Behind Closed Doors

Day One: Where Am I?

    The car zoomed along the roads, and a stiff tension was rising within the vehicle. Sally’s happy energy seemed to be emanating off her and into the air around her, a part of me wished that it was contagious, while the better part of me wished my dark emotions could make her stop smiling. Nevertheless I couldn’t help but feeling a little bit better than I had in so many days. I was comfortable in her car it had the same breezy smell as my mother’s did.  I let out a sharp breath. My mom was a sore subject just thinking the word caused memories to flood my mind. I struggled to keep happy thoughts in my mind before it was invaded  I was too late  visions of Lily danced around now, taking over. The stoic mask I wore broke to my true emotions, at least I wasn’t crying, yet. I don’t know if Sally saw me or if she was just being polite to let me be, but she never said anything and I thanked her for that.

    The familiar scenery wiped by as we drove to my new home. I swallowed hard watching my old life retreat in the review mirror. Light music filled the background as Sally speed fast toward our destination. Letting the music calm me I sunk deep into the car seat, my mind jumping from this topic to that, floating around in my head. Suddenly my peaceful serene was broken through by words that at first I didn’t register, “Mia,” Sally looked to me when I didn’t answer, her facial expression shown worry.  

            Sitting up straighter as her intense stare did not break, I looked away and tried to speak steadily, “Oh, what did you say?” It didn’t work.

             “What do you know about Larkin Creek?”

            “Not much actually just what Dad told me,” before He left, I added mentally, and cynically, not wanting to be rude to the Aunt I never knew.

            “Oh,” she smiled at me as if trying to say she completely understood what had happened. I smiled politely back, thinking bitch.  “Well Larkin Creek is one of the homiest of towns with the population only being about five-hundred people. I believe you will love it! And the high school has tons of things you can do. Do you play any sports? How about extra-curricula’s? Oh and you will just love the beach that is there and the river, well it’s more of a huge creek, but you get the idea. You will love it, nice and quiet, what a girl like you needs!” it sounded more like she was trying to sell me real-estate than rather telling me what my new home was going to be like. I never even answered her pointless questions; not like she gave me time to. I looked back to the window drowning my new Aunt Sally out, not wanting to listen to her happy chirping about a place that seemed so far away to me. As the scenery started to bore me I found it harder to keep Sally’s chatter from breaking through my invisible barrier. I quickly fumbled through my purse to find my worn out iPod, my best and fastest escape. I let my eyes close slowly as the darkness enveloped me:

        A six year old girl with tiny pig-tails stood clutching a teddy bear with tears in her eyes.  Screaming echoed in my head as two grown up people came into view, their faces red with anger. Their hands motioned to the six year old girl and then to pictures of a place that looked like a movie. Then that girl grew older following her father around having a gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach that one day he wouldn’t be there to follow around. Laughing swelled only to be crushed by more screaming and then crying; loud desperate cries of a little girl trying to stop her parents from arguing over every little thing. Then everything went dark and the only thing left was the sharp sound of a door slamming, shutting one world and opening up another. In the dark echoing silence came the dripping of droplets of blood splashing into a puddle of blood which turned into a flood of red wine crashing down onto a women with dirty blonde hair and a laugh that could make any one’s heart lighten. “Help me, Mia!” a screeching scream bounced all around in the dark haze that was slowly twisting into a room with four white walls, a floor, a ceiling, and no way out. Slowly, ever so slowly, the walls started to drip with blood and the screeching scream echoed once more, “Mia, Help me! Please, Mia, Help Me.” “Mia…”