Shapeless

Ch 32 dreams

Skyler made her way down the dusty halls and into her room. When she said 'room', it was more like a bunch of beds shoved in a slightly closed off area. Nothing like the luxurious house that Peter lived in. She couldn't help the twinge of jealousy and sighed, sitting on the floor. That beautiful home had been nice while it lasted, not to mention the pizza... her mouth watered just thinking about it. She shook her head to clear it of the tantalizing thoughts. I'm in the orphanage. It's where I belong! She insisted silently, trying to believe it. Though she had never felt like she belonged anywhere. The only reliable shelter she had was in Jason's arms.
She sighed, staring at the floor, where two large cockroaches were skittering. On any other day Skyler would have screamed. Today however she was just too tired. Her thoughts unwittingly flashed back to that previous bus ride. Peter sitting by her holding a fox cage. She frowned. The brunette still didn't understand what she had seen. When she had touched the cage an overwhelming surge of hope had flooded her mind and she couldn't explain it. How could a skittish fox have any significance to what they were dealing with now? It just didn't make sense and her brain hurt thinking about it.
She shook her head with a yawn and curled up on the cold floor, squeezing her eyes tight against the shivering that wracked her.
Sleep was long coming but at last she fell. Deep into the black waves of slumber that pounded onto her brain until she surrendered...

Skyler was bouncing through a colorful meadow, friendly butterflies fluttering by. She was young again and her brown hair didn't have the blonde tips that the teenager usually had. Her large brown eyes blinked up at the sky. Lazy blue with cotton textured clouds drifting through it. Skyler laughed in pure joy and leapt into the air with her eyes closed tight.
When she landed, her opened eyes found herself standing on a familiar street. The sight made her throat close up and her heart clutched with grief. My old home? Without a second thought, she dashed over the neat little lawn and threw open the door. Her eyes welled with tears. There they were as they should be. A tall man with a black stubble was cooking something on the stove, his wife doing the dishes while she glanced lovingly at him. The soft piano music felt like candy to her ears and Skyler reminisced in the familiarity of it all. There she was, and there they were just how she remembered. Her family. She couldn't hold back the grin as she suffocated her mom with a hug. Her dad's startled but amused expression filled her mind when the room flickered. The world tilted and her stomach flipped over as the lights died. Plunging the family into complete darkness.

Skyler screamed, terrified at the thickness of it. Around her was so black that she could almost breathe it in. It was a horrible feeling and she cringed, squeezing her eyes shut and backing away.
Skyler flinched when something grazed her shoulder and her eyes flew open. She burned with confusion. She was surprised to find herself surrounded by tall yellow stalks of corn. She blinked at the small red bike that had been parked next to her. The gray horn still looked shiny, the red paint pristine as if newly bought. The question was; who did it belong to?
Her mind chewed on this for a moment but curiosity got the best of her. My mind must have brought me here for a reason. Skyler assumed, shoving through the golden leaves and traveling deeper into the corn field.
The stars barely offered any light to the stumbling teenager and she screamed when a slug touched her foot. Steadying her pounding heart, she came to a halt when she realized what was wrong about this place. It had no sign of life besides the corn. Though even they acted like stiff trees. She opened her ears for reassurance but an eerie silence wrapped around her. Nothing. Not a single cricket or a rustle of the wind. She was alone here. Alone. The word bounced around, refusing to accept it. Alone. It made her feel dizzy and she froze solid when the corn rustled nearby. She turned around slowly, preparing for the worst. A small rabbit charged out, stopping to nibble a weed. The dusty plant made no sound as it was devoured. As scary as the feeling was, she couldn't bring herself to break the silence. It felt wrong to stay but it felt wrong to break as well. The whole situation was making her head spin. But there was nothing around for support.
Skyler's eyes swept the clearing and goosebumps spread throughout her arms. Instant terror flashed through her and she froze. Eyes. There were eyes in the shadows ahead. She hadn't noticed them before but the rabbit definitely had, scrambling passed Skyler in a panic.
Eyes! She shuddered. There they were. Glowing with an opalescent light and gleaming red without a source. They bore through her and saw directly to her soul. Her eyes widened in the horrific sight and as the glaring eyes got closer and closer...
A screech pierced the air.

And Skyler woke with a gasp.
She was trembling and covered with sweat, numb to the cold air around her. Her heart thumped and her blood roared in her ears. Her brain refused to acknowledge her surroundings. She never thought she would ever feel so glad to see the dreaded gray walls and scuttering cockroaches again. The screech of an owl sounded again.
She was back in the orphanage, the eyes were nowhere to be found.

She couldn't help sweeping hers around the room again and again, refusing to relax. She touched her cold skinned fingers which were purple from her nervously twisting them. She let go to let the circulation back in and an unpleasant tingling sensation of static clawed her hands as the blood rushed back.
She wished she had a phone. I wish Jason was here. She sighed, deciding that she was going to start sleeping over at his house More until the nightmares eased up.
She wrapped her arms around her knees and pulled them to her chest, rocking there. Back and forth, not fully awake but not comfortably asleep either. It's not real. It's not real. though Skyler couldn't stifle her doubt. So far she had experienced many scary visions and dreams more than she could count. And they had been more real than anything she could imagine. The most terrifying fact of it all. They had all come true. Every single one had played a role.
While she begged the universe desperately for this to not be the case, she knew it was hopeless. The eyes had been there and they would return. Dread dropped in her stomach. Skyler just hoped she could save herself when the moment was forced upon her again.