Secrets were written in the walls - dangerous, dangerous secrets. Secrets that can kill you if you're caught in the crossfire. Each corner, every hour, every minute, secrets were being made, secrets were being exchanged, secrets were being spilled...
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Adelaideawoke on that Halloween morning sweating profusely, vivid images of her nightmare running through her mind. A terrible feeling of impending doom left shivers on her skin, and despite the warm sun seeping through her blinds, goosebumps appeared on her dermis. Clutching her favorite chenille green blanket close to her chest, Adelaide shuts her eyes tightly, trying to get rid of the same ominous images floating before her.
It had been happening since she could even remember - she would always wake up the next morning sweating, shivering, scared beyond belief. Although she could not remember what her nightmare was, a still picture remained. An image of a woman looking down at her with eyes black as the midnight sky and in her hands a lighter emitting great colors of red and orange. Although she could not fathom what the woman looked like, she could see a sardonic smile before the image disappears in her mind as if it wasn't really there.
Knock. Adelaide jumps slightly and lets out a sigh of relief when her foster mom's head peeked into her room. Swinging herself out of bed, Adelaide slips on her slippers and quickly walks towards her mom, engulfing her in a hug. Her presence made Adelaide felt calm and tranquil, ridding herself of the nightmare.
"Addie, darling, breakfast is ready. Get yourself cleaned up, your shirt is all soaked! Did you have another nightmare?" Her foster mom asked, eyeing the shaking girl thoroughly. Adelaide nodded and she frowned at her answer. "Very well, go get ready and we'll talk about it over breakfast. I love you."
"Yes, Esther. I love you too." Adelaide gave her a weak smile, and Esther kissed her forehead, looked at her one last time, and stalked off into the kitchen where the trail of the sweet aroma of blueberry and chocolate pancakes ended.
Adelaide, still shaking, sauntered to her bathroom, flicking on the lights and twisting the knob of her shower. The water poured down, and as she waited for it to warm up, she stripped off her sweat soaked clothes. Her eyes caught sight of her reflection in the mirror and Adelaide pursed her lips. She had always hated how she looked. She hated living in a skin where it didn't feel like her own. She hated everything about herself. Adelaide was repeatedly told she was beautiful, but she couldn't bring herself to believe them. For she saw herself and all she could see were the insecurities written on her body - the way her hair fell flat on her head, or the way her eyes become small when she struggles to smile a real smile because her teeth protrude out of her mouth. Adelaide hears herself and all she can think about is how loud and deep her voice is and how much she lets every single thought slip out like a volcano ready to erupt. They tell Adelaide she was beautiful, but she believes she is not for she is a hurricane of self-hate.
Yet, despite how much she hated herself, she loved that brain of hers. Because despite everything, she was the brilliant one in all of Whitebridge for she was the only one who could see beyond the façade of the most wealthiest family in town, the Fitzgerald's.
