Shadow Bite || WATTYS 2017

Chapter One

"Camilla, wake up!" Mum's voice hits me like a shrill alarm clock, ripping me from the wonderful darkness of sleep. "Now young lady!" Her voice is further intensified because of the lack of furniture in the house, and it echoes all the way up to my sanctuary painstakingly loud. I groan and slam a pillow over my face, pulling the duvet tighter around me.

Wait a second. Did I bring the pillow and the duvet to the window bench?

I shoot upright, only to find that I'm in bed. I glance to the side, where my glasses lay on top of a closed box. My room is still the same, everything exactly how I left it, except for my obvious change of sleeping arrangements. Damn it, I must be sleepwalking again. Funny story, I found out that I was sleepwalking when I was eight when my mum heard footsteps at midnight around the house and found me sitting on the toilet, fast asleep.

I pull myself out of bed and a shiver runs through me when my feet hit the cold wooden floor. I quickly shuffle over to the window and close it tightly, careful to flip the lock. Now that daylight filters through the dark heavy clouds in the morning sky, I can properly admire the view of the backyard. A thick forest filled with autumn-coloured leaves stretches out for miles, and behind it, I can just about see the blurry peaks of very high, snow-covered mountains. That is where luck has struck: whereas Mary's window faces the road and the neighbouring villas, mine gives me a perfect view of nature, and one that I can watch change with the seasons. After one last glance, I hurry over and through the door that leads to my connecting bathroom and turn on the shower. I shimmy out of my minions pyjamas and step underneath the spray, immediately feeling the hot water sink into the knots in my muscles and untie the tension all throughout my body.

"Camilla Winston!" Mum shouts loudly from downstairs, her voice laced with annoyance this time.

"I'm coming!" I yell back noisily enough to be heard above the rushing water, but I doubt she does anyway. I sigh and turn off the tap, wrapping myself in a fuzzy towel as I step out of the glass cabinet. My eyes shift to the girl staring back at me in the steamy mirror above the sink: her hazel wet locks fall below her shoulders and the dark creases below her blue eyes are proof of the mere hours of sleep from the night before. Dashes of light freckles on the tops of her cheeks and over her nose meddle with her olive complex, but there's a slight paleness to her skin from lack of – well, a bit of everything. As if on cue, my stomach growls. I don't even understand why I was woken up this early, but Mum said something yesterday about moving in properly and neighbours and blah blah blah. So maybe I didn't really pay much attention. I exit the bathroom and pull out a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and my favourite Olaf sweater from the elm-wood wardrobe. Yes, I've watched Frozen one too many times. Don't judge - just let it go.

"I'M GOING TO WALK UP THERE AND PULL YOU DOWN NAKED IF I HAVE TO!"

"I'm coming for God's sake!" I slam the door shut for effect and make my way downstairs, following the marvellous smell of homemade blueberry pancakes into the kitchen. My stomach growls and I hurry to raise myself onto one of the bar stools, quickly grabbing the plate that Mum is extending towards me. I shove a big portion into my mouth and when she clears her throat I look up, my mouth full with blueberry delightedness.

"Thanwouamawinwmummy!" I force out amid the sweet mushiness, and she just rolls her eyes, annoyance leaving them and being replaced by amusement. She displays another plate with a smile for Mary when the little girl comes skipping down the stairs, her blonde hair in messy pigtails flying behind her. She arrives next to the barstools and looks up, scrunching her little face together in concentration. After various attempts of her climbing up, I sigh and pick up her little frame myself, placing her on top of the stool. She looks at me with an adorable toothy grin and big blue eyes that match my own and takes my face in between two chubby hands. She then proceeds to plant a big smooch on my nose. I scrunch my nose and shove her away while she giggles furiously.