The Silver Lining

Chapter - 13

It felt like someone had suddenly turned on an internal heater inside her system, and her pale skin slowly turned from a ghastly white to a shade of ripe strawberry. The warmth had now fully bloomed, a sweltering heat wave bursting through her pores and triggering the waterfalls in her eyes.

Too bad the water had dried up.

“Ashley…”

She started hyperventilating and gasping for air - her heart had finally started thumping again. However, it was too erratic for her liking, making her to drop the microphone on the floor and totter away from the stage in cruel, judging silence. The egg white dripped from the top of her head, all the way till her chin and downward; yet, no one stood up to help her. In fact, their snickers still rung, harsh and cold, inside her head - like a warning bell.

"Ash..."

Ashley couldn't believe it had happened, and in front of everybody, too. She stood, soaking in the cruel laughter, her head beginning to spin. She used to rule this school, but now the tables had turned.

"Sweety?"

Quickening her pace, Ashley slowly started to run out of the hall in utter chagrin and onto the terrace, where her voice finally let out a guttural cry, and tears rained down her cheeks.

They won't ever leave me alone.

“Ashley… wake up!”

Ashley let out a loud scream but nothing came from her mouth. She heard loud footsteps behind her, and she turned her head towards the door. Her eyes widened when Ashley saw herself, who was pale and skinny like her, but weaker. A knife lied on the floor in front of Ashley, and the other was in her hand. Her replica laughed and jumped to kill her. Ashley quickly picked up the knife and stabbed her, right in her heart. But Ashley didn't realize that she was her, and killing her meant killing herself.

Someone’s laughter explodes throughout the terrace and a choked cry for help forces up her throat. “Help!”

She jolted up in the bed as her Aunt pulled her into an embrace, the remnants of the nightmares still clinging to her mind. Her limbs flexed in shock. Her cheeks were wet and her body was bathed in a cold sweat. Ashley gasped, realising she had a nightmare after such a long time and her aunt had witnessed it. Now she would force her to visit a doctor.

“Calm down, Ashley. I'm here,” her aunt whispered softly, caressing her back.

Ashley swallowed and broke the embrace to look at her Aunt, only to find tear-filled eyes. Her heart clenched and she let out a cry, burying her face in the pillow. “Leave me alone.”

“Ashley, you need to talk to me.” Aunt Jenna grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly.

“No. I am not going to see any stupid therapist. I've had enough.”

“I won't take you to a doctor. I promise. But please don't shut me out again,” Aunt mumbled quietly, not leaving her hand.

After a few minutes, Ashley felt her breath going back to normal, and she shifted to face her aunt. “I used to get these nightmares after the prom party…”

“Prom?” She interrupted, furrowing her eyebrows. “But you were in junior year then, how?”

“In our school, we used to have combined prom for juniors and seniors. I was homeschooled after the incident, but my sister and a few friends encouraged me to go to Prom,” Ashley sighed and took a deep breath, avoiding the anxiety crawling back into her stomach. “And that was when it happened. They…” Ashley choked out, “humiliated me, in front of everyone…” She cried loudly, pulling her knees into her chest. “I should never have gone there against my parent’s wishes.”