Invincible

Chapter Four

I see flames. There is nothing else I can see. Nothing but the colors of red and yellow flames, surrounding me in a deep, tight space. I continue to black out, but I try to open my eyes, focusing on exactly where I am. The heat of the fire makes me sweat, and it feels as though I'm inside an oven.

Other than the flickering sounds of the fire were footsteps. I couldn't see anyone, but I could hear someone's feet running in the distance. A small shadow appears in front of me, growing larger and larger within seconds. The shadow of a person that's about to run through the flames...

I snap open my eyes, my lungs gasping for air as I fall onto my bed. I don't know why that is.

The impact of the landing woke me up now. I turn to look at my clock. Five o' clock in the morning, it read. I sit up and look at myself, noticing that I'm still wearing my tank-top and pajamas, the same things I wore before I went to bed.

So I was dreaming, I think. What a relief. For a second, I thought the house was on fire.

But nevertheless, what happened? Was I in hell or something? And who was the person that was trying to get to me? Satan?

And another thing, why had I fallen on the bed when I woke up, when I was supposedly lying in it the whole time? I check my door. It's locked, just as it was before I went to bed. So Brad hasn't been in here. But I could be wrong. I mean, this is his dead daughter's room. What right do I have to say he can't come in here? Surely I wouldn't want some boy stepping into my little girl's room and destroying what image was left of her, the image I've tried so hard to preserve.

But really? Sneaking around, in the middle of the night? Would Brad really go this far? I assume he wouldn't, so as far as I was concerned, Brad was out of the picture. For the time being at least.

I look up at the ceiling, foolishly checking to see if any harnesses were present. Nothing, of course. I check myself again and there were no harnesses on my body either. That's good. But good isn't going to help me figure out what's going on. Well, this wouldn't be the first time. Given the circumstances, good hasn't been so great at helping me find out anything, really.

I don't go back to sleep, afraid that I'll eventually wake up plummeting back into my own bed again, or worse. Instead I just lie there, looking out the window. Dawn was approaching. I was hoping to see the stars again, like I did every night before I went to bed, but I can't expect to see anything now.

I wonder what it looks like in space. I know millions of others have asked that very question, but I don't think they actually mean it. They're not as curious as I am. In fact, I don't think we're alike at all. But at least they can speak for themselves. That's what makes me envy them. They know exactly who they are and what they want, and I, on the other hand, don't know either of those things.

--

When we pull into the school, the streets were already lined up with buses. Brad had no other choice but to park behind them, and make me walk to the front of the building.

"Have a nice day," Brad says before I could exit my seat. "Don't get into any trouble."

"Don't worry," I say. "I won't."

He laughs. "And say hi to that girl for me, too."

I shake my head in embarrassment. I close the door and he drives away.

It's only a few minutes until the bell rings. I tried to look for Taylor, but she was nowhere to be found. Maybe she was running late or something.

I do see Jack however, talking to acquaintances. That's all they were. Not friends. Just acquaintances. I wave to him and he notices me, smiling as he waves back. I was beginning to walk over to him until Rick and his crew started walking towards me.