Taken

Chapter 4

I stare into the mirror as I lean against the sink, studying the face that stares back at me.          Physically she looks like me; her shoulders narrow and her features angular. Her small lips are pale and freckles dot her thin nose and cheeks. Her eyes are too large and round, one a bright blue and the other a vivid green. Her light brown hair is too long, falling limp and straight just shy of her waist.

            But do I really have those dark purple bags under my eyes? Have they lost their light so now I can barely tell which is which? Is my skin pale and clammy? Does my hair look that straw-like and lifeless as it hangs from my head like a curtain?

            I guess lack of sleep can change a person, both physically and mentally.

            For the past week I've been having the same recurring dream about my sister―or I guess the same recurring nightmare. I've been trying not to sleep because once I do, I'm transported to that cavern with the dripping water and the glowing crystals.

            The nightmare always ends the same. There's a ball of light approaching me, a loud ear-splitting screech, followed by my sister screaming my name―

            And then I wake up in a cold sweat, gasping for air and clutching my comforter with such a tight grip that my knuckles turn white.

            I still don't understand that nightmare. I don't get it and because of that I can't focus on anything. I've become so out of it that I can barely keep track of what day it is and when I should eat. I ran into a tree yesterday because of it. When I fell off my bike after nearly head-butting the trunk, I got scratches all over my hands from attempting to catch myself.

            I graze my fingers over the scratches and the girl in the mirror does the same. I blink and she follows. I guess she really is me.

            With a sigh, I slide my white headband into my hair and slip into my light brown moccasins. I may be having nightmares, but life still goes on which means school.

            I don't even bother with cover-up for the dark circles under my eyes, it's not like I'll be talking to anyone anyway. I grab my backpack and tie before making my way downstairs and to the dinning room while securing the silky red tie around my neck.

            I'm the first one downstairs so there's no homemade breakfast waiting on the table for me. I breathe out another sigh of disappointment as I enter the kitchen and pour myself a bowl of cereal.

            I chew slowly and stare off into space, thinking about the last nightmare I had. The light touched me before I woke up, its brightness burning my arm when I tried to cover my face. I set down my spoon and pull up the sleeve of my dark blue blazer.

            The hairs on my arm are singed off, a long red burn replacing them. At least the blisters aren't so bad, but it will scar.

            I hear the floorboards creak as footsteps approach.