In One's Shadow

Chapter 2-The Life of a Two; Newcomer

                                                                                     -(16 years later)-

Paradise. A dream that has perpetually found it's way into my mind. I think of it as a never ending nightmare now, but the kind of nightmare I wouldn't mind living through. That's what happens when your life is a never ending nightmare. It always starts out the same, once my head meets the comfort of my pillow, and Peppermint jumps onto my bed side and curls up on my legs.

He is only 2 years old, but he is already half as tall as myself. I guess in dog years your age forgets to keep up with your body growth. I don't really mind, I get a sense of security every time I brush my toes through his dainty fur. That is when my eyes drift away.

The darkness around me, creeps in and I have to run to find safety, or that is what I just assume. My hands grope the emptiness, there is nothing here. I can't scream. The darkness shoves itself into my mouth, it's a savory bitterness that chokes the hope of life. When I cannot even see myself anymore, Paradise always appears, wearing her magnificent shades of azure. Her wings beat, slower than a hummingbird's, but faster than a bee. The hypnotic colors grab my attention in my helplessness of this nightmare and I reach for Paradise. When I catch her, she disappears--I wake up.

To illuminate any confusion on Paradise, she is a little blue butterfly I found as a child; when butterflies actually roamed free among the streets of this destroyed wasteland.

The day I found her,I pursued her, and Mother gripped me by the arm and yanked me away from her stating, "Leave it alone, Winter, for no matter how hard you try you may never feel the wings of Paradise."
She was right of course, after that first encounter, I watched Paradise flicker faded blue in the distance and never saw her again after that--well only in my nightmares. But I always wake to a new living nightmare, every day, I guess it is considered a daymare. Life. It's time for me to wake up.

6:30 a.m. The alarm sends it's torturous melody. Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep-- I turn over to my side table, pull my hand from under the covers and poke at the annoying machine with my index finger. At this point in time, Peppermint is awake, waiting for me to get up. I click the little lamp that sits inert next to the alarm clock and watch the light reflect from my odd colored canine's eyes. I try to rub the soreness out of my own eyes and Peppermint nudges his wet nose against my other hand. Chills crawl up my arm.

He begins to whine, it gradually gets louder the longer I take to let him out of my room.

"You have to go outside?" I ask, the same way I ask it every day; why does routine even exist? It gets dreadfully boring.

His head tilts at the very mention of the word "outside."

I stretch, reaching my arms up and feel my back crack in several areas. "Come on, Peps, before you make another mess in here that I have to clean."

As I stand, wobbly in the knees, he stands on his hind legs and greets me with a daily dog pounce. I open my side table drawer and pull out my black neck collar. Pulling my hair up for a moment, I slip the collar around my neck with one hand and lock it with the other. I gently turn it so that the little white heart faces forward--just like I always do. The collar is actually something really important to me. It's the only gift my Father has ever given me without an awful stare of disgust. He also made it special, and my brother has a watch to match.

Him being my twin and all my Father wanted that we'd be able to communicate with one another no matter where we were. Father knew twins had strange connections, like finishing each other's sentences and such; he made the collar and watch to enhance the wearer's ability to communicate mentally. So, I can hear his thoughts, and he can hear mine, but only when we want to communicate with each other.