STARGIRL

33. New Years Eve

    Arabella woke up to her cell phone ringing right in her ear. She sat up on the twin-sized bed and realized she wasn't in a familiar setting.

She cocked her head to have a look around but quickly flinched and threw it back when she felt the sudden sharp pain. She slowly moved her hand to touch the back of her head but then winced when she touched the sore lump that had formed.

The phone had stopped ringing but, the hammering in her head continued. It was loud and invasive and unwilling to stop.

Arabella gritted her teeth then looked around the bedroom and examined it. The bedroom walls were an eggshell white and, the carpet was a fuzzy mud brown with some stains on it. Arabella pulled back the blanket and climbed out of bed slowly. Her socks rubbed against the carpet, and she couldn't help but notice all the sports balls piled up in the corner of the room. The walls in the room had posters of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders and, both of the nightstands beside her were piled up with books.

Arabella began to scour around the room in search of her duffel bag. Arabella was still in the same clothes from the night before and, her dark hair was a tangled mess that fell before her small frame.

She suddenly remembered everything that had happened the night before. She leaned up against the closet door and slid down onto the floor in a rather slow and dramatic manner.

"Help." She whispered in a hoarse voice in hopes that someone heard her. Regardless, Arabella wasn't worried anymore.

-
    Maddox woke up that morning to noises of heavy rain pelting his home and the Hemlock branches scratching against the windows in his bedroom.

He opened his eyes and blinked once very slowly while he stared up at the skylight.

The clouds were gray and, the rain was smashing against the skylight while the rain outside was slowly transforming itself into sleet.

An inexplicable sadness had crept over him, it seeped itself into his brain and dug deep into its core.

He covered his eyes with his arms by crossing them both over his forehead.

Maddox Reign woke up that morning with an empty feeling inside of him.

He hated that feeling more than anything because when he had it, everything felt so bleak and meaningless.

Maddox felt bleak and meaningless.

Described as a heavy feeling of impending doom that loomed over him like a shadow it followed him wherever he went. The feeling only went away when he would find shelter from its darkness in his mind.

It had been months since he last felt this way.

Meaningless.

Maddox lowered his arms back to his sides and beneath the blanket before he turned onto his right side.

He looked out the large window beside his bed and looked at the old bird nest that was being destroyed by the heavy wind.

He closed his eyes in hopes that he would fall asleep again and not have to be awake.

This was one of the few ways Maddox knew something was wrong with him.

He was attractive, intelligent, athletic, and rich. He lived in a beautiful house, drove an Audi R8, and had two loving parents.

Maddox wasn't worried about going hungry or suffering from a disease, lying awake at night in fear of aerial drone strikes or any other real-world problems that plagued people.