Meggie awoke in a cold sweat. As the darkness of her bedroom came into focus, her knees throbbed with the exertion of her nightmare.
"Just a dream, Meggie… relax." The teenager soothed herself, and tucked her legs up to her chest. Her breathing was shaky and uneven. A sickening twinge ran up her spine as the dream ran foggy circles in her mind. Searing pictures of pale faces, knife blades, and twisted smiles clouded over her eyes. The temptation to let out a weak scream wavered her lips. She whimpered instead. With shaking limbs she settled herself back into her quilts and pillows, and eased into a sleep.
She stood in the center of a room. The walls were filthy green, peeling and revealing the wood framing. Something dripped from the ceiling, red and warm…blood.
"Hello?" Her voice sounded weak and tiny in the creaky chill of the room. The sound of breathing rose slowly and steadily. "Hello?" tears pooled in her eyes as the ragged and abnormally fast panting grew louder and louder. Meggie screamed, and as she did so, a light snapped on in the room. All was white, then a figure was visible in the corner. A strange curiosity pulled Meggie towards the panting man.
"Meggie" he said, his voice had a slight rasp, it was unusually unique. His green eyes opened, revealing blood shot corners. His lips quivered and curved into a sexy smile. "Meggie" his breathing grew faster and faster, to a monstrous and scary pace.
"Basta" she said, her voice almost a scream. He smiled again, and black blood streamed through the corners of his mouth.
"Meggie!" His head cocked to the side, and the short man's shoulders trembled. She looked down at his body. He wore his usual black skinny jeans, but he was shirtless. She cried out again when her eyes fell upon his heaving chest. Over his right breast, where his heart was meant to be, was a deep, black cut, bleeding profusely. His entire body quaked as he continued his hyperventilating. His flat abs sunk in to reveal his ribs. "MEGGIE!"
"AIIEEEE!!" Meggie jerked herself awake, soaked in sobs.
"Meggie! Oh Meggie, it's ok, it's just a bad dream." Meggie blinked tear drenched eyes at a light. Mo, Resa and Elinor were gathered around her. She wiped her eyes, and fluttered her wet eyelashes.
"Mo?" she asked shakily.
"Yes honey?" He looked sympathetically at his seventeen year old daughter.
"Nothing, Mo." She shook her head. "What time is it?"
"It's 3 in the morning, dear." His face was grave.
"Every time I close my eyes…" she sniffed.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Asked Elinor, putting a cool, damp cloth to Meggie's wet forehead.
"It's alright." Meggie greatly accepted the coolness the cloth brought to her body. She was literally soaked in sweat, her pajamas hung grossly to her quivering body. "I think I'd like to change." As she started to get up out of her bed, she realized her legs were tangled in her sheets to the point of constriction. "If I can get untangled." Her family slowly worked Meggie's legs out of the tangle of sheets.
"Are you sure you'll be alright?" asked Resa's fluttering hands.
"Yes" Meggie's voice was strained from screaming. As her family left her room, her stripped out of her silky Pajamas. Her fingers had a hard time grasping the wet fabrics of her shirt. Her clothes fell into a pile on the floor, around her ankles. She went to run her fingers through her hair, and frowned sadly at the greasy, filthy strands. With the realization that she wouldn't try to sleep again, she decided to take a shower. She took her fluffy housecoat off her door hook, and wrapped it around her sick body. Outside her gleaming windows, the blackness of night seemed to bang on her window pane. It wanted in. The cozy orange glow of her desk lamp kept the horror of outside at bay. The girl silently padded through the house. She was relived to see the light from the living room was on. She tiptoed across the upstairs hallway to the bathroom, but when she reached the top of the stairs, the adult's conversation from below drifted up to her in hushed, whispering tones.
"It's her tenth this week...it's not healthy."
"I reckon it's Basta she's dreaming about; I heard her say his name."
"That dog…" Meggie shakily ignored the adults' words and flicked on the bathroom light. She involuntarily looked at the corner of the room, just to make sure Basta wasn't standing there…waiting for her. He wasn't, of course. The young girl closed the door, and debated on locking it or not. She didn't, incase she happened to fall asleep under the warm water.
X-x-X
"And for homework I'd like you to create a different world, something that will grab our attention. Have a nice weekend!" Meggie gathered her schoolbooks off her desk and slid them into her schoolbag. Thunder rumbled low in the distance, and with a nervous glance out the classroom window, Meggie noticed the sky was grayish purple, and light was scarce. It was like dusk at three PM. "Meggie" the girl looked up to see her teacher gathering things on her own desk.
"Yes?"
"Are you alright? I caught you dozing in class…"
"Oh, yes, I'm fine. Having problems sleeping is all." Meggie was anxious to go home.
"Alright. Have a nice weekend." The teacher waved as Meggie exited the class, and pushed her way through the dimly lit hallway.
"Hey, Meggie! Wait up!" The girl looked over her shoulder at Farid.
"Hey, Farid."
"How are you?" He kissed her mouth and took her bag from her.
"I'm exhausted. How are you?" Meggie rubbed her eyes and allowed Farid to hold her hand and lead her out of the school.
"I'm fine. I don't have any homework." He grinned and followed Meggie through the light misty rain and into the school parking lot. He'd recently gotten his first car, and enjoyed chauffeuring Meggie to and from school. "Are you coming to my house tonight?"
"Um, sure, ok. Let me call Mo first." Meggie dug her pink cell phone out of her schoolbag, and inserted the number 1, Mo's speed dial. "Hey Mo…I'm fine, and you?...that's good…yeah, um, could I go to Farid's tonight?...yes ok…thanks, Mo… uhhuh… oh course….ok…love you too…before 12, I know…love you too…buh bye." She flipped her phone shut and let out a yawn.
"You can come?"
"Yes." She smiled faintly and cozied in the warm interior of the car and flipped her long blond hair out of her face. It was long, almost past her shoulder blades. She allowed Farid to put his hand on the thigh of her grey sweatpants, and signed in content. In just an hour or so, she'd be cozied up on a couch beside Farid…