My Final Sunrise

My Final Sunrise, Ch.2

My Final Sunrise

Chapter Two.

An iron grip tightened round my upper arms.

I whirled round to see my captor.

"Daniel!" I squeaked. I breathed a sigh of relief.

He stood, still gripping my upper arms, studying my face intently.

"I came to meet you from your bus. What happened?" he asked gently, loosening his strangle hold on my upper arms.

"Nothing. I just felt a bit odd... Don't worry." I pasted what I hoped was a convincing smile onto my face. Daniel looked at me for a moment longer, before pulling me into a gentle hug. "You're not mad at me then?" I asked, talking into his chest.

"Huh? No, course not, silly!" I relaxed into his chest, suddenly exhausted and unsteady on my feet. He tensed. I pulled back to look at him. He was fixated on something over my shoulder.

"What is it?" I asked, turning to find what had bothered him. The square behind us was deserted.

"Nothing Daryl, Listen, you should get home, you look tired. I'll call you later?" He pushed me gently towards the edge of the square. Giving him a quick peck on the cheek, I turned towards home, looking back at him as I left. He stood still, focused on the same spot across the square. Shrugging, I left for home.

***

I curled up on my bed, exhausted. After getting home I had chatted with my mum as she fed Lissa, filling her in on the events of my day. She had offered to talk to the headmaster about my Algebra teacher, but I refused, not wanting to make a scene. Soon after, I headed up to my room, wanting to lay down a while.

Through eyelids like lead, I looked at my bedside clock. It was only just after six, but I could barely hold my head up. I pulled my duvet over my legs, deciding I would have a nap before dinner.

***

"Daryl, Wake up sweet pea." I became aware of being shaken gently.

"Hey Mum." I murmured, unwilling to open my eyes.

"Come on Daryl, you need to get up, you'll be late." I finally opened my eyes, confused. Glancing at the clock, I read the time. 7:35.

"Late?" I asked, confused.

"For school, honey. You slept through. You seemed to need it."

Wow, I had slept for thirteen hours, even missing a meal, which was very odd for me. "In fact," my mother continued, "You still look a little peaky. Do you feel okay?" She pressed her cool palm against my forehead.

I sat up, making a quick assessment of myself. My limbs felt heavy, as if I were wading through treacle.

"I feel...tired, I guess." I shrugged, swinging my feet onto the carpet. From the kitchen, Sammy began to wail. Distracted, my mother patted my leg absentmindedly, before returning to the kitchen.

Standing, my room swirled around me. Gripping onto the dresser, I closed my eyes until my head stopped swimming. Glancing in the mirror, I was shocked at my reflection.

My usually pale skin was almost grey in colour. Huge bruise like shadows lay beneath my eyes, making it look like I hadn't slept in weeks. In fact, that was how I felt. Despite my long sleep, I was exhausted.

Slowly, I pulled my school uniform on, pulling my hair back into a messy bun, glancing again at my shocking reflection. For the last few weeks I had been tired, but I had put this down to the start of the new school term, and the increased workload. I turned my back on the mirror, trudging down the stairs to the kitchen.