Eleven Floors | Cassie Lethbridge

Catherine

"Anthony, wake up." A hand pushed my body. I opened my eyes slowly. Confused. I thought I was alone. Pushing my blanket down, I came face to face with a girl. Viola? My heart leapt into the other side of the house. Why is she in my bed?

"Good morning, honeybat. You've been so hard to wake up. It's almost lunch time." Viola looked down at a watch that was placed perfectly on her wrist. I've never seen her wear a watch before. Weird. "I have spaghetti and salad on the table waiting for you. I also need you to pick up Catherine after school today. She has piano lessons at four."

Catherine? Piano lessons? I sat up. This was not my room. The walls were a pale brown, covered in photos of what appeared to be Viola and I. And a little girl. Was th- that must be Catherine. Is she my daughter? I thought I was weeks away from graduating. How am I in the same bed as the girl who is hopelessly in love with my best friend? She placed a kiss on my head. Smiling at me, she stood up and walked out of the room. I should follow her. Tossing the unfamiliar blankets off of my body, I placed my feet on the wooden floor. Coldness traveled through me, causing my body to shiver. In front of a white dresser, a pair of slippers sat. They were grey. I shrugged my shoulders, slipping them on before walking out of the room. I was overwhelmed. Neither my mother or father were here. It was empty, and I didn't recognize the place one bit. A spiral staircase led downstairs, which is where I'm assuming the kitchen was. Stumbling towards a room that held a fridge and a table, Viola was stood in front of an oven. She was stirring something inside of a pot. I turned away, sitting at the table. A plate of spaghetti in my face. Now would be the time to ask questions.

"Who's Catherine?"

Viola stopped mixing whatever she was making. Turning to me. Her eyes were widened, her body was frozen. She was stood like a deer in headlights. Silence was all I got in return. "Are you okay? Is your head warm?" She walked toward me. She placed her hand on my forehead. I shook my head, swatting her hand away. She looked mortified.

"I'm confused. Why am I here?" Viola seemed taken aback. Her face turned bright red.

"You're okay, of course. Are you sure you aren't feeling sick? You should know where you live and who your wife is by now." She huffed. "Now, please pick up Catherine for me."

"I'm sorry. I don't know who that is. I don't recall marrying you. I recall you liking Simon." I rolled my eyes. This must all be a joke of some sort.

"Simon." Viola's voice suddenly seemed to drop down two notches. She stirred savagely in the pot she was using. "Simon was and is a waste of time. You should fucking know not to bing him up! God dammit Anthony. You never learn." Her eyes seemed to turn a whole other colour. Now dark red. Suddenly the room felt warm. Too warm for any humans liking. I pinched my shirt, pulling it off my chest. I was now converted in sweat. My whole body was sticking to my clothing. My hair stuck to my forehead. Viola was turned away, her head close to the pot on the stove.

"So, you wanna play games now. Huh, Anthony?" She hissed. Whipping around, her hair was now a dark black. Her eyes glowing red. Her neck veins popped out. It seemed as if she turned into a whole other person. It was no longer Viola. I panicked. Standing up I pushed my chair to the ground. My plate of food flew up from the table, flying across the room and crashing into the floor next to me. I yelled, calling out mercy. I scrambled toward anywhere than that damned kitchen. Making a left turn, I ran into what seemed like could be an exit.

Pushing open the door, I was greeted by green grass and a ginormous hole, full of lava. It was boiling, the ground seemed to be caving into the puddle. Viola or lava? Demon viola, or lava? I stepped off of the patio, placing my feet on the grass. Slowly the land made its way into the lava filled puddle. My heart raced against my rib cage, sweat still dripping from my forehead. A gasp left my lips as I felt the ground under me start to crumble away. Bad idea, bad, bad idea. My body suddenly started falling. The heat was so overpowering. The lava pressed against my skin. My arms were bubbling up, as if the lava had somehow gotten inside of my body. I couldn't breathe. I tried moving, the lava making it impossible to do so. The only thing I could see was black, and red every few seconds. The lava flowed down what seemed to be a hole that kept getting wider and wider.

Suddenly; a thud. I hit the ground. My clothes had melted off, I was left with bubbled up skin- hardly any breath. The lava flowed over me, hitting the top of my head. Causing me to scream in pain. I looked around. There was nothing but lava and a road. Maybe I should follow the road. I looked up towards where I had just fallen down. Viola could be seen from the top of the now closing hole. Tears formed in my eyes. My throat started closing up, choking me. I struggled to breathe. I couldn't breathe. Slowly, I kneeled down, letting the lava flow all over me. My body was weak. I couldn't stand up. The lava was too heavy. I felt myself start to seize up. I couldn't move an inch. The lava coated me, I was unable to shake it off of me. Everything turned red, my body collapsing against the paved floor.