PART ONE: WINGS
The monsters are everywhere.
The dark, shadowy beings have long, sharp claws for hands and big, eerie grins filled with sharp, yellow teeth.
Their breath reeks of blood and they demons are from covered top to bottom in the sticky, red liquid.
However, there are other beings around, more beautiful beings: the people with the wings.
They're wings are so beautiful, glowing and glistening in the sunlight. The winged people seem so surreal and supernatural, but they mesmerize me nonetheless.
However, they are just as terrified of the monsters as I am and they too, are covered in blood.
As I'm deciding whether to run and save myself or attempt to rescue the people with the wings, a monster yanks me by the throat and lifts me into the air.
As I gasp and fight for oxygen it grins and cackles. I try to claw my way out of it's grasp but it continues to tighten its grip.
My eyes roll in the back of my head and the world that surrounds me goes black.
I jolt up in my bed. My clock reads 3:00 am. I pull my blanket up to my chin and begin to shiver although my shirt is drenched in sweat.
It's always been that same nightmare with those exact monsters killing and destroying. The people with the wings, bodies in pain and mind flooded with terror, saying that they need me. I've been experiencing this horror ever since I was a little girl.
What could they mean? What is my mind trying to tell me?
I reach under my pillow and feel around for my pill bottle. When I pull it out, I twist open the cap and pop a tiny, white pill into my mouth. My shoulders relax and my toes become numb. Doctor says they're supposed to help me sleep. They don't, of course. I only take them because the drugs keep me sane... most of the time.
I won't even try going back to sleep; it's not worth it.
***
My clock now reads 7:10 am, time to get ready for prison, er, I mean, school.
When I'm downstairs, my mom is in the kitchen preparing my favorite breakfast, PB&J. She smiles warmly when she notices me.
"Good morning, Katheryn. Did you sleep well?"
Mom knows whether I slept well or not, she always has. I think she just asks to see if I slept better than usual, or maybe to be polite.
"Sure, I guess." I answer. Before Mom could ask anymore questions about my sleep pattern, I give her a quick kiss, stuff the sandwich in my mouth, and head out the door.My school is just a couple of blocks away, so I usually walk. I have calculus first period, so I head there. My calculus teacher, Ms. Quakers, is a middle-aged woman that addresses you by your last name. When I enter the classroom, I take my seat in the back and wait for class to begin.
"Well, look who it is," a kid on my left snickers. It's no one but Derek; a tall brown kid that's just a pain in my rear end and has been ever since I accidentally bumped into him in my freshman year.
"It's the Freak of the Week," he announces with a grin. Some of the kids around him laugh which seems to boost his self-esteem.
I don't react much, I just flip him off and pull out my textbook.
I spend the rest of the day alone as always. When the last period bell rings, I am relieved to leave. First, I need to use the bathroom. I check in each stall before I go inside my own. When I walk into the handicap stall, I reach into my backpack and take out my pills.Everyone knows I'm the scary redhead who has to consume drugs or else she'll go crazy, but I still don't want others to see or hear me ingest them. Doctor says they're only supposed to be taken before bedtime, but I had a long day and my hands are shaking.
When I twist open the cap, I hear my name being called in a soft whisper. I ignore it at first, but then I hear it again."Katheryn."
I shout aloud to see if anyone else is in another stall, but no one answers.
"Hello," I call out again.
I stuff the pills in my backpack and when I leave the stall, I immediately freeze in place. A shadow monster leans against the the other side wall and smiles wide when he sees me.
Yes you heard me correctly, a monster, as in my nightmares, is standing before me. I shriek loudly and the monster seems to glitch and before I could blink, it stands so close to me that I can smell the blood on its breath.
I fall to the floor in shock which gives the monster a good advantage to maim me."Shh. Don't make a sound," it whispers
My chest heaves and I shake violently. I can't believe this is happening. It slowly raises its claw to kill me. Why is this happening? I manage to scream "No!" and the monster is thrown back to the other side of the bathroom.
The final bell rings which means that the the teachers check every room to make sure all students are off campus.
The monster grins and vanishes when the vice principal arrives.
"Ms. Matthews," his voice bellows, "if you don't have an after school pass, I suggest you leave campus."
I'm still in shock about what I had just encountered. "Yes sir." I squeak.
"I'll just pretend that never happened." I mumble to myself as I leave the girls bathroom.
***
I'm glad to be home finally. I slowly ascend the stairs to my bedroom and set down my backpack. I look myself in the mirror, Katheryn Luna Matthews. I'm an exact replica of my mom.We're both short with big brown eyes and our skin is a very light sandy color. The only difference between us is our hair, she has curly brown hair and I have straight, fire-red hair. I have no idea how I ended up looking similar to Mom; she adopted me.
Mom said she wanted a baby; therefore, she visited an orphanage and thought I was the perfect baby. I don't know anything about my real parents and never really cared, actually. I don't know what I would do without Mom and I'm so happy to have her, regardless on the little information I have of my birth parents.
***
"Hey Katheryn, how was school," Mom greets me when she returns home from work.
"It was okay," I exhale. I probably should tell her about the monster incident. No, no I shouldn't because it never happened.
Mom asks, "How about the kids, were they bothering you?"
I chuckle to myself, "Mom they always bother me. But no, today was a pretty normal day."
I ask Mom about her day at work to change the subject. Mom works at a mall I've never heard of before, so, it's somewhat difficult to have a conversation about it.
"Well kiddo, I think I'm going to call it a night. Don't forget to take your pills before you go to bed." She kisses me on the cheek and goes to bed.
***
A little girl that looks a couple of years younger than me has those wings, those beautiful wings. This is what makes me trust her.
She's laughing and beckoning me to come towards her. I walk towards her, but then she begins to run. I follow the sound of her giggle until I find her in a dark room.
She's not laughing anymore, she's crying. Sticky red blood paints her body.
She looks at me and chokes out, "We need you Katheryn."
That is when I see them, the horrible monsters. They're floating towards me, grinning all the while. I start to think, "This is a horrible way to die."
I scream myself awake. I'm trembling violently. I look at my clock, almost 4:00 am. Mom jogs into my bedroom, she looks worried. "Katheryn, are you alright?"
I'm unable to answer. I get out of bed and reach into my backpack for my pills. I'm still shaking, so it's difficult to twist the cap off.I manage to squeak, "I'm fine." I clear my throat slightly before speaking again. "I just need to take my pills." Mom doesn't believe me, I can tell."Kat, do you want to talk about it?" I shake my head and climb back in bed.
Mom kisses me and leaves. I don't go to sleep, I cry. I cry and cry and cry.
***
I arrive at school a little late, well actually ten minutes late. When I finally make it to Ms. Quakers class, everyone stares, some even snicker. I hand my tardy slip to Quakers and walk to my seat.
I didn't sleep very well last night. Actually, I didn't sleep at all last night. I feel completely drowsy as soon as my butt touches the seat. As my teacher drones on and on about a calculus equation, I could feel my eyes getting heavy.
I don't wanna go to sleep, not because I don't want to miss this incredible lesson, but because I don't want everyone see me mumble in my sleep and wake up most likely screaming.
But I can't help myself. I lay my head on my textbook and fall into a deep slumber.
I see myself; it's as if I'm outside of my body.
I'm wearing a small, white dress with butterflies decorating the simple garment. My glorious wings are glimmering, which surprises me. I shouldn't have wings.
I'm crying. I notice a monster claw on my shoulder. The shadow of the monster comes into view. He grins at me, the actual me. It's terrifying. It says,"I'm going to destroy you and everyone you care about."
My mouth drops open but the replica Katheryn is the one who begins to scream horrifically. Tears continuously stream down her face when the monster slits her throat.
I jerk when I come back. I'm still in class, safe and sound. I must have did exactly what I didn't want to do. Tears are running down my cheeks and my breathing is unsteady. All of the students stare at me with wide eyes and I could hear Derek's stupid laugh.
I look nervously toward Ms. Quakers and try to wear a convincing smile. Ms. Quakers just crosses her arms and points to the door.