The fallen star

This is not my story and I give full credit to the author Jessica Sorensen, it's like the best book ever :) enjoy!

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"In the midst of a dark forest, haunted by the winter's chill, I found myself running for my life. My feet thudded heavily against the snow as the thunderous roar of the yellow, glowing-eyed, black-cloaked monsters chased after me.

I shoved helplessly through the brittle pine trees, leafless branches clawing at my flesh. Snow flooded my sneakers, soaking higher and higher on my jeans with every step I took. My heart pounded furiously. My lungs grew tight, about to collapse from exhaustion. The air dipped colder. Fog swirled everywhere. They were close, so close I could feel their icy breath down my neck. That's what they do-they drop the temperature so drastically the air instantly bruises over with ice. And if they catch me, I am a goner. Their chilled breath would strangle me to a hypothermic death in a heartbeat.

I threw a frantic glance over my shoulder, struggling to keep my numb legs moving. Flickers of yellow flooded through the trees. A sheet of ice crackled over the ground, nipping at my heels. I tore my gaze away, forcing myself to run faster.

"Gemma, there's no use running." The man's voice rumbled through the. night. It was the same voice that always showed up right before the monsters captured me. "No matter what you do, you'll never escape."

"The sound of snapping twigs and crunching footsteps echoed nearer. My muscles seized up, leaving me no choice but to slow to a lethargic jog. A cool breeze swept my skin as ice-cold fingers wrapped around the back of my neck and yanked me backwards, my bones popping in protest.

I let out an uncontrollable whimper and opened my mouth to scream, but only a whisper escaped.

I flung my weight forward, squirming and kicking and fighting to break free with every ounce of strength I had in me. But it was useless. My arms and legs moved in slow motion. My blood rushed cold, my veins darkening, mapping my skin with bluish-purple lines.

"I told you there was no point." A tall, husky man appeared in front of me. The black-hooded monster's bony fingers dug deeper into my skin. "Like I said, you won't escape." He grinned, the kind of grin that would have sent chills down my spine if I hadn't already been freezing to death.

The golden moonlight spotlighted down from the night sky, highlighting a white scar scuffing his left cheek. His black hair matched his dark, hollow eyes. "Finish her off,"he commanded.

The black-cloaked monsters crept out from the trees, their yellow eyes gleaming hungrily toward me. I tried to scream again as ice whipped through my body. I heard a"deep laugh as I felt myself falling. Then everything went black.

"I woke up, gasping for air, my disoriented mind still thinking I was sprawled out on the forest ground, freezing to death from the monsters' deathly touch. That the tan walls forming my bedroom were just an illusion.

I bolted upright in my bed, my pulse racing as I untangled myself from my sheets. Beads of sweat trickled down my skin, sticking my t-shirt to my back. I rubbed my eyes and blinked a few times, seeing if my room stayed in place. Nothing budged and I relaxed. It had been a dream, just like it had been the night before, and the night before that.

I inhaled slowly, letting my racing heart settle, as I climbed out of bed, the carpet feeling cold against the soles of my bare feet. I wrapped a blanket around me and treaded softly over to the window. The soft pink glow of the sunlight spilled over the snowy mountains, kissing the tips of the pine trees. The very pine trees that I had just been running through, and where I would keep running through every night in my nightmares."