Deception #YourStoryIndia

Dead. Gone.

Running.

Blur of movement. Black storm.

Fear.

"Save yourself.."

I woke up with a gasp. That cursed dream again. Only difference... just before the little girl was shattered to pieces, everything slowed down, as if time was being controlled, and she looked at me as if she knew I was watching and whispered, "Save yourself."

What was happening to me?

I got up and looked at my bedside clock. It was only 4. Damn these nightmares. I now had 4 more hours to go before getting ready for school, and even if I wanted to sleep I couldn't. So I did the only thing that came to my mind--- I went out for a jog. I put on my trackpants and a tank top before tying my messy hair into a high ponytail. Then I went down and wrote a note for mom in case she wakes up and finds me gone. I attached the note onto the fridge and grabbed the house keys before quietly slipping out of my house.

The crisp cold morning air was enough to clear my head of all the ominous dreams that I have been having. I let out a huff of warm breath and stretched my stiff arms and legs before running into a jog. Since it was only four in the morning, there were not many people out in the streets. The solitude helped me concentrate on these nightmares. Now that I was seeing these dreams for a month or so, I realised that I knew that girl from somewhere. I had this unreal sense of familiarity every time I looked at those blue irises of hers-- even in my dreams. But that's not possible. Or is it? Is it just a dream or is it a memory struggling to resurface?

Before my train of thoughts could travel any further, I felt a strong yet unfamiliar hand on my shoulder.

"Luke?"

"What are you doing here?" the blue eyed boy asked in a harsh out -of -breath voice.

"I- I had a nightmare and then I couldn't fall asleep again, so I thought I'd come out for a walk. What are you doing here?"

He didn't answer at once. He looked at me with narrowed eyes as if he didn't completely believe me. His shocking blue eyes bore into mine as if he could stare right into them and into my soul. Then he said," Same here. You wanna walk together?"

I shrugged. "Why not?"

We both turned the way I was walking towards originally and started jogging. I then realised how tall he really was and because of his long legs, he had to take shorter strides so that I could keep up with him.

"So, uh.. how was school?" I asked, in an attempt to make small talk.

" Kinda how new students are treated... jocks sizing you up, nerds approaching you and asking the last book you read and the cheerleaders winking at you and asking for your number. Nothing special." he replied, smirking at the last part.

"Oh. Cool." I don't know why but on hearing his fling with the cheerleaders, I felt some unknown feeling in my gut that I couldn't quite place a finger on. Oh no. Was it jealousy?

Luke suddenly stopped and looked at me. Confused, even I stopped and asked," What's wrong?"

"Do you believe in magic?"

"WHAT?" I almost laughed. "Magic? Uh, well, when I was eleven, I DID wait for my Hogwarts letter, and on visiting King's Cross Station, I DID break my nose after barging into the pillar, but apart from that, I don't think so." By this time, my expression was becoming incredulous. Magic? Who does he think I am? Some five year old?

Well, what I expected him to do was to shrug it off or to show me some lame magic trick or something. What he did seriously pissed me off. He smiled. Not one of those cute boyish smiles, but a full on smirk, as if he's saying "Let's see how long you can say this for"

"Well, then karma? Inner strength? Or maybe that every person is made up of five elements but one person can control only one specific element?" he asked, still standing at the side of the street. By this time, the thin early morning fog had cleared out and the atmosphere was getting warmer with the rising of the sun. But I felt an ominous chill flow down my spine at the tone in which Luke addressed the question to me. It was almost as if he could actualkly look into my soul and know something about me that even I have no idea about.

"Uh...I- I'm not sure. I mean, I haven't really thought about it..."

He just looked at me and gestured for us to move forward. We resumed walking and we were nearing my house.

"So, I think I should go back, you know... mum might be worried. So I guess I'll...."

I couldn't finish my sentence because by then I had reached my house and I realised what was different. It was on fire.

"No..." I began before running to the front porch. A fire engine was parked outside the house and a couple of firemen were extinguishing the remaining fire. From what I could see through the thick smoke, the house was blackened to a char. Nothing remained of the beautiful cream and rose paint of my house. The front garden was in an even worse condition, with the rhododendrons wiped off from the fase of the planet and the bougainvilleas charred and black. A few of our neighbours were standing right beside the fire truck. Without thinking, I ran upto them.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Stanton...uh, do you know where my mother is? And my father? Is Sammy alright? How did this happen? Who caused it? Who--"

"Whoa, whoa. Easy there. We were just sleeping in our rooms when I heard the loud crackle of the fire eating up the place. I quickly got up and called 911. But by the time they came, uh--"

"What, what happened!?" I demanded, my voice rising along with my anxiety.

"I'm afraid your family couldn't make it. They were burnt to death inside the house. I'm sorry, Avery."

"No--NO! That's not possible! I- I just left them early in the morning to jog. They can't just DIE! " I was hysteric by this time. "It should've been me! I- I" I broke down and was about to fall down on my knees when I felt strong warm arms wrap around my waist and pull me to his hard torso, whispering comforting words into my ears. But I wasn't listening to Luke. I was just thinking of how I would never meet my family again--- of how they would never be there to comfort me, to rejoice with me, to love me. How they were all dead, how they were all gone.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N-- SORRY GUYS FOR UPDATING SO LATE! SCHOOL IS K-I-L-L-I-N-G ME!

Y'ALL KNOW WHAT TO DO.... COMMENT. VOTE. SHARE.

------------------------>
PICTURE OF LUKE <3

~ Tahira