Robbin

9. Bird-Like

Terra had her first bad dream since carrying her necklace in her satchel two weeks later.

A figure materialized itself in front of Terra, shirtless, skeletal knees bent abruptly beneath denim pants as though it had once been human but wasn't anymore.

Its arms were fixed back, thin and unnaturally long as a bird's wings. The shoulders were delicately muscled, as was the strange creature's chest.

Its skin was pale—almost completely porcelain except for the metallic black discoloration which seemed to have leaked onto the middle of its muscled stomach and tops of its shoulders like ink.

Its head was bald, but it had alabaster lips. Its eyes were red, but void of eyelashes or tear ducts. It had no hair, and it had no wrinkles. Terra was reminded fleetingly of a demon. But that had been a dream, so this must be too...

It reached forward with long, talon like fingers.

Terra woke suddenly in the middle of her Algebra II class. She surreptitiously checked her satchel for the necklace, and when she found it still there, closed it again quickly, afraid someone else might have seen.

She was afraid she may becoming paranoid as she gazed up at the building of her school hours later. The sight of it did nothing to dissuade her fear. It was more factory-like in appearance than most schools. There were slit-like windows. The brick was orange and plain. The only discrepancy in the blandness, in fact, was the single banner which hung above the double front doors reading "Stonebrook High."

Terra felt unease nag at her insides as she rounded the corner and saw the football field stretch out before her. Cutting through the field provided the fastest route home, but memories also accompanied Terra along the pathway through the field. Almost two weeks it had been. Terra held her satchel to her chest wearily. If she didn't touch it, it couldn't make her go back, surely. Alfter all, she didn't want to go back... did she?

The spray painted seagull in the middle of the astroturf seemed to be staring at her. The two humongous goalposts and stadium seats loomed in on her from either side.

The field seemed to stretch forever before it finally gave way to the street beyond. She continued on until reaching the large parking lot across the street where several department stores were located. A few other shoppers were out strolling the block as well, and she grew steadily more impatient to get back to her new, overly large house, which was strange for her.

As Terra was passing the supermarket (beyond which the sidewalk turned and blended into a dirt lot through which Terra always crossed), she noticed one man in particular who sparked her unease. He had handsome features: a subtle jawline, sharp nose and unblemished skin as absent of defects as a baby's. Maybe that was what caught her attention... That, and the fact that he was staring at her.

Terra turned her head halfway, trying to break the contact, but he still studied her as though she were someone famous or someone else he thought he might recognize. She felt unexplainable anxiety well through her as he neared and sidestepped a little bit to carve a path around him, but he sidestepped with her. He had no wrinkles on his skin, she suddenly realized. It was an odd thing to notice. She tried to wash the dream from her mind. It wasn't real.

She apologized, sidestepping again. That was when he grabbed her satchel.

Terra jumped, startled. "Let go!" she murmured. She tugged halfheartedly at first, but when the stranger held on, she yanked more forcefully. "Get away from me!"

This time the small purse bobbed out of his hands. Terra was sure she was going insane as she trotted uncertainly away. Surely he wouldn't follow. As she glanced down the walk, she realized the parking lot had emptied.

She looked forward to the dirt lot where she normally crossed. It was two stores down from the supermarket. She heard footsteps behind her, turning in disbelief to see the stranger pursuing her at a fast paced walk.

Terra panicked, turning down the nearest alley between the supermarket and the surfing store.

Stupid, she immediately thought, but it was too late. The man was coming toward her, blocking the exit.

Surely it wasn't what he was after... But it was. He wouldn't get it, some part of her brain suddenly resolved. Terra hugged her satchel, where her necklace resided, protectively.

He was standing in the crevice of the opening between buildings when it happened. One minute she saw the silhouette of a black human figure encased by shadows, and then, suddenly, he grew about two feet taller, inches thinner, arms even longer, disproportionately long, fixed back. The black outline of hair shrunk to reveal a bare scalp.

Terra accepted this, as she had accepted everything else, as though the previous week's events had somehow numbed her. Surely this was his true form: the creature from her dream.

The creature kind of smiled. Its arms, face, and calves were alabaster now. Its shirt pulled up to barely cover its torso. Its jeans had grown with its height and now only came to about mid calf, riding up like floods.

Its eyes were red.

Its skin was flawless.

Terra felt strangely calm, backed up against the wall as she was. She just knew she had to grab the necklace.

That's when she noticed the small fire in her satchel. The small chain and ring, lying clumsily between the folds of fabric, glowed as if calling to her. Perfect, she thought, ready to grab it.

But the creature disappeared then, and she came back to herself suddenly, closing her satchel back up, horrified at what she was about to do. She couldn't go back.

Terra took a tentative step forward, and flitted her eyes back and forth to observe the entire alley. It was empty as if the creature had never appeared at all. She must be insane. She felt the temptation to grab her necklace again, but it had gone silver. And if she wasn't, could her Gran's necklace give her the answers she longed for? About Carynthia? About the creature who was surely still following her? About Robbin?

She pushed the thought from her mind as quickly as her backpack clunked from her grip at the doorway and hugged her satchel all the way up the stairs to her room, closing the door behind her.

Terra locked herself in her room for a while, undisturbed, she alone thinking of a world entirely different from Earth.

a/n: Poor, Terra, I don't think she can stop from meeting another Carynthian for more than, like, three chapters.

And those dreams, what's up with those?

Let me know what you think by Reading, Voting, or Commenting. Mostly reading;)

Chay