1344 words (5 minute read)

Part of Chapter one


I am in my High School, Enzie Woods High. All around me are kids, fussing about. Some run, some walk, some do a kind of jog- but not me. I cannot move in this dream. I can feel the humidity in the air. Another hot summers day, wasted in high school.

The smell of sweat invades my nose. Across from me, a boy stares. He is calling my name- I have never seen this boy in reality, but yet he seems so familiar, a warm glow begins to form in my chest. It’s always him in my dreams, every night. His Light brown hair slightly covers his face, his Irises are the colour of Ice.

As I look into his never-ending eyes, my surroundings shatter. Everywhere is dark, I am alone although I feel as If someone is watching me. A familiar feeling of refrain runs through my body. I want to cover myself since I feel exposed, but my limbs won’t move.

I am not in control.

Soon a sweet aroma of flowers begins to invade my nose. I now stand in a field covered with flowers, mostly Poppies, but I see some Adelvice. From as far as I can see, is a towering dome. It conceals the field I am in, and I feel utterly safe. There is a calming feel to this place. As I wish to stay here forever, a figure begins to come in view.

As the individual nears, I begin to recognize who it is; my grandma, the one and only person who would put me first before anything else. My face lights up with a giddy smile.

“Grandma!” I beam.

But she does not answer. She is deathly still. Her eyes seem hollow, and her face is as pale as the snow.

“Grandma?” I repeat, this time, uncertain of myself.

As I begin to feel nervous, she comes close. I could reach out and touch her- If only I could move.

“Diana...Trust Vincent...” She rasps out. Her face becomes harsh looking.

Before I can respond to her remark, she points into the distance; at the dome. I turn involuntarily and my eyes find what my grandma was pointing to. Dark figures swarm, surrounding part of the dome. A feeling of horror creeps on me. I can suddenly begin to hear screams- awful, agonizing screams.

Suddenly the dome begins to collapse as if it were made of class. Shards of the dome hurdle towards me and my eyes widen. The dark figures come my way, chuckling- their eyes wide open in delight. Teeth as sharp as knives are put on display as they grin. Their bodies are completely black, their faces are deformed. I yell out for my grandma to help me but when I turn to face her, I am greeted by an empty space. I am helpless.’

Just before the glass hits me- I wake up in a mess of sweat, tears and blankets. It takes me a while to register that I am safe. As I open my eyes, I can feel the dark figures swarm me and my grandma’s hollow gaze. I sit up and pull some of my wet hair out of my face. My grandma had told me to ‘trust Vincent,’ was that the name of the boy with the Icy eyes? I quickly dismissed my question as I was certain that I had never met him.

Rain patters down softly against my bedroom window, creating a white noise. I take a deep breath and let my feet find my bedroom floor. The coldness of the wooden floor makes involuntarily shudder. I open my heavy eyes and scan my room for my fluffy monkey slippers. I find them by the end of my bed and put them on, enjoying the feeling of warmth it soon brings. It takes a while for my eyes adjust to the brightness of my room.

My room is messy today. Nan would kill me if she walked in and saw all my clean washing sprawled all over the floor. I stumble out of bed and scoop my clothes up from the floor. The washing is heavier than I expected. I find a nice chair and dump my washing there. I then tuck my chair in, under my desk. Once satisfied with the state of my room, I search my wardrobe for an outfit. I find myself a nice pair of jeans and a shirt that reads ‘Book Clubs Are Punk’.

I walk down the stairs whilst being careful not to trip. On the kitchen counter, I see a vase filled with rainbow colored flowers and a feeling of loss hits me. Those flowers are for my mother.

Today, 29th December, is my mother’s birthday. My mother had died when I was only one year’s old. I guessed I should feel lucky, since I got to be held by her, even if only for a year. Some days I felt sad to not have a Mum, but then I’d remember to be grateful for my Nan. I adored her silver hair, her calming voice, and her soothing presence. She was better than anyone I knew.

“Morning sunshine,” My Nan says looking up from her laptop.

“Morning,” I reply, reaching for the sugar puffs up on the top shelf. I rub the sleep from my eyes.

“Like the flowers?”

“Yeah, I think Mum will too,”

That makes Nan smile and seeing her smile makes me smile too. I guess smiles really are contagious.

I felt bad for my Nan, having to deal with losing a child and gaining one all at the same time. She would have had no time to grieve as I would still need to be fed, cleaned and fussed over. Today was the only day of the year she was allowed to grieve and commemorate my mother.

Nan worked as a florist. She organized the bouquets and often when she came home her hands would be cut up. Luckily, with a wince and a plaster, she’d be all better and continue on with her duties. She worked long hard days from 9 am to 8 pm.

We were barely surviving off of what we had and I tried my best to pitch in. I had a job in the local bookstore, which had it’s benefits; they were pretty flexible with work hours and I got discounts on the books. The pay could have been better, but I was just glad to be contributing for once. As a young child, I’d always cause havoc. I’d break things, cause mess and was always the clumsy one. If there was ever a loud thud, my nan would usually find me wide eyed, hands still in the air, with glass all around me. Now I was finally helping around, making a difference.

"Sleep well?" My grandmother asked.

I hesitated and Nan noticed, "Sweety, what happened?"

"Bad dreams, that’s all." I cautiously answered. The dreams had been occurring often now and were becoming too vivid. The dreams seemed so real I sometimes had to pinch myself.

"About what?" 

"Stuff, " I replied, not wanting to remember those monsters.

"Stuff?" Gran now bore a worried expression. With a grunt, she stood up and came uncomfortably close.

"Hun, I want you to know you can tell me anything. If these dreams are reoccurring, making you scared, just let me know." 

I glanced up at Nan and tried to smile, "Okay, seriously Nan, I’m not a baby. I think I can deal with a nightmare."

I stood up and motioned over to the sink. Nan moved over and I began to wash up my bowl. Outside was dark. The sun had gone into hiding and in its absence a sea of clouds had taken charge.

"It will be cold and dark today. Do you have your hat?" Nan asked as she watched me gaze at the clouds.

I nodded in response and dried my bowl. Clouds didn’t bother me, it was the darkness they brought that did.