Chapter 4

Unfortunately, around 10 pm, when Julie was about to get ready for bed, all hell broke loose.

Julie heard the front door open and slam shut and her mom singing at the top of her lungs. Julie could hear it from her bedroom despite the door being closed. “…OOOOHH, livin’ on a prayer. Take my hand, and we’ll make it…” Bang.

Oh, shit. Julie thought. Why does she have to do this? Julie figured she should make sure her mom was okay.

She did hear the loud crash. Her mom probably tripped and fell in the living room. Julie opened her door and found her mom completely disheveled, trying to push herself up from the floor. Her shoes were already thrown aside, and her jacket was hanging off a chair at the dining room table.

She was dressed in her work clothes – black dress pants, a red short-sleeve blouse, with a grey cardigan. Her clothes still looked okay, but her hair was coming out of its bun that was supposed to be pulled back at the nape of her neck. Strands were hanging around her face, and the bun was falling to the side.

But that wasn’t new to Julie. She was used to her mom coming home from work looking worse for wear. “…OOHH, livin’ on a prayer. Dadada, dadada, dadada, dadada….” She continued to sing nonsensically, pretending to play the guitar with one of her black pumps.

Julie walked up behind her mom and tried to guide her to her bedroom, but she resisted. “Why are you pushing me?!” She yelled in Julie’s ear, smacking her daughter’s arm off of her shoulder. “I’m ready to party!”

“Mom, it’s getting late.” Julie snapped. “I have a test in the morning, and I have to go to sleep. Can you please just try to keep it down?”

She didn’t really expect her mom to listen to her. But it had been a long day, and she was really tired and starting to get cranky. She just wished her mom was in a tired, drunk mood instead of this crazy, wild, party animal. “Why don’t you go take a walk around the block to get some fresh air?” She suggested.

“Don’t tell me what to do!” She slurred, stepping back from Julie and dramatically pointing the finger at her daughter’s chest as if it was Julie causing all the ruckus. Julie took a few steps away, hands raised in surrender. “Fine, whatever. I’m going to bed.”

“Party pooper!” Her mom yelled after her, tossing the air guitar shoe at Julie just as the bedroom door slammed shut. Julie quickly changed into her pajamas and then got her iPod back out.

I guess I’m gonna have to listen to music to fall asleep tonight. She flinched as she heard another loud crash coming from the kitchen. Better make it loud music.

She tucked herself into bed with ’90s music drowning out the noise from the other end of the house. Julie let Justin Timberlake serenade her with N*sync’s “Bye, Bye, Bye” as she drifted off to sleep, hoping that her mom would be sleeping soundly soon and that there wouldn’t be too much of a mess when Julie woke up the next morning for school. One can only hope.

Julie’s alarm went off at 6:15 am. She rolled over on her side and grabbed her phone to turn it off. Her earbuds were still in from the night before, but there was no music playing; the 90s music playlist ended hours ago. Julie pushed herself up into a seated position, stretched her arms across her body, and let out a big yawn. She actually got a good night’s sleep. Thank God I have my music.

It was a lifesaver last night; she didn’t hear her mom at all after the music started. Julie quickly got her clothes out and went to the bathroom to shower. It was time to get ready for school. She took her phone with her and texted Abby to see what time she was coming to pick her up. The school was only 10 minutes from Julie’s house, and the first period started at 7:20 am, so as long as Abby got there by 7:10 am, Julie could usually rush to her class in time for the first bell.

Usually, Abby came earlier so they could stop at Starbucks for coffee, but more recently, she has been running late. Julie got a response from her friend instantaneously, “On time. B there at 6:50”. The text was followed by a coffee cup emoji. Julie smiled. She loved her Starbucks time with Abby. The two girls bonded over their caffeine ad*****on. Julie looked at the time and realized she needed to hurry up. She quickly hopped in the shower.

After she was all dressed and ready for school, Julie decided to stop in her mom’s room to see if she was okay after the wild night. Julie brought a bottle of Advil from the bathroom and a large cup of water, but when she opened the door, she dropped both the bottle and the water and screamed.

“Oh my God! Mom!?”

Julie’s mom was on her bed, stiff as a board, eyes wide open and mouth frozen in a giant O as if she was caught mid-scream. Julie started to hyperventilate. Not only did her mom look like she was dead, but there was also something even stranger going on in that room – there was a sort of shield covering her mother’s body.

It looked like a force field, like something you’d see in an action movie. Julie rubbed her eyes; she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She ran to the side of the bed and fell over her mom, tears streaming down her face, but she couldn’t touch her. The force field was literally stopping anything from touching her mother.

There was a two-inch space around her entire body that it seemed like nothing could penetrate. Julie banged on it with both hands.

“What – is – this!? What the hell is going on!?”

She gave up banging on it and lay down on the bed next to her mom. This can’t be real. This can’t be real. She thought in a panicked frenzy.

“Oh God, what do I do?” She asked no one in particular. She pulled out her phone and texted Abby, “Sry Ab. Just got sick. No school today. C u tmrw.” She sent the text and tried to take a few deep breaths to calm herself down. Will I see her tomorrow? She wondered.

Julie decided that the only logical thing to do was to call the police, but she hesitated as she looked up at her mom again. Who on earth will believe this? What am I supposed to tell them? I don’t even know what’s going on. How am I supposed to explain it to someone else?