Phantoms

Haunting. Stunning. Beautiful. That's what the girl is. Dark. Powerful. Irresistible. The young women with silky black hair flowing over her shoulders, with diseased, rotting skin. She isn't real. Or is She?

For the third time this weekend, I am playing one of my video games. It isn't my favorite or even close to it but all my favorites were appearing in my dreams, haunting me. So I'm playing a simple stealing game instead, called thief. I haven't told my parents because I don't want to worry them. it's the last day before school and I am sitting on the couch, legs curled underneath me. I hear the door open and my mom walks in, a couple grocery bags in one hand, her keys in the other. She stops to kiss me on the forehead. "hi sweetie, dinner will be ready any time soon." My stomach has been growling for hours and I am craving food, any food. Unpausing the game, I creep past the guard, into the window and to the doorway. I curse. The man saw me. He comes at me with his sword and defenseless, the only thing I can do is wait for my character to die. I lean back. maybe next time. I lean forward again, clutching the controller. "Sera," my father calls, "come help me finish this!" I growl, frustrated, "I'm going to finish this first," I respond. "Serenity Felice Ropa!" my mom snaps back, "go help your dad!" Sighing, I set the remote down and sulk off. I have to finish this level, but I'll have to do it later. Maybe tonight, when I won't sleep because of her. The girl with silky hair that haunts my dreams.

That night, I'm too tired to even try to play my game. School is tomorrow and if I'd heard correctly, some midterm exams. I get ready for bed fast, running upstairs and turning the lights on quickly to get rid of the panic welling up inside me. Only once I am in bed with the lights turned out does the situation set in. I am in a completely dark room with no lights and I am scared of the dark. "No silly, you're scared of what's in the dark," I think, forcing a smile. Trying to laugh off the fear that expands in my chest, almost completely stopping me from breathing. I breathe deeply and force myself to close my eyes. Like always, she is there. Sometime a month ago I had named her Noel, another useless attempt to get my mind to stop. Suddenly, something clamps onto my chest, all rational thoughts leave my mind and the screaming starts. She is here, she's behind me, she's holding my neck with her hands, she's dragging me, and then she disappears. My hands are desperately clasping the blanket that is over me, my head, and my curled-up body. The blanket that covers me is a shield and a comfort. Within the safety of my cocoon I slowly fall into a deep sleep. Haunted by dark figures and mysterious phantoms.

I wake up to someone shaking me, the muffled sounds of yelling reaching my ears through the thick blanket. A couple of morning thoughts run through my head as I untangle myself from the sheets to see my mom's curious gaze. "I thought I heard screaming last night, are you okay?" she asks, worry creasing her brow. Her voice is lilting and soft. Comforting. She is safe. Reaching up, I hug her, burying my face in her shoulder. "I'm fine," I manage to reply, my voice cracking. I try again. "I'm fine."

The car ride there is quiet, me avoiding my mom's concerned gaze. I stare out the window until we get to my school, then I jump out of the car quickly and say a brief goodbye. It's not like I have very many friends to look forward to seeing, or to obsess with about what happened during the three-day weekend. For the most part, the only thing I'm ever excited about is cross country. It's always been an escape, maybe I'll be able to outrun the figures someday, even though they've already caught me. I slam the car door, flinching at the sound and walk away toward the locker rooms. Perhaps the team can run without me today, I am running on my own. I reach the asphalt of the track and start jogging, anticipating the moment of bliss when all you feel is the dirt under your feet passing in a blur, the wind blowing against your face, through your hair. I get closer and closer to the edge of the limit of the track. Then I'm off, the ground flying beneath me, the rocks and grass pressing against my feet in a texture you can't match running on only concrete. I'm soaring through the air, feet on the ground, for a second that lasts a million years. Then it's all shattered as I hit a rock and go sprawling across the ground. I roll instinctively and close my eyes tightly. I feel myself hit a rock jutting out of the ground and blood rushes to my head. The second before I fall unconscious I feel the presence of her and the whisper of her voice by my ear. "You won't escape."