*ON HOLD* 𝘽𝙚 𝙃𝙚𝙧 𝙀𝙮𝙚𝙨 (𝘽𝙣𝙝𝙖 𝙭 𝘿𝙤𝙡𝙡)

Nightmare Memories

"Y-Yes, Mother," I bite my cheek and go up to my room. Tears threaten to fall until my door is closed. I let out a quiet sob as I fell back against my door, holding my face in my hands. More bruises litter my body, but this time they took it up a step. I painfully pull off my shirt, cringing at the smell and taste of copper that fills the air.

My shoulder shoots wave after wave of pain, I shakily feel the gash. Hissing and pulling my hand away quickly as the pain increases. I feel blood dripping down my back, probably onto the floor. I crawl my knees and hand towards my bed, stopping at the side so I can pull a box from underneath.

After feeling around, my hand lands on the shoe box. I pull it out and pull off the lid before feeling inside. Grabbing an old roll of gauze, cotton pads, and alcohol. All the while, my injured arm is laying limp at my side.

I take the cotton pads and reach over, gasping in pain as I put pressure on the wound. I power through it, needing to stop the bleeding before I lose too much. It's hard to reach more towards the center of my back but when I feel there isn't blood dripping, I grab the alcohol and clean pads, feeling my way to pour some into the cotton.

I take in a sharp breath as I start cleaning the gash. Tears stream down my face but I keep going, turning my body to get the entire gash. As soon as I finished I dropped the cotton pad and let my shoulder rest. Leaning forward on my uninjured arm as I take deep, ragged breaths.

As the pain starts to fade just a bit, I grab the gaze and start wrapping it around my shoulders, arm, and chest. It's probably not a great wrap, but it'll have to do.

I rip the end of the gauze and seal it off then start feeling around the floor. Cleaning up the used pads and putting away the alcohol and gauze.

I cringe as my hand lands on a wet spot in the carpet, pulling away to smell copper. I turn my head away and kick the box back under my bed before going to my bathroom. Leaning against the walls to help me. I fall against the sink counter and turn on the faucet, cleaning off my bloody hand until the smell is gone.

I sigh and turn off the faucet, leaning against the counter for a few minutes.

I can hear Mom and Dad downstairs, silver clicking against glass and a conversation I don't care to listen in on. My stomach growls but I shake my head. Going back into my room to sit on my bed. I lay back, turning so I'm on my uninjured shoulder before I force myself to sleep for the night.

~~

"Ready or not! Here I come!"

What?

"I wonder where she is... here? No... hm..."

What is this? Suddenly, a light comes on and I see a... what? I can see?

A woman with ivory colored hair, reaching down to her shoulders, and bright green eyes enters the room. I look around, recognizing my surroundings.

I'm back home... Mom is just how I remember her.

The woman, Mom, walks around the room. A bright smile across her face makes me smile sadly. My ears pick up quiet giggling. I turn and find a young girl with long white hair and purple eyes, me.

Wait... I remember this... Mom and I were playing hide and seek while Dad was picking up food for dinner.

Mom walks towards the younger me, sneaking up behind her. She grins and grabs me from behind. I let out a scream which turns into laughs as Mom tickles me. Hugging me to her as I laugh.

I feel a tear escape my eye.

What happened to this...

Mom and the younger me play more rounds. I watch them all, following the younger version of myself as she searches for Mom. My chest swells and aches everytime they two fall into a fit of laughter together.

Why can't we go back to this? Flashes of what happened while I was awake come to me. Mom yelled at me, grabbed a glass shard from a broken plate, then she made the gash in my shoulder. Forcing me to clean up the broken plate before sending me back to my room.

In front of me, this Mom grabs the smaller me and takes me to the coach. The younger me yawns and hugs her as they sit, tired from the games. Mom lays down with me on top of her, running her hand through her hair.

I swear I could feel it through my own hair. I reach back to feel nothing there though.

A sob escapes me as I fall to my knees, I hate this... why am I remembering this right now?

The room starts to get blurry.

Make it stop... I don't want to see this... Not after everything she's done to me now...

I sob as the scene begins to fade, fading to black until it's just the couch and two bodies now sleeping.

I cover my mouth, shaking my head. I can't go back to this... so stop showing me this... This torture...

BOOM

I gasp, breath catching in my throat as my eyes shoot open. I'm in the mall again. Screams are faded, like ghosts in the wind.

People run through me as I stand still, looking at myself from three years ago. It's been a long time since the incident.

I watch as Dad runs towards Mom, then they freeze in fear just how I had been. Then the younger me runs towards them, grabbing their hands and pulling them back behind myself.

I shake my head, stop... I already know how this goes... just stop it...

I watch as the villain grabs me and pulls me back towards the explosions. I shake my head, pinching myself to wake up.

Wake up... come on, I know I'm dreaming. Wake me up.

I frown at my own scream, then Mom and Dad calling out my name.

Wake up... wake up...

I dig my nails into my arms. Everything is started to get loud, screams becoming louder and louder as more explosions happen.

Stop it! Wake up dammit! Wake up!

~~

I shoot up, gasping. Blinking but there's only darkness. I sigh, running a hand through my hair. I can hear birds outside chirping, cars in the far distance driving. It's morning.

Time for school.