WILLOW(On Hold)

Chapter 1

She bolted up from her sleep for the third time that night. The same reoccurring nightmare, over and over again. Sweat coated her forehead and she slowly got out of bed, her knees wobbling slightly as she made her way to the bathroom. As she splashed cold water on her face, she looked in the mirror at her reflection. Her face dripped with the mixture of sweat and water, her one left blue eye and a white-milky right eye stood out the most about her appearance. Her short, chocolate-brown hair was pulled back into a small bun. A few loose strands stuck to her damp cheeks and forehead. She wiped her face with a dry towel and climbed back in bed, hoping to get at least a few more hours of sleep before she had to get ready for her shift at the library in Midtown.

After twenty minutes of tossing and turning, she finally gave up and crawled back out of bed. She walked to the kitchen and flicked on the light switch. Soft, warm light shined on the kitchen and she opened the refrigerator for something to eat. Grabbing the egg carton and some orange juice, she turned on the stove and got a pan out. Spraying the pan with cooking spray, she cracked two eggs and poured the yoke and whites into the pan and scrambled them around with a wooden spoon, adding salt and pepper. Once the eggs were cooked, she got a plate and scraped the eggs off of the pan and onto the plate, pouring herself a generous amount of orange juice and sat down at the table. As she ate, she kept replaying the nightmare in her mind. The way her mother screamed as he cut her body with the shining, silver knife. He pulled her mother's hair and all she could do was watch. She was only twelve and yet useless in saving her mother. A clatter from the living room and muttering of curses brought Lyla out of her thoughts. Her mother walked into the kitchen holding her elbow. She stopped walking once she noticed Lyla sitting at the table and furrowed her eyebrows. "Lyla, what are you doing up so early? Your shift doesn't start for another three hours." "I know, I just couldn't sleep very well I guess." Lyla shrugged and her mother grabbed a cup from the cupboard and poured herself some coffee. "Ah, okay. I thought something was wrong," she chuckled and Lyla couldn't help but stare at her mother's back. Under those clothes laid twenty scars and scrapes that never seemed to heal.

"I was thinking about maybe going to the Walter's Craft Show today, if I go by the library I'll visit you and bring you some lunch if you would like," she turned and smiled, but Lyla was barely listening. She shook her head from her thoughts and looked at her mother. "Yeah, sounds good mom," she smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. After their conversation, Lyla walked back to her room and decided to take a shower. She always liked taking long showers, washing away all of the bad thoughts and memories. It was relieving and made her feel fresh. Once she finished, she turned off the water and wrapped the towel around her body. The steam surrounded her and followed her out of the bathroom before disappearing in the cool air. She got dressed in a white turtle neck and dark blue jeans. After blow-drying her hair, she put on mascara and chap-stick. Simple and plain, just the way she liked it. She grabbed her brown jacket and put on her knee length brown boots. Kissing her mother goodbye, she made her way out into the cool, morning Fall air. She didn't have a car since they couldn't afford one, but she preferred to walk places anyway. Her shift didn't start for another hour and a half, so she made her way to Sam's bakery, a little bakery in town with delicious treats and amazing coffee. She grew up with owner's daughter, Macy Lakin, so she was pretty good friends with Sam himself.

A little bell jingled, signifying a costumer had arrived and Lyla walked over to the front counter. A burly, middle-aged man emerged from the back room carrying at least four huge boxes. They were blocking his view of Lyla and he seemed to not have heard the bell jingle. He hummed and wiggled his hips and Lyla had to cover her mouth from letting a giggle escape. Amused, she decided to make her presence known. "Love the dance moves Sam, now I can see what your wife always talks about." What happened next made Lyla almost collapse from laughing so hard. He screamed. An actual scream. The boxes were now on the floor and his face held terror. Once he noticed it was Lyla, he sighed in relief and glared at her. "Don't you know not to scare someone like that! Could've killed me Lyla!" She wiped the tears of joy from her eyes and grinned at him. "Awe, come on Sam, who knew you liked Taylor Swift? And knew all of the words to 'We Are Never Getting Back Together'" She couldn't contain it anymore and started laughing all over again as his face turned crimson. He grumbled to himself and picked the boxes back up, setting them down on the empty tables. "What do you want child," he huffed, but tried not to smile. She calmed down and leaned against the counter, "A cup of that delicious Fall coffee, sir." He smiled and shook his head, walking over and began making the coffee. "How's your mother?" He asked and Lyla sighed, "She's trying. She said she's going to the Walter's Craft Show today, so she's getting there." He nodded and handed her the cup of coffee. "Well, give her my best wishes." She smiled and nodded, giving him the money."I will, thanks for the coffee Sam." She walked out of the bakery and made her way to the library.