Golden Birds

Chapter sixteen

2 months later

I was told things will get easier as time goes on, but it's been two months and things aren't getting easier. I don't like going to school but thankfully I only have a week till summer holidays. My dad still struggles to leave the house and Vaughn, even he says he is fine, I can see in his eyes he is not. My hand still trembles any time some mentions her name.

~•~

I bit my lip and turned the page, the book had me on the edge of my seat. I loved books, it took me to this whole other world, away from the nightmares that we call life. I was wrapped, on my bed, in a blanket, flicking page after page until I reached the end of the book; my phone read 00:18. In a panic I leapt out of bed and turned my lights off, snuggling back in bed I closed my eyes.

~•~

When I opened my eyes there in front of me was my mum, we were chatting away about the drama at school. We are in a beautiful, grand house full of flowers and detailed paintings; the furniture was old but elegant and the smell was fragrant and fresh. Everything was almost really, too really.

We walked into the garden and sat on a lovely white, metal bench surrounded by flower beds, bees circled our heads then landed in a flower near us. Then more and more bees came, my mum bursted into flowers and bees swarmed around me. But they didn't sting me, they just surrounded me.

I broke free, gasping at the air around me. And as I sprinted away the flowers started to call my name out, asking for help. But I proceeded to carry on up the path. The path never ended and soon I had left the garden, I was crossing rivers and corn fields, farms and hills. I didn't grow tired, I was running and running and running, till the path came along a cliff side and began to become narrow; my foot slipped and a thousand hands seemed to pull me down. There was no water or land below me and no sky or space above me. Just me falling.

And falling.

And falling.

~•~

I reached my hand out to switched the alarm off, sliding my phone onto the floor. The room was quiet and airy, so much so that I fell back asleep.

~•~

Everything was pitch black.

"DAKOTA!"

"DAKOTA!"

"Dakota?"

"DAKOTA!"

The voice stopped. Then started again but now there was an image; it was my self standing outside of the woods. Shouting.

"DAKOTA!"

Then everything when black again. And in the background noise you could faintly hear someone sobbing. Crying out for help. Then just after the sixteenth call, everything stopped and there was two people; neither of them were me or Dakota.  They stood on top of the hill, hand in hand, laughing. When the one on the right was stabbed, and fell onto her knees, clenching the grass beneath her. She screamed but made no noise. The one left carried like she was still there, even his hand remained in the same position. More people came but they looked faded, and girl on the floor was stabbed again.

You could see her struggle to her feet. And then she was stabbed again and again but this time she did not try to stand back up, then all the people turned and laughed. Glaring straight through her; straight through the pain.

~•~

I sat up quickly, struggling to inhale and exhale. My phone read 7:43, I had slept 43 minutes over my alarm. I throw my clothes on and run down the stairs, grabbed some toast and flew out the door.