It appears to be moving like a shadow. As if attached to a body utterly consumed by darkness, it drifted over her bed, creeping ever closer to her cowering figure.
Calling her name in a raspy murmur, it held out a too-pale-to-be-normal clawed hand. Emphasis on the CLAWED! Daggers for nails shot out from its cuticles, flashing in the diminutive portion of light there was in her room, as it lifted, ready to slice her in two.
Suddenly her nightmare ceased, fading into a faint glowing orb of midnight blue.
A tantalizing voice breathed in her ear. "Don't be afraid. Never hurt you."
Screeching, she flung herself upright in bed. She scrambled for her Mad Hatter alarm clock, forcing her groggy eyes to focus on the blaring red numbers.
6:10.
And instead of sleeping like a resting bat, she was awake in the midst of her slumber in a cold sweat.
Throwing her legs over the edge of her bed, she scanned every gloomy corner of her room, searching for that shadow to dare reveal itself.
She snickered. Hell, when I'm defenseless and petrified in a nightmare you pop up; but now that I'm up and ready to kick shadow ass, you scamper away?
Letting out an aggravated sigh, she sauntered over to her closet, feeling blind like a bat as she felt her way towards it. Pulling the pitch velvet doors, she stepped in.
Sabrina picked out anything that her hands landed on, and then she scurried over to her bathroom. With a sinister smirk, she slammed her fist, calling out in a sing-song voice, "AWAKEN, MY SWEET!!!"
She smiled at her brother's agonized groan, as she changed into her attire for the day.
With a confidence that radiated off her form, she strolled back into her room to grab her make-up case. She paralyzed with fear as the bag slipped from her fingertips.
Hidden between her heavy drapes, she sensed the shadow lurking inside her room, those sanguine eyes fixating on her quivering form.
No. Suck it up. You can't be afraid of meager shadows! She yelled inside her mind as she took in a deep breath. And with a narrow of her eyes, she stormed to the drapes, tearing them aside. Her breath caught to see what she'd find.
Nothing.
Letting out a sigh of relief, she pranced back to the bathroom. Applying probably more than she needed, Sabrina considered she'd put on enough as she dabbed more lipstick on.
Her brother crawled in beside her, snatching up his toothbrush as he shot her a glare. She laughed, engaging moss into her tight curls, until they became ringlets that framed her pale heart-shaped face.
"Really, did you have to put purple in your hair, Brina? Folks at school are beginning to question me." He told her through a glob and spit of toothpaste.
She rolled her eyes. "Then you go tell them to fall off a ditch for questioning the great Sabrina Myers!"
Callum sighed, eyeing her with his bright jade eyes. "No really, Brina. You've been acting up lately in school. Since when have you had ISS before?" He examined, grating on her nerves. ISS was In School Suspension, and she happened to have attended a couple of times for "disrespectful" behavior.
"Shut up, Callum! I'm not in the mood for a Gibbs interrogation at 7 in the morning." She growled, glaring at her perfect brother.
They were identical twins. They reigned above anyone in beauty at their school with their sharp features, burning jade eyes, and pitch black curls. Except Sabrina hid her ideal complexion behind her gothic walls, hoping to ward people away. But when it came down to personalities, Callum triumphant over her with his charm and calming demeanor. She only seemed to put everyone on edge.
"You ready?" She asked, as he gelled back his curls.
He wiped his hands clean of stickiness, and both exchanged looks with their outfits. He probably thought she exposed too much cleavage in her black fishnet scoop neck top and too much leg with her violet grommet and chain pleated skirt.
She snickered at his poor taste of style. Whatever everyone else is wearing. But of course, he had to look the best in it. Sporting an emerald polo that complimented the jade of his eyes and those waist-hugging jeans, if she wasn't his twin sister and were of his cliché, she would have thought him irresistible, as every other girl in school.
He nodded. "Yeah, meet you in the Jeep in five." He sauntered away.
She scrambled back into her room, frisking about for her diary. Where was the last place I put it?
With a defeated sigh, she snatched up her Kranky Kitty backpack, storming out into the stormy morning chill. Callum was already in the car, eyes slitted, and the heel of his palm pressing down on the horn of the wheel.
Glaring at him, her body suddenly suppressed as a benumbing chill skedaddled down her spin. She glimpsed behind her into a patch of uber darkness, shrouded in shadows.
A cold sweat caused her pale forehead to turn clammy as with sweaty palms, she dashed for the car.
"You alright?" Callum inquired with an arch of his brow.
Breathless, she nodded, glancing back up at that dark corner. A faint glow of midnight blue illuminated and she almost choked. Did she just spot an orb?
I'm going crazy... She smiled to herself, making her brother's lip curl. He chuckled as he turned the radio on. Memories from Within Temptation, her absolute favorite band, reverberated the car with its melancholy melody. She shot him an apologetic grin.
"You are crazy, Brina." He shook his head with a smirk.
Gulping, she gazed longingly out the window, staring at the pouring rain where she rather be prancing around in than going to the prison she spent six hours of her day at.
Maybe I really am crazy...
That expression of hers when she saw him. His throat clenched at the very thought. Her face twisted to one of pure terror, as if he were the most frightening thing out here. Though he probably was comparing to the more pacifistic ones of his kind.
He sighed. If she only got to know me; then maybe she wouldn't be so aghast around him. But one thing was for certain; shaken and alert she must ALWAYS be.
He glanced down at the wee booklet in his hand. In elaborate silver writing, Diary was scrawled on the cover. The handwriting was identical inside. He searched for the date of the first entry.
A month ago. What could have affected my sweet's life so much that she had to confide in a journal? Wanting to know more about her, he began to read.
Tantalizing Desires Past Midnight (Chapter 1)
Start from the beginning
