Send ✔️

14 ~ An Indescribable Pain

My eyes opened. Everything around me was nothing. Not like I was surrounded by blackness, literally just nothing.

In front of me stood Annie, wearing a white gown. It flowed around her. She seemed to walk up to me, but I could tell she wasn't walking. That's the moment I realized I wasn't standing on anything. I freaked out for a split second, but managed to calm down.

"Hey, Hayley," Annie smiled.

I blinked.

She hugged me. I was stunned. I felt her arms around me, the warmth of her skin, everything. It felt real. She pulled away, her hands holding mine.

"Someone's been waiting to see you," she smiled again.

Her smile brought some emotion to me that I couldn't recognize. It was weird.

She let go of one of my hands to turn around, leading me somewhere. My feet walking on absolutely nothing felt incredibly terrifying, but weirdly freeing. A few minutes later, I noticed that there was absolutely no sound. Not our feet, not her gown swishing, nothing. I looked down to see that I was wearing a dress. It was a color I didn't know.

In the distance, a figure walked towards us. Annie smiled bigger. We finally met face to face with him.

"Caleb?" I gasped. He smiled.

I engulfed him in a huge hug. Suddenly, I gained a memory I didn't know I had. It was the last time he ever hugged me. The time before this one. I didn't want him to hug me since I was "mad" with him about something, but he hugged me anyway. I tried to escape the hug, but I eventually gave up and laughed.

We both pulled away from the hug. Caleb smile slowly faded. His eyes changed. I grew confused. He shoved me. I was taken aback. He slapped my face, hard. It stung. I felt every little cell that he touched burn. Annie yanked me back from him because I was stunned.

"What the hell, Caleb?!" She shouted.

"Oh, so you don't think there's anything wrong with the fact that she exposed our entire family?" Caleb spat at her.

Tears grew in my eyes. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have—"

"No, Hayley, it's okay," Annie smiled at me.

"It's really not okay. She's gonna ruin our family's name, and what's going to happen when she goes to apply for a job or something in the future? Her possible boss is gonna know exactly who she is, and know the little rat she is," he spoke directly in my face.

I was shaking and tears were coming down my face. "I'm sorry," I managed to get out.

"Your stupid little voice got yourself in trouble. From when you yelled at our parents after Annie jumped out her window, to when you talked back to mom and dad the days following, and when you had the nerve to ask dad about Sadie. You should have just stayed quiet," he spat. He moved inches away from my face. "Hayley, you shouldn't have talked."

Annie shoved Caleb, something I never thought she'd do. "This isn't the brother I thought I had. This isn't you. Whatever the hell happened to your soul after you died, you need to snap out of. Do you understand me?!"

Caleb was clearly not amused, but I could tell he was a bit surprised that Annie yelled at him.

"This is not the treatment I want from my siblings. Don't you ever talk to me again."

He glared at both Annie and I before fading away. Annie and I looked at each other, shocked.

"I have no idea what's wrong with him," Annie said, shaking her head.

I felt more tears come down my face. She hugged me.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asked.

"He's never once talked to anyone like that before," I whispered. "Why was I the first?"

"I have no idea."

I turned around, expecting to see Annie, because she had hugged me from behind earlier. Instead, I saw nothing.

"Annie?" I called. "Annie!"

I began to grow scared.

"Looking for someone?"

I turned around slowly to find Caleb standing there, one hand behind his back. My fear increased, but I didn't know why.

"Where did she go?"

"She left. Don't know where to," he shrugged, stepping closer to me. I instinctively stepped back. He frowned.

"Oh, so now you're scared of me?"

I stepped back again, but he cast one hand in the air, sweeping upwards.

"That's much better, isn't it?" He smiled.

I realized my legs were stuck in place. I opened my mouth to ask him to let me go, but I couldn't speak. I began to freak out. He moved closer.

"Hayley, you're fine, stop worrying," he smirked. He was only inches from my face now. He took a hand and messed with my curls. Without thinking, one of my hands flew up and smacked him on the cheek, hard. He held his face, looking back up to me. His eyes held an anger that I could only describe as fire. The hidden hand flew up, and I caught a second's glimpse of a knife before it went towards my neck. I had no reaction time. The second it tapped my skin, an indescribable pain seared through my body.

My eyes snapped open. My entire pillow and my face were wet. Tears. My neck and face still burned, my neck hurting worse. I stood up to go to my bathroom, but I became really dizzy. I held onto my nightstand until I was okay, then rushed to the mirror, turning on the light.

On the right side of my neck, I noticed a long scar about two millimeters thick. It looked fresh, but not like a cut. It wasn't bleeding. My face had a red mark in the shape of a hand on it.

It was real.

It couldn't have been a dream.

What the hell.

I returned to my bed, noticing a slip of paper on the pillow. It wasn't there when I had woken up. I turned on my phone's flashlight and shined it on the note.

I'm so sorry. Everything is going to be fine. I'll try my best to sort it out.
xoxo, annie

It definitely was real.

I want an explanation.

Now.