Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
A PALE, BLONDE HAIRED GIRL ENTERED THE SUBWAY. It was fairly empty, which made sense because it was 11:56 on a Tuesday night. She sat down and stared straight ahead, unwilling to make eye contact with the few people in the car.
The train shot forward, heading to the next stop. To anyone watching the inside of the car, the girl stood out. Unlike the others, who were on their phones, listening to music, reading, talking, or whatever else they may be doing, she sat stiffly with her hands folded in her lap and her gaze forward.
Two stops later, she rose from her seat and left the train.
It was 12:25 in the morning. The young girl held onto her bag tightly and walked down the street. However, she didn't seem worried about getting mugged or attacked. She ignored anyone who happened to be walking by.
She made her way up a some steps in front of a building and entered in. She went up the elevator, and to the third floor. Her footsteps were quiet as she approached room 327. She pulled out the key and unlocked the door. There were two lights on. The kitchen light, and a bedroom light. However, the girl knew everyone there was awake.
"You're back." A voice said. Her gaze snapped to the speaker. A brown haired boy who was a few years older than her stood, leaning against the doorway of his room. She nodded, making her way past him and to her room. He followed her, and stood in her doorway. She tossed her bag on the floor and sat on her bed. The boy walked across the room and sat down next to her.
"Yeah. Missed the train, had to take a later one." She explained, her tone even. She looked him in the eyes. "If something had happened to me, you know I could have protected myself." She spoke, countering his unspoken words. She knew her "brother" enough to know that he was overprotective of his family. But she wasn't blood related to the family. She hadn't even known them two years before.
"I know, I just...I have to worry. What if you had been hurt?" He asked, speaking more to himself than to her. She looked down at her hands. Light blue swirls marked her light skin. She traced one of the intricate lines that had been there as long as she could remember.
"You don't have to worry." She responded. He sighed and stood.
"I'm gonna go sleep now, I've got a big test tomorrow." He began walking towards the open door. "Mom and Katie are still awake, so if you want to talk to them you can." She pushed her hair behind her ears. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight." She replied. He looked at her once more, than left. She looked back down at her ice cold hands and thought about the people who called her family.
She didn't have good experiences with family. Her parents had abandoned her at a young age, and the man who rescued and began training her had sent her to live where she currently was. Therefore, she didn't believe that she was wanted or capable of being in a family.
"Hey." A soft voice at the door said. She looked up and saw her "sister". The dark haired girl came in and sat on the bed by her. "You made it home alive." She said, a smile on her face. The blonde offered a weak smile in response, although under the surface she was slightly annoyed that they didn't think she could make it on her own. She could freeze a person to death within seconds, and she had trained as a SHIELD agent for four years. Was that not enough for them?
"Yeah, I did." She finally said. She thought about expressing her annoyance at their overprotectiveness, but decided against it. She was tired, and had a terrible headache. All she wanted was to sleep. The dark haired girl didn't say anything for a moment. Willa felt as though she could fall asleep at any minute. "I'm going to sleep. Talk to you tomorrow." She said, leaning over to take off her shoes.
Her "sister" stood and began walking towards the door.
"I'll tell mom that you're alright." She told Willa. Willa managed to smile gratefully. When her sister left the room, she changed into her pajamas and wiped the makeup off of her face. She crawled into bed at 1 am, and the second her head hit the pillow, she fell asleep.
A couple with a young child walked down the street. They seemed so happy. The girl laughed and ran ahead a few feet. The couple smiled, holding hands.
Suddenly, a large, black creature appeared in front of them. The little girl began to cry. She turned to run back to her parents, but they disappeared.
The creature approached the girl menacingly. It got closer, and closer...
She woke up panting. Her breathing was ragged, and sweat beaded on her face.
She looked around the room, remembering that she wasn't being chased by the monster, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Willa had been plagued by nightmares for as long as she could remember. Everytime she was abandoned, they got worse.
She closed her eyes and repeated the same phrase over and over under her breath in hopes that it would become true. I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay.
Willa was not okay. She had known that for a long time. However, she couldn't do anything to be better.
Willa looked at the clock beside her bed. It was 3:16 in the morning. Willa knew she was going to be exhausted the next morning, but she usually was. The nightmares kept her up often, so she was almost always sleep deprived.
Because she couldn't fall back asleep, she walked over to the widow and opened it. She climbed out and stood on the fire escape, looking over the city. The bright lights provided little comfort, but it was better than nothing. She was grateful for the knowledge that there were other people out her window, awake and maybe struggling with the same feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness as her.
