“Hah… Hah… Hah…” 

The feeling of the wind against my skin, the sound of my bike’s wheels turning accompanied by my heavy breathing. My leg muscles were almost at their limit, as I pushed on higher and higher, pedaling like my life depended on it. 

“Made it!” A female voice cried from in front of me, just seconds before I reached the top of the steep cliff we were trying to ascend so readily. 

“Ahh… damn it!” I exclaim in a mix of exhaustion and frustration as I reach our imaginative finish line mere seconds after my friend does. 

“Ha, you’ve been getting better at this!” The girl in front of me turns around with a smile, her long blonde hair swaying slightly due to the wind, with her blue ribbon always intact. “One day I’m sure you’ll be able to cycle faster than me!” She continues in a consoling manner in between some hasty breaths, as she looks at me with her clear sky blue eyes. This is my childhood friend, Claire Willow 

“You’re mocking me, aren’t you?” I say in an irritated tone as I get down from my bike. 

“No! I’m serious!” She giggles lightly as she follows my lead. 

We push our bikes along the side of the road before we stop following the beaten track and cut through the thick forest next to us. Soon we find a small paved path that leads to a small swamp. This is our secret place. We’ve been cycling for some time now, for 4 years to be exact, so we had enough time to explore almost every nook and cranny of this peaceful little town we live in, called Thorn Valley. Now that we’re both 13, and have almost mastered the art of cycling for kids our age, we are able to cycle eve  further than the last couple years, and I’m sure that as the years go by we’ll be even more well-versed with it all. 

“Hey, earth to Desmond! Are you listening?” Claire nudged me as we walked side by side, with our rides in tow.  

Yes, that’s my name Desmond Gray. My parents had a thing for unusual names, in case you were wondering...
“No, what was it again?” I ask while ruffling my sweaty and black messy hair to get rid of those little drops still stuck there. 

“As I was saying, boys are physically stronger than girls, so it’s almost set in stone you’ll one day surpass me during our little cycling excursions.” She explained, reminding of my 100th or so defeat. 

“I highly doubt it… I mean, I’ve never beaten you before!” I say with an exasperated sigh, reminding myself of why exactly I was so frustrated to begin with. 

Shortly, we reach our destination, as we reach the end of the paved dirt path and come to a clearing with a swamp. Although we call it a swamp, the water is so clear, even fish don’t live in it. 

“Ah… This place never disappoints!” Claire exclaims with a hearty grin. 

“True… It’s like our own secret place, isn’t it?” I reply in the same fashion to which the girl besides me giggles. 

“Here.” She hands me a rock which I take while she clasps her own. “Who goes first?” She asks while I shrug. “Here… goes!” She pulls back her arm and tosses the small rock sideways towards the water, which immediately sinks as it comes into contact with the surface. 

“Mmm!” She hums in frustration while puffing out her cheeks. 

“Ha! It appears you have a long way to go, Claire!” I mock her as I toss my own rock to the swamp’s direction. The rock jumps three times along the surface before sinking to its depth.

“Unfair!” She crosses her arms playfully before we both start laughing and a chilly breeze caresses our skin. 

“Where’s your windbreaker?” I ask while she rubs her hands along her arms. 

“Hehe, I kinda forgot to bring it…” She uttered in a low voice to which I sighed. 

“Here, take mine.” I said while handing over my blue hooded windbreaker, which she threw on top of her cycling attire she was already wearing. 

“What a gentleman!” Claire commented with a grin as she zipped it up to the top. 

“You’re giving it back when we’re back on our bikes, though.” I explain to which she protests almost immediately. 

“Meanie! Now you’re something in between!” She pouts with her arms crossed. 

“In between what?” I inquire.

“Between a gentleman and a boy!” She replies and I chuckle. “This isn’t how you’re supposed to repay your mentor!” Claire continues. 

“You’re not my mentor, idiot. Your father is.” I explain as I gaze at the clear waters of the swamp. Claire’s father is the one who got us into cycling in fact. He used to be a pro or something, but he quit. Even the bike I’m riding used to be his own, once. I seriously can’t thank him enough for all he’s done for me.

“What? That is… true actually. But still you can have 2 mentors, right?” Claire voices while tapping her finger on her chin. 

“No, thank you.” I reply with a smirk as she nudges my side with her elbow. 

“Hey!”

We both start laughing as another cold breeze runs through the perimeter and we decide it’s time to go home. 

…

“See you later!” 

“Yep, see ya!” 

We both bid our farewells as we part ways and I unlock the front door to my house. 

“I’m home.” I voice as I hang my keys on the holder. 

“Welcome back!” My aunt welcomes me with a hearty grin, as she turns around from behind the kitchen counter. 

“Welcome back…” My younger cousin, July, voices shyly as she turns to me herself. In fact, she’s only 1 year younger than me, but she has always been on the shy side. 

…

“How did it go? Had fun?” My aunt asked, as we all sat on the table for dinner.

“Ah, you know, just the usual.” I say while I munch down on my food. 

“Think you can take July with you the next time you go?” She proposes as July casts her gaze downwards with a red face. 

“Sure, I’ve already asked her many times, though.” I reply while I take a sip from the soup. 

“But… I’m not athletic like Claire and you… I’ll just be in the way.” July voices lowly. 

“You don’t have to be an athlete to ride a bike, though.” I say with a reassuring smile as her mother chuckles lightly. 

…

 “Dez… wake up, it’s morning!” I stir to the voice calling out to me as I groggily open my eyes. 

“Thanks for waking me up, July…” I mutter as I get up, and the girl in front of me nods with a smile. 

I sit up on my bed and after opening the window, I knock on the other window just in front of me. 

“Coming…” I hear a sleepy yet familiar voice from the other side. 

“Morning.” I say as I gaze at Claire’s sleepy face. 

“Good morning.” She replies after a yawn. 

“Better get ready, today’s the first day of school.” I remind her while she nods in response, and we arrange to meet up just outside our houses, like every other school morning.

… 

“We’re off!” July and I wave back to her mother as we step out the house and she sees us off with a smile. As we turn to the road we notice a blonde girl waiting for us just a few steps away. 

“Good morning, Claire!” July says with a shy smile as we approach her. 

“Woah! You look really cute in that uniform July!” Claire exclaims in awe as she looks at the girl next to me. 

“Really…? I thought that it wouldn’t look good on me…” She mutters as she casts her gaze to her feet. 

“See, I told you!” I reply while patting her shoulder. 

In truth, this morning July was extremely nervous. It’s her first day in middle school and it’s also the first time she’d be wearing a school uniform. Me and her mother tried to reassure her multiple times but in the end it seems Claire’s comment helped her get over her anxiety. Of course, we were all wearing the same clothes, since we’re talking about school uniforms here. I was wearing a white short sleeved button up shirt with blue details on the collar and sleeves, with a blue pair of pants as well as a pair of white leather sneakers. The girls were wearing the same shirt, but with a blue skirt instead of pants, and a pair of brown pumps instead of just plain sneakers. It was a really pleasant Monday morning, as the warm breeze of this late summer day flew by us with a gentle touch. The weather in Thorn Valley was pretty much the best you could get anywhere, due to its position and landscape. On one side it was surrounded by mountains, that were great for hiking, and on the other side, a line of clear sea waters spread out for as far the eye could see, making for a great summer vacation spot. 

As we walk down the road from our homes and onto the school, I find myself looking at the two girls in front of me chatting away. They have grown really close, the past years I’ve been living together with my aunt. As I aimlessly look around my surroundings, I catch a glimpse of something unexpected.

“…!” I gasp as my gaze falls and locks into an otherworldly presence in front of me. A black mass of something that looks like a living being of some sort, is standing at the end of the road, with what appears to be its mouth wide open. 

“Desmond? Are you okay?” I feel Claire touching my shoulder as I jolt out of my trance and shake my head. The monster is nowhere in sight. I turn at the two of them and I can feel my brow furrowing in discontent. “Did you see one of those monsters again?” She asks, the worry visible through her tone. 

“Yeah…” I nod slightly. 

Truth is, I’m not what you’d call a normal kid. Or so I think, actually. Ever since that day… The day me and my parents crashed on a plane heading to the UK. After surviving the plane crash, and having lost both of my parents, I began occasionally seeing these monsters, as Claire called them. To be frank I have zero clue as to what they are, but I can feel that their presence is not to be taken lightly. After all, the first time I saw them was on that day, minutes before our plane crashed. The first time I saw one of them again after that day, I thought it was just a hallucination, but after seeing them time and time again, I decided to talk about it with my friend Claire, and my new family, July and her mother, since I’ve been living with them ever since. 

Claire touched my back in a comforting way as I nodded to myself and started walking again. 

“Dez…” July uttered worriedly.

“Let’s go.” I voiced managing a smile and the three of us made for the school once again. 

I know I might sound crazy to some people, but the people that know about these hallucinations of mine, have regarded me with nothing but respect and trust, and for that I’m truly thankful to them. I know that if I’m with them, I can overcome this trauma of mine one day. But in truth, all I wish for is for these peaceful days to continue…