Devil Says 'H!'

Chapter 02

Skylar woke up just as the first rays of sunshine kissed her through the lacy curtains. She rubbed her forehead, her eyes squeezed shut in pain. She could not remember the nightmare she had the previous night, but the unbearable pain made her remember that she had woken up in the middle of the night. She sighed sadly. It was nothing new to her. Having nightmares was a curriculum in her daily life.

Skylar got down the bed and took a shower to get over the headache. She was lost in thoughts as she dried her hair, staring at her reflection on the mirror when her eyes fell on the newly cut gash on her forearm. Skylar squinted her eyes and touched the gash as it burned under her fingertips. If she was not mistaken, she did not cut herself either consciously or unconsciously and she was sure that the gash was not there yesterday. Confused that when she will be able to get out of the number of surprises that centers her, Skylar changed into her usual black jeans, white t-shirt and black hoodie and tied her lace on her white sneakers. She picked her school bag and scanned the room once more, making sure that she had her phone with her, fully charged, and that she had not forgotten anything.

Henry was already woken up and was waiting downstairs for her, when Skylar skipped the last steps and stood before him. He smiled with her as she bid good morning and went to have breakfast together. After a quiet meal, where Skylar gulped down the pancakes and kissed her father goodbye, she went out of the home, reminding her father to lock the door behind him.

Skylar played her most recent playlist and skipped down the lane towards her school, her hands deep inside the pocket and lost in thought. Ever since she had learnt the bitter truth, life had not been normal for her. Even the most normal day of her life had at least a nightmare to welcome her during her sleep. Worried that the continued stress and the pressure of keeping every secret for herself, Skylar sighed as she wondered whether it alone would drive her mad, ensuring she received a personalized cell for her in the asylum. Skylar shook her head thinking she was just reading too much into the matter when she stopped dead.

Skylar had just come across an overgrown bush which was near her school. The most surprising part of it was that she was sure she had seen it somewhere else before. Skylar took a step closer to the bush, trying to remember how she had not ever seen the bush before, but sure that she had seen it some other time. She was confused. Skylar rubbed her forehead as she remembered that she had never seen the bush before, near her school. How can a bush grow overnight?

Suddenly Skylar was knocked down and she landed heavily on the pavement, bruising her palms. She looked up as anger boiled inside her head. How could she be so careless? It was definitely one of the two men from yesterday. Skylar squinted at the sunlight and shielded her eyes from the rays when finally, her eyes landed on the large bicycle tire before her and its rider peeked from behind the handle grips.

"Heyy Sky!!" Skylar's breath hitched on her throat when she recognized the unmistakable voice of her so called best friend.

"What is wrong with you Reree?" Skylar hissed as she stood up, slapping her jeans as pain shot through her waist. "Have you really gone mad?" she asked again.

Reese grinned sheepishly at her pissed friend. "Good morning to you too Sky." She started. "And that is what we call as 'revenge'," she finished, air quoting the word, when Skylar looked puzzled at her.

"For the love of God, why in the world do you want to take revenge from me Ree?" Skylar asked, trying to maintain her temper at bay.

"For not answering my calls yesterday, and for ignoring me," Reese smirked at Skylar as reality dawned on her. Of course, she should have expected the worst, knowing Reese for almost all her life, Skylar was surprised how she could have forgotten what her best friend was actually capable of.