WAKE
Chpat4t 1
A cool wind blew across the lonely beach. Not a person in sight. Cold monstrous waves threw themselves against the wet rocks that enclosed the edges of the water... the beach was surrounded by three large cliffs that arched over the aggressive waves. Colossal clouds covered the sun leaving the beach dreadful and dry. A woman appeared from the rocks; her dark hair swished with the waves as the strong winds blew against her, but she didn't move, not even an inch. She stared off to the end of the beach, the woman leapt from the slippery rocks landing on the rough sand below her. A child no more than 3, stood holding a small white bear on the other side of the freezing beach.
"Mon Enfant" the woman exclaimed in French. Her voice echoed through the beach like a choir of angels. The child's eyes filled with awe, as a bright smile stretched across his chubby face. he pushed off the wet sand and began racing toward the woman. She watched as the boy made his way towards her, tucking her thick wavy hair behind her ear. Her eyes began to tear at the sight of her child. A dim red dot flashed onto the boy's forehead.
"arrête ça arrête!" The woman yelled to the boy. She took off towards him her hair waving in the cold, sharp wind. She threw her body onto the boy, squeezing him to the point his face was almost blue.
"Maman?" The boy asked, very confused in his horrible French. He tried to raise his arms, but they were held down by his mum.
"Shhh," the woman stopped him, "count to ten for me,"
"une" he smiled; a single tear fell down her warm cheek.
"Deux" the boy continued, his bright smile resting on his flushed face.
"Trois" he giggled. The woman let out a painful sigh, the boy stopped his counting.
"Mum- "the boy spoke softly. Her body went limp. the world seemed to spin around them, as the sand slowly sunk beneath him.
"Mummy!" The boy cried as the wind roared through the beach. The woman collapsed onto the sand. Ever so slowly the sand turned red beneath her. The boy stood terrified at the sight of his mother, as her skin slowly lost its warmth.
"Manan!" He exclaimed in French, He yelled out for anyone to help. He was alone. His scream echoed through the beach. Louder and louder until it was all that he could hear, "Maman, Maman...MAMAN!".
A small girl shot up from her covers in a cold sweat.
"J.J!" she called with an Australian accent out to the empty attic. Within seconds of her scream, a tall blonde boy emerged from the stairs that led up to the attic. Her cousin raced to her side on the thick mattress on the wooden floorboards. Grabbing her shoulders, he could feel the burn scars through her thin shirt,
"she's dead!" she cried to him, he pulled her into his chest. "he's all alone and she's dead!" she exclaimed her voice muffling into his pyjama shirt.
"Hey, hey, Lex look at me. it's alright. it's just a nightmare." The boy grabbed her face smooshing her cheeks together before pulling her into another hug. He stroked her frizzy brown hair, trying to calm her down. It wasn't working,
"You don't understand Jakob. It's real I know it is" she cried, tears soaking his pink pyjamas. "You have to believe me..."
he continued to stroke her hair, signing.
"Just breath, okay?" Jakob said kissing the top of her hair, she squeezed her eyes tight taking a deep breath in. "I'm right here"
As if she was knocked unconscious, she was asleep. Her body dropping down into Jacobs open arms, weighing them down. Jakob chuckled at his cousin tossing her back body onto the mattress. Pulling the white sheets over her, she brushed her hair away from her eyes. Smiling at her, he stood up and left the room.
A warm light shone through a small window on the arched roof above the mattress pushed up against the wall, Alex opened her eyes, it was morning. Her face squished against the cold wall, her throat was dry and distasteful. She groaning as she sat up, looking across the attic. She swallowed nothing trying to dampen her throat.
Her eyes traced around the cramped attic; Plastic bags filled with clothes from her move from the foster home. A coat hanger rack with nice expensive dresses that belonged to her aunt, with attic roof slanted, lent a long wall mirror against it opposite the mattress. She studied her own reflection, Her long coiled hair pulled up into a messy tossed bun with her uneven curtain bangs falling out, just reaching her mouth. She stared into her own eyes, bright button blue, having darker skin her eyes stood out from a mile away. She brushed the fringed out of her eyes tucking it behind her multiple pierced ears.
Her tan skin highlighted white scars on her cheeks and neck, from past injury's. Alex looked down at her amputated arm, just below her bicep and the scars that spread across her body,
She huffed, rubbing her eyes smearing her mascara from the night before. She Reached down grabbing her round glasses off the floorboards, putting them on, she groaned again. She shovelled herself off the bed, dragging herself over to the stairs that led down to the kitchen. Unbeknown to her the family dog, Toph was laying on the second top step. Catching her foot on the dog, Alex yelped.
Tumbling down the steps smashing her glasses on the steps on her way down, her body smashed into the closed door. The glass cutting around her eyes. Alex paused for a moment taking in what had just happened.
".... you alright?" Someone with an English accent shouted from behind the closed door. Alex paused again,
"no.." she yelled back. A blonde girl identical to Jakob, opened the door and Alex leant back onto the wooden floorboards, the girl looks over at her cousin. Her long blonde hair flowed down her shoulder as if it were a golden waterfall.
"hiya, Aimee" Alex smiled up to her cousin, innocently. Still in pain from her tumble.
"For heaven's sake." The girl laughed walking away to grab a tissue from the kitchen bench.
"what's this, the 5th pear you've broken since you moved here?" She walked back, stepping over Alex's body. She knelt on the steps, collecting the small glass shards into the tissue. Sticking her tongue out to the dog a few steps above her.
"6th," Alex kicking her legs over her head. Her knees sliding across the smooth floor, her stomach now on the floor.
"I've been here for like ever, Aim"
"you've only been here for three weeks. You're lucky you haven't had school yet." She laughed,
"Yep, today's the lucky day!" Alex said sarcastically, standing up. brushing off her grey pyjama pants.
"Come on, now, " Aimee held her hand out for Alex, taking it Aimee pulled Alex out of the small room. she stormed out of the room around to the hallway opposite the kitchen, they continued down the hallway entering Aimee's shared bedroom. Aimee and Jakob shared a room, with their house not being all that big, there were only 3 bedrooms. Master bedroom, twins' room, and her aunt's office. Aimee and Jakob's beds were placed at each side of the room, Jakob's next to the built-in wardrobe that was across from the door, and Aimee's next to the open bay window. Their beds were simple but above each, neatly made bed was a poster; Jakob's ACDC, Aimee's a poster of the spice girls.
Aimee pulled Alex into the room closing the door behind them. She tosses the tissue into the rubbish bin next to her bed, Aimee grabbed a long-sleeved white striped button up out of the open wardrobe, which was far too big on Alex.
"Jesus, aim, there's no way that's gonna fit me" Alex laughed, as Aimee took the shirt off the hanger.
"This is the only shirt mum said you can borrow till she gets you new clothes." Aimee shrugged, Alex took a breath brushing off her aunt's hatred.
"right" Alex agreed softly, Aimee grabbed a pair of greeny-blue tight wide-legged jeans. And held up for her to see.
"Great, now I'll look like Mary Poppins," Alex said sarcastically, which made Aimee giggle.
"you'll look fine, off with it" Aimee smiled, unbuttoning the shirt. Alex pulled her black shirt over her head, tossing it onto Aimee's bed. she stood in her black bralette.
"I'll never get used to those" Aimee's chuckled her eyes glancing over the burn scars over Alex's body.
Alex didn't say anything, she refused to look at her deep scars that covered the majority of her right side. The scars reached her collarbone covering the side of her breast making them lopsided.
Aimee opened the shirt out pulling it over her shoulders, Alex feeds her left arm into the sleeve and her bicep into the other. Aimee buttoned the shirt down. Alex dropped her pants stepping into the jeans. She jumped slightly as Aimee pulled the jeans up to her waist.
She buttoned the jeans and stepped back.
"boom!" Alex jumped. "Teamwork"
Holding her hand up for a high five, Aimee slapped Alex's hand lightly. Alex shook her head,
Leaving the bedroom for Aimee to get changed. She shut the door behind her, leaning against the cream-coloured wall. The house was quiet, a lot quieter than she was used to. Suddenly the bathroom door swung open to see Jakob, as he stormed down the hallway, wearing a white long sleeve button up and his towel. He was soaked head to toe as if he was rained on. He had a fire in his eyes, no rage.
"you good, mate?" Alex asked, pulling herself the wall.
"hey lex, you feeling better?" it was as if his emotions were controlled by a switch, one minute he was steaming the next happy and dandy. He tossed his hair out of his eyes.
"Yeah, I am" Alex nodded,
"that's good, have you talked to mum or dad about the nightmares yet?" he asked as if wasn't a big deal.
"no I can't they'll just send me to a doctor, and I've had doctor visits to last me a lifetime."
"I get that" he nodded
"what's with your hair?" Alex asked referring to the pink tiled in his blond locks.
"OH, don't get me started" He furiously swung the door open
Alex suppressed a chuckle. Aimee jumped at the intrusion.
"YOU!" shrilled Jakob, as he entered the room. "look what you did to me!
Aimee chuckle at the sight of her brother, his pinkie hair. Alex crept in behind him. Trying not to laugh,
"you deserved it," Aimee said slyly crossing her arms. Jakob scoffed loudly. "you took my phone time" she huffed; Jakob scoffed even louder. They bickered louder and louder as Alex chuckled to herself. She spun around, walking down the hallway again. Stopping halfway she took a moment admiring the family photos on the wall. Their happy family, all 5 members of their family joyfully sitting in the garden.
Alex took a deep breath moving to the next photo.
Her mother smiling like a child with her aunt. She shut her eyes tightly rubbing her cheek, she quickly left the hallway. Alex rushed into the small room that led up to the attic shutting the door behind her. Leaning against the wall she sunk into the floor her breath trembled as she inhaled. She held herself against the wall her ear pressed so she couldn't hear anything, she placed her palm over the other ear hold her ear closed.
Humming to herself, a song from her childhood.
"Alex, c'mon we're gonna miss the train," Aimee yelled from the kitchen. One final deep breath, as Alex stood up from the floor. She opened the door masking her freak out. Her cousins stood in the kitchen all dressed and ready to go. Aimee in a pink tight dress and Jakob in a white button-up and black jeans, he held a brown shoulder bag out for Alex to take.
"an early birthday present." They smiled at her,
"aw you shouldn't have" she grabbed it off him, as they made their way to the door."