Shadow Bite || WATTYS 2017

Chapter Ten

I stare at the bowl of granola that's been placed in front of me on the sleek, granite counter. Mum has expertly topped it with exotic fruits, but my eyes don't really seem to acknowledge the breakfast, nor does my stomach, which is extremely worrying. Your girl's always hungry. Before all of this chaos my stomach would have growled at the thought of delicious fruits and crunchy cereal, but now, as ignorance and dread have become part of my daily routine, even the thought of swallowing anything down brings a feeling of sickness to the edge of my throat.

Today is the day that I have to go back to school because the police have found Alexandra's murderer, thus closing the investigation. This obviously means that they've got the wrong guy, but what can I honestly do? If they've got their evidence, and all I've got are nightmares and visions, then I'm not going to be very useful by burdening the family with even more sorrow.  Killian has also become part of my daily routine, and I don't see the police catching him anytime soon. I don't even know what he is, how he does what he does, or why he won't just leave me alone."Just leave me alone," I suddenly scream as his laughter echoes around my mind. The bowl topples over the edge of the bar, exploding into a million shards as it hits the floor. Mum spins around and rushes over to me with worried eyes, bringing me to her chest and rocking me back and forth in her embrace. My eyes are dry and covered from her view because tears aren't falling. If she knew that I was feeling numb and nothing else, she'd surely freak even more. 

"Shh it's okay darling, it's just another daymare."

Yeah, just go ahead. Laugh. Daymare, the stupid word that the doctors have branded me with. It's bad enough that Mum thinks that I'm having these outbursts because of PTSD, but now they've found another 'illness' to stamp on my file. No one believed me when I told them that I wasn't having nightmares because of the stalker back home. Visions - the term that Killian keeps on using - is becoming more and more appealing. But I still haven't gotten any answers. Just the bright reminder of the fact that I am his, or whatever the hell that means. But that I don't believe, and never will. I am no ones. I am independent. Crazy, but independent.

"I need to go now Mum, I'll see you later," I say in a monotone voice, staring straight ahead with a dead expression as I wiggle myself out of her concerned grasp. I vaguely hear her reply before I am out the front door and walking down the sidewalk. I take in a deep breath and will my legs to move. One foot in front of the other. 

Put a smile on your face and act like you're fine, or they'll ship you off. 

After twenty minutes of slow walking, the tops of the modernised school building come into view. At this point, I'm practically having a seizure.

I seriously need to get working on my cardio.

I push open the double doors of the high school and step inside, and I'm immediately surrounded by high-pitched squealing and the slamming of lockers and the shuffling of feet as the hoards of students walk to their morning classes. For a moment, I envy them; they have no idea how lucky they are to just be normal. Because these are the questions that run through my head on a day-to-day basis. 

What are visions?

Well, no. I know what they are. But how? 

What's going on with Emma and the guys?

Who is Killian?

What is Killian?

Why me?

"Camilla Wilson!" I snap out my reveries and cringe, ducking my head and covering my face with my hair to conceal myself from my best friend. Emma's marching towards me with the most furious expression on her face, not at all taking any notice to any of the huge amounts of students that are being shoved and kicked to the side by her trembling petite form. She's practically seething. I turn to walk off but nearly hit my head in a very muscular chest. I look up with nervousness and meet Damien's annoyed dark eyes.