Chapter Two
The Nightmares Begin 2008
Christina opened her eyes as beads of sweat were dripping down her face. She sat up noticing she was in a dark small room. A dim light glowed from the corner from a small candle-lit lamp that was set on an old wooden table. She viewed her surroundings which seemed to be some sort of an underground room. It smelled of dirt and mildew. “Where am I?” She noticed she was wrapped in a white linen gown with a veil on her head. “What is this stuff?” She clawed the garments, tearing them off, then stood naked, overcome with panic. Her heart pounding, as though it would explode out of her chest, she found it hard to breathe. “Get me out of here!” she screamed.
No one heard her.
Christina stood up from the odd oval-shaped bed she was sitting on thinking it looked more like a metal bathtub. She noticed there were no windows and no way out. Over by the small table lit by the dim candlelight, she found a bowl of spoiled milk and some rotten fruit. The pungent smell overtook her, making her nauseous. She began to feel so dizzy she just passed out.
She was jolted out of bed with the blare of her alarm. I’m in my own room. It must have been a dream, she thought. “Dear God, it was a nightmare!”
She glanced at the time and noticed it was six a.m. She quickly made it into the bathroom to shower with this being her first day in high school. Christina ate her breakfast with anticipation knowing she would officially now be a freshman at Struthers High School. She pulled her slightly damp long brown hair up into a high ponytail and watched her mom pouring coffee into her dad’s cup as he rubbed his eyes.
“Well, my dear, are you ready for the best times of your life to begin?” Helen Ciccone asked.
“I guess so, although it would be so much more exciting if I was going off to a new school … say, somewhere in Europe.”
“What? Struthers High isn’t good enough? It was good enough for Anthony, your mom and I. You know that’s where your mom and I met.” He had his back turned as he walked to the stove to grab some hot eggs still in the pan. “Maybe you’ll meet your future husband there.”
“And maybe I won’t. I plan to go off to college and do some studying in Europe, Dad, so a husband is out of the picture for now – or maybe even ever!”
“Just where do you think we’re gonna come up with that kind of money? Business has been quite slow so we all better hope it picks up soon.”
“You know, Salvatore,” Helen said as she began cleaning up the table, “we should take some photos of Christina and use them for promotions. Maybe that could help us land the account this year for the high school pictures.”
“No way, Mom! The last thing I need is my pictures planted all over town. I’ll be the laughing stock of the whole school!”
“In case you haven’t noticed, my dear daughter, you do have that exotic look about you and it shows your Italian heritage. Why not use it?”
Christina was someone you would turn around to give a second glance to, or maybe even three. Her shiny, soft, dark-brown hair and luminescent skin made her beautiful hazel eyes stand out. She had never really considered herself a stunning beauty. There were dozens of boys always sending invites and calling her, but she chose to ignore them.
“Well, just think about it, honey, you would be helping out the whole family,” Helen proposed.
“Where’s Anthony?” Christina asked, picking up her book bag.
