My Final Sunrise

My Final Sunrise. Prologue and Ch. 1

My Final Sunrise.

Prologue.

She stood on the hillside, wrapping her arms around herself as protection against the icy fingers of wind which were tearing greedily at her dress and hair.

Her skin was bathed in the light of the sunset, bleaching it a golden colour. Her scarlet hair flamed in the light, her eyes mirrors of the sight before her.

Her gaze was fixed fiercely on the sunset, her eyes drinking in the sight as greedily as a man dying of thirst.

She raised her arms, her white dress hanging loosely from her tiny frame. Spreading them wide, she drew herself up onto her toes, as if she would throw herself into the light and fly away. She stood motionless for a long time.

Abruptly, she sat back on the hillside, drawing her dress around her legs, and tucking them beneath her. She arranged a shawl around her shoulders, settling her scarlet curls over it. She sighed, wrapping her arms around herself once more, gripping tightly as if holding something within.

As the sun finally set, painting the landscape the unmistakeable blues and greys of dusk, a single tear tracked a delicate course down her cheek.

Gathering her things about her, she silently rose, and headed slowly into the darkness. A final time she looked back over her shoulder, her eyes showing the silent agony of bidding farewell to a dear friend. Her eyes traced the landscape once more, before turning her back and disappearing into the dark.

My Final Sunset

Chapter One.

The shrill ringing of my alarm clock woke me with a jump. So deeply immersed in a dream, I tried to recall the details, but as usual, they disappeared as consciousness claimed me.

Stretching, I pressed the button to stop the alarm. I yawned, smiling to myself as I took in my room. My father had recently finished building an extension to our house, meaning my parents moved to the new master bedroom suite, allowing me to move into the original master bedroom. My best friend Tara and I had spent the weekend decorating.

Two of the walls were covered with a pearlescent paint, in the lightest marshmallow pink, another painted in similar pearlescent paint, but this a shocking lipstick pink. The final wall was covered in flowered wallpaper, a pale back ground laced through with the same lipstick pink. On this wall were a selection of framed photos, happy beach shots from our family holiday earlier in the year, a picture of myself and Daniel at my aunt's wedding, and various snapshots of my friends, Tara's familiar blonde mane featuring in most of the photos. I smiled, remembering our afternoon sifting through old photos, chuckling over old Halloween costumes, and trying to recall the names of long forgotten classmates.

"Daryl! Time to get up honey!" My mother's voice yelled up the stairway, drifting through my open door.

"I'm up!" I called back, grabbing my wash bag and towel and heading towards the bathroom.

***

I sat on the bed, pulling up my school socks, making sure the bows I had sewn on the back lined up perfectly. I stood up to look at myself.

Grey knee socks pulled up to just over my knees, the navy bows sitting neatly at the back. My navy and grey tartan school skirt falling to just above, leaving a small strip of white leg. I pulled my grey school jumper over my white shirt and navy tie, fluffing my scarlet curls back over my shoulders. I checked in the mirror and grimaced.

I looked cute. China doll cute. I wrinkled my nose in irritation. I was sixteen years old, and I still looked about twelve, or like some sort of woodland creature.