Revealed.

Chapter Thirty-Three: Free Falling

~~~

I'm hanging from the edge of s a cliff. My fingers are cramping, pebbles digging into my fingers. They've been rubbed raw, blood staining the rock that is the cliff. I look down and my stomach drops. I'm hanging at least fifty feet in the air. Cold beads of sweat roll down my spine. Every few seconds, my fingers slip, scaring me into believing that I was about to fall to my death. Death. One of the only things that truly terrified me. I keep looking around for something, anything. About seven feet to the left of me, there's a a branch that I assume is some pathetic excuse for a bush. Off to the right, the rocks aren't as sharp, the cliff becomes more steeper. My only option is a branch that probably can't hold my body weight. Awesome. One ridiculously excruciating slide at a time, I finally make it to the branch. Being this close to it, I realize the thorns. These thorns were about an inch long, black and razor sharp. I couldn't very well grab onto that purposefully. I glance up briefly and spot a shadow. It looks to be the shadow of a girl, taller than me and curvy.

"Help!" I croak, my voice dry and unused. Whoever the shadow belongs to doesn't respond. I take in the distance between foot holes inlaid in the cliff that I hadn't noticed before. I immediately begin my climb, grab and pull. Even though I'm not short, I have difficulties reaching from foot hole to foot hole. I rely majorly on my upper body strength, pulling myself up ledge after ledge. Eventually, I reach the top. I collapse against the rock cavern floor, closing my eyes. When I open them again, there someone standing over me, leaning in my face. We studied each other for a moment. I suck in a breath, holding in shrieks of terror. Her hair is chopped off unevenly. Her oval face is twisted and gaunt. Her full lips are twisted into a snarl, her eyes black as pitch. It's Bianca. The thought made whatever food that was left in my stomach revolt. I leaped up and ran straight for the cliff, vomiting over the side.

Once I pull myself back over the ledge, I find the creature staring directly at me. I try to scoot closer to it, farther from the ledge, but it snarled, barring her teeth. I step away slowly, making deliberate movements. As i near it,  I stepped on a rock and slipped backwards, landing on my butt. The Bianca creature creeps closer and closer, wearing that odd smile they all have. It crouches, crawling over to me, eerily animalistic. When it reaches me, it places it's hands on my shoulders. And pushes. I'm falling. Down, down, down forever. I scream, reaching my hands above me.

"Shh, its only me."

~~~

I awake the same way I always do these days, screaming. It's dark, which makes me decidedly more nervous. I can't find my hands in front of my face. My loud, erratic breathing is the only thing I can hear. Oh, my eyes are closed. I blink rapidly. My eyes are trying to focus on the figure hovering above me. Finally, I realize that it's Bianca. I scream, my body shaking and I shrink back into the bed.

"Scarlet, not to sound repetitive, but are you okay?" she says. No, not she. It. I don't respond, burrowing myself under my poofy blanket. Shh, its only me. I shudder, sobs racking my body. She pulls the blanket off of me. I'm so tired. I'm so tired of being the one suffering. I'm so tired of letting them control me. I'm fucking done.

I hop up onto the bed, crouching down low and looking up at Bianca. No, it's not Bianca. It looks down at me, it's brow furrowed. I sit up abruptly, pushing it backwards, hard. It frowns, rubbing a hand on it's chest. Replacing Bianca's eyes are the black ones from my dreams and I know I was right. I get off the bed, advancing towards it slowly. What once was Bianca's body is replaced with the scarring image from my nightmares. It's horrible eyes widen slowly as I transform. It backs into the corner of the room. Static electricity is jumping off my skin, causing my hair to stand out away from my body.

"Scarlet, what are you doing?" It's voice remaining the same as Bianca's suprises me, causing me to stop where I was. A sly smile stretches across its hideous face and I lunge, my arms stretched in front of me and my hands wrapped around it's throat.