Red Greed

Chapter One | Beginning

London Inukai

I sat on a grey couch in a chilly room. I realized I was in my own home. I stood up and walked around. The house was cleaner, fresher, and colder. Just then, I heard a knock on the door. I froze and didn't go and answer it.

"Alexandra?" I shouted. The house echoed my voice. I heard the knock again. My cold feet walked to the door. The grand rich door stood taller than it was. I heard the repeated knock again. I turned the golden knob. I gasped.

It revealed a snarling, bloodthirsty beast. It had large, sharp teeth, wolf ears, bloody claws, and the rest was human but twice bigger. Its eyes stared at me with its purple hue. I jumped when I saw the beast's face. It was my own face distorted into a face of pain and suffering.

It then transformed into my mother's face. "I wish you have never been born." Was what it said.

It snarled and ran towards me. I opened my mouth to scream.

I woke up gasping for breath and sweat drenched all over me. I ran my fingers through my black hair and threw off my covers. The cold air hit my warm, sweaty skin. I moved my feet to the edge of my bed where my slippers were. I sat there in silence where you could only hear my breathing as it went from fast-paced, to slow and controlled. When my heart thumped at its normal beat, I closed my eyes and opened them to the clock I had beside my bed. Just 30 minutes until I have to leave for school.

Just 5 minutes, I thought. I flopped back on my bed for awhile and I listened to the clock's sound. It was a soothing to hear rather than my echoing screams from my dream.

Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock...

I saw that I only had 25 minutes left. I groaned as I clung to the last few seconds of my time and finally got up. I took a cold 5 minute rinse in the shower while brushing my teeth and washed my face. Drying it, moisturizing my whole body, blowing my hair and that was it. I threw on a slightly oversized T-shirt and jean shorts with some striped socks and sneakers. This all took about 15 minutes and I went downstairs for breakfast, by myself.

My mother was at the door already getting to leave when I glanced at the living room on my way to the kitchen. She had her usual attire, a gray suit, low bun, her blue framed glasses that she treated like a worldly treasure. I silently slipped into the kitchen and threw my backpack on one of the dining chairs and grabbed some cereal out of the pantry. Eating alone was normal for me, but sometimes I saw people eating out with their families and my friends invited me to go eat dinner at their happy house before. Though I don't acknowledge this feeling much, I envied the people who got to eat with someone. They had someone to talk to and trust them. I overflowed my bowl and milk poured on the table then running to the floor. I sighed and grabbed a dry rag from the sink and began to wipe.

Just then, a mosquito flew by my ear. My reflexes responded before my mind did. Both my hands clapped the mosquito instantly killing it. I felt the sticky gooeness between my hands. I opened it and saw blood the size of a nickel on both of my hands. It had this much blood yet it was tinier than most mosquitoes. I wiped it on the rag and continued.

When I was finally done cleaning up, I ate my soggy cereal and drank two glasses of water. I grabbed my backpack and put my shoes on and walked out the door locking it. I froze in my tracks, I forgot my keys. I thought to myself. I grunted in frustration. Well, can't get back into the house again. I sighed and walked over to my bus stop that was about 2-3 blocks away. I already saw a group of five people milling around the stop sign on their phones. I checked the time, only 5 more minutes. I slowed down my pace and logged into SnapChat where I texted my friend (Gabriel).