Strength |✔️

four

Alisha

I am walking down the street. It is dark, and no one is out here. Huh, weird.

It is a bit chilly, so I shiver into my UVA sweatshirt. Why is no one around? And why am I on the street alone?

I keep walking down the street, step by step. I look right. Nothing there. I look left. Same as well. I keep walking.

The wind howls against me. The trees sway along, as if they're dancing to the wind. And here I am, walking on the middle of the road, alone.

Then, I step on something, making a squishy noise. Slowly looking down, I gasp and see that I've stepped on someone's body.

Whoever I stepped on, she looks like a woman. Her black hair and strung out, strand by strand, and her face looks so peaceful, yet filled with anger. Why does the woman look so familiar?

Then, I slowly start to look down. Her entire torso and chest is drenched in blood, right where I stepped on. I almost pass out. Then everything starts to come to me; I know who the woman is.

Then her eyes bulge open.

*********

I wake up screaming. Why am I shivering so much? I breathe frantically and run my hands through my hair. I touch my face and my body and it is completely drenched in sweat. I try not to think of the nightmare, but it just sticks to me.

My mom. Laying there. Helplessly.

My heads shaking. I feel so light headed and I hear someone saying my name over and over again, but I can't hear them. It sounds like I've been submerged underwater and everything is all drowned out.

Then, I see a glimpse of a girl with bright pink hair. "Alisha?! Oh my gosh, are you okay?"

I snap back to reality. Faith's eyes frantically search mine for some sanity. When she sees that my eyes are moving at a normal pace, she calms down. Kind of.

"What the hell?! Oh my god, oh my god, oh my GOD!" Faith is freaking out more than I am. "are you okay? Oh my gosh!"

I almost laugh. It's funny how much she cares about me. No one cares about me that much. "I'm fine, Faith," I say, groaning. I take a deep breath. Good thing I wore a tank top when I slept. "Just had a nightmare, not much."

"Not much?! She shrieks. Her eyes shot up in surprise. "Girl, whatchu mean by not much?!" She touches my forehead. "Damn, you're burning hot! Lemme get you an ice pack!" She looks at me even close. "Are you sure you're fine cause you don't seem f-"

"I'm fine, Faith," I say, calmly. "Calm down," I say, as if I'm talking to a five year old.

"Yeah, sorry," she says. "Just don't want my friend to die."

I laugh. "It was only a nightmare. I'm good, I promise."

Faith nervously chuckles. "Ok. What was it about though? I mean, if you don't mind talking about it?"

I shrug. "Nothing much. Just a regular nightmare, I guess."

"You kept saying mom over and over again. Was your nightmare about your mom or something?"

I was saying things? I didn't say anything too revealing about myself, did I?

"Yeah, it was. I just miss her, you know? Since I'm in college and everything."

Faith looks sad. "Yeah, I miss my mom too."

I give a sad smile.

Faith immediately says,"enough of that sad talk; lets go for a jog! You kinda need it."