He Comes at Night

New beginnings

Oh Trish

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4 months earlier

The first bell of the new semester rang through the long narrow halls. Nina cringed at the sound as hundreds of people passed along her locker, each greeting her. Her peers were fond of her, in a way they were fond of puppies.

She was sweet, innocent and kind.

It was unusual for someone of her social standing to be gifted with such characteristics, especially where she grew up.

Scarsdale, New York was splitting at the seams with wealth.  It was a semi small community with about 20,000 people, big enough that there were a never ending slue of things to do, but small enough that even the rich lonely widow, living on a secluded end of the street, could recognize anyone's face at the grocery store.

Nina grabbed her books and sighed as she looked into the mini mirror that hung on the side of the locker door. Her long, thick hair laid in voluminous waves along her head, finally filling in where she used to experience loss in clumps. It draped along her eyes, that for the first time in a long time, were clear from a clouded haze and heavy dark circles.

A symptom she was frightened would become permanent as a result of her illness.

But she was grateful with the progress she was making with her sleeping habits within the last few months, as well as the effects of a well nights rest and her hair had thanked her for it. A satisfied smirk played on her lips when she thought about the reactions she would receive from those who were so used to seeing her ghostly white essence barley holding her head up from exhaustion.

Or the whisperers who would stare when she had an episode during the school day. She sometimes overheard the hurtful and ruthless things people would say, but did her best not to let those who didn't understand, damage her more than she already was.

But for now, life was normal again and she was going to attempt to be thankful for it.

Suddenly her locker slammed in front of her face, knocking her back into reality and causing her to drop her books to the floor. Bending down, she glared at the culprit, "Couldn't give me 5 minutes to admire my own beauty huh?" she joked.

Trish, Nina's absolute best friend since before they could even spell their names, giggled at the scene in front of her as she applied a bright red lipstick to her plump lips in a careless manner. Her features were unique and stood her apart from every other girl in the school. Her full lips worked perfectly on her plush face. Her eyes just a calm sea of green and blue, were always inviting. They gave reassurance without words and it was Nina's favorite thing about her. She sometimes found herself staring in awe, envious of Trish's natural beauty and high self confidence.

Words couldn't describe the bond they shared.

Trish shrugged as blotted her devilish lips on a napkin, tossing it in her purse, "My sweet Nina, why would you want a mirror to tell you how gorgeous you are, when you have me?" she questioned, reaching for her friends hand to help her from the ground.

Though Trish was one of the best human beings to Nina, she wasn't always that way to everyone else, or herself.

She lived her entire life the lavish way. But, the lavish life came with a lot of hidden responsibilities. Trish lived with her obviously wealthy parents. Her father, Milton, a plastic surgeon, to all of the step ford wives in the community was married to her mother, Gwenth, a retired self proclaimed actress. Nina wasn't sure if she starred in anything at all.