CHAPTER 9 : Bad Dream

I buried my face in my pillow, groaning before I shoved myself off the bed. The sun poured in, filling my room with morning light. I stretched out my limbs with a yawn before I lumbered to my bathroom. I moved to turn on the shower and as the air billowed with steam I stripped out of my pajamas, tossing them into the laundry basket.

Once I was fully naked I hopped into the shower and scrubbed myself clean. I let the warm water wash over my body, strengthening my weary muscles. After the refreshing shower I dressed in a pair of dark jeans, an indigo t-shirt and a flannel shirt over that.

Fully dressed I descended the stairs, and walked into the dining room my book bag hanging over one shoulder. My father was seated alone, sipping his coffee. His attention was drawn to his laptop.

"Good morning father," I greeted as I set my bag on the marble floor next to the chair I settled on. He simply nodded not even sparing me a glance.

I scoffed down my cereal in other silent meal with my father. I had long since grown accustomed to them. Even before boarding school it was always like this. We never had anything to talk about, and even if we did we never knew how to say it.

Halfway through our awkward breakfast, Harrod waltzed in. He whispered something in my father's ear that I didn't catch. My father immediately go onto his feet.

"I'll see you tonight," he said shutting his laptop, I nodded and he made his escape.

I wandered to the driveway after my breakfast, where Harrod was already waiting for me, to drive me to school.

The day was cloudy, completely overcast. I just hopped it didn't start raining. We drove down the road as I distracted myself by staring out the window. The trees and cars we passed blurred behind us. We arrived at the school as we usually did and I slipped out of the car.

I hunched my shoulder as I made my way to my first class. I dodged students, keeping to myself as I always did.

The day was pretty mundane. I went through it as usual, attending class after class, then lunch with Abby and Adrian. Adrian was still sulking and he barely paid us any mind as he scoffed down his food. Abby said he'd get over it so I didn't worry too much about it. The two of us talked away, mainly about the party, we made plans.

Seeing as my father would never allow me to attend the party, I decided it'd be easier to sneak out. It wasn't like me but I'd promised to attend the party and I didn't want to let my friends down. My father would never know, I'd make sure to be careful. I used sneak out all the time when I was younger, given I never wandered far. But he never caught me then. Everything would be fine. I would be back before he even knew I was gone.

Around seven I was called to dinner with my father. We had dinner together every night now. It was always the same. We'd sit in unbearable silence until it was over. Occasionally he'd ask how school was going. We never had any real conversations. Tonight was no different.

After dinner I went straight to my room. I plopped on top of my bed, letting my body sink into the mattress. I grabbed my phone, turning on the screen. I had a couple of texts from Abby which I immediately replied and one from an unknown number.

Unknown : hi

I replied with the same word, then asked who it was. A couple of seconds later my phone buzzed with a reply.

Unknown : A friend.

Marcus : what's your name?

Unknown : it's not important.

Marcus : what do you want?

Unknown : to warn you.

Unknown : be careful, they're watching you.

Marcus : who's watching? What are you talking about.

There was no reply. I worried my bottom lip trying to decipher what this stranger meant. It was incredibly ominous. I didn't like the idea of someone watching me. But I couldn't take the word of someone I didn't even know. It was probably just a dumb prank.

With that thought in mind I returned my phone onto the bedside table, plugging it into the charger. My eyelids were heavy with sleep as I laid on the bed. It did not take long before I drifted off and landed myself in a familiar dream.

It was raining, meaning I was trapped inside for the day. I sat by my bay window watching rain drops race down the glass. I tried to listen to the pitter-patter of the rain slashing against my windowsill but it was being drowned out by the sounds of yelling between a man and a woman.

My mom and dad were arguing again, I pressed the palms of my hands on either side of my face, covering my ears. I didn't like it when they argued. It always made me feel guilty because I knew they were arguing about me.

A bright streak of light flashed across the sky followed by the loud roar of thunder. I liked the sound of thunder, especially when it was so loud you could feel it's vibrations going through your whole body. Uncovering my ears I tuned out my parents and focused on the storm.

"Marcus," the voice was soft and feminine. I turned around to find my mom standing by the door. She was dressed in her pale blue nightgown, her golden locks falling over her shoulders and her grey eyes twinkled as she smiled warmly at me.

"Mommy," I said running into her arms hugging her.

"What are you doing out of bed?"

"I was feeling better so I thought..." my voice trailed as I noticed the tear streaming down her face. "I'm sorry," I said, I hadn't meant to make her cry.

"No, no, honey. It's not you," she said wiping away the tear.

"Then why are you crying?" I pouted, tilting my head slightly to the side.

"It's not important," she said picking me up. "What's important, is getting you back into bed." She placed me back into my blankets.

I didn't like lying in bed all day. It made me sad. I didn't like feeling sick, it was dumb . But I didn't want to see my mom upset so I stayed put.

"Can you read me a story?" I asked with a little yawn.

"What would you like?"

"Surprise me."

"Okay," she walked over to my bookshelf grabbing a book. She settled beside me on my bed. "Will Peter Pan do?"

"My favorite." She'd read that story so many times I could recite it word for word but I never got sick of hearing it. It was favorite.

Once she made sure I was perfectly safe and snug in my blanket she began the tale of lost boys, fairies and pirates. I drifted off to the land between consciousness and sleep after only a couple chapters into the book. I could still hear my mother's soft voice and feel the kiss she placed on my forehead, but my eyes were heavy with sleep. I let myself drift further into slumber knowing I was safe at my mother's side, she would never let anything hurt me. She promised.

All of a sudden everything rippled, my eyes shot open in time to watch my room fade away like mist. I was plunged into a dark abyss. I called out for my mother but voice echoed back to me, bouncing off nothingness. I was terrified, I just wanted my mommy.

"Marcus!" My mother called out to me.

I raised my head. "Mom?" I started running towards where the voice was coming from but it kept bouncing around, echoing everywhere which made it impossible to determine where exactly she was.

"Mark!" She sounded scared. I called out to her, but it was dead silent again.

"Mommy!" I yelled out in a last bid but I could feel it, the emptiness. She was gone.

"She's never coming back," a mystery voice hissed at me. It was cold and cruel but it's words were true. She was never coming back for me.

The silence was disturbed as an ear piercing shriek, shook up everything. I curled into myself, tears streaking down my face as I begged for my mom to save me. But I knew she wasn't coming back, she was never ever going to come. I was alone. The shrieking grew louder and louder and I pressed my palms tightly against my ears, but I could still hear it. The sound was painful and my ears bled as I crumbled to my knees crying out for it to stop.

The shrieking abruptly stopped. I dropped my hands from my ears and hugged myself, wishing to wake up from this nightmare.

I got the eerie feeling that I wasn't alone anymore. I couldn't see anything but I could feel it's presence. Something dark was watching me, drifting through the shadows it remained unseen. I hugged myself tighter as a mist rolled in, surrounding me.

Glowing red eyes appeared in the mist. I took a scoot back, cowering from their intense glare. I felt vulnerable and somehow I knew that's exactly what they wanted me to be. They wanted me weak and scared. They wanted to break me until I was nothing but a blob they could mold into their puppet.

Something deep inside wanted to show defiance, glare back at those eerie eyes, but I wasn't brave. I was coward, I was scared. I crumbled to the ground, pleading for it to stop, as the shrieking started again and I returned my palms to my ears. Awaiting the end of this hell but I feared it'd never come.

I inhaled a sharp breath as I jolted up in my bed. My breathing was heavy, as my heart pounded loudly in my chest. Tears stung my eyes, as they flowed down my cheeks. My mind was frantic, it's grasp on reality loose. My body shook, the after effects of the torturous shrieking. As if they weren't all in my head.

It took a second for my mind to realize where I was. I wasn't in the dark abyss. I was in my room. Nice and safe. There were no monsters. It was just a bad dream.

But it felt so real.

I hauled myself onto my shaky legs, and made my way to my bathroom. With trembling hands I turned of the sink faucet, and splashed water onto my face. Tears were still streaming down my face and my lips were quivering. I crumbled to the ground as I fell apart.

Consciously I knew it was just a dream. But the dread was still there, latching onto my heart. I couldn't shake that something bad was coming for me. I really didn't want to be alone at this moment. I forced myself up and stumbled back to my bed.

I fumbled with my phone as I tried to wipe away my tears. I don't know why I called him. Of all the people I don't know why he was the first one I dailed. I just really didn't want to be alone. I was terrified to go back to sleep. I just needed someone.

"A-Adrian," was voice was shaky.

"Mark?" His voice was raspy, probably because I had just woken him up. It was the middle of the night for goddess' sake. This was crazy.

"I-I'm sorry, I-I shouldn't have called." This was a mistake.

"Hey, are you okay? What happened?" He sounded genuinely concerned.

"Nothing, I just—" I sniffled as I swallowed down the sob that worked it's way through my body.

"Are you crying?" I heard the ruffling of sheets through the phone. "I'm coming over," he declared and before I could even protest he hung up.