Trapped in the Abyss

New Beginning

*Sarah's POV*

I jerked awake, the sun in my face. I put my hand up in front of my eyes to shield me from the blinding sunlight. I turned away from the window, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. I can't believe I had that dream again. It had been haunting me for over a month since my dad died. I haven't been able to sleep right since. It's always the same dream but each time it seems more vivid and more terrifying than the last. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. The tough girl act I've put on every day since my dad died. I know I'm not doing it for me, but it's hard having to be strong all the time. I look to my left to see my brother, Alex ,sleeping soundly on the other side of the car. He snored lightly and I laughed as he drooled on his shoulder. It made me happy to see him look so peaceful. I know this past month has been really hard for him too. Although we both tried our hardest to look happy. We had to. For mom. She was suffering the most and even though she acted as though everything was going to be okay, we could hear her cry herself to sleep at night. We knew how lonely she was and how much she needed us right now more than ever. I could see her through the rear view mirror. Even as she drove she had that look on her face. The one she gave us when she was trying to be brave. She bites her lip thoughtfully and knits her brothers together as she tries her best to look reassuring. My mom is really pretty. She has short black hair and brown eyes. She is thin and always smells like roses from the perfume my dad bought her for her birthday. She is always so kind and loving and selfless. It was no wonder why my dad loved her so much. When he was alive she would always smile. Now she never smiles. Just gives us that look. Alex and I can't help but feel bad because of how much we remind her of dad. Alex looked the most like him, but we both had his black hair and blue eyes. Every time our mother looks at us that's all she sees... our dad. Although I look more like my mom. Although not as pretty. My hair was long and wavy. It was always kind of messy though. I ran my fingers through my hair, thinking hard about this new place we going to live. Mom had talked about it once or twice, but never really spoken about it. It was called Proklet. It was Croatian for damned or something. Can't wait. Although I didn't want to move and have to say goodbye to all my friends, I knew that what my mom really needed was to come back to her home town for a while. This town was small and quiet and just what she needed right now to just cope with what was happening. I pondered this for a while until I saw a sign by the side of the road that said "Welcome to the small town of Proklet!". We were here.

As the car slowed I looked out the window to see. We passed a few old-looking buildings on the way. The sky was cloudy, giving the town an eerie look. The streets weren't very occupied and the only people there only gave us serious glances and went back to their business. The shops looked empty and dirty. A chill ran down my spine. This was a ghost town. The only thing about this place that seemed alive was the greenery. The plants and Ivy that were growing out of everywhere were perfectly green and healthy. I lowered my window and breathed in the fresh air. It smelled like flowers and humidity. The air was fresh and cold. The flowers were vibrant and all kinds of different colors. They looked out of place in that dead town. I wondered how such beautiful flowers could grow here. We kept driving until we drove into a street with some nice looking houses on it. They weren't very brightly painted but they seemed all right. I noticed that some people glanced out their windows before shutting the blinds. This place just keeps getting weirder and weirder. We kept moving until we stopped in front of the house with the moving van right in front of it. It was the last house on the street. Right in front of the woods. It was the biggest one on the street. I wondered why no one else wanted it. I heard my mom take a deep breath and say "Here we are, duckies. Home." She parked the car in the driveway. I shook Alex gently to wake him up. "Alex. Alex. Oh Aleeeeex. Sweet baby brother! ALEX!" I punched him. That seemed to do the trick. "Huh? What?" I laughed. "We're here, Ducky." I called him Ducky because when he was barely learning to walk, he followed me everywhere. Like a duckling. He rubbed his eyes and let out a big yawn. He peered out the window and a smile crept up on his face. He quickly unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the car. He bolted for the door to our new house. I laughed and got out of the car. I hugged myself to the cold rush of air. I shivered even though I was dressed warmly. My mom went to talk to the moving guys. I went around the house to see the back yard. Just as I suspected it was beautifully green and had flowers. I smiled at how pretty they were. I plucked one and brought it up to my nose. I breathed in the sweet fragrance. Suddenly there was a cold draft of air blowing towards the woods. I looked at the fence that was right at the edge of the woods. I hesitantly walked up to it. I put my hand on the fence and looked out into the dark woods. It was eerie and every bone in my body told me to stay away from it. Yet, as I looked out into them I felt this inexplicable impulse to go in. To just jump over the fence and walk into the woods. It was as if the woods were pulling me in. The leaves rustled and it's like the trees were whispering to me. The trees swayed outward, beckoning me closer. I stood there, hypnotized. It was my mothers voice from the upstairs window that broke my trance. "C'mon up and check your room out, Sarah." I turned and walked in through the sliding, glass back door. I slid it open and took one last glance at the woods before going inside and shutting the door. I had walked into the kitchen. The moving guys had already put the table right in front of the glass door. That would be a good place to have breakfast. It was a pretty big kitchen. The drawers and cabinets looked clean. The moving guys came in with the stove and fridge. I decided to go upstairs and check my room out. I walked out of the kitchen into the living room. It was nice too. Lots of space for a couch and a television. I slowly made my way up the stairs. When I reached to top, I was impressed by the tasteful color of the walls. I explored all of the second floor. The bathroom was at the end of the hall. It was a good size and the shower was also a bath tub. Alex's room was right next to mine, while mom's room was at the other end of the hall. I stepped inside my room the door was open. No doubt Alex had looked at it before choosing his room. He could be such a pain for an eight-year-old. I wasn't to happy about the move, but I absolutely loved my room. It was big and I liked the pale blue walls. The color of the sky. I walked around it once. Thinking of where all my stuff was going to go. Only one window, but it had a nice view of the woods. I went back downstairs to get my luggage. After the moving guys put all our furniture inside, I heaved it upstairs. When I got to my room, I started to unpack all my things. I took out all my clothes and put them in my drawers. The last thing I took out was a picture of my family. Mom and dad were holding each other and I was holding Alex in my arms. I was a lot smaller. We took this picture right after Alex was born. I was so happy to have a baby brother. Mom and dad never stopped loving each other. Mom looks so happy in this picture. I smiled and put it on my night stand. I decided to try out the bathroom and took a shower. After I got dresses in my pajamas I walked down to the kitchen where Alex and my mom were already having dinner. I took my chair where my plate of food was, still warm, and ate the delicious steak and mashed potatoes in silence. After we ate dinner mom cleared our plates and asked us to stay for a moment because she had something to say. "Now I know this past month hasn't been easy. With the moving and your father..." She looked down for a moment, took a deep breath then continued. "But this place is offering us a second chance. We have an opportunity to reconstruct our life here. Now I'm not asking you to love it, just to give this place a chance, okay?" Alex and I just looked at each other. We both smiled at mom and hugged her. "Now Alex I want you to behave and don't be afraid to make new friends." She kissed his forehead and then turned to me and said, "And Sarah I want you to be responsible, young lady. You may be seventeen but you're still a baby. You two still don't know so much. Remember what your father always said. 'Be brave'. Now off to bed." She kissed us good night and stayed washing the dishes even though I offered to do them. Alex and I trudged upstairs, tired from all the hassle of today. I put him in bed and read him a bed time story. The one dad would always read. Then I kissed his forehead. "Goodnight, Ducky" He giggled. "Quack Quack" He responded. I laughed and stood up from the bed. With one last glance I closed the door and walked to my room. The first thing i did was look outside the window again. I gasped because I could have sworn I saw something. I blinked and just like that it was gone. I shook my head. I don't know what was so intriguing about those woods, but maybe tomorrow I'll go and find out.