Overthrown #projectwomenup

Whispers

I sensed it

The life like soft damp grass under my feet and the cold wind on my cheeks. I knew I wasn't dreaming this time. I can still feel it as I stand here hot water running through my hair, down the curve of my back into the drain. I won't be able to shake the feeling off until I reach school. It usually passed as the school bell rang and the recurrent routine started, every day for the past month until the night came again.

But today I felt different, the icy forest floor made my feet numb as I walked for hours of seamless strolling passing the same trees over and over again. Something on the other side caught my eye that I couldn't grasp. I woke up with a jolt of panic that struck to my heart and traveled down my spine. The hot water worked as a good substitute for human touch but it couldn't ease my mind. I closed my eyes to face my fear and summon what woke me up but I only heard whispers through my ears.

The unavoidable rising sun broke my fear and brought cordiality back in my life. I dreaded school, not the classes, studying at school or even the homework. I dreaded the people, their faces, and phony emotions. It's all a waste of time and energy, pretending to care and like someone. I need all the energy that I could conserve, living with my old aunt meant me taking care of her and the house. As I grew younger she grew older, it was natural I didn't mind doing the work. It kept me busy and I like it, she had been there for me as long as I can remember unlike others at school. Except,

"Yori!" a distant call followed me around...
That is not even my name, Diana Jensen, the most hyper-enthusiastic student in my class. She trailed me everywhere, I dreaded her the most.

"Yori, why won't you stop?" She tracked my moves like a scared pup looking for its owner.

I usually just walk away and she seemed to get the hint from time to time but otherwise, she followed me to my classes, to my locker and at times even half way home. I have never expressed any fondness till date but she seems to think I am her friend.

"Yorushi, cm'on I am walking home with you wait up!"

Walking as close to me ask possible she said: "you seem more lost than usual today is everything okay?"

"I'm fine, I have to be home." I paced faster towards my home, but Diana kept up with me catching up to my speed. I had no interest in chatting with her decoding my dreams and gaining sympathy. This remained mine to worry about and figure out. I needed time and space, away from her.

Jensen had another annoying habit, she would hum skip and dance all the way back home. Her annoying nasal tone pierced through my ears and caused my head to explode but confronting her seemed more of a waste then waiting for it to die down.

A cold wind brushed my skin and hit me with a coarse energy passing through me. I spun with the powerful blow only to find my shoulder and arm dropped numb by the dead air's touch. The heavy dark feeling it left over retold me the tale from night before. Had I slipped into another dream? How had I gotten home?

The nasal hushed humming still audible in the background assured me of the truth. My mind can't conjure something so vile even in my dreams. I looked around unafraid this time under the bright light. But I found nothing, not a crooked broken lady walking away nor a child carrying his own severed head, not even a faded figure floating in midair. What caused it? All my question lingered unanswered.

Jensen had walked away, her voice too soft for me to hear and the sky too murky, darker than a midnight sky to let me see through. I hear a loud thud hitting the ground but couldn't find the source. It became impossible to see anything, the burning sensation seeded in my numb shoulder grew through my spine slowing taking over every inch of my bone and skin. I couldn't move, the pain had caused me to break like one would feel if their limbs were pulled apart from their body. There bred nothing around me other than the wretched timeless and endless torment, I had a feeling this is what hell must be like. The only thing missing had to be the devil attaching other souls.

A large wave of dark sand appeared right behind me reaching out to my view. It had to be her, a chakra too strong and too wide for anyone to miss. Was she here to rescue me? I could tell she came from my dreams. I never had the chance to look her in the eye before, will she finally show her face? For all, I know she had something else in her mind.

She grabbed my open spine and clutched on to it hard sending lighting sciatica through my body bringing it back to life. She pulled my floating body close to her squeezing hard on my anchored bone like an open wound strong but not enough to crush.

She whispered little too muffled for me to understand.

"What a pity. So alone, so vulnerable, it won't take long".

She guffawed with pride as she found pleasure in my anguish.

"So empty that you can find solace even in a place like this, so bare. You have nothing''

Still holding on she grabbed my face with her other hand as though making sure I won't break and fall. Her pure white long fingers had no effect on my skin, unlike her raw breath that felt like death.

"Yori, Are you okay? What happened??"

A familiar voice interrupted our brief encounter, unpleased she threw me away letting go of my body but cutting through my skin. The throbbing sting in my arm brought me relief, a reminder of being alive back on the ground. The dark chamber I floated in disappeared after her into the mystic armor of sand she wore over her pesky pretence human mien.

"Yorushi? Can you hear me?"

Jensen had pulled me into her arms holding my cold body. Her warm touch was something I had never felt before. I opened my eyes to the touch of Jensen's tears dripping on my face. She held me strong rocking my body in her embrace, crying over my death. I moved my arm attempting to move away from her but that's all the strength I had, and it didn't feel so bad lying there breathing the same air as she did.

The movement in my body took her by surprise, but the relief in her eyes meant something more.

"Yorushi!" she cried harder crushing me this time, "I thought..." She helped me up to her eye level and hugged me making sure I had a beating heart.

"What happened" I wanted to make sure of what she had seen, of where it was.

"You don't know?" She looked really concerned for someone I barely knew. "When I saw you, you were already on the ground hurt, and bleeding"

She pointed out to the excruciating pain I had endured but it wasn't enough to make me flinch.

"You were out cold" Jensen looked at me trying to understand the fresh color in my skin.

I walked home dragging myself slightly above the ground, my previous futile conversation with Jensen had robbed me of my remaining strength. I stood outside my house in anticipation of what's to come as Diana Jensen followed her customary ritual. She waited outside the wall desperately wanting me to go inside where I would be safe. But only I knew my chance at survival meant staying outside during the day, but it had changed today leavening me unguarded and defenseless. I sat there outside unwilling to go in but also felt reluctant to leave the comfort of home. Even if I did walk away where would I go?

"You can come home with me?"

"What?" I had figured she would see me walk inside and leave. I pretended to go through my bag shuffling for the keys for her benefit.

"Or I can stay with you, anything you like" The smile on her face brought peace to my heart. The dense weight of fear held on my shoulders lifted with her bright eyes and kind touch. "Tired and unable to move Jensen sat next to me comforting my aching body.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I care about you, I thought you knew." She rested her hand on mine waiting for me to move and walk inside.

I nodded catching her gaze.