Seduced By Fear

College Graduation

*above is Emily*

It was the same as before, I am running through darkness trying to catch my breath when all of a sudden time slows down turning my legs into lead. I struggle to keep moving but in the end, you, born from the shadows, engulf me till light is nothing more than a fragment of ones imagination. "Emily?" I heard a voice call my name, a familiar voice that seemed so far away, and just like that the nightmare ended in the same place as last time. My eyes peeled open and fought the blinding array of light that struck through the shutters. My throat produced a strange noise as I thrusted my face further into the warm, sweaty pillows. Come on em, we can't be late for our last day. It would be unethical." Caitlin whined. If it were up to me, I would have slept the day away, to make up for the loss of rest the nights before have stolen from me. As of lately sleep has become my worst enemy. I find it that every time I close my eyes the horror begins before i have time to react. These nightmare's, their always the same over and over again. It's like their trying to say something to me I just can't seem to put my finger on it. "Emilyyyy will you stop daydreaming, and get ready! We don't have time to dilly-dally. What is it with you this morning? You've been acting really strange these last few days, is-is it the nightmare again?" She asked concerned. I rolled my eyes and swung myself out of bed. My head began to spin but I kept my ground long enough to make it to the bathroom. I quickly  shut the door and locked it before falling to my knees. A pain struck my head and the world faded in and out with lurking motion. Almost like being on a boat that's in the middle of a treacherous storm. Finally, after what seemed like a millennium, I pulled myself to my feet and waddled over to the shower. My shaky hand pulled the knob and the pipes creaked and pushed water out through the shower head. "Weird." I muttered to myself. My head was still throbbing from the former headache. I get those unexpectedly, and not a doctor I've been to know's why or how. I try to control them, but therapy, and medicine just don't seem to work. The shower seemed to help a bit till it hit me again, but this time even worse than before, my head was on fire my legs became weak and my feet slipped up underneath me causing my body to lurch forward. This one never seemed to go away, my throbbing head, and my bruised up knees. I struggled to bring myself up onto my feet again and eventually hopped out of the shower, but the dizziness was almost too much to bare. I reached for a towel and caught a glance of my reflection, and I looked awful, almost dead so to speak. "Weird." I muttered to myself again. I shrugged it off and quickly put some makeup on, threw on my favorite sweat shirt and a pair of sweat pants. I really wasn't feeling it today. Caitlin on the other hand looked gorgeous. She had a pair of her maroon high-wasted jean shorts on, and her favorite flowy white crop top, with some jewelry and make up to top it off. We both finished getting ready and left for our first class. Today felt like it was never going to end. Calculous was boring as always, and my last class was physiology, which seemed to last longer than calculous. I mean, what is the point in calculous? Seems like the professors hardly understand it themselves. As I found my way into the classroom, a feeling of nausea took over. Then the inevitable happened, the nightmare started again, and my head began to pound like it had in the bathroom this morning. But what was even stranger was the nightmare was different this time, same place, everything was the exact except for the shadow. He wasn't there, I wasn't running, and nothing slowed down. I was just standing there alone or at least so I thought. I heard a deep and sickly rich laugh from behind me, I whipped around but nothing was there. I heard it again but this time it was closer, but still, nothing was there. I turned once more and there he, you, were standing ever so still, after waiting a while, I finally heard the shadow man say my name, and then I woke up. Like nothing had happened. Like I never fell asleep. When I woke up no one was in the class room. A dark, ominous feeling  casted itself over the room, making the air feel  heavier. Had I really been asleep that long? No, that's impossible, I couldn't have been. But then I heard that laugh again, was I still in a nightmare? This time I could see his figure, he had curly mid length hair, he was ungodly tall, which in essence gave him a more intimidating appearance. He had beautifully, mysterious violet eyes that illuminated even in the dark. I paused unable to believe what was happening. I stuttered, "What do you want with me? Why are you always there, in my nightmares?" The shadow man said nothing, just staring into my soul with those unsettling violet eyes. He parted his lips but nothing, not even a breath came out, and with that I woke up. Class was already almost over and I quickly rushed out of the class room, down the hall, outside and straight towards my dorm. Where I saw Caitlin waiting for me with a worried look on her face. "Emi-" I cut her off and walked in the dorm and sat on my bed for a long while. Caitlin reappeared, "Emily can we please talk?" All I could think about was those violet eyes and deep and sickly rich laugh replaying in my head. "Emily?" I snapped back to reality. "Yeah, oh-um yeah sure we can talk. What's up?" She looked at me very confused. "Emily you haven't been yourself, what's going on with you? Please don't tell me it's the nightmares again." I paused, last time I told her about the nightmares she sent me to therapy. I couldn't handle that again. So I lied, "Nope, I'm  just tired, graduation has me all shaken up, and I'm worried that I might not get my degree." Wow, that sounded like the most pathetic lie I've ever told. She sighed, "Emily, you know you really are a bad liar," she ended with a half-hearted chuckle. After a long silence, she continued, this time more serious, "I just don't understand why you won't tell me-." I cut her off. "The last time I told you about this you sent me to therapy. Caitlin, look it's not a big deal, really it's not. Maybe once we get out of here and get to London everything will be okay." She started to sob into her hands. I looked at her very confused, she looked back up at me. "Emily, I think I better tell you something..." She drifted off. "Well I guess I should just confess." She paused after a train of thought, "Emily I've been having the nightmare as well." She started sobbing even more. I comforted her, but she wouldn't except it. "Caitlin look, there's nothing to be upset about, i'm not going to send you to therapy you know." She wouldn't stop crying. "Caitlin can you hear me, are you alright? I know it's hard trust me I know. Look don't feel bad about when you sent me to therapy. Really it didn't bother me, cause honestly I'd probably do the same. If it were the other way around." She started to stop crying finally. So I added "But hey we have a graduation to attend today so you best get your but in gear and get ready!" She giggled a little and hopped in the shower. I waited and waited and waited. I thought to myself, "what's taking her so long." I knocked on the door but there was no answer. I picked the lock and found caitlin dancing and singing in the shower, I rolled my eyes and said "hey can you hurry up a bit I have to shower as well you know." She giggled. "Yeah, yeah I know I'm almost done." 30 minutes later she's finally done. I hurried up and took my shower well tried to hurry my head started to pound again, I wanted to scream, it hurt so bad. I tried blocking it out as it hopped in the shower, but there was no use, it wasn't going away. I washed up then got out putting some make-up on, and quickly putting my graduation gown on.
~~~~~~~
We finally got to the gym as we all sat and waited for our names to be called. I heard Caitlin's name get called, but for some odd reason she never got up to the stage, actually she isn't even in her seat. I quickly shot up and ran to go find her. I searched everywhere, every place I could think of. She happened to be in the bathroom primping again. "Caitlin! Your name has been called 5 times! Why did you leave?" I yelled. She looked at me shocked, opps it wasn't Caitlin, but a girl I have never seen before. Yeah I know this school is big but I knew most of the seniors. "I'm so sorry I thought you were Caitlin." I apologized. "Yeah I can tell, you won't find your little friend in here." She snapped back. I said nothing, just walked out. 'Where the hell is Caitlin' I thought. A few people came out and found me and said "Caitlin's back in her seat, come on back." More people I have never seen before. Gosh maybe I don't know as many as I thought. So I followed them back to the gym. She was only a few names from calling mine. So I rushed back to my seat, then my name was called. I stood up and walked to the stage. But something caught my eye..it was a guy. He looked like he was a tall guy, curly mid-length hair, and-and violet eyes. I snapped back to reality realized I had stopped walking, and everyone was staring. I started to walking again, and something else caught my eye, Caitlin wasn't in her seat. Those boys had lied to me whoever they were. But I finally got up to the stage took my diploma, waved and walked off. Rushing to go find Caitlin again. Something really wasn't right here. She would never miss out on her graduation. But something made me stop. I looked closer those boys were there and they were surrounding a girl. "Oh my god Caitlin!" I screamed. Shit I just said that out loud. The boys turned and looked at me. But now they weren't looking at me anymore. I gulped as I turned around to see those beautifully, mysterious violet eyes, it couldn't be no it just wasn't possible. My worst nightmare, the shadow always hiding, the one i was always running from. He was real, every part of it was real, and now it had just gotten even more real than before. He was now towering over me, giving me a smile, a smile that looked to me like he had just won the prize. I couldn't let that happen, so I darted for it running to see the boys were no longer there but Caitlin was so I grabbed her, she stood up and we ran. But I felt a pair of large arms wrap around me, before I could register what was happening. I was being hit senseless before everything started going faint I heard Caitlin screaming then said something but everything started to fade, but before everything went black, the tall curly haired guy said to me "You run from me again and I'll kill you". Then it went black.