Rift

Chapter 1

The sky was dark, almost black, and completely devoid of stars. I was running, harder and faster than I thought I could, holding my skirts up above my ankles so I wouldn't trip. The laces on my boots had already come undone, and my sleeves were ripped from when I had fallen after he had grabbed me. If Mother could see the state of my dress, she'd have a fit, but that didn't matter right now; what mattered was staying alive and being able to return home.

I had not seen my attacker's face directly, but I knew who it was, although his name wouldn't come to me. A once familiar face twisted by hatred and anger, chasing me through the darkness and into the wilderness that surrounded our town. I could hear the coyotes howling in the distance, hear the music of crickets and birds that had not yet gone south for the winter; it made running that much easier.

"It's only a matter of time before I reach you, my dear, there is no point in resisting," I heard his booming voice coming from behind me; it just spurred me forward, allowing me to take on new speed that I didn't think I was capable of. I guess most people would be capable of the impossible when in a state of utter fear.

His laughter filled the air around me, and soon it felt as if I were cornered, though there was no-one in sight. My boot caught on a stone beneath my feet, and as I fell to the ground, the laughter became all the louder and clearer. The night sky soon held the eerie light of his eyes, and I began to scream.

"Sawyer honey, wake up, you're having a bad dream again," Mom said. My eyes shot open and I sat up ramrod straight; it was only then that I realized I must've been screaming in my sleep again.

"I'm sorry, Mom..." I said, dabbing at my forehead and forcing my sweat-covered blankets off the bed.

"Was it the nightmare again?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Should I be booking you an appointment with Dr. McKinnon?"

"No Mom, I don't need to see Dr. McKinnon. It'll be fine, ok? Don't worry about me so much."

"I'm your mom, Sawyer, it's my job."

"I know."

"Do you want me to make you some tea or something to help you sleep?"

"No Mom, it's ok, just go back to bed. I'm sorry I woke you up again. Can you tell Dad I'm sorry?"

"He doesn't mind, honey. He's as worried as I am."

"Goodnight, Mom." She turned out the light as she left my room, and I lay back down, though I didn't sleep again for the rest of the night.

A few hours passed before it was time to get ready for school; I pulled on a pair of dark blue jeans and a grey t-shirt with some sort of pretentious hipster thing on it that Artie had given me for a birthday I no longer remembered before pulling my long red hair back into a messy ponytail, pulling on my converse high-tops and heading downstairs. Mom and Dad were both sitting at the table in the breakfast nook, coffee and newspaper pages in hand and picking at their bacon and eggs.

"Morning," I said, grabbing a cup from the cabinet and sitting down at the table.

"You ever get back to sleep last night?" Dad said, not looking up from the paper.

"Nope," I said.

"Do you need to stay home from school today?" Mom asked.

"It's fine Mom, really. I gotta meet up with Luca anyways," I downed my coffee and got up from the table.

"I don't think he'd mind if you missed one coffee date," Mom said.

"Bye Mom," I said, grabbing a piece of toast and my backpack before heading out the door.