Chapter Three Nightmare

"I experienced my first nightmare one month after my thirteenth birthday."

As soon as I closed my eyes, I dreamt I was somewhere in a tropical place, away from the cold weather. The sun was shining, warmly, on me and I basked in it. The sand was soft and removed of any pebbles. It felt nice.

The beach was filled with many people but I was in my own trance to even notice them. I was too busy, feeling the sun on my skin. I was in my own paradise.

Then...the rain came and ruined everything. I glanced up at the once blue, beautiful, clear sky. It was midnight black. There wasn't a star to be seen. Not even the moon.

The sand stuck to the back of thighs and it felt warm and sticky. Nothing like how the rain should feel.

I touched it and brought my fingers to my face. I tried to make out what it was with what little light I had but I couldn't.

I whipped my head to the left when there was a crash. Fire erupted around me and I could clearly see what the warm and sticky substance was.

Blood.

A lot of it. It was a pool around my feet. I wanted to scream but it didn't make it pass my lips. But it didn't matter because in the distant there were many screams.

They were everywhere. I didn't know where to look. Fire swallowed everything in its path and scream took over my hearing.

I heard a tiny voice.

"Please make it stop."

It belonged to a little girl. I couldn't see her but I knew she was near and I watched helplessly as the screams continued and destruction took over.

"Make it stop." She cried out again.

She begged and I didn't know what to do. I stood there, useless.

I woke up and for the rest of the night, I stood up. I couldn't sleep. Not after what I dreamt. It felt so real. It felt like this actually happened to me and I was reliving it.

I knew Mum and Dad were worried about me. They didn't voice it but they didn't have to. I could tell. I wasn't the same anymore.

Every night, that dream came back but each time, more of the scene was revealed and their screams still haunted me. It echoed through my head and it scared me.

It felt familiar yet I couldn't locate where it would come from. My childhood was filled with joy and happiness. Nothing that would scar me. So where did it come from?

"Sweetie, are you okay?" Mum asked me, during breakfast.

"I'm fine." I replied, moving my food around with my fork.

"Are you sure?" She tried again. "You know you can talk to us."

I nodded. "Yes, I know. I'm okay."

I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and stood up.

"I've gotta go." I gave her a quick hug and grabbed my jacket before leaving the house.

Ever since the nightmare, I hated walking to school. It left me with their screams, the fire, the blood. But I couldn't tell my parents. They wouldn't have understood what I was feeling. I didn't think they would anyway.

"Help me." Her voice filled my mind, urgently.

Yet I didn't know how to help her. I didn't know what was going on and I wanted to. I wanted to help her, help them, so badly.

I knew it was just a dream but I couldn't stand there and do nothing. I wanted to fix it and maybe then the nightmare would go away.

School was the only place I didn't think about it. It kept my mind busy and I was grateful for that. I saw Riley every day and I knew he could tell something was wrong but he couldn't risk his new friends talking to me. I didn't think Mia would approve of it and he listened to her for whatever reason he had.

I took out my sketchbook and pick up my pencil. As I was about to draw, I was no longer looking at a clean white page. I was looking at the little girl with tears running down her face. She was pointing and her mouth was moving but I couldn't hear her.

She screamed as she fell to her knees and sobbed, uncontrollably. I felt her pain and that's when I decided I would face whatever the danger was and slay her demons. She needed my help and I would give it to her.

I blinked my eyes and I was back inside classroom, the bell ringing. Everyone was packing their things up while I sat there, still. Mrs. Taff noticed me while she stood at the door, telling her students goodbye.

She walked over to me and stood in front of my desk.

"Is everything okay, Aliyah?"

I looked up at her and nodded my head. "Yes. I'm was just daydreaming."

She gave me a small smile. "Okay. I'm here if you want to talk about anything."

It seemed like everyone wanted me to open up to them but I couldn't. It wouldn't feel right telling them about my nightmare. I needed to keep it to myself.

I stood up and gathered my things. "Thank you, Mrs. Taff."

"You're welcome, I'll see you tomorrow."

I left the classroom and walked down the hall and through the double doors. If I haven't said it before, I hated the cold. Why liked the cold? It wasn't anything enjoyable about it.

I shivered as I walked home. The coldness seeped through my clothes and onto my skin, freezing me.

Like I said before, I wished it was sunny everyday.

When I got to my house, Dad was back from work. He was with Mum in the living room, watching a film. They glanced away from the tv and looked at me.

"Hey, Sunshine." Dad greeted me with a smile.

"Hey, Dad."

"That's all I get is a 'hey Dad'." He teased me. "I haven't seen you all day. Don't I get at least a hug?"

Rolling my eyes, jokily, I walked over to him and engulfed him with a hug. He laughed.

"That's better."

I looked over at Mum. "Do you want a hug too before I go to my room?"

She smiled. "A hug would be nice."

I leaned over to her and wrapped my arms around her. She informed me she would be making dinner shortly as I was heading to my room.

I sat my backpack down and placed my sketchbook on my desk. I sat on my bed and thought about how I would help the little girl but with little information I had, I couldn't come up with a plan.

I played my favorite boy band album and let them consume my thoughts with their words until Mum called me for dinner.

After I ate and took my bath, I settled into my bed. Mum and Dad came into my room to wish me a good night like they always did. They kissed my forehead and they went to their room.

Once I was comfortable, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

But instead of the nightmare, I had a pleasant one. I was in a field of flowers with the sun smiling down on me. I wasn't sure how I knew it but this place felt familiar to me. I've been here before and I didn't come alone. I was with someone.

I felt warm and peaceful standing in the field. I looked around me and took in the beautiful landscape.

As creative as I was, I couldn't create this. This was too beautiful to be real. As happy as I was, I knew something was going to happen.

And I was right.

The screams came along with the fires. I saw them running away from whatever was causing destruction. I ran in their direction as they motion for me to turn around.

But as I drew closer, the smoke took over my sight and I could no longer breath. I searched for a way out but I didn't see one.

I got on my hands and knee and crawled. I needed to get out. I had to get out. I kept crawling but I was still in the dark cloud of smoke.

My vision blurred and I knew I couldn't make it any longer.

"Over here." A voice said.

The little girl. The voice belonged to her. I crawled in her direction and I was out of the smoke.

"Help me." She begged, again.

I coughed. "How?" I asked.

"Destroy him." She told me, pointing behind me.

I turned around and I saw nothing but the thick cloud of smoke.

"There's no one there." I said, looking at the girl.

"You don't see but you will."

I frowned in confusion. I didn't understand what was going on. I was missing pieces of the story.

The smoke suddenly got sucked up and vanished along with the fire and the screams. I was standing in the field once again, alone.

I walked over to where the fire came from and as I moved closer, I hit an invisible force field, knocking me back. I tried again but I couldn't get through.

Whatever laid behind the force field, they didn't want me to know. But I was curious. I wanted to know what laid on the other side.

I walked around, trying to get through but it surrounded the whole area, keeping me inside the field.

"How am I suppose to help you if you won't let me in?" I asked aloud.

I knew I wouldn't get my answers that easily, it was a long shot, but I had to asked anyway. I sat down and tried to remember where I saw this field from but I couldn't. It was like my mind wouldn't let me. It was strange.

I glanced up at the blue sky, looking for something, anything. Yet there was nothing there. Just the sun which looked nothing like the sun. It was blood red inside of yellow.

"That's your sign." A voice told me. "When the sun turns red, it's over."

"What's over?" I asked."What's happening?"

I didn't get my anwser but I did get my answer at the same time. I didn't know it then but I knew later what she meant.

I opened my eyes and went over to my desk. I opened my sketchbook and picked up my pencil. I starting drawing the field of flowers.

Mum found me asleep at my desk and she woke me up.

"What's this?" She asked, picking up my sketchbook.

I was too tired to try to stop her from looking. Her eyes widen and she glanced at me.

"Where did you see this?" She questioned.

I rubbed my eyes. "In my dreams."

"What else?"

I opened my mouth and almost told her about the fires and screams but I closed my mouth and took my sketchbook back.

"That's it." I lie. "I only saw the field."

She nodded her head. "If you saw anything else, you would let me know, right?"

"Of course, Mum."

She nodded again. "Okay. Let's get you back bed, shall we."

I yawned as I stood up and walked over to me bed. I climbed in and Mum covered me up. As my eyes were closing, I saw her walking over to my desk and her fingers skimmed the cover of my sketchbook.

My eyes closed and I dreamt of nothing. I didn't know whether that was I good thing or bad thing.

I woke a few hours later and I looked over to my desk and saw my sketchbook sitting in the same spot. I threw the covers off me and got out of bed.

I had a sinking feeling as I moved closer to my desk. I didn't know why but as I picked up my sketchbook, I heard her voice.

"You will soon see."