To Know Love

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

 Derek gazed at me with intense eyes, full of unrestrained power.

“And where exactly do you think you’re going?” He bellowed as his lips curled up into an evil grin. He was sitting down on a throne, surrounded by lavish jewels and wealth, and his crown slightly crooked as his misdemeaning laugh echoed through the dingy walls. 

“S-Stop it! Stop it right now, you son of a--” I screamed as I felt myself shrink smaller. I had shrunk down so small that the sole of his foot was as tall as my body.

“EXCUSE ME?” His voice shook the walls around me. “Exactly who do you think you are?” And with one threatening stomp of his foot, I fell. The floor opened up and I fell down in depths where no one else could see, my view pitch black. I tried screaming, but the sound of my voice was muffled from the rate of my speed.

Suddenly, the sensation of a cold, hard ground shattered my whole body. 

Dusting myself off, I lifted my legs up and inspected my mysterious surroundings. Darkness blurred my hazy vision. 

“Hello?” Nobody answered. The only response to me desperate plea was a faint glow in the distance, near to the resemblance of a light at the end of a tunnel. A spark of hope flooded my panicked heart, and I scurried for my life. 

The light seemed impossible to reach as I kept tripping and struggled to get up. It seemed like every time I would get up, I would fall back down. Practically dragging myself, my fingers barely grazed the edge of the room where the glow had first appeared. As soon as I had made contact, the dark tunnel behind me had completely vanished, obliterating itself right before my eyes. In place I was left in a brightly lit room, hearing someone humming in a corner.

“Mother?” I shielded my eyes from the blinding light.

“Oh...why, hello darling.” She was spinning around in a yellow dress in front of a gold mirror.

“What...where...w-who?” I suddenly had a lack of coherency for words.

Then my eyes nearly bulged out of my skull.

“Sky!” 

I rushed to the end of the room, where Sky was tied up and choking on an old rag. She looked at me with pleading eyes, her once rosy face now turning blue from the lack of oxygen.

“Mother! Help me!” I screamed as I attempted to untie the gag. It wouldn’t budge, no matter how much I pulled at it.

“What are you doing?” She snapped, her tone as if I had taken a cookie from a cookie jar. She kicked me off of Sky, her force sending me to the wall. She walked back to her mirror to continue admiring herself.

I choked in horror. “Mom, Sky! She’s...she’s...almost going to pass out!”

“Hmmm...what was that, dearie?” She inspected the side of her cheek closely in the mirror. “Oh, gracious me, look at the time.” She threw a white dress at my head and started clicking her way to the exit of the blinding room. “Hurry up dear, or you’ll be late!”

I felt beads of sweat form at the nape of my neck from my horrendous dream. No-scratch that. Nightmare. I shuddered and pulled my covers tighter, as if they would protect me.

Clip clop, clip clop, clip clop.

My hand slapped hard onto my pillow as the echoing noises interrupted my ability to sleep.