'  if you can't wake up from a nightmare, maybe you're not asleep. '
 

   THE ROPES restrained the girl from moving. As she opened her eyes, little spots of black and white obscured her vision as she attempted to determine where she was. The slightest movement created friction on her arms which made the ropes dig further into the tissue of her skin. A quiet whine escaped her mouth as she began to scan her surroundings. She was in the middle of nowhere, tied to a ginormous tree. The bark jabbed into her back as she squirmed in hopes of getting free.

 "It's no use." The girl whipped her head up, sending her raven hair flying. Through the curtain of hair, she could barely make out who was standing in front of her. A man with steel blue eyes approached her, a sinister smile growing on his unusually pale face.

  "Where am I?" the girl hissed through her clenched teeth. She could still see the multicolored dots in her peripheral vision, making her eyesight bleary. The girl's fingers clamped themselves into fists, her knuckles turning white and scraping against the dry bark. Her head throbbed, almost as if her skull was waiting to detonate. Her lips stuck together and she struggled to pull them apart as her mouth grew parched by each passing second.

 "It doesn't matter," replied the man, his voice growing lower and almost coming out as a growl. "You won't be surviving this." A dry sob escaped the girl's lips and she began to wriggle against the tree, her elbows becoming scraped as she twisted harder.

  "Please," she begged. "If you let me go, I promise to never tell anyone!" Her voice began to crack and tears dribbled down her cheeks into her parted mouth. The man approached her and grabbed her by her chin. Her breathing grew intense and she struggled to not pass out.

 "What's your name?" He asked, his breath blowing on to her face. She grimaced at the smell and managed to avert his gaze. She wouldn't answer to him. He grew impatient and jerked her chin, causing a burst of pain in her jaw. "Answer me," he snarled, his dull nails digging into her complexion.

  "Mary," she said in a breathless whisper. He released her chin and the girl's neck became slump. He began to laugh, and the girl knew that she would remember the man's laugh in her nightmares. It was coarse and rough, but nonetheless, it still sent shivers down her spine. That laugh would haunt her sleep for years to come.

 "What's so funny?" she demanded, her temper rising. Her hands started to pick at the ropes, pulling pieces of twine apart from each other. He didn't notice her fingers working and she quietly thanked whoever was watching over her.

 "It's ironic! You're a virgin and your name is Mary." He chuckled and bent down, picking up a gas canteen. He unscrewed the cap and and picked up the container. She could hear the gasoline sloshing in the canteen, making her stomach churn. What was he going to use it for?

  "How do you know I'm a virgin?" She stated coyly. The rope near her stomach was steadily becoming thinner and soon, she would be able to rip it apart.

  "Does it matter?" She let out a shaky breath and watched him come closer to her, the nauseating smell of gasoline clogging her nose. He raised it above her head and tilted it ever so slightly, letting the thick liquid ooze out. It splashed down her head and dribbled to almost every crevice of her body. Her breathing became more ragged as the rope she was picking at became soaked. Her nails struggled to pick the drenched rope, leaving her no way of escaping. 

 She watched him pull out a box of matches. Her eyes widened in fear as she realized what he was going to do. He was going to burn her alive. Her heart started beating fast and she struggled to keep herself conscious. The pounding of her head grew worse as she inhaled more gasoline fumes. A cry gushed out of her mouth, her sobs turning into ear piercing screams.

  He swiped the match across the box, and a small flame flickered on the wooden stick. He took a step closer to her. "Feed me and I live, give me something to drink and I'll die. What am I?" The girl ignored his riddle and continued her screaming. He was getting closer and closer.

   Before she had a moment to react, he flicked the match towards her and she combusted into flames. Her cold skin turned warm as the fire began to burn through layers of flesh. Ice cold screams couldn't protect her from the searing pain she felt. She watched her arms as her skin began to shrivel and melt under the intense heat. Her sobs became quiet, and she never made another sound.

 Proud, the man shoved the box of matches into his pocket and began to walk away from the tree, power surging through his veins. He could feel himself becoming stronger and he loved the feeling. But, something felt off. The man turned around and looked at the tree. The girl was gone and burnt ropes covered the bottom of the tree. What was going on?

 When he turned back around, he came face to face with her. Her lips were curved into a wicked smile and the burn marks across her body were nowhere to be seen. Her fingertips were dusted with ash and in her eyes, he swore he could see flames dancing. The swirls of yellow and orange hypnotized him and her smile grew.

 "I know the answer to your riddle," she said in a faint whisper as she stepped towards him. His heart pounded against his chest. He attempted to take a step back, but he tripped, leaving him defenseless against the creature before him.

 "W-What is it?" he stuttered as he crawled backwards,

 "Fire." And with that last word, the man with the steel blue eyes felt the true burn of fire.

"MISS ROSENBERG!"

  Startled, Faye jumped from her seat and glanced up to see the unforgiving eyes of her teacher. Mr. Westover glowered down at her, his beady eyes scanning every inch of her face. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as her sleepy eyes adjusted to the scenery of the classroom. Everyone in the room was staring at her. "Were you just asleep in my class?"

  Unable to coax her voice out of her throat, Faye just gaped at him. The blonde swallowed and opened her mouth to speak, but she was just left with a quiet "Uh".  The teacher shook his head and moved back towards the front of the classroom, just as the familiar shriek of the bell echoed through the hallways.

 Students surpassed each other, trying to get out the one door. Faye groggily stood up; She was exhausted. Her limbs were sore and her mind couldn't stop showing her the vivid images of her nightmare. She remembered every single detail of the dream. The detail she remembered most was the haunting eyes of the girl. Just thinking of it made Faye shudder. "Faye," her teacher called. "Can you come here please?"

  Faye pursed her lips and pivoted on her heels, making her way to Mr. Westover's work station. She could feel her phone buzzing in her back pocket and she desperately wanted to go to lunch so she could see Erica. The blonde blinked and it took her a second to remind herself where she was. The History teacher surveyed her as she placed her binder on the desk across from him and sat herself down.

 "How are you doing?" the middle aged man asked. Faye peered at her teacher, curiosity glistening in her eyes.

 "I'm fine," she lied as she turned her head down to avoid the concerned teacher.

 "If you're sleeping in class, it means you obviously didn't get enough sleep." 'You think?' Faye thought. "Is something going on at home?"

 That woke Faye up. She shook her head, startled as to why a teacher would be asking her that. "Everything is fine, Mr. Westover. I promise."

  He nodded, giving her permission to leave. "Just get some sleep. I'll see you after school." 

  The blonde began to recollect her thoughts, trying to remember what was after school. She stared at the mismatched laces of her sneakers, just as the thought hit her. After school study session. She internally groaned.

  Faye picked up her binder and scurried into the small hallway, people unintentionally bumping into her as they walked past her. Grabbing her phone from her back pocket, she slid open the lock screen and read the message from Erica.

Where are you?

    As she approached the cafeteria, she plunged her phone into the depths of her purse and scoured the tables in hopes of finding her new friend. Instead, she found Scott whispering to Stiles, his eyes watching his surroundings. His eyes looked determined and Faye couldn't shake the feeling that they were talking about something bad. He stopped talking and glanced over his shoulder, looking right at Faye. She could feel her heart strike rapidly against her upper body and her palms becoming sweaty. Faye directed her gaze to the floor and walked straight towards Erica's lunch table.

   Sitting down, she pulled out her lunch bag and realized her mother had actually made her a lunch. Well, the Chinese restaurant across town had. Her stomach gurgled and she was about to start eating when all the conversation in the cafeteria stopped. She scrutinized the faces near her to find that they all had the same vacant expression. And they were all looking at the same thing. 

   Erica sashayed into the room, a giant smirk twisted on her cherry red lips. Her hair was no longer frizzy and instead was placed on her shoulders in voluminous curls. The scab on her chin has disappeared and the bags under her eyes were faded behind the concealer she was wearing. Her heels clicked as she entered the room and everyone's eyes were on her. She caught Faye's glance and gave the other blonde a flirtatious wink. A cloud of loneliness settled over Faye and she couldn't help but feel subordinate.

   The new Erica grabbed an apple from the closest kid and bit a chunk of it off. Students watched her in awe as she strutted out of the room and Faye noticed guys were watching her leave the room with a flounce in her step. As soon as she left the cafeteria, conversations returned to normal. Except for one.

 Faye watched as Scott and Stiles jumped up from their cafeteria seats and fast walk after Erica. Interest sparked in her mind and the blonde stood up, following the two boys into the hallway. Her expression hardened as she turned the corner into the hallway, spotting Erica and Scott talking to each other. Erica was standing in front of her locker, flipping her hair over her shoulder and giving Scott a sexy smile.

  "Who is Derek turning next?" Scott ordered. His usual gentle and calm voice was replaced with  frigid snarls. The voice evoked fear into Faye's mind, causing to paralyze in spot. She hadn't known Scott for long, but she knew something wasn't right. After she had come to terms with the voice, she thought about what Scott had said.

 "Turning into what?" she whispered. The talking from the row of lockers came to a hush and Faye realized they had heard her quiet insinuation. She could hear heavy footsteps coming towards her. Panicked, she sprinted away form the lockers and ran into the girl's bathroom.

   Blood pounded in her ears and her pulse became rapid as she struggled to breathe. The irrational thought of someone being turned made her stomach flip and her mouth become dry. The thing was, she didn't know why she was frightened. For all she knew, they were talking about a man named Derek turning someone, like turning them around. The thought didn't soothe Faye, but it gave her enough control to walk up to the bathroom sink and look into the mirror.

  Through the shards of serrated glass, she could see her eyes behind her glasses. They were no longer cobalt. Dark and mysterious orange eyes stared back at her, but something inside Faye knew that her reflection wasn't her. Gripping the edge of the sink, she forced herself closer to the mirror and inspected her eyes further. Her left hand grew warm as she stared at herself. She watched herself, and a new feeling grew inside Faye. A feeling she had never felt before. Darkness.

   Glancing back at the sink, she noticed her fingertips were black and that the porcelain was melting under her hand. She leisurely pulled her hand back and a black hand print remained on the cloudy white sink. Looking back up at the mirror, she watched her orange eyes fade to a soft blue. The black on her finger tips dissipated, leaving Faye alone with a damaged sink. The familiar sound of heels clicking made Faye jump in front of the sink, hoping to hide the hand print.

  Erica walked into the bathroom, watching Faye shuffle closer to the sink. "Are you okay?" she asked in a soft voice, reaching out a hand to Faye. The blonde looked at her friend's hand then looked back at her.

  Instead of giving an answer, Faye replied with another question. "Who's Derek?"

  Erica crossed her arms over her chest and shifted the weight of her body to her left leg. "Didn't your mother teach you not to eavesdrop?"

  Faye didn't reply. "Who's Derek? Who is he turning?"

 When Erica heard the word turning, her soft eyes became angry. "Faye, you are my friend. But that does not mean I have to explain every single thing to you. Besides: you're better off staying out of this."

  Defeated, Faye let an angry breath escape through her clamped teeth. Grinding them together, she debated on what to say next. "What happened to you? Yesterday, you were in the hospital for having a seizure, and now you're walking in two inch heels! What is wrong with you?"

  Erica flinched, but she didn't get angry. Her fingers folded into a fist and she tucked it behind her back, almost as if there was something in her fist she didn't want Faye to see. "Why can't you just be happy for me?"

 She could feel her palms warming, and if she didn't control her temper, Erica would see her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she continued to talk. "I am happy for you, Erica. I'm just angry that you refuse to tell me the truth."

 "You couldn't handle the truth," she admitted.

   Faye could feel her face becoming red, and she knew it was time to end the conversation. Releasing her grip on the sink, she walked out of the bathroom leaving a confused Erica and a hand print on the side of the sink.

"You want to keep secrets?" she murmured under her breath. "Two can play at that game." Even with her hands heating up quickly and her fingertips turning black, Faye tucked her hands into her pockets and walked away.

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things are going to get interesting very  fast.

dedicated to  WintersJewel

thank you for your supportive comments! it's much appreciated. xx