The fire. It was the only thing that went through my head whenever i closed my eyes. Hot and red it blazed through every dream i had. It was almost as if it was out to get me, following my every move. I would wake screaming every night, sometimes before the fire could lap at my skin, sometimes after.
There was something different about this fire though. It wasnt the calm, whisping fire that bounces over the sticks on a campfire. It was like it could follow me, like it could think on its own. But the thing that terrified me most was the fact that it seemed like it was "happy" when it got to melt the flesh on my bones, it was "happy" to hear my screams.
Chapter 1
Ever since I was little I had been kept in the same house, only allowed to leave after dark. People knew of my existence but had never actually seen me, which would cause them to call the police to report my parents, believing that they were evil people who neglected their child. This however was not the case. My parents were wonderful people who dedicated their lives to helping me live the most "normal" life I could.
At the age of two I had been diagnosed with photodematitis which, in short, meant I was allergic to light. It also meant that i had to literally live in the dark, never allowed to put a bedside lamp on or open my curtains to let it some fresh air. The only light that did not seem to affect me was candle light, or the dull orange street lights that went on at night.
My restrictions did not bother me too much as I knew full well the consequences if i broke them, something I had only done once in my life.
I was four years old, a time when most children are blissfully ignorant to their surroundings and ignore almost every command made by an adult. My mother had been out in the garden pulling some weeds and every so often she would come in and pour herself a glass of water, which i now know is something you do to keep cool when you're too hot, only to float off again to continue her work.
I truly believed I was doing her a favour as i messily filled up a glass with icy water. Despite the fact that my parents had banned me from going outside as it was "dangerous" I hurried out of the back door, into the blazing sun to find my mother.
My first experience of the outdoors began quite pleasantly. Id only seen flowers in story books but here they were, in real life, dotted around the edge of our garden, swaying ever so slightly in the soft breeze. I knew the sound of birds from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" so i was delighted when I realised we had some so close to our house. I couldnt help but giggle at this new found wonder that lay just behind the closed doors of our home.
My giggle however was cut short almost immediatly as my mothers scream filled the garden, silencing not only me, but the birds as well. I spotted her in the back corner of our long garden, however she was not there for long. Almost as soon as our eyes met she began to run at me, panic plain in her beautiful young face, and as she ran she screamed my name.
"Kayla! Get inside baby! Run! NOW!"
I, however, was frozen in complete shock. I'd never seen my mothers face so paniced, nor had i ever heard her sound so petrified. I didnt have much time to dwell on it because, as soon as my mother had reached the halfway point of our garden, I began to scream.
It was as if the pain had come out of nowhere. My hands and arms had suddenly come out in a firey red rash. In some places the skin had started to shrivel and peel away from the pink flesh beneath it. Though I could not see it, I could feel my face starting to peel away too. The tops of my fingernails began to bleed as all the skin around them rotted and shriveled. The thumbnail of my left hand actually fell off as all the skin that held it in place had disappeared completely.
It only took my mother seconds to reach me, but in that time almost all of the thin skin that had been exposed to the sunlight had vanished. I was immediately scooped up into my mothers arms and rushed back inside. My mother sobbed hysterically as she slammed the door behind her.
"James! She got outside!"
My father, James, did not return her call, but mere seconds after her screams I heard the bath taps turn on. My mother had not stopped running in this time and we reached the top of the darkened stairs quickly. Within seconds I had been thrown into a bath filled with ice cold water.
It took weeks after that incident for my skin to heal properly and when it did I did not leave the safety of my bed for a further month.
Let me know what you guys think of Chapter 1 and if i should continue :)
