The Land in the Sky

3

A/N: I don't take credit for the photo. Enjoy!

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The dream happened every night.

The forest people, as I called them, always persuaded me to dance only for me to regret it in the end. Not once did the scenes change and each time, I woke with sweat drenching me and my heart thumping away.

I pulled the covers off of me, climbing out of bed. My feet trudged to the kitchen as I brushed the slight chill from my body.

"Ahh," I hissed from a stinging pain in my arms.

Deep cuts were scattered along both my forearms and biceps, when I inspected them. I racked my brain as to what could've caused the scratches to appear.

My cat wasn't one to scratch me. My house was one floor so I would've heard someone break in. The only other thing that would make sense would be. . .

No way.

My body grew cold, my face paled. This couldn't be happening.

The memory of their nails attacking my skin, caused the chill from the air to feel ten degrees colder. Surveying the rest of my body, there was no other evidence that the dream happened.

Breathing a sigh of relief I decided it couldn't be the case. It had to be my cat or something.
It just had to be.

Searching through the wooden cupboards I found some Trix cereal and a bowl. Being a librarian wasn't the greatest paying job which meant I had to go without some things. While I had a nice couch and tv I had no kitchen table.

I jumped onto the kitchen counter while I crunched away at my breakfast. My feet dangled, swaying to the beat of my chewing, while I tried not to think of the marks on my arms.

Once I was done feasting on my cereal, I threw the bowl and spoon in the sink and drying my hands from the paper towels above the sink. It wasn't until I turned around that my peripheral vision caught a glimpse of black.

Focusing my attention back on the white countertops a feeling of terror settled within my bones.

The slanted scrawl carved into the leather cover was something I wasn't expecting to appear in my house. Not when it was trashed. And not at my house, but at the library nonetheless.

My shock began to wear off so I tried to rationalize this the best I could. Though there wasn't a good explanation I decided to move towards it and pick it up.

Inside it was the same. All blank pages, just complete nothing. A puzzled look took over my face, still questioning how a book could have a title but no words on the inside.

I threw it back on the counter, deciding to leave it there and deal with it later. Right now, I had to go get ready for my shift at the library.

The shock from this morning had gotten me all frazzled and caused me to be later to work. I was never late to work which had me in a panic the whole way there.

Fran greeted me the minute I walked through the door, "You're late? Has the world come to an end?"

"I don't want to talk about it," I grunted, not in the mood.