I heard a bang from the other window. Whoever did this was coming for me.
"Help! Someone help!" I shouted, bursting out of the room into the hallway.
"Are you alright? I was just passing by when I heard you screaming. Are you okay?" Anna asked, rushing toward me.
"There was a gunshot in my room! It started with the wind blowing everything to the floor, then the gun went off," I cried out.
I began explaining, but Anna just stared at me like I was crazy. She lived next door, across the low fence; she must have heard the shot, too.
"You heard it, right? You must have heard that gunshot! It happened just a few minutes ago. Whoever did it is trying to kill me!"
My heart beat so quickly that my words came out in an unstoppable rush. Anna kicked open the door. I scanned the room and froze in confusion. The whole place looked normal.
I squinted, noticing the coffee looked darker than what I usually made for myself. I was sure I hadn't added extra cocoa today; I always liked it light. The coffee was still hot, steam drifting up as if it had been prepared seconds ago. But I had made my coffee an hour ago and had been planning to pour it down the drain.
I couldn't bring myself to touch it, much less take a sip. Who knew...it might have been poisoned. I narrowed my eyes toward the far side of the room. I could have sworn the papers that were scattered all over the floor were now neatly stacked on top of the wall cabinet. They weren't even skewed; they were lined up perfectly. Even the flower vase was back in its place. The window was not shattered, and the glass fish bowl was sitting on the windowsill.
How could anyone have done all that within minutes? I had been standing right by the front door; I hadn't heard footsteps or seen the smallest sign of someone entering or leaving.
"Are you sure you're okay? Do you want to go to the hospital or something?" Anna asked.
"I'm not crazy. I swear. I swear there was a wind and a gunshot in my room."
Anna stared at me, perplexed. "Really? Wind? A gun? Look at your books. Even these papers are properly put away. And the mug you're talking about? It still has your coffee in it, and it's hot. You're saying there was a mighty wind and a gunshot? Are you crazy? Come on, I know you're lonely. If you need someone to talk to, just talk to me," she said, placing her hands on my shoulders.
I couldn't utter a word. I realized I sounded stupid to her. It was impossible for her to believe me.
"Yes, you're right. I'm crazy. I was just scared to be alone," I lied. I bent down to observe the cup of coffee. I knew someone had been here and pulled this off. I wasn't stupid.
She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine. Sorry I said that. I've had a bad day, too. I'm sorry for acting like an asshole. So, tell me, what did you see? Are you sure you saw those things with your eyes?"
"Yes, I'm sure. I know you think I'm crazy, but I saw the gunshot hit my mug and watched it spill all over the rug. I know I'm not hallucinating."
"Well, I believe you," Anna said, somewhat hesitantly. "Whatever you saw could be real, or maybe some sort of weather phenomenon. I'm going to stay with you tonight, okay? Have you called your parents?"
"No, I haven't seen them since I moved here. I'm going to swing by this weekend," I lied.
"You'll be fine, Sandra. So, any fun school stories?"
"This week was Slum Week."
"Hey, welcome to my life," she joked.
We both laughed, but my smile was nothing but a cover. I appreciated her attempt to lighten the mood, but my ribs already ached from pretending to smile. I had too much on my mind, and I couldn't stop thinking about my parents.
"Now, tell me more about this Slum Week. What did you guys do?" she asked, sitting on my bed.
"Well, the highlight was probably the talent show. Everyone participated. It was fun seeing everyone showcase their... lame skills," I replied as I rested my head on the pillow.
"That sounds amazing! Did you participate?" she asked, knitting her brows.
"Yeah, I played the piano. It was nerve-wracking, but exciting."
"I didn't know you played the piano! You have to play for me sometime."
"Sure," I agreed.
When she finally left, I locked the doors, and inhaled deeply while staring at my phone. The phantom echo of those screams, my mother's screams, replayed on a loop in my mind, louder than the ringing in my ears from the gunshots.
Was it a recording? Was she being held at gunpoint? Or was that call the trigger for a sniper? Logic told me to destroy the phone, to throw it away in case it was a tracking device. But my heart screamed something else. That was my mother. I had to know if she was alive.
My thumb trembled violently as I hovered over the screen. I grit my teeth and hit REDIAL. It rang once. Then...
"Hello?" She picked up almost immediately.
"Mom?" I gasped, my voice cracking. "Mom? Are you okay? Speak to me!"
"I'm fine," she said. Her voice was smooth and utterly unrecognizable from the shrieking woman I'd heard seconds ago. It was the voice she used for dinner parties. "Oh. It's you. You called. You finally remembered you have a mother."
I blinked rapidly, trying to clear the fog of confusion. "I... I finally remembered you?"
"It's been months," she sighed, the sound of a page turning audible in the background.
"But... you just called me!" I shouted. The cognitive dissonance was making me nauseous. "Mom, I just picked up! There was yelling! Screaming! Glass breaking and..."
"I haven't touched the phone all morning until now," she interrupted.
"No! That's not true!" I scrambled to my feet, crouching low to stay below the window line. "I heard you! Where is Father? What happened to you?"
"Nothing happened to me. We are fine," she replied coldly. It was a mechanical response, void of emotion. "Your father is reading the paper."
I bit my lip. Her voice sounded like she was irritated just talking to me.
"Mom....I think someone is playing wild games with me!"
There was a long silence where I could almost hear her breathing.
"Playing what?" she asked.
Click.
The line went dead. She had hung up on me again. I lowered the phone slowly, staring at the screen. My hands were shaking so hard I nearly dropped it.