingness. Even though the only remnants of light came from the dusted moon, Shauna felt all too visible. She felt vulnerable in the casting shadows of the deserted playground. Something in the back of her mind triggered telling her that she was not alone, and that the emptiness was all an illusion. She shook her head, forcing back what she thought was oncoming insanity.

The last crunch of gravel slowed the swing to a stop, as Shauna slowly ambled away from the rusted chains. She walked in silence for a few moments, and when she looked back to the deserted playground, she saw that the swing was still moving. On it sat a ghostly young girl with long blonde hair, bending her head downwards. Suddenly the girl became aware of another presence, snapping her head up, staring at Shauna. “You can see me?” she asked with an awed whisper. Shauna nodded her head slowly, trying to figure where the young girl came from.

The girl stared with disbelief at Shauna’s oblivious face. A chill ran through her body; Shauna wondered how she could be sensing evil from something so innocent looking. “Oh no,” the girl whispered, “This is very bad.” And with a blink, the young girl disappeared, leaving Shauna confused and all too aware of the silence around her.

OOO

Shauna walked home in auto-pilot. Was that girl real? She continued to ask herself questions wondering if she was insane or if she just needed sleep. Quietly, she opened the back door to her house, and sneaked up the stairs, begging the wooden floor to keep quiet. It was three in the morning, and her mother would kill her if she knew about Shauna’s dawn trip to the playground. Shauna was used to sneaking out of the house, meeting up with a new boy, goofing off with friends, and taking strolls to no where. But as she crept up her aged steps, she suddenly felt guilt come over her. She misplaced the feeling though, thinking she felt guilty about sneaking out of the house. The true guilt was coming from the little girl with the blonde halo of hair, “Oh no,” she had said, “This is very bad.” Who was this creature if not one from Shauna’s imagination?

Slipping into her room, Shauna kicked off her worn shoes, pulled a black hoodie off of her body, and slipped into her frayed PJ bottoms that were at least two years old. In the process of changing, she caught her own glance in the mirror. Tired eyes stared back at her, tired, confused eyes. She shook her head, avoiding the lone girl in the mirror. But the girl was unavoidable, staring back at her with persistence and lost hope. Why was she suddenly feeling that her life was a lie? How could one golden haired girl change everything forever?