The Girl With Golden Eyes

Waves Of Panic

       
         The days were dark and nights even darker. Ever since the dreadful night six years ago, Iris had lost her soft, joyful glow in her smile. Her golden eyes remained unwillingly open all night as she dreaded the darkness and refused to give into it. Iris felt isolated, as if no one could ever truly understand what she went through, not even her father.

"Iris, sweetie! Are you ready for school?" He said, knocking on her door. Ah school, another painful part of her life.

"Yeah" she sighed out of grief. The other kids at Johnson High School mocked poor Iris because of her past suffering. Being the presidents daughter wasn't helping either. President Kain was one of the most hated men in America for his poor leadership.

Iris grabbed her packed backpack and slung it around her back, but only one strap rested on her shoulder, making the back sink to only her left side. Her feet pummeled down the oak wood stairs. She hopped over the last two steps like she always did and turned the corner to find her father eating an apple.

"Bye Dad! Love you!" She exclaimed, running up to give him a kiss.

"Love you too! Have a great day!" She smiled a fake smile and dashed to the door. She took a deep breath and then pushed open the heavy door. She started walking to school when she turned thirteen. It wasn't too far away so she didn't mind walking.

She looked at the world much differently than most people. She looked up at the sky, swayed to the trees, and talked to animals. Iris looked at the world for its beauty, not for its mistakes, because in her eyes there weren't any mistakes in God's creation. She wasn't interested in any of the new technology and she had no need for social media, which was one of the main reasons most of the other girls brutally teased her.

        Iris was nearing the school and her pace starting to slow down. Her stomach twisted with fear and her color drained from her already pale face. A spark glistened around her golden eyes and suddenly all the leaves wilted off the trees and the branches curled at the tips. Iris believed the Shadow was near and she sprinted inside the building as if her life depended on it, which technically it could have.

       When she felt that she was safe inside, she stopped running and panted heavily.

       "Running from the mirror again Iris?" It was Cat. Great just great. Iris rolled her eyes and tried to ignore her, but she knew she couldn't escape the wrath of Cat. So the tall girl reached over and grabbed Iris's sweater.

     "I don't think this sweater matches your outfit. Oh my gosh are you colorblind! Can your ugly eyes only see yellow?" It was true, Iris's sweater didn't match. The only reason she wore the old thing was because it had been her late mother's. It gave Iris some sense of security, as if a part of her mother was still with her.

    "Can your ugly face only see ugly!" Iris shouted out of anger. It was a weak insult but Iris never wanted to be mean. She thought rudeness only made situations worse, but Cat had hit a sensitive subject. There was a certain part of Iris that made her extremely defensive when anyone mentioned her golden eyes. It might have been because of the painful events of her past, or it could have been the fear of the shadow still living inside her, or it could have been both. Whatever it was, it made Iris more human. Everyone has the right to be angry, it all depends on how you deal with it.

     "Maybe that's why I can see you!" Cat shot back. Iris was obviously going to lose this battle, and now everyone was watching so she walked away in defeat. As she walked away, Cat continued to obnoxiously chuckle with the majority of the student body. Tears streamed down her face, and Iris tried to hold back her sniffles but what are you supposed to do when the whole school laughs at you. The lights started to flicker and the main doors burst open. Waves consumed the halls and panic filled the bodies. A large bubble formed around Iris but the blue didn't hesitate to absorb the rest. Everyone trampled over the waves and fell under the deep grey liquid. The students started to drown, chocking on the choppy indoor ocean. Friends tried to hold each other up but there wasn't enough time. Every breath they tried to fill their lungs with air water came in instead.