Soul Breaker

Chapter 7

I was standing on an unstable surface that sank whenever I took a step. The area stretched for miles with little crevices in tall, white mountains. But as I stepped closer to the mountains, the perspective never changed. I was close enough to touch it and it felt like soft fabric, maybe from bed sheets?

A shadow loomed overhead and I looked up to see a giant Frankie looking down at me. Panic settled in and I opened my mouth to scream but nothing would come out. I tried moving but my body was paralyzed. Frankie reached down and scooped me up in his hands while laughing silently. His face was nearly inches away when his body and face shifted to look like Michael. Relief washed over me as I tried to call his name, but still nothing came.

Suddenly, Michael dropped me like I was hot coal, and I felt myself falling into the massive white abyss. But instead of landing softly on a bed, my surroundings changed and I dropped into a barred metal cage. Hailey, Frankie, Alex, Rae, Riley, my brothers, they all stood around the cage and looked absolutely appalled. Michael walked up to the cage; regular sized, and began mouthing something.

I looked closer to his lips and made out the word “Liar”. He backed away and kept mouthing that word. I went up to the cage shouting, grabbing the bars, and stretched out my arms. I took one look at my hands and my eyes widened. My fingers were chubby and when I looked down, my stomach jutted out. I turned around and a mirror was there, reflecting my old self. I began backing away, feeling my way towards the bars behind me, but they were no longer there. When I turned again, Michael was in front of me. His face became distorted, while his mouth continued to silently form that one word. Liar.

* * * *

I woke up in cold sweat and sat up slowly. The sun was beginning to peak in behind my drawn shades, so I looked at the clock. 7:37 A.M. Good thing it was a Saturday, that meant I didn’t have to get ready for school. My hands were shaky and my body trembled slightly as I got up to use the bathroom. I looked in the mirror expecting my old self to be looking back, but all I saw there was a very healthy, fit girl.

I turned the faucet on and splashed cold water on my face to rid myself of the remaining stupor I felt lingering from sleep. I wiped my face and headed downstairs to make breakfast. I grabbed the bacon and eggs from the fridge and set it on the table to go heat up the pan. The phone rang and I nearly jumped three feet in the air. I calmed myself down before answering.

“Hello, Hart residence.”

“Kandy?” A worried voice said on the other line.

“Mom?” I began cracking the eggs in a bowl.

“Kandy, honey, are your brothers home?”

“Yeah, they’re still in bed.”

“Good, good. We’re going to be held up for a little in Hawaii, sweetie.”

“Huh? Why?” I asked, pausing a bit before carefully placing the bacon in the pan. Little sprits of oil splashed on my arm.

“There’s a tropical storm headed our way, so they’re taking extra precautions and they’re shutting down the airport temporarily.”

“Well, how long are you going to be held up?” I began to worry.

“A week. Two at the most.”

“Two weeks?! Mom, what am I supposed to do if we’re out of food?” I opened the fridge to check our inventory. I still needed to go shopping.

“Remember the emergency credit card we stashed behind our headboard?” I nodded, but then remembered she couldn’t see me so I said “Yes.”

“Well, take that out and use it. But only for emergencies. And make sure your brothers don’t see where you got it or we’re going to have to find a new hiding spot.”