Chapter One: Falling

Do you know what it feels like a part of your body was ripped away from you? You know that one time when, your head is spinning and you feel so hopeless, you seem to drift away from consciousness? That was how I felt when I was holding that photo album.

The nurse had given me that photo album, the only remnant and artifact that was left from my previous life, before the fire started. After flipping through the pages, I found a hidden pocket inside the album that I haven't discovered before. I opened it, and there was a picture of two tiny fetuses in a stomach, it read in the caption Alexandros Angelopoulos, April 5, 2003- April 5, 2003. I was hit with a sudden wave of emotion, I had a twin...

I buried my album under my pillow, hoping I never saw it again. I started crying. Tears dripping down my eyes onto my pillow, wet spots started forming on the pillow. The sores on my cheekbones started hurting again. I wanted to silently cry, but instead I made weird hiccupping sounds. What are you doing Alexandra Angelopoulos? I stubbornly scolded myself. You hardly even knew him! And you're bawling your eyes out! I sat up trying to blink away the tears when the nurse came back. You shared the same placenta.

The nurse came in with a cart of food, she noticed that I was facing the wall; she was there when I was born. "Are you okay honey?" Then I burst out crying.

After a bit of talking, I learned that my brother's birth was a stillbirth, we were supposed to be born at the same time, which was impossible obviously, Alexandros was supposed to come out first, but the umbilical cord strangled him, when I tried to push out at the same time. I was pushed out first, but Alexandros never made it out.

After the conversation, I went to bed, but couldn't sleep. Thoughts and questions bubbled in my head as I stared at the ceiling. If Alex was born, would we fight? How would he look like? I reached out and hugged my blue pug stuffed animal, even though I was thirteen.

As I drifted closer to dreamland, the more I felt déjà vu happening. I felt it, those slimy tentacle arms wrapping around my arms, I closed my eyes. Please let this be a dream, please let these be a dream. I snapped my eyes open, nope. It was definitely a creature of darkness. My muscles tensed up slightly. I breathe slowly. In, out. In, out. One, two, three. I tumbled out of the bed, grabbed my album and started running for my life. I heard that little coach voice in my head. Run! Run! Run! Run gosh darn faster Alexandra!

I ran even faster, Hup one! Hup two! Three! Four! I was so scared for my life, I started laughing manically. There I was, running for my life, down the halls of the hospital, bare footed, in pajamas, holding a stuffed animal and a book, and laughing like a mentally disable woman who just chugged down five gallons of dyed soda. I might have been a strange sight in the hospital.

I skidded down the end of the hall, making a quick choice of a turn. I turned right. Are you crazy? I yelled at myself in my mind. Are you stupid? You're going to retrieve that?! Oh yes I am, I thought to myself giddily.

I might have been insane during that period of time. I ran down the hall full of preserved body parts and medicine. I went to the infant section. The monster was far behind me, so I had time to spare. There was also a window I could jump out of if I didn't have time. I looked through the files in the shelves, Angelopoulos, found it. It had Alex's profile in it, number 57. Yup, I was insane.

I went to file cabinet 57, there was a big lumpy bag in it and it said: Handle with Care. /You guys are probably seeing where this is going/ I grabbed it just as the monster smashed through the door. Rahhhhh!

The monster was fifteen feet high and it looked like a moving bolt of ink, its slimy tentacles moving in the air, grabbing for something. One of its tentacles lunged for me, I ducked. I ran to the opposite side of the room and tried to force open the window.

A tentacle shot across the room, intending to pierce me through the face, I ducked again and the tentacle smashed into the glass. I smirked, but it was washed off when a tentacle scratched across my face.

A shallow cut appeared on my face, it was all right, until it started burning. I gulped for air as a tentacle attempted to make a grab for me, I managed to move aside, but the world was spinning and my movement was sluggish. Poison.

A tentacle tore into my stomach, smashing me through the glass and made me tumble from the third floor.

I landed onto the hard pavement, but I was still alive. It was a miracle. But the corners of my vision started to blur, I heard voices. I saw a pair of blue eyes. I stated losing my consciousness and grip on the world. I was falling, through a never ending hole of abyss.