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.
My height helped nothing. At 5'2", I was the smallest girl in my class, my figure still resolutely boy shaped. My only redeeming feature, I decided, was my hair. I had a shock of long, curly hair, in a bright scarlet rarely seen naturally. At least it made me stand out.
Grabbing my battered school bag, I headed down towards the kitchen where I could hear my mother singing some children's song. I smiled, watching my mother swinging my two year old sister Lissa around the kitchen.
"Morning baby." She paused in her song to greet me. "Pancakes?". She nodded towards the pan behind her. I smiled.
"Yes please." She carefully handed Lissa over to me, turning back to plate up breakfast.
I cuddled Lissa, trying to keep her sticky hands off of my uniform. She was a pretty child, her curls a similar shade to mine, but teamed with an angelic face. Her bright blue eyes lit up as she closed her tiny starfish hands on the delicate chain around my neck.
I carefully settled her into her highchair, carefully clipping closed the straps around her flailing arms. She sang happily to herself, singing a familiar song I could not quite recognise.
I sat beside her on a barstool, digging my fork into the plate of pancakes my mother had set before me.
"Is dad at work?" I asked between mouthfuls. My mother nodded.
"He had an early meeting this morning." My mother explained, wiping syrup from Lissa's sticky face.
My father worked at an investment bank in town, and seemed to spend an abnormal amount of time at work. My mother did not work. After the birth of my sister Lissa, and then our four month old brother Sammy, my mother had quit her work as a literary agent. She still held advice meetings for her previous clients, but seemed to be currently embracing the stepford mum thing in a big way.
My parents had both been in their late teens when I was born, taking me with them on their wild ride of different flats and jobs. Then five years ago, dad had landed the job at the bank, and suddenly we were settled and grounded. I had happily settled into our new life in Epping, quickly making friends and enjoying school. I was happy, but it seemed a completely different family than I was born into.
I was interrupted from my musings by a glance at the clock. I was running late.
"Bye Mum, Bye Liss!" I landed a flying kiss on my sister's curls before grabbing my bag and heading out the door.
***
I shivered as I walked, wishing I had picked up my coat. It was a reasonably short walk to my bus stop, through a few residential roads, past the shop, then across the park.
I hurried down the road, waving at our neighbour as she passed by, dragged along by her puppy.
I slowed as I reached the shop. It was the usual hangout of the local boys, they usually sat on the wall outside smoking and drinking. I approached the shop slowly, trying to appear invisible.
The square in front of the shop was silent. I sighed in relief. The boys usually meant no harm, but they were quite intimidating in a big group. I raced across the square, eager to catch the next bus.
I slowed as I noticed a man standing in the alleyway. He was older than the usual boys, Perhaps late twenties. He leaned against the wall, his eyes closed. He looked grubby and unshaven, his stance looked menacing. The darkness wrapped around him, adding to the atmosphere.
I quickly weighed my options. To avoid this alleyway would add twenty minutes to my journey, I would miss my bus for sure. I looked at the man again. He was dressed in black Jeans and a leather jacket. He towered over me, despite being slouched. His eyes remained resolutely closed.
Taking a deep breath, I hurried past him. I couldn't be sure, but it sounded like he gave one delicate sniff. I shuddered, running the rest of my journey to the bus.
***
"Daryl! DARYL!" Tara waved, her mane of blonde hair bouncing as she jumped and waved. I cringed, everyone was looking at her, and then me. The blood rushed to my face, a deep blush forming over my cheeks. She leaped at me, wrapping her arms around my neck. As I saw her, I felt a familiar stab of envy.
Tara was tall, nearly six foot, and poster girl curvy. She had long straight blonde hair which looked amazing with her naturally tanned skin. She wore our uniform like a supermodel, swinging her hips as she walked, completely nonplussed by the glares of envy and stares of lust sent her way.
Next to her I looked even more like a woodland elf, nearly a foot shorter, I knew I looked much younger too. I silenced the jealous voice in my head, returning her warm hug.
She chattered non stop as we walked to our locker, filling me in on her weekend.
"My mum was totally mad about all the paint on my jeans, but your room looks so lush. Totally worth it!" She gushed. I nodded in agreement, turning back to get my math book from the locker. Abruptly it slammed closed, jarring painfully on my arm.
"Oh I'm SOOOOOoo Sorry Darren!" A sarcastic voice drawled at me.
I turned with a glare. It was Sophie Harriman, the only majorly bad thing about this whole school. Sophie and I had fallen out as soon as I moved here, as I had been offered the final spot on the track team, something that was apparently hers. She had been making my life difficult ever since. She stood, towering over me, blocking my way.
"Come on Daryl, like we need this." Tara slipped her arm through my elbow, dragging me away from a disgruntled Sophie. "You should see her face! She hates being blanked!" Tara chuckled. It was amusing if you were Tara, tall, blonde and beautiful. No one messed with you if you were Tara, If you were me however. I wondered again if I had victim tattooed on my forehead.
***
Irritated, I rubbed out my equation for the fourth time. I just could not get to grips with algebra, In fact maths in general stumped me, a fact that had always annoyed my father. I let out a yawn. Suddenly a shadow fell across my desk.
"Problem Miss Howard?" Mrs. Jones leaned over my desk. "Are we boring you?"
The blood rushed to my face.
"Not bored Miss, just stuck." I mumbled, trying to avoid the rest of the class hearing.
"Well maybe you can practice in detention!" She snapped. My jaw dropped.
"Why? I didn't do anything!" I complained.
"We are four equations ahead and I told you to have finished by now. You're obviously not trying hard enough."
"That's not fair!" I gasped, before I could stop myself.
"Two hours." She snapped, turning on her heel and heading back to the front.
Defeated, I dropped my head into my hands. It really wasn't fair.
***
"It's really not fair," I complained, scraping my hair up into a scruffy bun. "I only yawned."
Tara mumbled consoling noises through a mouthful of pizza. Daniel looked cross.
Daniel was my boyfriend. We had been together for the past year, after meeting through the track team. I sent him a small smile. He returned it with a look of irritation.
"We were sposed to hang out this evening." He muttered. He sounded like a spoilt child, I thought in annoyance. He brushed a hand through his hair, flattening his carefully messed up blonde hair.
"I didn't do it on purpose." I replied.
"Yeah well, you never do it on purpose do you?" He stood up abruptly, before dumping his tray and leaving the room.
"What the hell?" Tara asked, her eyebrows raising in her pretty face.
I shrugged. I guess I have been blowing him off a little, but I'd been busy. Mum had had a few work dinners with dad, so I had sat for the kids. It just happened to fall on our Friday nights. Still, it was very unlike him to snap. I decided to give him a little space.
My attention was grabbed by a figure running by the window. The figure was tall, and looked so familiar. As the leather jacket disappeared from view, I could not place it. Maybe it was just déjà vu. I shook of the prickly feeling of discomfort, turning back in time to watch Tara shove an entire slice of pizza into her mouth. I chuckled.
"Gross." The boys sitting around our table didn't seem to agree. Gross and Tara didn't seem to go together in their world. Rolling my eyes at her, I collected my things, waving to Tara as I headed to my final class. P.E. Great.
***
"Come on girls! More effort!" Mrs. England trilled, swinging her whistle. There was a collective groan from the entire class, as we continued passing the basketball with very little effort. Mrs. England rolled her eyes. "Fine. Go get changed then!" The entire class turned back towards the changing room. "Oh ummm, Daryl, Sophie. Could you girls tidy up please." With that she turned and disappeared into her office.
"Yeah right." Sophie rolled her eyes, sending me a glare. "Have fun Darren."
I sighed, collecting the balls two at a time and ferrying them to the cupboard. The hairs on the back of my neck raised and I paused. Someone was there. I turned.
The gym was empty. I turned checking the other door. Nothing.
I shivered, then began collecting the balls once more. Someone was definitely there. I could feel their eyes on me. I spun around once more. Again the gym was empty.
Fear held me in place, the presence in the room holding me on the spot.
I struggled to breathe, my panicked breaths catching raggedly.
The suddenly, the pressure was gone. I was alone.
Hastily I shut the cupboard and fled from the room.
***
"That's two hours. You can go." Mrs. Jones did not look up from the paper she was reading. I shoved my things into my bag, leaving the near empty room.
It was late, nearing six o'clock, and the dusk was beginning to set in. I hurried to the bus stop, wishing once more I had remembered my coat.
The bus stop was deserted.
Once more I felt the familiar prickling of eyes on my back.
Spinning round, I was alone, just as I knew I would be.
Keen for a distraction, I pulled my mobile from my bag. Scrolling through the numbers, I pressed call.
The phone rung at the other end, finally clicking onto voicemail.
"Hi, Daniel. Its me. Um Daryl. So I wanted to apologize for this afternoon... but your not there... so...uh... I'm sorry. Bye." I shook my head in irritation.
Stepping back to let the passengers off the bus, I fumbled with my change, sliding the coins to the driver before taking a seat. Again I got an uneasy feeling of being watched. Surreptitiously I turned. The bus was empty behind me, the few passengers arranged on seats in front of me. I pulled my jumper closer around me. Why did nobody else feel it . Maybe there was something wrong with me.
Whatever it was, I could not shake the feeling.
Getting off the bus, I headed off at a run, eager to outrun the prickling feeling. I scurried across the park, ignoring the amused looks of the joggers and dog walkers.
My heart was pounding in my ears as I ran.
Towards the shop, haring round the back alleys and streets.
Running at full tilt now, unexplained fear stabbing at my heart.
I turned to see if my invisible pursuer was there.
And ran straight into a leather armed hold.