Hidden Within

Twelve days ago I promised my mom I would go on a walk with her to Central Park, and today was that day. I tried to sleep in as long as possible but of course, Mom barged into my room and threw some teal yoga pants and a matching t-shirt onto my bed, I rolled out of bed onto my neon orange rug, the fluff scratched my face and made it itchy. I stood up and stared at the pile of clothes for a while, then gasped them and angrily put them on. My twin brother, Finn, knocked on my door and slipped a note underneath it, it read:

Have a fun walk with Mom! (>.<)

I’m lucky I don’t have to go! (>.<)

-Finn 

Lol, I ran out of blue highlighter

While writing this!

Finn was so lucky, he always got out of things. Like baking, or cleaning, or schoolwork, or WALKS!  All of a sudden Mom yelled “Come on Camryn! We’ll eat and then go for our walk!”

“COMING MOM!” I screamed back.

Even though I told my Mom I was coming I really didn’t mean it, I inched down the stairs as slowly as possible until my stomach started rumbling then I started running. Food was my life and I needed it! I slid into my spot at the kitchen table and immediately started stuffing my face with fruit, Mom plopped down a plate of waffles in front of me and I ate them in one bite. “Done Cam?” Mom asked.

“Yes…” I replied, wishing I didn’t eat so quickly.

Mom handed me a water bottle with ice in it and some tennis shoes, I put on the tennis shoes and slipped the water bottle on my wrist, then Mom and I walked out the door. We walked about a mile to Central Park and my legs were begging for me to sit down. Mom luckily let me sit as she told me her plan, “We are going to pick up as much trash as we can!” She said, with a huge grin on her face.

She pulled two pairs of blue latex gloves and handed one to me and started to pull on her gloves, then she gave me a large plastic bag and said “I’ll pick up recycling and you pick up trash.”

“M’kay,” I said, annoyed that we had to pick up other people's trash.

I stood up from the bench and started trailing behind Mom, she would shout out the pieces of trash that she saw and then stand there until I picked it up. Large snow banks lined the sidewalks, they were melting so my sneakers were getting soaked and drenched in melting snow. “Paper bag, Cam!” Mom pointed at a melting snowbank.

I walked over to the snowbank, awkwardly jumping over small puddles of icy water. I leaned over and plucked the bag out of the snow, it was heavy so I opened it. Inside was a large purple gem, I looked up to tell Mom about it but when I reached into the bag to grab it and it was gone, then a voice behind me said “It’s my pleasure to be at your acquaintance, Camryn.”

I flinched and turned around to see a pale boy about my age. His eyes were like black holes, trying to swallow me up. “How do you know my name?” I said as my body shook.

“Because you freed me.” He said, his breath smelled of peppermints and lemons.

My eyes widened and I couldn’t stop myself, I ran, not caring that my sneakers got wet and also sprayed my pants with the dirty water. I ran as far as I could and then stopped, I turned back, the boy was gone. I walked up to Mom and handed her the paper bag. “Thanks, Cam.” She said.

We kept on walking and picking up trash, we stopped to get a drink and to dump out bags. A cool breeze blew past my ear and when over my shoulder there was the boy, “Hi, Camryn.”

I froze and stared into his deep, black eyes. “Cam, who’s your friend?” Mom said as she walked back over to me.

“Hi, Mrs. Ikle. My name is Vince.” 

“Why hello, Vince. You are dressed very nicely for a walk around the park.”

It was the first time I noticed his outfit, it was a dusty black tuxedo and dress shoes. It made him look even more creepy. “Would you like to walk with us, Vince?” Mom asked, and I wanted to yell “NO” but I was still frozen with terror.

“It would be my pleasure, Mrs. Ikle.” He said in this creepy, polite way.

“Please, call me Gina.”

“Come on Camryn,” Vince said.

I stood up and placed my hands in my pockets, I touched something cold and smooth, I pulled it out of my pocket and there it was the purple gem. Without thinking I took the gem and threw it at the cement, it shattered into a million tiny pieces. When I looked up there was no Vince, only Mom with a horrified expression. I walked up to her and clutched her arm, “H-he... Umm… Where?” She muttered.

“Mom it’s fine, we are safe,” I said, squeezing her arm tighter.

I couldn’t guarantee we were safe, I just hoped we were. We started walking away from the shards of purple stone, “Want lunch, Mom? I asked because I was starving.

She nodded, still in shock of what happened. We walked over to “Taco Shop” and Mom’s shock luckily wore away and she ordered us some food. We ate our food in silence until Mom slipped me a ten-dollar bill and said “Get yourself some ice cream, honey.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

I walked up to the counter and ordered some rose petal ice cream, which tasted fresh and sweet. I started to walk back to our table but then I thought because I have five dollars left I’ll buy some ice cream for Mom, so I walked back to the counter and bought another rose petal ice cream for Mom. I walked to our table and handed Mom the ice cream, “Thanks, honey.” She said, shoving small bits of ice cream into her mouth.

All of a sudden an icy breeze blew down my neck, Mom’s face changed from the caring, thankful expression to a wide-eyed, freaked out expression, she pointed behind me and a peppermint, lemon smell floated past my ear as someone said “It’s my pleasure to be at your acquaintance, Camryn.”