The Little Things

Prologue

She startled awake, sweating from yet another bad dream. Dazed, Jupiter Winster looked around to find herself in a cramped car. Her father sat in the front seat, his bony white hands gripping the steering wheel. It was an obvious sign when he was bothered about something, because at the moment, he was cracking his knuckles. She shuddered, rubbing her crossed arms from the chills of popping bones. What had her dream been about? Oh, right, it was the same one she was having for months now.

There was always a boy, about her age, sitting on a swing in the middle of some dusty, abandoned park. She was standing in front of him, watching him with careful, green eyes. He smiled at her, a warm gesture that gave her the smallest tinge of happiness. His hand stuck out, waiting patiently for her to take it. She did exactly that, and his smile grew wider, perfect white teeth peeking out from under his soft lips. After their fingers locked, he said this with a hopeful tone: "Let's get through it together." The girl couldn't see herself, but she knew that she smiled. Somehow, the boy made her heart rise from her chest more than usual, always giving her a strange feeling. But then, something slippery ran between both of their soft hands. She looked down to see blood, from both of their wrists, dripping down towards the palms of their hands. As she looked back up to see the boy's face, it got more horrifying very second. She kept staring in terror, still watching while his pupils turned black, scars popped up from his mouth to his nose, and thick streaks of blood slid down from his forehead, dripping from his cheeks. The whole time though, she still held his hand, gently. It was only until he slumped forward onto the ground that she let go, dropping to her knees and crying. Then, the whole scene was covered in red, and then she would wake up.

The young woman shook her head, the horrid thoughts flying from her mind. She looked down, realizing that she was wearing a plain, strapless black dress. Why was she so dressed up? She hated dresses. As she peered in between her black heels, she saw her headphones lying on the floor of the vehicle. She picked them up with her delicate hands, and pushed each one into her freezing ears. Sweet music blasted into her eardrums, her finger hovering over the play button of her iPod. She finally gazed out of the window, her eyes drifting from tree to tree. When the trees suddenly became lonesome graves, that's when she remembered. She was on her way to bury her mother's dead body in the ground.