Silver Lining

Chapter 1

☆☆☆

Blank.

And black.

The darkness consumed me as I walked further. I wasn't falling, so my confidence fetched me further. My feet were bare, hand skimming along my dress. It's soft cotton the only thing to touch.

It was dark and I was alone. I smiled at the sweet thought and took off into a run.

My hair flew like the tail of a swimming fish, I felt like I was free at last, like it had always been this way.

Then it ended, I stopped my run. My eyes zeroed in on a tree. It was dead, leafless. My feet fetched me to it, I touched it's lifeless trunk. The roughness was overwhelming.

"Dead." A voice spoke from behind me.

I looked up. It was her. I felt a stir of emotion in the air, fear. She was the devil, and she was here. And so she tilted her head, eyes pitch black. "Just like you."

"I-I am not d-dead." 

"No, you're not." She smiled, "not yet."

A haste step back and I tripped on a root. I closed my eyes but fell hard on a smooth plane instead. The black was gone. It was replaced with piercing white which left me sightless, forcing me to squeeze my eyes close. I let them adjust.

"You were always a coward, little worm."

Tanya walked in from behind me. Her demonic blue eyes were loathsome as they inspected mine. If eyes could burn, I'd be ash.

I scrambled back. The cotton of my dress was smooth against my skin as I clawed my way up to my feet and dusted it despite the daintiness.

"What d-do you want f-from me?" My voice failed me with it's waver.

She scoffed, screamed danger.

It's not real.

I opened my eyes, yet she stood there smiling like a mad ghost.

Her eyes snapped up to mine again. She wasn't empty handed this time, a dagger seemed to have appeared out of the blue.

"Isn't it obvious?" She drawled and took a step forward. "I enjoy your fear, when you squirm, it gives me life little worm."

"No." I whimpered.

"You're weak and vulnerable." She kneeled, then examined her dagger with beady eyes, slowly turning it around to get good angles at it's slicing sharpness and then said in a thick voice. "It makes me feel strong," she looked at me. "I feel powerful."

"Why?" I asked. Why would anyone go to such extent for that?

Her downhearted crystals snapped to mine and she whispered, "You know why."

I saw it coming. Like a flash of lightning slamming into my skin like a long lost organ. I screamed in agony.

Breathing hard, I opened my eyes but the nightmare surrounded me no more. I was in my bed and down my cheeks ran warm tears.

Not real. It was a constant reminder.

But close. My inner demon snickered.

I headed to the kitchen for a glass off water. I was switching off the lights after concluding my business when a voice spoke, "Why are you sweating?"

I turned around swifty to find mom standing there with her arms crossed over her night gown, frowning but mostly dazed.

"Mom...it's really hot these days isn't it?" I fanned my faced.