The Other Half of My Heart

Chapter Four: Footsteps

Chapter Four: Footsteps

My eyes fluttered open and I lay there for a moment, just looking at the white ceiling.  I felt oddly calm, in what felt like a storming ocean.  The white ceiling was spotted with bits of red.  The red stood out and looked oddly like blood.  I felt my stomach turn.  Who's blood was it?

I felt queasy, my hands were getting clammy under my white sheets... Wait, I didn't have any white sheets.  I only had neon colored sheets.  I started to panic in my head.  I didn't move at all.  Thoughts were jumbled in my head, I was confused.  The sheets were itchy, and I felt hot.  I started shuddering, and my hair was a hot mess all over my head.  Some of my hair was on my face and my hair was so sweaty that it leaked some of the dye on my face.  

For a long while I just lay there, hot tears trickling down my face.  How did I get myself into this mess?  In the hospital, I was lying there when I heard a step.  A simple shoe stepping in the wrong place.  A single sound immediately alerted my senses and I stiffened.

A small tentative voice called out, "Hello?"  

I called back.  "Hello?  Who's there?"

The footsteps came forward quickly and I saw a flash of silver.  I recognized the object and realized that it was a knife.  I screamed to the top of my lungs. The silver knife swept though the air and was coming closer and closer-

My eyes opened.  I was breathing heavily and was sweating tremendously.  I was shaking.  There was no way that would actually happen, right?  I tried to calm myself down, but I was failing miserably.  I was panicking.  

I looked up.  It was awfully dark here, but I could see a white ceiling and I could just make out  a few red spots. I inhaled sharply.  My dream... It could happen.  It was going to happen.  I was about to die.  

I heard a slight footstep. Creeeek.  No, no, no!  I sat up and reached over to my desk drawer where my kitchen knife lay.  It was about to happen.  Even though I was in depression, I didn't want to die, not yet!

I saw a shadow of a person, it looked like they were holding a knife.  I bit my lip so hard it began to bleed.  I felt very afraid.  I bit down even harder to hold a scream in.  The nasty flavor of blood poured into my mouth and I gagged, immediately stopping.  

Whoever it was would not find me already dead, by choking on my own blood.

I could see the headline of the news, Girl Died From Biting Her Lip. Oh the joy that didn't give me, picturing myself, dead. I saw a faint blue light coming from the stairs. It made the shadow deepen and I heard someone grunt.  

I pulled out the knife and held it in front of me.  My breathing was hard and rapid, my heart pounded so loud I was sure they could hear  it.

I saw the person come up and breathed a sigh of relief, it was only Viola.  

My sister came up to me, and asked "Did I scare you?"

I became slightly mad, and began thinking about Sam again. "YES!" I glared at her.

She looked slightly startled as she asked, "Are you okay?"

"No." I snapped, "I am not okay!  I am falling in love with Sam, and I shouldn't love him!  You love him and he says that he loved you too!"  A little spittle flew out of my mouth and my eyes bugged slightly.  "I hate the world!"

She floated there, as though she was choosing her words carefully before she spoke. "Well, Sam said he loved me, he didn't say "I love Viola."  She paused, looking at my face. "He might love you now, and I would understand if you loved him."