Catching Nightmares

The Beginning

The curtain next to me burst into flames, the paintings on the bedroom wall began to shake and the glass cracked. We all stepped away from the closet leaving the doors closed, Andrea scrambled up onto her bed hiding in the farthest corner.

I swallowed the fear in the back of my throat, what had I done? Smoke billowed out from underneath the sliding wood doors, accompanied by dark groaning noises that sounded like a dog growling. I looked around the small room watching the white paint begin to chip and peel away as it aged before us.

Glancing over to my best friend Neil, his short brown hair began to stand on end as electricity sparked through the air. The entire house shook to the right suddenly sending us all falling into the wall. As I slammed against the peeling white painted wall, my eyes still latched onto the closet door that shook like it was about to explode I couldn’t help but curse Andrea for ever daring me to do this.

-Flashback-

“Monster catcher? Puh-leez. Everybody knows they aren’t real. Fable you need to get down to earth. Such a weirdo” she snorted whipping her long black hair over her shoulder as she turning in her seat crossing her right leg over her left.

A large pink bubble expanded from her mouth matching the pink lipstick she had caked on. It matched the layers of foundations and concealer to hide her array of freckles. Her lashes looked thick and bulky clumped together with black mascara which only blended in with the thick lines of liquid eyeliner she had on in order to get the Cleopatra look.

Those lashes batted closed tauntingly over pale deadly blue eyes. She popped her bubble and gave a nasally laugh at me as I sat across the room with Neil, her twin brother. Andrea Yielder was the Queen Bee… And me, well I was just her lowly weirdo that if she didn’t pick on at least seven times a day, and get in a little belittling here and there, then her life would be a waste.

I mimicked her in a high toned voice before snorting a laugh, “Andrea you’re the one who paid me to get read of the monster under your bed. I don’t think you have any right to talk”

Then there was lil’ol me, Fabelle Tarrore. Yes that is my real name, I am not kidding. And a soon-to-be graduate of Grade 12. I have a full ride into university to study myths and legends of the world. Thanks to my reputation in the small town of Angelo Ridge, I was best fit for the scholarship. And what is my reputation in Angelo Ridge?

Well, that would be the great and amazing Monster Catcher. But not just monsters, I’ve caught Santa, The Easter bunny, Tooth fairy, fairy’s, gnomes, pixies, trolls. You name it and I’ll say I’ve captured one. Sadly like most small town reputations its pure lie.

I watched as Andrea’s powdered face went a nice delightful cherry red. Her nose flared and her lips tightened into a thin bubble-gum coloured line.

“I did not!” She blurted pushing up from her seat.

“Yeah you did” Neil said waving his free hand in the air, the other held open a book on philosophy and its modern day advancements.

People thought I was the nerd, yet he could read those things in the middle of a freaking football field and he would still get pats on the back from the players. I blamed the fact that his sister was the biggest airhead with the biggest rack, if they got on Neil’s good side they might have a chance at his sister Andrea.

“You shut up!” Witty come back from the balloon for brains.

I scoffed rolling my eyes, my arrogance around her knew no boundaries. Seriously it was disturbing how easily she could push me over the edge. What else was disturbing was how easily I lied about the monsters and how I supposedly caught them.