Thank you to those who reviewed: team…Carlisle, AliceCullenFreak, and SignKat. Here is chapter 2! And no, I did not write the song.
I sat in bed, fiddling with the new charm that hung around my neck, the butterfly. Now my locket was complete. I had a charm for the two most important people in my life. Actually, now that I thought of it, the only two important people in my life. And that was pretty pathetic. But then again, these two people meant everything to me, and I was content with my life. I had a loving father and a wonderful sister. And I had a mama who I knew was watching over me. She was my guardian angel.
How I missed her. I shouldn't, I didn't even remember her, yet I felt like she was still a part of me. The one thing I did remember about her was her laugh. Her care free, enjoyable laugh. Cindy had that laugh, the laugh that I loved.
I hadn't realized it, but a tear escaped from my eye. Thinking about my mama always made me feel melancholy.
"Alice, what is the matter?" Cindy asked from the twin bed next to me.
"It's nothing." I shook my head. "Just thinking about mama."
"Oh." Cindy mouthed. "Alice, you think too much." She mumbled.
"I know." I sighed. Thinking too much wasn't something I could help, though. My mind was a complex universe that even I couldn't understand sometimes. I must have been born with a glitch in my brain, a glitch that made me think too hard.
"Alice, I have a birthday present for you." Cindy announced, lightening the mood.
"Oh, Cindy, you didn't have to buy me anything!" Cindy was already the best gift I could ask for. She understood me, and she was always there for me, as I was for her.
"Well, it isn't a bought gift. Its… it's a song I wrote." She muttered, seeming embarrassed.
"Cindy, you wrote a song for me! Oh my, that is the sweetest thing anyone has ever given to me!" I hugged her tightly.
"Alice, I haven't even sung it yet." She smiled, yet she still hugged back. I waited patiently, and Cindy began singing.
"As
the moon kindles the night
As the wind kindles the tide
As the
rain fills every ocean
And the sun, the earth
With your heart
kindle my heart
Take my heart
Take my heart
Kindle it
with your heart
And my heart
Cannot be
Kindled without
you
With your heart
Kindle my heart."
She finished, and anxiously glanced at my face.
Tears streamed down to the bed, soaking my night gown and the cotton covers. It was the most beautiful song I had ever heard… sang by the most beautiful voice… Every word was like a shooting star, flashing before my eyes. Her last line still echoed through my head, like bells chiming.
"Cindy…" I struggled for words. "…Thu-Thank you…," Was all I could say.
"Alice, I will always kindle your heart, no matter what. I will always love you, and stand by your side. I'm your sister, and I just thought that a song would be the only way to let me show how much I care."
"Cindy… this truly is the best gift anyone could give me. I could care less about a new dress or a hair bow. And, Cindy, I will always kindle your heart. Always." I vowed. Cindy smile and I hugged her yet another time. I loved her, so much. She was my best friend, and she always would be.
"So, did you have a good birthday?" Cindy asked, escaping all of our emotion.
"Your song just made it the best birthday ever." I answered honestly.
"Thank you… Well, those girls at school weren't being very nice at all…" She added with disgust in her voice. I shrugged.
"I don't really care what they say to me, frankly. They can insult me all they want, I won't change who I am for their benefit." Then, the word school reminded me of the strange thing that had happened to me earlier in mathematics.
"Cindy, I was meaning to tell you; the strangest thing happened to me. I was sitting in class, and suddenly I started to feel woozy, and shaky. And then, for about 3 seconds, I couldn't see. I could feel my eyelids fluttering but my sight was gone. It was just black. But, it went back to normal." Cindy stared at me with an unreadable expression.
"Well… what could it mean?" She finally spoke.
"I don't know… it must be nothing… but… there's something in the very back of my brain, that's telling me that it's not nothing. I don't know… it's like it's warning me…" I shivered a little bit. I had to admit, I was actually afraid. Afraid of… afraid of myself.
"Don't be scared, Alice… Come on, let's go to sleep." Cindy tried to drop the subject.
"Alright." I nodded and snuggled under my covers.
I pondered though; I had too much in my mind to doze yet. It was ridiculous that I was frightened. What was there to fear? I mean, what could possibly be wrong with me? I was normal, just like any other person. Ok, maybe not normal, but close enough. This kind of thing probably happened often… it had to. I couldn't have been the only one. Maybe… Maybe I had just imagined the whole thing. Maybe my mind was just making up stories of its own…. But maybe not.
I drifted into dreamland. ************************************************************************************************************************
I had never had a dream so vivid. No, I corrected myself, nightmare. Everything was so clear. It wasn't the foggy haze my mind was usually produced.
It was green. That was all I saw, at first. But then I recognized it to be the forest here in Biloxi. It was deep in the forest, entirely too deep. And, I was running. That's all I knew of. I didn't know who I was running from, or what. But I got the horrible feeling that I was running for my life.
A twisted branch seemed to come from nowhere, and it tripped me, pulling me down to the ground. I sunk onto my knees. I couldn't see myself, though. This wasn't one of those dreams where you are watching yourself, like a play or a movie. It was like I was actually there. But, I could feel myself. I felt my body trembling with pronounced fear. I pounded the forest floor with all of my strength, and I opened my mouth to scream. But then, suddenly, the leaves around me moved.
And a white shadow dove through them, aiming for my throat.
************************************************************************************************************************
"Alice? Alice! Alice, wake up!" A voice cried frantically. I twisted and turned, and then shot up in my bed.
"Alice! What's wrong! You-you were screaming and crying! And thrashing all around… and, and I couldn't wake you up!" Cindy was breathless.
My face was wet from tears, my eyes foggy.
What had just happened? It was so real… too real. I was running, running from the white figure that had came from the leaves…
Cindy waited for me to get a grip on reality.
"Alice, are you ok?" She spoke as calmly as she could manage. Was I ok? I had just had the scariest nightmare to ever enter my thoughts. What could have brought this on? I tried to speak, but nothing came out. I tried to clear my throat, but my voice was strained, probably from screaming. I tried to speak, again.
"I'm ok…" My voice was a mere whisper.
"What happened… what was your dream?"
"It was chasing me… the white shadow." A chill shot up my spine. Cindy looked alarmed, and came over to comfort me.
"It's not here, Alice. It's just me. I will always stay with you, don't worry." She gave a hesitant smile. "I pinky swear." She held out her pinky. I couldn't help but laugh, though the sound was muffled with tears. My tiny pinky was abnormally small, but I took Cindy's in mine and we squeezed them together. Cindy laughed the lighthearted laugh that reminded me so much of mama.
"I love that laugh." I sighed.
"And I love you, Alice." She smiled warmly.
"I love you too."
"Now, let's sleep, before the sun comes up!" Cindy exclaimed humorously with a glance at the window. I laughed once more, wiping the last tears from my cheeks, and laid back on my fluffy pillow. I tried to shut my eyes, but I couldn't. The image kept on coming back. The forest, the shadow. Instead, I stared at the wall, studying the abstract designs. But they only made it worse. The shapes I saw were not helpful at all. First I saw a tree. Hundreds of trees, that seemed to be moving, swishing past me. Then, I saw a big white glob. Only, it wasn't a glob at all. It was a shadow.
A small voice came from beside me.
"Take my heart, take my heart. Kindle it with your heart. And my heart cannot be kindled without yours…"
And Cindy's voice lulled me into a peaceful, dreamless slumber.
Please review.
Next chapter is really – well I don't want to give away any hints. But it's BIG and something you wouldn't expect. That's what I'm trying to do, take Alice's story and make it my own, not the same thing I always read about.
So please give me an idea on how I am doing. Constructive criticism is much appreciated. I will reply to your review. Kapeesh? Gracias! BTW if anyone knows what movie that song is from I will dedicate the next chapter to you (:
~sprinkledwithtwilight
