'Till Dawn

001

"Don't stop." a voices cracks into the air and through Dawns psyche. Her head jolts up with an aspirated sigh.

"Hello?" She calls out, her voice carrying through her bedroom walls and slipping out into the hallway, echoing back to her. Dawn slowly collects herself and brings to sheets closer to her chest, covering her nude body from eyes that may be lingering. Suddenly, she's embarrassed about the pleasure inflicted on self.

Moments pass with silence draping over her. She shifts uncomfortably sensing the air in the room was now occupied. Which wasn't impossible, but it was not welcomed either.

Dawn preferred a reserved, private life. Her friends and family low maintenance, they understood her need for silence, and distance. They never demanded more than she was willing to give, and that was a comfort to Dawn. Her house reflected in the same, quiet rooms with a strong, but not unpleasant, smell of lavenders and linen. Everything was spotless and neat, in a way, disorder made Dawn uneasy. This even carried over to her romantic company which she kept far and few, only allowing them to stay until she could begin to smell them; then she made their exit brief and easily forgettable. Dawn couldn't stand the thought of another coming in to ruin her quiet.  

"Who's there?" She asks, sternly.

Dawn was raised to always be aware the supernatural. When she was younger, she was followed by spirits. They reached out and called for her. Some of her earliest memories.

"Okay! I'm counting!" She giggles, running off into the corner of the hallway. The house was nearly completely empty. The only thing they had were each other, and an old TV found by the dumpster which thankfully, still worked. "One.. two.. three.." Dawn counted to thirty, her eyes glued down so hard it almost hurt. When she came to, she flipped her head around and before she could yell out that she was coming, she stopped.

The house was covered green. An eerily silence echoed throughout the house, but Dawn knew she wasn't alone. She stood there, not knowing where it was, she travelled to, just knowing she'd like it to end.

Experiences like that followed Dawn throughout life. From kindred spirits she allowed to stay, to discontented ones she was taught to was taught to not fear but not keep. She became adept to other realms of life, this case being no different.

"I know you're in here, somewhere." Dawn speaks out calmly, looking around for any inkling of life, be it new or old.

Another silence falls.

Dawn closes her eyes and sits with it. She uses her senses to feel the energy around her. Dawn was practically blind; she would joke to make light out of her disadvantage. It didn't bother her too heavily because she learned to feel what she couldn't see. Her nose was her highest dependence right before she leaned on her ears. Dawn inhales quietly and a small hint of Gardenia and Neroli fills her nose, a sweet but subtle citrus scent that feels familiar, but she knows it is not. Feminine, she notes. 

"I don't know you," Dawn whispers, her eyes just as tightly closed as they were when she was younger. Her eyebrows furrow as she thinks more deeply about what it is she's feeling. "Who are you?"

A voice finally speaks back to her. "I enjoy watching you," Dawns head jerks towards her mirror.  Her voice was hauntingly beautiful. "I didn't mean to disturb you, for that I am sorry. I just didn't want it to end, you looked heavenly."

Dawn scoffs. "And what do you know about heaven?" She pulls the sheets impossibly closer, defensive, and on guard. "You are not welcomed here. Leave."

And so, she does. Dawn feels the air become lighter and when it does, she scrambles to find her tossed clothes, exasperated and uncomfortable in her own skin now. Once dressed, Dawn spends some time with herself quietly mediating and searching for her still, as she'd like to call it. Her legs lay cross and her palms spread and fingers softly feeling her bed sheets. Touch was her least used sense, but it wasn't because she didn't enjoy it any less than the others; there never really anything to feel. 

After a few minutes Dawn found herself slowly curling into a ball and letting the bed take her energy from her. Within moments she was fast asleep. 

"What do you see?" 

"Flowers."

"Mhm, what kind?"

"Lillies, pink lilies."

"Is that all?"

"No, white and pink roses too. In a field with tall and long grass, it's so pretty." 

"Those are you favorites." 

Dawn looked around. Here, her vision was perfect . For at least a mile she could see the flowers spread out as if they were reaching for her, maybe even calling; with each petal just slightly touched by the sun, radiating a warmth that you would only find here. A place that only Dawn knew of, and could exist in. 

"Do you know why?"

"I know everything."

Dawn stiffens under the change of voice. She wasn't even sure who she was talking to or why but suddenly they didn't feel the same to her. There was a break in the far distance that made Dawn snap her head instantaneously. Her eyes widen at the sudden decay in the flower field. The petals once reaching out now twisted and wilted unnaturally before her. The once pink now shriveled inward stained in sickly shades of brown and gray. 

"Those were my favorites."

Dawn jolted awake and was greeted by a sliver of moon peeking through her blinds. Her memory slowly fading as consciousness regained control. But, just before the dream slipped for good, a faint rotting smell brushed the tip of her nose; just enough to send a sharp, cold shiver through her spine and just enough to let her know that this has only just begun.