Dark One- The Khiara Banning Series Book 1

Three

Sometimes, I wonder why I'm friends with her at all; we're so different.

As soon as I get home I head straight for bed. I don't bother looking for my parents; they're never home unless it's absolutely necessary, sometimes making me feel like I'm really not important enough to them, which though I know is ridiculous I can't help feeling some days. They're always at work or out at the latest party they don't know they can't afford. It's not really bad though, it just leaves me to take care of Pug and entertain myself.

Pug is curled up on my bed, waiting for me and wagging his little curly tail like crazy. I'm glad we can't communicate with words. If you could talk to your pet like you would with a friend, the bond would be less strong, I think. I depend on him for comfort and company and he depends on me to just take care of him; we don't have to talk. He's not a social little dog and he hates most people. I can see why though, he was beaten and left for dead by his last owners when he was just a newborn puppy. I found him and took him in a couple of years ago.

"Hey, buddy!" I say, patting his head and lightly pulling his tail.

He sniffs my hand to see if I've got a treat for him, which I usually do. When he sees that I don't, he whimpers, stands up on his hind legs and begins to lick my face until I get up to get him one.

"Okay, okay! I'll get you a treat, Fatty."

Pug barks appreciatively as I get up to get him a biscuit.

***

My head hurts so much. The pain is almost unbearable. I reach out my arms into the darkness that surrounds me and I know that though I can't see anything or anybody, I am not alone. Not by a long shot. I hear a male scream and I begin to run as fast as I can towards him.

The closer I get, the more it sounds like he's screaming my name. Who is this person? What do they want?

"Help me Khiara!" He yells.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" I scream, fear taking over every emotion that I possess. The voice that I just heard, I know it...

"Please! Hurry, before it's too late! They want you but I won't let them have you. Please, find me! Hurry!" His voice is hoarse from yelling so loud.

"Okay! Keep yelling so I can find you." I say.

I do not get an answer. Instead, I find myself falling down, deep into the darkness. And there is no way out.

"Khiara get your ass up now!"

Somebody is shaking me. But it doesn't matter. I am encased in the darkness.

"We're gonna be late! Can you wake up already? God, I knew you'd do this to me."

"Ugh, my head. I had the most messed up dream in the history of life." I groan as I finally wake up.

"Good. You're up. You've been screaming for like, fifteen minutes, it was disturbing. Anyway, you got the stuff for the party?"

I nod my head yes. "I got it all beforehand yesterday."

Slowly, I get up and walk to my closet to get a party appropriate dress. I open up the doors of my large closet and stare into it, not sure what to chose. Cara walks over and pulls out a red dress. It's made out of a satiny red fabric with black mesh over it, ripped in just the right places. I didn't even know I had this dress! It's beautiful.

"Wow, when did you get this?" Cara asks me, her eyebrows drawn together in thought.

"I honestly have no idea," I reply. "Maybe my parents bought it for me for, I don't know, being a good daughter or something."