Summer Breeze and Autumn Rush

Chapter 1

She was running. Faster and faster, trying to escape the tunnel. Darkness, hot and heavy, suffocated her from all sides, pounding down on her like a giant hand. She couldn't remember why she was running exactly, but she knew that if she stopped now, the Darkness would engulf her and bad things would happen. The tunnel was cold. Too cold. Her arms were purple and blotchy from it and she knew that her lips were blue. She had to keep going. She had... to keep... 

The oxygen was thinning, and the cold, so cold. She was slowing down, she could feel it. There wasn't enough air left. That's when she saw it. A pinprick of light in her never ending Darkness. It was getting bigger the closer she got, she just had to go a little bit farther. It was getting warmer here too. She could feel the heat filling her up, reaching her toes and finger tips, giving her strength to keep going. As the light got closer, she heard a feral scream filling her mind. Partially unconscious and with her muscles aching, she stumbled out of the tunnel landing into the arms of the tall boy with the violet eyes and passed out. 

Caroline woke up, gasping for air. She was sweaty, panicked and still slightly delirious. Collapsing against her pillow she took deep, even breaths to calm herself down and regain her bearings. She was in her usual bedroom, the pale pink curtains were drawn making the sun cast its dim light on the white walls turning them a soft peach colour. It was early morning, too early to get to school but late enough that she could go make herself breakfast without looking too strange. Kicking off the duvet and stretching at the same time, she rolled out of bed, sliding on her white, fluffy bunny slippers. Shuffling down the stairs she yawned like a cat. By the time she reached the kitchen she could smell eggs cooking. Pouring herself a steaming mug of hot coffee she sat herself down on the counter.

"Nana, where's the sugar?" 

"That's one I haven't heard before! I thought you had a strict no caffeine rule?" 

Caroline made a noise somewhere between a grunt and a snort. "Desperate times and all that jazz." 

"Rough night I take it?"

"Yeah I guess you could say that." Caroline said rubbing at her eyes. 

"Do you want to tell me why?" 

"Nah. S'okay." 

Nana gaver a long look but kept scrambling the eggs. Her long gray hair was in a fishtail braid down her back and she was wearing a peasant skirt with a flowing blouse. Her best friend Mandy called Nana's style "hippy-chic". Caroline moved herself to the table where her Nana had placed a still steaming plate of eggs on toast. She wrapped her arms around her Nana's waist and squeezed tight while Nana patted her arms and smiled. 

"Thank you." She smiled and her Nana went to make a fresh pot of coffee while Caroline chewed her food slowly. She wasn't going to let the dream affect her. Honestly, she hardly remembered anything other than that intense cold and those violet eyes. She shivered. Nope, not affecting her at all. Popping the last piece of toast into her mouth, Caroline got up, gave her grandmother a quick hug and peck on the cheek, and made her way back to her bedroom to get dressed. The clock on the nightstand read 7:00am. Mandy would be round soon to get her and she wasn't even dressed! So much for early. Throwing on a pair of blue shorts and her favorite slouchy purple-blue off the shoulder sweater she made a bee line for the bathroom. 

Looking in the mirror, the only proof of the other night were the gray patches under her eyes which she quickly fixed with some foundation. Other than that she looked the same as she always did, turquoise eyes and big curly blond hair that had earned her the nickname 'the Lion' from the boys at her grade school. The name had stuck and had followed her to high school, probably because she had punched the first boy who had called her that in the stomach. Her skin was a golden brown colour, typical California white girl tan, all year long. Strange considering she lived in Toronto, but she had no problem with that. She had never had to mess around with spray tan of bronzer or any of that junk. She wasn't tall but she wasn't short either with an athletic build earned from years of soccer practice.