Umbra

Chapter One

The day was crisp and chilled, as dictated on the weather channel the previous night. Gracelynn could feel her legs rattle together as gasps of air drew into her bedroom through the cracks of her window.

Outside, she could hear the obnoxious chatter coming from the honking and revving vehicles, which, each morning, was her own personal alarm clock. The time this allowed her in the morning had become unwanted. She wasn't one for philosophy, or she was at least not as fond of it as she once was. The thoughts that slipped into the crevices of her mind recently involved blood, black, white and her father. Everything she didn't want.

She had grown a hatred towards herself since what happened with her father. A cut down her arm released the guilt she felt towards the situation. She pinched at the little flesh left on her stomach, repulsing her and forcing the fact she ate last night, into her mind. A scowl drew itself across her narrow plump lips and anger bled into her dewy green eyes.

Flipping the magenta bed sheets off of herself she took her emaciated legs and dragged them out. She hauled herself up catching a glimpse of her body in the floor length mirror. To herself, she looked horrendous. Not only did she think herself as fat, but she hated the mind and soul of the stranger before her. She knew the ritual to perform and headed straight to the bathroom determined to remove the poison lingering inside her.

"Here we go" She whispered, toothbrush in hand, glaring into the toilet bowl. She managed to get enough up to appease the monster, draining her mind.

However there was another demon, one that demanded the razor blade in the cupboard. As if she had no control over her actions, she took it out and, in a swift movement, drew blood of her right arm. She found it particularly sore, the blade was getting too blunt, she thought, and a hard breath drew in through her teeth. She tossed her head back and her jagged neck creaked in the speedy movement.

Pain is good. Pain is good. She kept to herself, as she blanked out to a dreamed up oblivion.

"Gracie, sweetie, is that you?" A voice croaked from the opposite room. Diana stepped out of her luxurious bed linen and swept round a bed robe to heat up her shivering body. Her eyes were partially closed as they adjusted to the fresh light surrounding her. The floorboards trembled as footsteps were placed upon them. "Gracie, are you up?" Her tone becoming more alert and concerned. "Please answer." She said before taking a gulp, hoping for the best as she stood before the bathroom door.

It wasn't that Diana wasn't worried about her daughter's recent actions, but it was her nature to be naive and pretend things were not happening. Will was the first point of concern. Six years Gracelynn's senior, he was her boyfriend. He's just a friend of hers, Diana innocently believed. Though that wouldn't be much of an improvement with the rumoured activities Will got up to.

This was one event Diana could not camouflage to her head. A lake of blood encased a Snow-White-like child, hair dark, lips red from ruby blood, skin ivory from the fainting.

Diana's reaction confused herself. Her teeth gnawed at her lip and her hands up at her forehead in sheer shock. A million and one things rocketed through her.

Gracelynn, who was lying in the fetal position, was then lifted up into a caress normally adopted by a baby. She couldn't have weighed much more than ninety pounds. Diana placed her upon the vibrant pink bed sheets as she wrapped the bandage material around the torn flesh.

"Ring a ring a roses, a pocket full of posies. A tissue, a tissue, we all fall down." She hushed, the words coming up as if she were vomiting knives, while looping round the material. Her child was fading in front of her. Ring a ring a roses had been Gracelynn's favourite song as a child; she just wanted that simple innocence to return to her.