DREAM SEQUENCE
The air was stiff and cool in the forest, and patches of sun shone through the spaces of the trees. There, hiding behind the fog and a tree, seemed to be the shadow of a man. He began to inch closer, and the shadow cloaking his features began to melt away. A pair of crystal blue eyes were visible. Next came long, dark hair; perfectly positioned in a flattering and face framing style. His pale, muscular physique was dressed in jeans, a blue t-shirt, and a pair of Vans sneakers. He looked no older than 18. The closer he got, the colder the air seemed to become.
"I've been searching for you for so long…now you're finally here. Please, come closer. " He stated in a deep, sweet tone of voice.
As he reached out his hand, a white toothy smile spread across his berry colored lips…
BACK TO REALITY
Desiray Gold sat up in her bed, startled. She looked around the room, processing what had just occurred. She swept her long black hair out of her face and looked at the clock. 5:37am. It was a Saturday and she didn't have to get up for at least another three hours. Great. She was so baffled and in awe at the dream she just had, she quickly grabbed her journal and wrote down everything she remembered in order to avoid forgetting it all later in the morning. She even sketched a picture of the man in the shadows. Desiray then put her journal back on her nightstand, smoothed out her hair, and sank back down, closing her eyes.
HOURS LATER
A glimmer of sunlight peeked through the blinds on the window. The room was instantly illuminated; the light lavender colored walls glowed due to the sunlight's reflection off the various band posters plastered all over the place. The black and white furniture seemed to shine, as did the black wood floor. Desiray slowly opened her eyes; her long black hair sat on top of her head like a mop of tangles. Slowly, she moved her thin, pale arm up to her face to fix her hair. She grabbed her phone and checked the time, once again. 10:47am, much better. The sound of piano music playing softly was audible, therefore Desiray figured she'd go downstairs and listen. Stumbling out of bed, she walked to the mirror to examine herself. An oversized white t-shirt and a pair of blue polka dot pajama pants were draped over her thin body. Her light blue eyes analyzed her reflection as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail and pinned her choppy bangs out of her face. Opening the door to her room, she stumbled down the hallway, trying to blink away the remainder of the sleep in her eyes. As she wobbled down the stairs, the volume of the music became louder. She walked into the living room to find her sister playing the baby grand piano with a glass of orange juice and a slice of toast by her side. Lyla, Desiray's sister, was just finished playing her song. Lyla was even quirkier than Desiray. She had long, deep red hair and eyes the color of the freshly cut grass in a garden. Her skin was pale white and her cheek bones were sprinkled with a variety of tan colored freckles. At the moment, her hair was pulled back into a messy side braid, and she was wearing an oversized sweatshirt, belonging to their father, and a pair of old, ripped jeans. She was barefoot, as usual. Desiray was 16 and Lyla was 19, so their ages was fairly close. As Lyla's song came to an end, Desiray spoke.
"That was beautiful, Ly." She said, quietly. A slight smile curved the top of her blood red lips.
"…Thanks. Are you okay? You look really pale, even for you." Lyla responded, concerned but sarcastic.
"Oh, yeah. I had a weird dream. It scared me a little, that's all." Desiray nervously stated.
"From the looks of you, it sounds like more of a nightmare than a dream…" Lyla retorted, lowering the volume of her voice.
"You have no idea." Desiray silently thought. She went to the kitchen and poured herself some cereal.
AFTER BREAKFAST
After finishing her cereal and downing a tall glass of orange juice, Desiray went back to her room to examine her journal. This dream did not sit well with her, from what she could remember. As she picked up her journal, chills ran up her spine and shook her to the core. Slowly, her hands turned the pages to where she wrote earlier that morning. As she scanned the page and read the passage, her breathing began to come more rapidly. She flipped the page to find a sketch of the man in the shadows who was haunting her dreams. Desiray's body temperature must have dropped at least 10 degrees. She had to breathe. She had to shut the journal. She had to remove it from her sight. So many questions ra through her mind.
"Why am I so affected by just looking at this man's face?" she thought.
"Why am I so cold and out of breath?" she asked herself.
"Why do I like this feeling?" she managed to squeak, out loud.
Her body shook with fear and confusion. Her mind roared with curiosity and desire. She had to grab his hand…to feel his touch…to find out what happened next. She wanted, no, needed him…and an explanation. Desiray, knowing her mind's cruel ways, decided she needed to get out of the house for a while. It was beneficial to her health…and necessary to keep whatever was left of her sanity. She quickly stripped off her pajamas, threw on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, slipped on some flip flops, and barged out the front door. Lyla knew the look on her sister's face very well and didn't bother asking where she was headed, considering she had a pretty good idea. The only sound that could be heard in the house was that of the door slamming shut as Desiray walked silently down the street; nothing else seemed to exist.