The unknown had arrived on the day my best friend, Darcy White, was murdered. It all began when people started losing their memories. From the little things, like misplacing items, to the larger things, like the names of their children. Soon, the crimes of people were forgotten and the world became dangerous. Innocent people were killed, shops were robbed, and there was no peace. The trust that held everything together fell apart. No one could be trusted at any time. The shorter the days felt, the stranger the people around me behaved.

            My parents had gone out for the evening because they needed a break from work they said. In reality, I’m sure they needed a break from me. Nevertheless, I ate dinner by myself. It really was no different than any other night, my parents always worked late shifts, and so I was often left to entertain myself. Some nights if I was lucky, Darcy would join me.

            A small saucepan of my mother’s eggplant casserole was sitting on top of the stovetop, the heavy scent of thyme brought a sense of relaxation. I glanced at myself through the small precious mirror beside the sink. Just as I sat down to begin digging in, a light tapping on the window startled me. I froze and shrunk all the way down until I was under the table. The tapping repeated over and over again, like a never-ending rhythm.  

            Before I knew it, the whole room was covered with a faint smoke. I held my hand to my mouth to try and halt the sound of my breathing. A vague outline of a tiny black creature seemed like it was getting closer and closer by the second. The sound of grumbling and murmuring perked my ears.

Was it my stomach? I mean it’s been awhile since I’ve eaten, and I was looking forward to my mom’s dish. I peered down at my stomach and mentally scolded myself for not eating. Once I looked up and an alien roughly the size of my hand stood before me. The body was covered in what appeared to be skin-tight velvet cloth and three gleaming blue rings were pressed into the middle of the frame as if it was some sort of symbol. The unknown was now known.

The little creature jumped up, a flash of lightning emitted from underneath and a piece of paper developed from underneath. It hovered over the fragile paper, gesturing for me to read what was on it. The words gave the impression that it was illuminating on top of the painting.

She was dark.

She told white lies.

She was murdered.

I scrunched my eyebrows at it, was this talking about Darcy? Then, the creature repeated its actions, sending out another piece of paper.

Follow these clues.

And you will be following the steps of the killer.

Fool me once, shame on you

            In the minuscule town that we lived in, nothing exciting happened, except for the circus festival that took place in the fields every twentieth full moon. The people that took time out of their evening to volunteer there were always dressed up as jesters. Darcy and I made a routine to attend every single one of them, and since the beginning, she has always made it a priority to announce drastic news during the event.

 Just as I looked back up, about to ask the alien about this bizarre situation, I was transported into a circus tent. The pattern of red and white cloth swirled on top of me, and old wooden benches circled the edge. I could hear the bustling noise of people, laughing and having a good time outside. The pungent smell of caramel corn and cotton candy brought back many fond memories of our adventures together.

            A sudden sound of laughter and the door to the tent whipping open had broke my thoughts, and one of my father’s good friends, Ezra, widened his eyes at the sight of me.

            “Oh, dear goodness, Ava, what in the world are you doing in here by yourself?” He asked, rushing over to me. His bushy peppered eyebrows rose up and his calloused hands reached out to lend me a hand. Being the kind gentlemen that he was, he usually volunteered at this event. Ezra’s blue polo shirt and black jeans told me otherwise.

            I reflected back, how did I even get in here? “I don’t really know, actually.” I rubbed my forehead. “Has the festival just started?”

            Ezra glanced to the side in ponder. “That’s funny…I actually don’t remember. I believe I was about to make my family some dinner and then the next thing I know I end up here. Completely slipped my mind that the festival was happening tonight.”

            “Isn’t it quite dangerous to be out in the public right now? How come they allowed this event to proceed?” I asked.

            Before he could reply, a deafening siren pierced through the entire area. Heart wretched screams filled the air, driving my attention away from Ezra. As soon as I turned to face Ezra, his grey eyes darkened into a navy color. The familiar creature from before floated around his head, but now there were three. The tent began to fill with the identical smoke I had encountered in my kitchen.

            The thin acrobat flipped through the flaming ring when my phone started to ring. The news of my new internship at a prestigious company was still fresh in my head.

            “Miss. Ava Lucero? This is Mia from ‘Le Terre’. We are very sorry to announce that we’ve withdrawn your internship for this company due to unfortunate circumstances. We wish you the best.”

            I watched as the acrobat finished with a proud stance, and everyone stood up, clapping loudly. The linear sound of the ending of the call resonated as I turned to Darcy.

            “What’s wrong?” Darcy asked as her face etched with concern.

            “They…w-withdrew my internship.”

            I gasped, trying to catch my breath. Ezra was gone. I stumbled towards the exit of the circus tent. Booths of all varieties were lit on fire and the fumes of burning paper escaped into my nose.

            “Ava, thank goodness you’re alright.” An older woman with a neat silver bob clutched onto my shoulder.

            I furrowed my brows. “Who are you?”

            A glimpse of betrayal flared on her wrinkled face. “Darcy’s aunt, Keri. I used to come over all the time.”

 “What are you talking about? Darcy doesn’t have an aunt.”

Just as the cloth of the tent started to rattle, Keri arched her back in pain before regaining her posture. “Of course she does. Everyone’s related in one way or another here, isn’t that right?” She gently touched my forearm and a shock jolted through my body. Her petite frame became holographic, flickering back and forth between a jester and herself. Soon, she began quivering vigorously. Keri was possessed.

“Fool me twice, shame on me.” Her robotic voice echoed.

The exhaust from the fire enclosed me, her traumatized face transformed into a smiling fool.

            “I can’t believe you. This is the second time you’ve done something like this to me.” I pulled at my hair. “The festival is supposed to be a special time and you always decide to ruin it for the both of us.”

            She fiddled with the bells on the jester hat. Darcy had decided to volunteer for the second half of the festival this year. “Sorry.”

            “’Sorry’? That’s all you have to say for yourself?” I shouted at her, throwing the container of popcorn forcefully into the trashcan.

            “Whatever, I have to go help out.” She shrugged off.

            I clutched onto her wrist. “No. You don’t get to walk away like this.”

            “Seriously, Ava, you’re making such a big deal out of nothing.” Darcy squirmed under my hold. “Let go. I’m going to be late.”

            “You’re worried about your volunteer job?” I spit out at her. “What a joke.”

            She pulled away and glared at me, like all of this was my fault.

            Right as I opened my eyes, Keri’s face was an inch away from mine. Her eyes the same blue hue as Ezra’s had turned into.

            “Go home. Before it’s too late.” She pushed me away from the burning site. As I ran, I took one last look behind me. A large pole collapsed onto her delicate body, crushing the evil that was forced inside of her. My legs felt like jelly as I ran further and further away.

            The neighborhood was destroyed. No human was in sight. I dashed, my bare feet pounded against the concrete as I arrived at my kitchen. The cabinets were hanging from the last hinges and the wood on it had been burned and scratched. The fridge was knocked over; foods of all kind were littered all over the floor.

            My parents weren’t home.

            On the island counter, a flimsy sheet was engraved onto it: the sides flapping from the minor draft. I hurried over to it and ripped the paper from its original position.

            You’re running out of time.

            I wanted to give up. This was useless; I was running around in circles, but the smell of my mother’s famous thyme eggplant dish unconsciously wafted into my nose. The memories of her humming along to the radio while tossing in the fragrant spice rushed into my mind, providing me with a glint of hope.

            I looked around the beaten up kitchen and the creaking oven. My mother’s beloved mirror shattered onto the ground. One of the cabinets next to the oven was still glued shut. I scrunched up my eyebrows and walked over to it. I pulled at the wood, but it wouldn’t budge. I kept pulling until splinters were hidden deep into my skin and my fingers ached. Finally, it creaked open and an empty container of a spice was sitting on the shelf.

            The spice my mother used the most. Thyme. All of her thyme containers were always filled up to the brim no matter what, but this one was vacant.

            Thyme. Thyme. Time. There was no more thyme. I was running out of thyme. I opened the container, expecting the familiar scent to ease my tension. What came out instead was the signature vapor that weaved its way out and soon the air around me was filled with old memories.

            “I don’t understand you. You take everything happy in my life to make sure it satisfies you.” I scoffed at my former best friend.

            Darcy shot daggers at me, snapping the last bite of her apple. “Everyone leaves this boring old town. I don’t have anyone else anymore. I lost my parents, my aunt, my brothers and sisters, I couldn’t lose you too.”

            “You really are one selfish little girl. This was the opportunity of a lifetime for me, the one chance I could’ve done something more. Something that brought real meaning to what I was meant to do.” I growled at her.

            “I already apologized to you, I have nothing more to say.” She dismissed and turned around, tossing the apple core into the trashcan.

            My fingers were trembling, my eyes skipped around the kitchen. My mom had just finished chopping up slices of eggplant; the butcher knife gleamed up at me. Beckoning for me to grab it. I glanced back and forth between her dark silky hair and the handle of the knife.

            I stepped towards the sharp object and hurled it into her heart right as she shifted back towards me.

            I caught my reflection from a shard of the mirror on the ground; my dingy brown eyes evolved into the deep navy blue.

            “Sometimes you’re forced to make a choice. You made the right choice.”

My eyes expanded at the sight in front of me of the ghostly silhouette of Darcy, a knife punctured on her chest. The faint ringing of bells haunted the house.

I killed her.