"Mummy?" The voice murmured across my ears like an angel, caressing a cold feather across a cheek. The voice belonged to a child as I imagined, and although my eyes were blinded by the bright light, the voice came crystal clear. "Mummy? Where are you?" the voice seemed doubled, chirpy and soft as I heard it repeat. "mummy, mum- mummy? Mummy, mum-"a melodic echo of the voices soothed and submerged my thoughts. It seemed I was surrounded by these voices; possibly I sat in a stadium? Or they circled the air above my head. My eyes began to soften and the view became clear, I was surrounded by birds. All sorts, however mostly white and silver, they chirped at me and called me their mother. "Im not your mother." I tried to exclaim, confused, however all that slipped from my mouth was a high pitched chirping. I am flying, and I am not human.
I soared though the clouds and sky, my children following me like a beautiful shadow, I am a bird? Why would such thoughts even corrupt my silent mind? My unconscious thoughts are so parallel to myself I wonder if there really are birds here, the dream seems too vivid too be just a simple illusion. Then all of a sudden I see it, a dark bird, like a raven. A beautiful and terrifying slender bird swoops gracefully with sharp precision through the air, cutting through the clouds and sky like a sharp knife through butter. It is more dangerous, it is hypnotic. It claws through some of my children, talons raised; each bird erupts into a pile of black feathers and falls towards the earth.
The raven claws through child by child, each tear and rip feels more painful as it continues and with each death I feel my own immunity and bones weaken too. Their chirping turns into wild screams. One by one, the birds fall, wings lifeless and the feathers appear. The silky raven swoops up to the sky and slaughters its final victim before laying its cold and dark amber eyes on mine, a fierce connection turns my feathers static as he stares passed my dreams and into my conscious thoughts. Talons raised again, the raven darts towards me and a fierce white light erupts, blinding me.
I wake up.
My eyes barely adjusted to the piercing white lights as they burn through a small crack in my loosely shut blinds. My body ached and burned as I turned over onto my left side, away from the light. Still, the heat brought less comfort than sleep so I turned forward, my face glaring at the white ceiling of my small and empty room. I wasn't sure what time it was. The uncomfortable leaking of heat through my window only suggests that either someone is burning hot coal outside or it is the morning of the mid-summer heat wave. I decided on the latter.
I slowly move across the bed so my weight lifted of my arm as it felt numb and lifeless; minutes after my alarm clock sounded, the high pitched beep being enough to pull me out of bed and roughly hit the off button with my fist. '8 AM', the alarm clock read in large, robotic letters. I huffed glumly as I swung my legs of the side of my bed, the mattress groaning underneath my petite structure. Standing up, I felt my head whirling, the sunlight still scolding me; however it no longer seems quite as blinding as before, possibly because my eyes had finally adjusted or that maybe it wasn't real. Trudging out of my bedroom, I passed the large silver mirror on the landing.
"Whoa," I thought immediately, "aren't I looking like and absolute Gem."
My black hair, thick and coarse around my shoulders. The ringlets represent coiled wire as it drapes lifelessly down my back. And this was the least of my problems. My Blue eyes sank deep into their sockets and a maroon ring of disturbed sleep circled my tired and drooping eyes. The thick and long black hairs surrounding my eyelids were weighty, making my tired look even more obtrusive than before. I slumped past the mirror, my hands wiping my pale, ashen face viciously, hoping the fatigue would wear off, or at least look like it had. Expectedly, it didn't work, it just made my cheeks slightly redder and infuriated so I gave up and wandered into the kitchen.
My mother stood over the stove, a figure similar to mine. Her body was rigid and slender as am I, her face rounded and sweet; yet her cheeks had an odd hollowness that sunk deeply into her immaculate but aging face. She wore a pink laced apron loosely around her and splatters of warm batter dotted the rose patters on the front. She hadn't noticed me as I sat at the table, a glass of cold orange juice sat still in front of me. I picked it up and took a large sip; the coldness numbed my teeth as the sweet liquid slid down my throat. I hadn't realised how thirsty Ide become.
"Dad left only moments go." My mother smiled tentatively, the smile spread across her face but didn't quite reach her eyes like I had seen before.
"He apologised for not waking you, but said he was in a rush, it's a big day at the office, well with it being open bank day and you know they get so cranky when-"My mum blushed as I interrupted her.
"No, it's okay mum." I took a breath from my orange juice. "I fixed my alarm clock yesterday, besides the heat woke me up." I lied, thinking about the horrible dream that had in fact woke me.
The pan on the stove sizzled as my mum turned a pancake over, it spat out hot batter and my mum quickly turned down the heat.
"Yes, it's really hot. Your father wouldn't wear a short sleeved shirt like I suggested today, I told him but he wouldn't-"I stared at my mother with an eyebrow raised, yet my lips curled into a smile at the sides.
"Yes, I know I am babbling. But I do get worried sometimes. He is so… distant about his career. And with the demands of the bank so high, and the consequences so risky, It worries me sometimes." She dropped the spatula on the side and exhaled loudly it approached a sigh. For a moment it looked like a tear began in her eye. I quickly gulped the rest of the orange juice and stood up. My mother looked at me and I opened my arms widely for her embrace and she took it eagerly with gratitude.
"You know he can't talk widely about his work. He works in the governing office of the bank, secretive stuff." I joked, although technically it wasn't a joke.
Her breath was warm and sweet as it brushed my shoulder; she removed herself from my embrace and continued to cook the pancakes.
"No thanks," I smiled as she placed a rather deplorable pancake in front of me. "I'm not hungry," I lied. "Carter will probably eat mine, and then some." I giggled; a light attempt at keeping the mood positive. My mum accepted the response and laughed too, again the light not spreading quite to her eyes the way I once remembered it. Lying through my smile, I wandered back from the kitchen and into my room to prepare for school.
The bristles scraped almost painfully against my scalp as I combed passed my nest-like hair. I combed viciously and as soon as I pulled the comb towards the bottom, a clump of hair twizzled into a loose spiral.
"Ouch." I thought as I ran my fingers through it, separating the last of the knots before me through it up into a loose ponytail.
I bent over and pulled the drawer from beneath my bed open and grabbed my art book as well as my notes for my English exam. Currently we are studying a classic by john Steinbeck, of mice and men. I also picked up my maths homework, with less enthusiasm than my art book and flung the rest in my rucksack, keeping my art book out so it wouldn't bend or scratch.
"Blu…" Carter bellowed as he thumped down the stairs. I exhaled as I trudged out of my room towards the stairs.
"Where's my deodorant?" Carter moaned, swinging his muscular arm over my shoulder, resting his elbow near my collar bone.
The odour that wafted towards me was painful to my nose. It stung. "Oh god!" I groaned, pulling away from him. His tight clutch pulled me in near his retched underarm.
"Now that is the smell of man!" He laughed crustily and he let go.
I coughed and spluttered, inhaling the clean air away from my gross brother gratefully.
"I have no idea where you deodorant is, but I can tell you obviously haven't seen it a while!" I clutched my throat a little overdramatically.
"Oh young Blu…" Carter smiled, "that's just the smell of puberty, something you obviously haven't seen in a while." Carter sighed, mimicking my tone and bowled into the kitchen, clutching a pancake in his fist then pushing it into his gob. He kissed mother on her cheek and then grabbed his basketball of the table and swung it under his arm.
"No" I stared at carter, shaking my head as I he walked towards the door. "You are not seriously going to school without a shower. Are you?" Carter shrugged and undone the latch on the door. "Carter, that is gross."
I moaned and punched him lightly on the arm. He swung at me, but I ducked and his fist hit a wall. The picture on the ledge fell to the ground and smashed. Carter looked at me, then the clatter of broken glass on the floor before shouting "See yah!" As he headed out the door and into his truck.
"Hey wait?!" I shouted as Carter turned on the ignition to his truck, he lowered down the window.
"Sorry sis', I can't be late today I gotta' finish some errands." He waved out the window and headed out of the drive. I dropped a shard of glass on the floor and ran out the door in my bare feet. "Carter! I need a ride?" I shouted, knowing I would have to take the bus to school.
Carter waved his hand out the window in dismissal. My face burned hot crimson as he drove off.
"Wait! What errands?" I shouted roughly. The car stopped before it left the drive and Carter poked his head out the windows. He smiled crookedly before saying "Girls!" then he drove off with immense speed and honked as he passed me at the door.
"Argh!" I yelled and then I angrily picked up the shards of glass from the floor and placed them on the counter in the kitchen. My mother pulled back her eyebrows and her forehead crumpled in confusion. "Carter." I hissed and she looked at me empathetically as she dusted the shards into the bin.
"Don't worry, our photo frames needed upgrading anyway." I attempted a smile and placed the photo on the side. I curved the edge over and stared at the photo. It was a picture I hadn't really noticed before.
It was a picture of our family. Mum, Dad, carter and me. I think it was taken about 6 years ago when I was 10. Nearly eleven. Everyone was smiling. Even mother. I mean, she smiles often, but it never spreads to her dusty blue eyes like it did in this picture. I smiled a little and pinned the photo to the notice board on the kitchen table.
"See you later, I guess." Before leaving I grabbed my cap from the coat stand and slipped my converse on below my jeans, the laces were unbearably muddy and the top half of the show wobbled, so that as I move it looked as if it was talking. But they were shoes never the less and besides I'm already beyond late. The thought of another detention made my knees buckle, another point of my credits. Just what Im going to need this morning.
A rhythmic echo encapsulated the air, shuddering the leaves on the trees as my feet slammed against the concrete with every trudging step I took, pounding long the pavement as I ran to the bus stop. A stormy growl began, like the engine of the bus has a nasty cough, and the bus pulled up beside my tragic self and I stepped on.
"Bluebell Cray?" I rushed through the door of my first lesson so quickly I almost broke my chair as I slid in. The rest of my class stared at me. I tried to avoid eye contact as I pulled out my rucksack, grabbed a pen and pulled open my journal.
"Here." I huffed, clearing my throat a little. Above me I noticed a girl with ratty red hair looking back at me, staring, not that I had ever even bothered to learn her name.
I looked up, and she turned and faced Mr. Watson along with the rest of the class.
"Miss. Cray. It seems you have been late to my lesson 3 days in row," Mr Watsons voice was highly aggravating, like Baby lion, almost inviting yet calculating. Groaning, I grabbed my rucksack and stuffed my book inside. As I stood up from my seat, a button from jacket caught the chair and yanked of, ripping my jacket. A murmur of giggles trickled behind me and I glanced back at yet again the ratty girl and another dead face, that of course I hadn't even noticed delighted this world, in fact I think his name was Brandon or Brendan or something. Great, something else to add to the "Homeless wreck" look, broken sneakers and a ripped jacket; I might as well hold a sign inviting a stray dog to pee on me, everyone pisses on me anyway. As I walked passed Mr. Watson he handed me a red slip with his signature on it.
"Thanks." I hissed, not looking at him. Snatching the slip out from his hand I trudged to the door and began to walk down the empty white corridors. The sound of my heavy feet echoed loudly and filled the empty silence.
Yes, I may have been late to his lessons 3 days in a row but I am hardly to blame! Why not ask my brother, he will explain delightfully how each day this week he has managed to not give me a ride to school or accidently forgotten me. Why not hand him the red slip and allow me to get on with school in peace.
No, not carter. Because, and surprising as this may seem, whatever Cart does or says is irrelevant because he is insanely hot and that is all he ever needs in life. Well if that's true I am well and truly screwed because I look like a dead rat on drugs, because of my stupid bug eyes and coarse hair.
I literally am certain Carter and I are not related, I look like a rat and he is obviously son of Zeus, child of Aphrodite. A gift from the gods is how he describes himself. More like a gift you desperately want a receipt for.
I look at the red slip, and sigh. For being late I get -3 credits, this is great. With credits like these, No-way will I get a scholarship unless my grades are absolutely flawless. And the likelihood of that happening is similar to that of Carter bathing within the next week. Completely and utterly impossible.
My thoughts are interrupted as I reach the door to the detention suite. And I laugh immediately, the words "Moral institution" have been scratched and scribbled on so that it now reads "Mental institute".
Brilliant, what a way to spend first lesson of the week: with a bunch of psychos trapped in a Looney bin.