Slayer [revised]

Chapter Seven

            I blink trying to get my eyes adjusted to the darkness all around me. The smells of flour and baking materials fill my nose and the white powder lightly dusts my skin. I'm curled up in the bottom rack of the cooking shelf in the pantry off of the kitchen. I giggle and push myself further back. My heart is thumping hard, my breathing heavy and strained. I watch the door crack open, light flooding in, casting weird shadows on the walls. I put a hand over my mouth to suppress anther giggle as a small, dark haired boy enters the room. He is wearing tattered shorts and a pale green shirt. His jagged bangs cover his forehead here and there. "Come out, come out wherever you are!" He calls before he shuts the door again and we are surrounded in darkness…

            Blinding light comes out of nowhere and now I am sitting in the open field with the same boy, but this time he is much older. His bangs are no longer jagged, but long enough to cover most of his forehead. He looks serious and is staring at me with deep emotion. "Ellie I mean it. That Lemming guy is a creep, he has been saying weird things to Dad lately. I'm a little scared." His voice is low and dark. He turns to me and grabs my hand, like he always does when things are serious. "Ellie I think this guy might try to hurt you. Be careful around him okay?" I feel myself nod, squeezing his hand tighter. His grey eyes flash as he places his free hand over his heart. "I solemnly swear that I will protect you no matter what happens. Through thick and thin I will never let anyone hurt you." Something stirs deep inside me but soon the images are swirling.

            I'm down by the river, my feet lightly skimming the top. My eyes are peeled for Karbon, Dad says that they can kill you and to never ever get close to them. He says that they are super dangerous, but I'm not afraid. I know Alex will save me and so I let my feet sink a little lower, although I still look out for the fish, just in case. "Hey Ellie." I turn to see Alex standing behind me, a sly look on his face. He looks about the same as the last time, but taller and a deeper voice. His hand is behind his back, clutching something tight.

            "What do you have Alex?" I pull my feet out of the water and turn to him with curiosity.

            "Oh nothing." He looks at the ground and shifts his foot into the grass. I watch as the blades of grass wedge their way in between his toes. "I just saw something that reminded me of you.." Keeping his eyes on the ground he pulls his hand out from behind his back. Clutched in his hands are tulips of crispy red and creamy yellow. My heart starts thumping wildly in my chest as I take them from him, my hand skimming over his. I pull them close to my nose and breath in. The smell of pollen fills my nose and make me sneeze, making me give a nervous laugh. I catch his glance and smile, his face breaks into a grin as he sits down beside me. "I didn't think you would like them."

            "Why wouldn't I? They are pretty." We dip our feet in the water. I hold my flowers close to me, smelling them occasionally. I feel Alex scoot closer, close enough that our legs are touching. I feel my face flush with red but soon my eyes see red too.

            All I can see is red fabric as tears roll down my face. Someone is holding me tight, running their hands through my hair and making calming noises to me. The smell of sweat fills my nose as I press my face closer to the red. My heart throbs, something is wrong. Then I remember, it's my kitten. My kitten is dead. I no longer have a match, I no longer have a twin. Now I'm all alone, all by myself. Tears roll harder down my cheeks. "Ellie, this isn't your fault." I pull away from the strong arms and see my jagged haired Alex holding me tight. His face is full of sympathy but his eyes flash with fury. But suddenly his eyes change, they are full of tears.

            "Ellie! Ellie!" He screams to me as muscular men grab him and pull him away from me. Thunder claps noisily in the distance as I run through the rain and mud to him. "Ellie, don't forget me!"