The Family

Roses

Ever since Carolina was younger, she always had really bad nightmares, In those nightmares, she would always see a family. The family had scars, and blood all over their ripped clothes. Carolina always woke up screaming every night, and her parents began to worry about her. Her parents tried moving her to a different room, her mom would even sleep with her, but nothing seemed to help. Carolina was so tired of that, that some nights she would try not to fall asleep. In her sleep, she saw a man, with a black jacket with holes, and a white shirt that was filled with holes and blood. She also saw a woman, a mother. She had a blue blouse with white buttons, most of the buttons were gone. Then the two kids, they were almost the same height, although one was a girl and one a boy. Carolina had those faces permanently marked in her memory, like a tattoo.

One morning Carolina had woken up really early because of the nightmare she always had. She got ready for school, and then went downstairs to eat some breakfast. When she was done she headed out the door. She always walked to school, but that day she was way too early. Since it was way too early, she decided to stop and sit down on a bench near the playground. She saw women jogging, dogs being walked, and kids. There were little kids playing in the playground. Just as she was about to get up and continue walking, she turned and looked to the swings, and there she saw two kids, a boy and a girl, the same ones that appeared in her dreams. She ran to school, and tears ran down her face as well. As soon as she got to school, she called her mom and told her what had just happened. Now she not only saw them in her dreams, now she also saw them in her life. When her mom finally came to pick her up, she was so relieved, " Mom, I can't anymore!" Carolina said crying. " Why does this happen to me, why?"

"I don't know, I wish I could help." Her mother replied. "I just don't know what to do anymore."

When they got home, Carolina's mom tried her best to cheer Carolina up. Carolina, on the other hand, just wanted to be left alone.

The next day, as usual, she woke up crying. Those nightmares just never left. She lay on her bed until she began to feel hungry. That morning while she was getting ready her dad told her that they would have a road trip. Carolina's dad did this so that she could stop overthinking. And also as a way to keep her mind occupied. They left Barcelona and headed to a different city, a city filled with markets and people. Time went flying there.

"I think we should head back." Her dad said. "We bought too much, and it's getting dark."

"Okay, can you help me with these bags?" Carolina said while picking up all the bags.

It was already nine o'clock when they began to head back to Barcelona. The streets were very dark. Carolina had her head rested on the car window and she watched the cars pass by. Then while almost closing her eyes to fall asleep, she saw that family standing on the edge of the road. Their faces dripping with blood. Carolina screamed. Her parents didn't even have to ask her what was wrong because they already knew. Her dad parked near a Gas Station and her mother went and sat near her all the way home. Carolina was now even afraid to close her eyes, she was afraid to be alone, she was afraid to leave anywhere. The nightmare never left, every night she continued to wake up crying. " I wish I could help you, I just want you to know that I love you." These were the words that her mother said to her every night.

One day she finally decided that she wanted to go back to school. She was having a great day at school until she decided to go to the bathroom. It was her last period and she had asked to leave the class to go to the bathroom. While she was standing in front of the mirror, Carolina fixed her braids, then she saw another student come out of one of the bathrooms. Carolina paid no attention to the other upperclassmen girl waiting to wash her hands, but when she looked up to the mirror, she saw reflected the girl in her dreams right behind her. Her eyes were staring deeply at her. Carolina fainted and she fell on the floor, and just then her teacher came in looking for her. Her teacher took her to the counselor's office for her to wait for her mom. While she was waiting, she talked about her story to her counselor and teacher. Then her teacher Mrs. Martha mentioned something that caught Carolina's attention, " When I was younger my grandmother told me a story about how that exact thing happened to my aunt Rosa. My grandmother also said that in order to stop those nightmares from happening my aunt had to leave some white roses near any road, this is because that family had died in a car accident."

Once Carolina's mom arrived, Carolina told her all that she had heard from her teacher. Carolina went straight to her computer and began to research about car accidents in Barcelona. She found an image of that family and found out how, when and where they died. Carolina could not believe that something that happened 15 years ago was hunting her. She told her parents to take her to a flower shop. There she bought some white roses. Her dad then drove her to the street where she had seen that family. She placed the roses, said a prayer, and left. After that, she never saw them again.