*Arrow*

*Chapter 3*

     My eyes snapped open and I gasped, immediately sitting up in my bed. What was that? That boy just looked so familiar. I knew him, but who was he? Why was he about to be killed? What was that whole battle about?

     And why did I always ask myself questions I couldn't answer?

     Still shaken, I stood up and opened my curtains, but all I saw was the darkness of the early morning. Several tall streetlights cast a sickly orange glow over the street I lived on, stretching to the right of my house until they were too far away to see. To my left was the circle of houses that edged the cul-de-sac. Some were illuminated by lights shining from their interiors, letting the world know that their owners were up and around, preparing to take on the day. I kept my room's light off.

     My bathroom was just down the hall, but it seemed to take forever to get there. I dragged my feet, which felt like they weighed a million pounds. At the rate I as going, a tranquilized turtle would've beaten me to the bathroom. 

     The bright yellow walls of my bathroom were harsh on my sleepy eyes. It took me a while to focus on my slumped reflection in the mirror. My eyes, blue-gray in color, had definitely seen better days. Normally they're bright and sparkling (I don't like to brag, but it's true), but with the way they looked now . . . . Definitely not bright and sparkling. Strands of my thick, chestnut brown stuck out in all directions, making me look like I had been electrocuted.

     I forced myself to stand up straight. It always helped my appearance, not to mention showed off my body in a nice way. I mean, sure, I wasn't the skinniest girl in the world, but I was proud of the figure I had.

     My stomach growled, giving me a cue to leave the bathroom. Still trying to stay standing upright, I bounded down the stairs and made my way into the kitchen. No one was in there, which surprised me. Someone was usually at the table when I woke up. I shrugged to myself and grabbed my routine box of cereal and bowl. Once situated with my breakfast, I sat down and began to eat slowly. Occasionally my mind would wander and a scene from my nightmare would show up, making me freeze in terror. Sean also appeared in my mind more frequently than I wanted, looking suspiciously like someone I had just seen.

     Giving up with that, I gulped down the rest of my cereal and threw my bowl in the sink, wincing when I heard the clattering noise it made. The stairway leading up to my room was dark, but there was just enough light from outside that I could run up the stairs without tripping.

     Not enough, though, for me to see my mother at the top of the stairs.

     "Whoa, Nicole. Slow down," she cautioned in a very tired voice after I nearly ran her over. To steady me, she clamped her hands down on my shoulders, but she seemed reluctant to do even that. "What are you doing?"

     "Huh?" I cocked my head to the side.

     "You're up early," she explained. Simultaneously my alarm clock rang, its beeping resounding down the hall. Even though I knew it would probably wake up Jason, I let it ring.

     Oh, wonderful. That damn dream made me lose out on precious moments of sleep. Trying to keep my frustration under control, I said, "Oops. I didn't even realize that."

     My mom shrugged and staggered down the steps. That was it. No "good morning, how are you?" or anything. Making conversation was obviously not her strong point

     Returning to my bathroom, I began prepping my appearance for the day ahead. Or as Jason called it - "putting my face on." But even with getting ready as slowly as humanly possible and trying to keep my mind on each task, I still thought of the things I didn't want to. God, Nicole, I thought. You're going insane.