Chapter 5

Fresh cologne hits my senses, hands wrapped around my body holding me tight.

"Eris! Are you alright?!" Debbie's voice rings into my ears and I open my eyes slowly. She holds our dessert with concern filled eyes. I look up to eyes as green as spring.

He's like the sun.

I try to stand on my own but I fall back to him again holding him tight,

"What's happening?" I ask weakly,

"It's okay just relax"

His voice calms me. It feels so familiar. But I have never met him until now.

I feel water drizzle on my face which revives me, I moan as I hold my head. I was slowly coming back. Debbie has a smile on her lips,

"How we doing champion?" She strokes my hair,

"I'm fine now" I snap back to my senses. I feel my body against another and I look up again to those eyes.

So warm. So magical. So familiar.

I raise my body to sit upright and I turn to face my helper, "thank you"

"No problem." He beams,

"Um have we met before?" My speech slurred,

"Not until now, but I'm in Arts class with you. Daylon Evans." He introduces himself,

"Daylon" I stretch his name, my head begins to pound and I fall back to him.

Unconscious.

I'm being chased by mystical beings that seek after my life, tears forming in my eyes. Apparently I am flying and fearing for my life. I fly as fast as I can but I just can't lose them.

I feel a sharp pain and my body drops into the vast waters, drowning with no one to save me.

My eyes shoot open, my breathing ragged and beads of sweat decorating my facial features. My heart beat doesn't slow down one bit and my mind is forced to remember the nightmare I had.

"Eris what's wrong?" Debbie is worried sick about my present condition and gets a handkerchief to wipe away the beads of sweat. I slowly catch my breath and notice I'm on one of the beds in the school clinic. I heave a heavy sigh and give a small smile,

"Nothing. I'm fine" I hold her hand. The last thing I want to do is get her worried, "I'm sorry for making you worry" I sincerely apologise.

"Now you sound like a soap opera character" she teases me, "we're friends. I'm meant to look after you. The nurse says you should go home if you're still feeling weak but if not you can stay. She gave you a shot so you should be stabilised. She said your stress levels were way too high"

I look at my left arm and see a small white plaster on it. I hadn't noticed the pain until she mentioned shot.

"Guess you're becoming an old woman now" Debbie always knows how to make a serious situation Less serious. She laughs at her own joke while I ponder on the dream I had, "do you want to go home?"

Her words cut through my thoughts like glass, "no. I'm fine now" I reassure her. Besides, I didn't want to miss anything on the first day.

The rest of the day goes smoothly without any complications. Mrs Brown hears about what happened at lunch and asks if I'm doing alright. Always concerned as usual.

The school bell rings and the doors burst open, students running out like as if they've been caged.

Debbie and I walk home together, apparently we live on the same street. We usually do this everyday but Debbie travelled to another state during the holidays and arrived this morning so we couldn't have our morning walk and talk to school.

The fresh spring breeze hits our faces, dancing in our hair and tickling our senses. We talk about her travel and some funny moments she had with her cousins.

"Are you sure you can make it by yourself? I can always come with you" she reassures as we reach her doorstep. I say nothing and hit the doorbell, she pouts interpreting my gesture correctly. Her elder brother, Mark opens the door,

"Oh hey Eris, thanks for dropping her" his chestnut eyes sparkle.

Mark is a rather tall youth with a bright smile and a bright future. He entered college two years back and in three years he'll be out. He's very sweet and sensitive but can also annoy the living daylight out of you.

"Yeah no problem" I wave off,

"Are you okay?" He notices the plaster on my left arm and I nod at him,

"Uh! She is not!" Debbie almost hurls at me as I give my infamous smug grin which makes Mark ignore her statement.

"Mom!! Debbie is home!" He yells inside and a woman's voice yells back,

"Thank you Eris!!"

"No problem Mrs Cooper!!" I flash my smile. Debbie is the youngest so everyone dots on her. She pouts like the innocent baby she is unhappy that everyone still treats her like one.

I embrace her and place a kiss on her forehead, she hugs me back tight enough to pop my blood vessels,

"Call me when you're rested okay?" She gives her puppy eyes. The eyes I cannot resist.

"I will" she slowly and unwillingly lets go of me which makes Mark coo. She pinches him and pushes him inside. She gives the phone gesture and closes the door behind her. I heave a sigh and set home.

In a few minutes I reach home. I knock on the door and Tiffany, my quirky older sister opens the door. She heaves a sigh,

"Mom! Unfortunately Eris came back!" She yells inside as i shove her aside and step inside, "rude!"

"Eris you just came back and you're already causing a ruckus!" My mom yells at me from the kitchen door,

"Good evening mom" I casually greet her ignoring her previous statement, it's always like this. Not easy being the black sheep of the family.

"Eris!!" A body collides with mine in an embrace. I wrap my arms round the little boy,

"How's my warrior doing?" I roughen his hair, he childishly tells me to stop but I never listen.

Cody, my younger brother tries to fix his hair with classic hand and spit. He's the only one that's always happy to see me.

Well him and Tyler, my one year old baby brother.

He crawls out of the play room after sensing my presence, he reaches my feet and begs me to pick him up. I do so and spin around making him laugh, he grabs my nose in adorable protest making me stop.

"And how is my little warrior doing?" I make cute faces at him as he sticks his cute, little index fingers at the corners of my mouth pulling it into an awkward smile.

I cross my eyes which makes me look even sillier, Tyler and Cody giggle hysterically,

"Eris! Eris! Do the thing!" Cody tugs at my shirt and I helplessly dig into his wish. I carry Tyler in my left arm and my bag saddled at my right shoulder.

I station my right eyeball and rotate the left freely. Cody and Tyler burst into hysterical giggles,

"Do the other eye!" Cody cheered,

I smile and I station my left eye freely rotating the right. Tyler claps in excitement and gives my cheek a high five. We all laugh until Tiffany snatches Tyler away from me,

"Don't touch her Tyler, she's not one of us" she sneers at me and I give her my infamous eye roll. Cody's expression changes,

"Why are you always so mean to Eris!" He snaps at Tiffany,

"Cody! Don't be rude to your sister because of Eris! Apologise!" Mom yells from the kitchen. He pouts clearly not ready to do so. I nudge his shoulder, he looks at me and I nod my head,

"Fine! Sorry!" He screams at Tiffany and runs upstairs to his room and slams the door loudly. I run upstairs to make sure he is okay, I repeatedly knock on his door, "I want to be alone Eris!"