Sophia

Chapter 7: The Next Day

When I wake up to hear that same scraping sound coming from my closet, I feel ecstatic when I see the golden hues of sunlight peeking between the curtains in my room. Doubting that I would be fearless if my room was still shrouded in darkness, I shake my head and swallow hard as I pull back the covers and slide my legs off the bed. Placing my feet on the hardwood floor, I hesitate and wait for it to make another noise.

Not hearing anything immediately, I take the plunge and jump off the bed before running headfirst to the connected bathroom. I am just glad that the door isn't shut, and the light is still on from last night. As I take a deep breath, I try to relax while walking over to the sink and turning the water on.

Feeling the cold-water flow over my hands, I let my guard down to cup a handful and splash it onto my face as I lean down to clean up. Unfortunately, as I close my eyes, I feel a presence in the room that wasn't there before that moment. The hairs on the back of my neck raise and become rigid when I start to feel the temperature of the room lower.

By the time I feel something touching my shoulder again, I am ready for it and wait for Elijah to tell me more. However, to my surprise, I hear nothing except for a faint whisper, coming from the bedroom. Daring to look up and into the mirror, I raise my head quickly. Seeing my reflection, I notice the man behind me. Or at least it looks like a man.

From what I can see in the mirror, he is a very tall man with dark brown hair and black eyes. He is by far paler than anyone I have ever met before, and his eyes have dark circles under them. What makes him interesting to look at, is the fact that he could almost pass for a model in one of my magazines. Even though he is pale, he is what I would call extremely handsome and not much older than I am. Maybe, in his early twenties.

Noticing that he opens his mouth finally to speak, I can't help but to wonder why he has not said anything before this. When the first words spill from those lips, I feel entranced and find that I have no control of my body as I watch myself turn to face him. "Sophia, my name is Elijah. I am not here to hurt you." He whispers in my ear softly as he leans closer and closer to me until I feel his breath on my cheek.

Confused now, I turn my head enough to see him stare back at me. As I do, I feel his hand brush my cheek while he grins. When a sudden chill runs up my spine, I start to feel that burning sensation on the base of my neck again.

While running his first finger down my arm, I begin to feel extremely uncomfortable and realize that he is far too close to me. If I needed to run, all he would have to do is reach out and grab ahold of me. From this distance, he could easily do anything he wanted. That concerns me more than the fact that this man shows up out of nowhere and this whole thing feels wrong in some way.

"I want to be your friend, Sophia." He states in a matter-of-fact tone before releasing me from whatever hold he holds over me.

When I realize that I am free, I begin to back up and create some space between us. It is just too bad that he is between me and the door. If I had the upper hand, I could at least escape to my mother's room where I might be able to enlist her help.

Too late, he must know what I am thinking as he replaces his hand on my shoulder for the time being. "You don't need to be afraid of me. I would never hurt you." He says in a soft calming voice as he tries to make me relax.

As I stare into his eyes, I no longer know if he is friend or foe, because to tell you the truth it is sort of like looking into a mirror. From the moment I began to gaze into them, I felt like I was looking into my own. Is this a trick? Or am I merely hallucinating?

Hearing my mother's voice from the hallway just outside my door, I blink rapidly a few times and realize that he is gone. Scanning the room cautiously to see if I can see him anywhere in the darkness, I begin to breathe easier now that he seems to have disappeared for the time being. When my mom opens my bedroom door and doesn't see me sleeping, she cries out, "Sophia, where are you?" In a panicked voice and then rushes towards the bathroom.

Before I can say anything, she runs right into me and almost knocks me over. Grabbing ahold of my hand, she steadies herself while glancing into my eyes and asks in a shaky voice, "Sophia, what is wrong? You look whiter than a ghost."

Hesitating, I wonder if I should tell her that I have been seeing things. The doctor did explain to her that I would start to have episodes. Wait, is this an episode or something else entirely? When I realize that I have no idea, I decide to tell her at least some of it.

"Mom, I think I have been seeing things. There is this man." I start to say cautiously, but then she interrupts me.

"Wait, what? A man." She asks while sounding doubtful and probably thinks that I am making it up.

Rubbing the back of my neck where it burns, I grimace and then answer her quietly. "Yes."

"What do you mean?" She wastes no time with the questions and seems to be quite interested in what I have to say for once.

Clearing my throat, I begin to tell her everything that has gone on in the last several days and nights. Of how the shadows seem to be alive and then the first time he showed up and spoke. However, when I tell her about what just happened, she steps back with wide eyes and begins to shake her head wildly.

"You must be hallucinating. The doctor was right. There hasn't been any man here or I would have certainly seen him." She states frantically before starting to pace across the bathroom tiles.

Lashing out, I wrap my fingers around her wrist to stop her from panicking. "Mom!" I exclaim to get her attention and then continue in a softer voice, "Stop it, it's alright." as I release my fingers and begin to walk towards the bedroom.

I don't want to talk anymore because I suddenly feel light-headed, and the room begins to spin. Before I can reach the bed, my legs give out and I feel a warmth spread over me, as I fall to the floor. The last thing I see before my eyes close, is the shadow looming by the side of the bed and then I hear my mother's voice as she starts to sob, "Sophia, I have you now. Everything will be alright."