Missy

When I was in 7th Grade, I lived in Tucson. I moved around & switched schools a lot, but this year I was at Amphi Jr High. I was friends with an 8th grader, who lived in my neighborhood. Her name was Melissa, she would also go by Missy. Her and I would hang out often before and after school. I would sleep over at her house often as well and we hung out in the same crowd in our area every day. Up till the night she changed and became very cold and mean! She was very pretty, witty, popular and fun. We had a lot of common interests, same favorite color & we got along good. I liked spending time with her and her family. Even tho I was warned early on that she had something wrong with her and that she would do and say bad things or threaten to hurt people in her family etc., I didn't believe this was true about her. I thought they were just playing and trying to exaggerate her being a "brat". After I became really close with her through that year, I was told her Grandmother was caught levitating her as a baby, practicing black magic on her. She said she was never in their life again after then and she didn't know her grandma because of that happening, but she thought that was the reason why she was bad inside sometimes. Even though I knew about that, I had not ever before that night felt scared or threatened when I was with her. I even visited her family parties along with them and considered her as my best friend. I still remember her brother & parents names.

I wonder sometimes if it was all 'a prank',.. but I can feel it wasn't! I also Know Nobody would want to have such an eerie night for friends over night, truly at some point she would have caved if it had been a prank. Still till today, so many years later I can recall places I went with her and her house exactly as it was. I had visited so many times. I Especially still remember just as vividly that last night I spent there. As if it was a movie scene, I've replayed again and again over time. I used to cry when I told it, reliving everything, more years have passed now and I'm hoping this is the last time going over it. I'm writing this not only to share my story with others or so it wont be forgotten by my children but also so I have closure to these times by putting my chapters together to tell my stories many more times through it being written. Even tho I know I was there and experienced what happened that night myself, it sounds so surreal every time I go over it.

It was a weekend and I was staying the night at Melissa's house, along with another girl Miranda (pronounced in Spanish). It was Maybe Oct. I'm unsure exactly, but it couldn't have been Summer, because Cold Rainy Nights don't happen so often in Az.. It was a cold, very rainy night, it's crazy to me cuz now I understand differently why some scary stories start that way. For some reason this night we were home alone. Her parents and brother left for an over night family party. I don't recall much at the start of the night. I didn't have anything to keep memory of before everything changed with her. I don't know what time we started the movie exactly, but It was already dark and must have been 9 or 10ish. We were watching a scary movie. All 3 of us on her sectional couch in the living room. Her on 1 side, our other friend Miranda & I on the other. In my mind I can see how her living room was arranged & remember the movie,.. "Night of The Demons" still clearly in my head. There wasn't a full on Thunder storm, but It was raining heavily. I remember how there were multiple leaks in the roof and there were bowls and pans sat around, to catch the drips. There were drips sounds for a long time, especially when it was quiet, during the movie and when we weren't talking at times. Mid way through our confusion and fear, we occasionally sat silent and said nothing, while listening to the drips.

Things started to seem strange with her mid way into the movie. At first she just stopped talking with us. Then closer toward the end of the movie, we noticed she wasn't watching the movie at all. Her body was still positioned sitting upright, holding herself up. She wasn't relaxed comfortably or asleep. She sat still, her feet to the floor. Her body was upright and her chin was down. She appeared to be slightly hunched and she was expressionless. From what we could see of her face, her eyes seemed closed. As we realized this, one of us said her name. I can't remember which of us, but she didn't respond. After us both calling her name a few times< she replied with a deeper than normal voice: " Missy is not here right now!. "

We Both questioned the situation. Like what the crap?!!! Looking at each other, silently communicating,.. Hmmm. Thinking. Skeptically, we told her "Stop messing around!". When she finally lifted her head to us, she turned her head our way and we could see her eyes were full white, as if they were rolled back. We were scared, by far but somehow silently decided, we weren't going to let her know. She never said anything else at this time. We played along as if it was a prank, showing no fear and acting casual. Laughing and saying "okay, waste your time," and we shut the movie off and put on something less frightening on. We told her we were hungry and left her sitting alone while we went to the kitchen.

Right away, Immediately I quietly snuck my keys, my instincts told me to. I put them inside my shorts, encase I needed to escape at some point. Having my keys gave me relief to know I would be able to get inside at home, without banging frantically and scaring everyone,..planning if I ran there to my mom. I was also skeptical about running home 4 blocks alone at midnight.. I could have just left, but I also felt bad to leave Miranda alone with her! Part of me was not fully accepting this was really happening. I second guessed myself and thought I needed to prove I wasn't a chicken, So I stayed. I think maybe I was scared to be made fun of at school by them, if I had ran home, because they were older than me. Maybe I should have left, but I still don't regret staying.. I was there was for a reason I'll never understand. I honestly would have rather not had this night to reflect back on, but I feel good knowing I didn't leave her to go through it alone.. I felt okay to stay, since it was quiet still, I wanted to believe she was maybe just pretending. We found food and tried to forget about it while we made sandwiches. We ate and stayed in the kitchen, unsure what was going on. Wondering what next, if anything, Unsure and just waiting. Rather than disturb whoever she was, we stayed in the kitchen a long while and were talking about other random topics, to appear not scared. Also Waiting for her to drop the act. Hopefully!

I don't know how long later, but as we were talking, she began laughing. As she laughed, we could hear her laughing getting louder,.. she was coming closer from the other room. Missy was still laughing as she came walking into the kitchen area with us. I was sitting on the counter as she passed by me, focused on Miranda, who was tuff and boyish and had already spoke first. Miranda had asked Missy (with frustration), why she was laughing.. Missy spoke with a deep tone, Snidely and condescendingly. She told Miranda, She was laughing at us... because we were scared,.. She said "You Both Are", as she turned her face at me, "and you're not going anywhere".. then put her attention back to looking at Miranda, still speaking to us both. I was in shock, feeling like she knew I got my keys an hour earlier. Miranda told her she was wrong and that it was making her mad, not scared. Missy just ignored what Miranda said. Missy continued to explain (while holding scissors, that she picked up from the table), that we couldn't leave,.. but she couldn't hurt us, that she wasn't going to do anything to do us. She said she was just having fun messing with us. We also thought she was & asked her to stop more pleadingly than before, but she was talking with the deep tone still and that continued to confused me. So I asked her why she "can't" hurt us and she answered, because Miranda was "carrying a baby", & She told me I "was protected". She said that, we were a just a waste of time, & she had other ideas. She went down the hallway and we sat confused awhile, again minutes were flying by, maybe another hour while we were trying to rationalize what to do..

Although this all seems to be happening so fast, there was so much time silent in between everything. It's like the night was in fast forward. It was still pouring rain, I think it was now near 1am, I'm guessing. We were ready for bed but didn't know if we should keep ignoring her and go to sleep without her. We stayed there and kept hoping she would be herself again soon and that we could have a fun sleep over like it started.

After what seemed like forever, We wondered if she went to sleep in her room. Then things went from quiet to loud. Unexpectedly, she came back to the kitchen, with her cat,.. She loved her cat very much and was never aggressive, but she was Holding it by its head! She was standing with her fingers laced and locked holding the cat by it's head, he was swinging around trying to get loose from her grip and screeching and upset. We both instantly started screaming at her and begging her to stop whatever she was doing or about to do, and she suddenly collapsed to her knees! At the same time, letting the cat free, she looked up at us with tears, we could see it was her own eyes, and with her own voice of relief, she said "he's letting my kitty go!".

We told her it's ok, and everything will be ok!! We said we needed to go to bed and get some sleep. Other than telling us, to sleep in her moms bed, she was not talking anymore again. Her eyes and voice had stayed normal but she wasn't fully herself.. Miranda was a bit bigger and stronger than I and was maybe sort of my protection between Missy and I. Or maybe it was also me being there and following my instincts that also kept her protected. I'm not sure why at the time and for years after but it was just another thing we silently understood as we did as we were supposed to as we got in her moms bed. I got in the bed first, which put me against the wall under the window. Miranda got in bed 2nd, putting herself in the middle. Missy got in the bed last, laying on the edge & outside of the bed. I assumed it was so she would know if we tried to get up to leave the room.

This was the most comfortable and uncomfortable time of the night. Comfortable to not have any pressure of talking or sharing thoughts or making up things to avoid the situation, but uncomfortable to wonder if my thoughts were being heard anyway. I couldn't tell if I sensed that they were also still awake or if something else was watching me, listening. I didn't feel alone and I couldn't fall asleep. For so long, I was just feeling like there was a thickness in the air. I rolled over to reposition and accidentally opened my eyes and in the dresser mirror, facing the bed, I could see in center of the darkness of the room, was a huge darker black cloud, hovering just above the bed, directly above us. I rolled back to the window, more scared than ever through the whole night. I prayed till I fell asleep, which was quickly, I believe God helped with that.

I awoke to car doors closing and the front door. I instantly knew her parents were home. I jumped and ran from the bed, without looking back at the girls at all. I went through the door and almost collided into her mom, as she was also entering the hallway from the kitchen. She must have clearly seen the fear in my face, because she looked concerned & Asked "What Happened?",.. As I explained briefly, but with enough said, she let her head fall back softly against the hallway wall, I could see she honestly was feeling helpless & defeated. She said she has scared her so many times too, that she has been told she would be killed in her sleep and didn't sleep for weeks worrying, So she understood. I told her I had to go home. I left without saying bye to Missy or Miranda!

I don't know if I left anything behind but I never went back until a few weeks later. I was moving and went to say bye then, but she acted as if she barely knew me. So that was the end of me knowing her. I wondered about her a few times, but I didn't try to contact her. Seems to me like she would have tried to reconnect on her own at some point in life if she had wanted to. Most all of my close childhood friends have.. weirdly & not surprisingly, not her.. I think I was actually maybe cursed that night to be honest. My life has had some strange happenings but I feel safe to say this the first of the many.. In the least it opened my mind to so much I now understand, that I didn't at the time.