Chapter 1: Nightmares Part 1

This is my first try at a long story... PLEASE READ & REVIEW :)

I woke with a start, sweat dewing on my forehead. I had been having these nightmares for as long as I could remember. All of them were unique to one another except for one thing, those eyes; those shockingly bright eyes that fell into absolutely every color on the spectrum, and seemed to enter my soul, while betraying no emotion of their own. Although I was terrified and my heart pounded in my ears, these nightmares were not classically scary, no ghosts or lycanthropes chased after me. Instead, it was the feeling of cold dread that crept over me, the unbidden fear that caused me to wake, night after night.

Once my pulse had slowed considerably, I tried to lie back down, to fall in to a tentative sleep. After what could have been hours, but what I recognized as only minutes, I sat upright, impatient that sleep had not yet found me. I then, did the only thing that I knew to do at these times. I got out of bed and crossed my small room, in only four steps, opening the door as silently as I could manage. As I stepped out of the moonlit room, I glanced nervously down the hall, checking to ensure no one had heard me. When I walked past my father’s open doorway I peaked my head in slightly, curious, but to no avail, his room was not lit by the moon like mine was, and I was met with only blackness. For a moment, I thought I heard him stirring about in the darkness and I froze, not even daring to breathe. My pulse quickened and I could hear my heartbeat banging loudly in my head. I prayed internally that I was the only one who could hear the drum line sounding off from within my skull. After a few gut wrenching seconds that seemed to go on forever, I heard his soft snore echoing off the walls. I breathed a small sigh of relief and continued forward, tiptoeing through the house, still careful not to wake anyone. I knew that a repeat of what happened last week would not be tolerated. After what happened that night, I could not afford to be spotted.

 

Freshly awakened from my reoccurring nightmare, I prepared to leave and go to my sacred place. I walked, easily, out of my room and down the hall, my previous escapades giving me a falsely unrealistic level of confidence. I had almost made it to the door but, however, before I could make it out of the house, Tag, my younger brother, spotted me. He stood in the hallway, probably on his way to the bathroom, and wiped the fresh sleep out of his eyes.

“Lena?” His voice was too loud as it broke the silence.

“Shh… Go back to sleep” I nearly hissed, probably too meanly.

“Where are you going?”

“Out.” Why did he always have to be so nosy?

“Out where?” This time he was definitely too loud.

He had effectively woken our father, causing him to storm in the hallway. He eyed us wearily, annoyed to have been woken up, and searched my face questioningly. My mind spun, trying to find an excuse, but the look on his face stopped me cold. I knew better than to lie to him when he was like this.

Impatient, he raised his eyebrows, waiting for me to answer his unspoken question.

“Well?” he finally stated.

“Well… I was just going out for a walk, when Tag spotted me and questioned my intentions.” I replied, finding a loophole to his gaze and giving him a partially honest answer. Father would believe at least part of my story. I felt only slightly guilty for my white lie, it was not my first and I knew I would not be my last.

His eyes then fell on Tag, who was now hiding behind me, his little face peeking up at our father. Tag trembled slightly, gray eyes wide with fear. He was deathly afraid of our father, and with good reason. Once, kind and thoughtful, he was now strict and overbearing with cold, lifeless eyes. The guilt that stemmed from the loss of our mother had turned him into a harsh, empty man and although he was not large, his presence was very powerful.

He took a step towards Tag and I responded by stepping protectively, motherly, in front of my little brother, causing our father’s eyes to darken in silent anger. I stood my ground, locking my gaze with his. When Tag finally spoke, his voice was quiet, anxious.

“I heard her leaving and I worried she wouldn’t come back.” He stated shamefully, glancing away.

 My heart softened at his words. I knew what my sneaking out would have seemed like to him. He was only four years old when we lost our mother, and I remember how hard he took it when I explained to him that she was gone and wouldn’t be coming back. Once he finally understood the meaning of those words, he had cried for days. But now that he was older, ten years old, he had made it his mission to never betray such emotions again. I gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze, trying to show him that I was not going anywhere, not permanently at least. He shot me an embarrassed look. He hadn’t meant to divulge his true feelings to me or my father.  

Still, with that being said, I really wished he could have picked a better time to become emotional. I knew that I was the one that father would take his anger out on now. Suddenly I felt a wave of annoyance flow through me. I knew it wasn’t fair to be upset with Tag, but I couldn’t help the look that I felt flash across my face. The look that caused Tag to look away shamefully, which father noticed and scolded me for. He then went on praising Tag fervently for his honesty, and thanking him for being the ‘responsible and respectful child’. I tried to ignore him, knowing that he only said those things to upset me, but I still felt the heat spread to my face, in rage. It was no secret that although he was never nice, he still openly preferred Tag over me.

I watched as an openly satisfied look crossed father’s face, and I felt the heat spread again, bright red. Father then sent Tag back off to bed with a teasing smile, that he made sure I noticed. With a slight grimace, Tag moved to exit the room. But before leaving, he turned to me, catching my gaze and mouthed “Im sorry”. I nodded and gave him a small smile hoping he noticed, it was not his fault that he was young and emotional or that father was hard and taunting.

Once Tag was gone, the mood in the room turned even more cold and tense. Father gave me a look that could have killed.

“Now are you going to tell me what you were REALLY doing?” he asked pointedly

I stared at him in silence, unsure of how much I should actually tell him. Suddenly his expression changed from upset to furious. I saw him reach out to strike me, and before I could react, I felt the sharp sting as his open palm made contact with my cheek. Wide eyed, I stared at him, shocked, though his eyes showed no remorse. He then gripped my shoulders tightly, shaking me. His face was a mask of anger and hostility, the look in his eyes filling my soul with dread.

“I asked you a question, now answer me!” he growled.

Author's Note

What do you guys think?? Your feed back is appreciated... :)

Reviews

[Jennifer K]

This story is very well written, I really like how in the beginning, it doesn't tell exactly why Lena has those nightmares or where she is going, but leaves the reader to guess and wonder. You did a great job in starting off this story and I am looking forward to reading the other chapters.

[Kalen Luciano]

Well done start to this story. Can't wait to see where it goes from here.

[Akansha]

This is a really good piece of writing....nice job!! :)

[Erik Daniel]

I like this Holly. I am curious to see where you go with it. Good job!

[A Foiled Soul]

This is an amazing piece. I am in a dark place. This made me smile my usual twisted smile, so I thank you for that. I enjoyed this a lot. Please continue writing.