My heart is beating out of my chest, it's going to give out at any moment. "Run Mina! It's right behind you! Go! If you fall you die!" I was yelling at myself in my head, to keep myself going. My legs were carrying me as fast as they could. The ground was hard and cold on my bare feet. "Someone help!" I screamed out hoping that miraculously someone would hear me and come to my rescue. I could hear it behind me, the snarling, the hissing. It wants to kill me. The fear I felt at that moment was immeasurable. I am going to die. Who am I kidding i'm already dead. There is no hope. I stopped running and turned to face the beast chasing me. Its red eyes glaring, sharp teeth barred at me, showing me my fate. I lifted my head and stood tall. "Kill me, just do it." I angrily yelled at it, as I finished my sentence I was pushed back. He was protecting me from it. "You aren't going to harm her." His voice floated through the air straight into my heart. Him. It's him. He loves me. I love him. Just then the beast lunged, he lunged too, I screamed.
"Mina! Mina its almost seven you're going to be late for school!" I heard my mothers voice snapping me from the fantasy of my nightmare. Ew, gross. Im covered in sweat. I steadied my breathing and walked to my bathroom. I looked like a mess. My hair was stuck to my forehead and my shirt had sweat circles on it. I took off my pajamas and got in the shower. I don't like warm showers, the colder the better. I like summer and everything I just like cold things.
I roughly dried my hair with a towel and went into my closet to put on some clothes. I put on some ripped skinny jeans, my black boots, and a brown tank top with a lighter brown jacket. I combed through my hair and tightened my eyes. I didn't wear makeup much, I didn't really feel the need to. Bragging isn't something that I like to do but honestly I think i'm really beautiful, in my own different way.
Walking down the stairs, I saw my little brother in his high chair and my mom at the stove cooking french toast. "Good morning bunny." My mom turned and looked at me smiling. She sat a plate on the table and I eagerly sat in front of it. My mom loved to cook. Growing up my favorite memories with her are when we were cooking together. "Thanks mom." I smiled at her and she winked. "Where is dad?" I asked her. He's wasn't in his usual spot. He was almost always here when I came down for breakfast. "You know how he's been taking on more work at the hospital recently, he's onto something big, you're father talks about these healing serums and injections, young forever blah blah blah. He gets paid for it, and he seems to enjoy it so we'll just give him some time." She picked up my little brother Ashton out of his high chair and sat him on the floor. He ran up to me and I put him on my lap.
Ashton was adopted. Someone on my mom's distant family in some other country had him but they couldn't take care of him. Instead of giving him up to the country, my mom said that she would take him and care for him until they were able to support him. They were gone for about two weeks until they came back with him. they left during the summer so I could stay home and not have to worry about school. When they came home with him he was a happy baby, always smiling and he was all around happy. A couple of days before school started my mom got a phone call from Romania. His parents had died, they were killed in some freak animal attack. No one really gave her any details, just that it was really gruesome. That was almost three years ago. Ashton has been apart of our lives since then.
"Okay buddy, I have to go to school now." I kissed his head and stood him back on the floor. He ran off to the living room I assumed to watch t.v. I hurried out the door and to my car. High School. Yay.
Pulling into my usual spot I was greeted by my best friend Monica. The twins, Lee and Liz were with her texting avidly on their phones. "Oh my god min, you'll never guess what happened to me yesterday!" Monica started jumping up and down with my hands in hers shaking me. "What?" I asked laughing. This is why she's my best friend, she's always so happy. Her sister committed suicide last year and it really shook our community. She was there for her parents and older brother, she was there for everyone really. "Darren Feller from the football team, asked me on a date this saturday! Oh my god, what am I going to wear? What if he tries to hook up with me, should I let him?" She stood waiting for an answer. "Uhh, I think you should wear that purple dress you wore to Nikki's birthday. It looked really good on you. And for hooking up with him, I don't think you should, maybe you guys need to be friends and maybe in love for you to do that. Like you're supposed to." I opened the backdoor of my car and slung my book bag over my shoulder.
"Okay, thanks for the advice min. I love you!" She wrapped her arms around me and started walking off Liz and Lee following closely behind her. They didn't really talk much. Only to each other. Someone said the reason why they don't talk is because they share that twin telepathy thing. I don't know maybe they do, maybe they don't.
School passed by boring and slow just like normal. When the bell for lunch rang I found Monica talking to a group of people. I went to our usual table near the back of the cafeteria. Liz and Lee were always there before me. "Hey guys." I greeted them sitting down. They waved at me acknowledging me. I pulled out my math book and homework hoping to get it done before next period when it was due.
Monica came walking in looking triumphant. "Darren just told his friends that I was his new girlfriend, so I heard Crystal say, she's Darren's best friend's cousin." She plopped down on her seat and huffed. "High school drama. I don't know how id live without it." We both laughed. For some reason there was some commotion in the back of the cafeteria. People were crowding around. "I wonder what's so interesting." Monica stood to see if she could look over the crowd of people, girls mostly.
That's when I saw him for the first time. I don't know his name, I know I've seen his face before. Ive felt him. We caught sight of each other and it was like some kind of magnetic attraction. I wanted to run to him, to throw my arms around him and kiss him like it was my last day alive. He took my breath away. I literally felt like I couldn't breath.
He pulled his gaze away from me and walked out of the other door. "What was that about Mina? Do you know him?" Monica waved her hands in front of my face to get my attention. I was in a daze. "No.. I don't know.. Ive never seen him before." I stammered trying to find my words, and my thoughts, and my breath.
When it was time to go home I walked to my car. Monica was getting a ride from Darren so I didn't have to take her home. My thoughts have been preoccupied by him all day. Someone told me his name was Eric, someone else said Adam, another said Nick. I had no idea so i'll just call him, him for now.
The house was empty when I got home. Unusual, but it happens sometimes. There was a note on the fridge. "Hey bunny. I got called in to work the third shift tonight, Ashton is at your grandmas, I thought you'd enjoy a little time to yourself, I know you've been sort of stressed lately. Your dad left his dinner in the fridge again so would you take it to hime for me please? XOXO mom" I tossed the note in the garbage and looked in the fridge. Dad's lunch box was on the shelf, exactly where mom left it.
Clair de lune was on when I got in the car. I loved classical music, I liked other music too but classical was my favorite. The music just kind of floats through me, taking my worries with it and making them seem like they didn't matter.
I've had to have done this a million times, bringing dad his dinner to the hospital. He won't buy lunch or dinner because he slaves over his work. He's been coming home later and later, mom and I can see that it's taking a toll on him but we never really say anything. It's not hurting him, maybe it's hurting my parent's relationship but that's all. I see him, just not all the time. Ash sees him, just not all the time. The same for mom.
I drove into the parking deck and parked in the empty space next to my dad's car. Only employees have access to this level of the deck but the security guard that works the night shift sees me quite often, so he gave me a key card and told me I could come whenever, that I was a good daughter for bringing her dad dinner almost every night. The car's ignition rummbled to a hault and it was silent. I looked into the mirror of my visor and gave myself a quick once-over. I looked the same as I usually do, plain, bored, a little sad. Im not sad emotionally I just look that way for some reason. My mom always used to tell me that she could see tragedy in my eyes. They were so beautiful. My eyes are a strange color actually. They are such a pale blue that they almost look white. The outer rim and some on the inside are a really dark blue. Almost contrasting each other.
My lashes are quite long so I never really wore mascara. Closing the visor, I reached over to the passenger seat and grabbed my dad's lunch box. I got out of the car slowly and locked it. The loud beeping noise it made kindof scared me. I had some anxiety issues, mostly around huge crowds, and for some reason fire. I hate fire, it scares the living hell out of me.
As I was walking toward the door, I got distracted. My cell phone buzzed in my pocket and I answered it wanting the noise to stop. "Hello?" I asked in a almost annoyed voice. "Mina? Darren, he's... he's..." Monica was sobbing on the other end. It wasn't her dramatic "give me attention" cry. She was hurt. "He's what Monica? Are you okay?" I was scared now. Something happened to my best friend. "He's dead!" She screamed in a cry. I pulled the phone away from my ear trying to escape the high pitched squealing. "Monica, Monica listen. Im at the hospital now, im going to see my dad. Ill be there as soon as possible.
I hung up the phone. Whether she heard me or not I was going to be there for her.