Unseen Forces- Under Revision

Chapter One

{A/N: I'm changing the MC's name, so Amber is now Reya}

I did not feel them until they were nearly upon us, engulfing our surroundings in their fiery flames. They ate away at the table where I did my homework after school; they devoured the rug where my sister and I played in the afternoons. I barely had time to react when mom started screaming in agony beside me. I saw the demonic flames creep slowly up her body, submerging her in fire. I was drowning in the smoke but the flames did not go towards me; I couldn't see, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think.

Mom grabbed me and whispered, "Be safe my darling." I felt her hand go limp as the life floated out of her. The shock not allowing me to register exactly what happened; I scrambled off the bed and tried to find an exit from this hell.

I heard dad yelling my name from outside the window in the other side of the room. I ran across the hot floor, and hastily climbed up onto the dresser. He had smashed open the glass in the window, making a hole just big enough for someone my size to crawl out. He stuck his hands in as much as he could and started to pull me out. My lungs were coated in smoke, and the outside air was only slightly less polluted with it. Dad was only able to pull me out halfway when I felt the fire snag the sleeve of my nightgown and something pull me back a bit. I felt something fall on me, and then, everything went blank except for the all-consuming pain.

I could still feel smoke residing in my lungs, blocking my airways even as I wake from the black, angry waters of this reoccurring nightmare. I gasp for air and fumble, trying to grasp the water bottle on my nightstand. I only took one gulp of the refreshing liquid when my arm starts to go numb; originating at my right shoulder and quickly working its way down the rest of the limb. Feeling my airways constrict further in panic, letting even less air in, I fall out of bed and crawl to the mirror. The only way to stop this is if you see everything is fine. I can't hold in my scream as I feel my previously numb arm explode into millions of tiny pieces. And then, nothing.

My fingertips graze the area where my arm should be. I don't feel anything, nor do I see anything in the mirror. My heart beats faster, fear causing adrenaline to rush through my veins as I reach for the small knife in the bottom desk drawer. Plunging it into my shoulder, I feel relief when I see my arm re-materialize. Blood starts to seep through my shirt, and I grab a wad of tissues to apply pressure.

My sister crashes into the room, holding her can of pepper spray, "You okay Reya?" She asks right before her eyes zero in on the crimson blood slowly pooling on the floor beneath me.

She races over to me, pulling the towel off my chair and dropping the small can. "Are you insane? This is the third time in two months." Emily bundles the towel around the cut, applying a bit more pressure than necessary, "The hospital should give you a VIP card," she added with a glare.

"Very important patient? That's nice; what do I get? Free Wi-Fi and only the best doctors?" I sneered, jerking away and holding the blanket on my own.

"This is serious, Reya; why don't you talk to Dr. Brown? Every time you go, you say that 'everything is fine,' that 'you slipped,' or that 'you just had a small attack' and 'it won't happen again." She said adding air quotes at the correct places.

"Because Dr. Brown would just dose me up with pills, and drugs didn't do anything good for you." I shot back, looking away.

"You and I both know that those are two very different situations." Emily hissed before helping me up and sitting me down on my bed, "I'll go wake dad and Olivia. Do us all a favor and don't stab yourself again in the meantime."

With my sister out of the room, I peel off the bloody blanket and peek at the cut. I lightly trace the old scars surrounding it, feeling the small lines of raised, puckered skin. A dull burn spreads in my shoulder, and I try to get a closer look at the fresh cut.

Two small, dirt caked hands push the wound wider, slowly creeping more and more out of the opening. The thing starts to slowly laugh as blood rushes out, two bright green eyes staring up at me.

"Hello Reya," the creature whispers.

I reach for the towel and close my eyes as its maniacal laughter floats up to my ears and my head begins to pound. "It's not real, it's not real, it's not real," I repeatedly whisper to myself.

"Reya, what's going on?" Olivia's soft voice brought an end to what I hoped what just a horrifying hallucination.

The thing was gone, and the cut back to its original size, yet I still saw fresh blood on my arm. "I had another panic attack," I say sheepishly, covering the cut.