Chapter 2: Dražen (Becoming A Nightmare)
Edited: November 10, 2012
Staring at the young boy in front of her brought her a wave of confusion. Why was Sam here? Sam was the small, long-haired boy who was always in her classes and always sat in front of her. He never talked to her, but he wasn't like the other boys - obnoxious and rude. She must admit she really liked Sam. He was easy to get along with and cute, but she could never talk to him. It was almost like an unspoken rule; she didn't talk to anyone, and no one talked to her. That was the way it had always been since she was five, and she wanted to keep it that way. Since she was only six years old, she didn't understand that one day someone other than her imaginary friend would want to be her friend. Leah swallowed and swung her legs back and forth on the swing at her school's playground. She glanced at Dražen and frowned when he leaned over her and grabbed her wrist, positioning it over his lap and playing with her fingers. What was wrong with him?
"Hey, Leah," Sam said, smiling slightly and showing a tiny gap at the end of his smile. She offered him a timid smile and brought her knees to her chin so he wouldn't see how uncomfortable she was. He bounced on his heels and stared at her fingers; Sam licked his lips and frowned when he noticed her fingers were moving but not on their own accord. They were moving as if someone was grabbing her fingers and forcefully moving them. He shook his head and hesitantly walked forward.
"I want to know if you want to play with me."
Her eyebrows knitted together, and her eyes became burly with astonishment. He wanted to play with her? Another child wanted to play with her? She wasn't anything special, but he wanted to include her and play with her like Dražen usually did.
"You want to play?" she asked, testing out the words. They were different and sounded almost awkward as they left her mouth, but she had managed to say those foreign words. Involuntarily, her nose scrunched up and her shoulders rose on their own will. Sam nodded rapidly and grabbed her hand, which made Leah forget about Dražen.
"I want you to play with me," he confirmed, effectively reassuring her. She grinned and grabbed his hand, which made her shake Dražen's hand off her fingers. He pulled her toward the slide and took turns sliding down. They played all the games little kids play, and Sam introduced Leah to his friends, Paul and Jared.
That day was the happiest day in Leah's life because she made friends. She noticed that not everyone was the same and that not everyone would hurt her. Leah realized she didn't really need an imaginary friend anymore; she had outgrown him because she had friends now. After all, wasn't an imaginary friend's job to help a child make real friends? However, Leah didn't want to get rid of him because he was special. When she finished playing with Sam and his friends, she would talk and play with Dražen, who was someone she loved.
Dražen glared at the children who played and didn't even realize he was watching them with pure hatred. Not even Leah realized he was there, silently watching and waiting for nightfall to come. He couldn't wait to show Leah that he wasn't someone who could be used and then thrown away after he wasn't of any use anymore; he wouldn't let her dispose of him because he owned Leah. She wasn't her own person anymore, and she would realize that after tonight. Leah Clearwater and her friends would pay for what they were doing to him. He knew it was only the beginning of a long process - a process he was determined to finish. Leah had made him so he could be her friend, but she hadn't known that her mind was more powerful than a normal child's. She didn't know that making him would become a nightmare.
I would like to thank everyone for reading this story and for favoriting and following! I am surprised from all the responses I have gotten from this story. Thank you for supporting me! In case anyone is wondering, I skipped when she was five because it's implied she was bullied and isolated from others, and at six years old, children start to mature a bit and want to have friends. Also, this will be a flashback until she is fifteen, but I might only include a few vignettes from each age, so it won't be super long. In the prologue and the beginning of chapter one, Leah is fifteen and I'll try to put that information in the beginning. I'm also very sorry about not posting this earlier, but my phone deleted this chapter, and I had to rewrite it. Please check out my Wattpad account called DannyDeAngelus. Have a great day!