Falling

Ch 1

I was really hoping that I was going to have a normal dream this time, but it seemed I was wrong. I was completely surrounded by a blinding darkness, with no sounds or any source of light. But the darkness wasn't the main aspect of the dream that disturbed me in that moment; it was the complete sense of comfort I felt. For some reason, I always felt safe in this...well, I had started calling it a cavern, but I wasn't even sure if that was quite right.

"Kiera..."

I whirled around, straining my ears as my name echoed throughout the darkness. The voice was new. I couldn't quite pinpoint exactly where it had come from, but hearing that voice filled me with an urge to find the source.

My name was spoken again, this time slightly louder and from behind me. I turned again to see a small speck of light in the distance, and something told me that I would find answers there. I wasn't sure what answers I was even seeking, but I didn't think any further as I slowly began walking towards that light.

It was as if I was going through a tunnel now. The light grew steadily larger with a faint red tint, and as I started to jog I noticed a figure standing in the middle of the small opening. With the light against their back, I couldn't make out any features, but there was something off about them.

"Kiera."

I broke into a run towards the figure, willing myself to run faster than I ever had. I had no idea why I felt the need to reach this figure or the entrance of whatever tunnel I was in, but the need grew more urgent the closer I got.

The figure was now reaching out a hand to me, as if waiting for me to meet them. Just a few more steps and then-

I jolted awake with a gasp followed by a few deep breaths. The sound of rain outside was somewhat helpful in calming me down, and I sat up with a groan as I realized it was still only about six in the morning.

For the past two weeks or so, I had been having different dreams than normal, and at this point I wasn't sure if 'dream' was the right word to call these things. It didn't even feel like I was sleeping since I always woke up exhausted.

I reached over for my phone, pausing as I remembered what time it was. I wanted to text Thalia about it, but I didn't want to wake her up. She might be awake though; I swear, that girl never slept.

With a sigh, I set the phone back down and dragged myself off the bed. I wasn't going to go back to sleep, not with the possibility of having that dream again, so I decided to start my day then. As I went through the bathroom to get to my closet, I paused to look in the mirror.

Surprisingly with the lack of sleep, there weren't any bags under my eyes but I certainly looked exhausted. I tried to run a hand through my brown curls to untangle them, grimacing as I was met with resistance in the form of knots. I reached for my brush and thought about what to do with my morning as I tried and failed to not think about the voice in the dream.

After about a minute I set my hands on the counter and sighed frustratedly; for some reason, the voice continued to echo in my thoughts, nearly driving me insane. In a desperate attempt at distracting myself, I went back into the bedroom and searched through my drawers for workout clothes. Hopefully a good, long workout would clear my head.

Two hours later, I stepped out of the shower and yawned, noticing that my phone was lit up. As I suspected, it was a text from Thalia.

Coffee in ten?