21/12/2008 13:28:00

A/N I want to go on a rant but I have a feeling no one will notice cuz I dot have any readers. At least it seems that way with so little reviews and all. I'm going to go on the rant anyway:

You can throw tomatoes at me if you want. I'm sorry. It's just I don't update the next chapter until I've written the next one and I'm having trouble with Embry and Amanda's date. Thank you thank you thank you RLD Flame-point Callie-co you saved my life with your tips. I know this chapter is way too short. Get you rotten tomatoes ready, set, fire!

Ch.7 Seconds

Another one? If you could sigh in nightmares, I would have. I had nightmares every other night now. They were all the same one too. I would have been bored out of my mind if I wasn't so terrified. In the past ones I had walked in the forest until I found a small pond. The pond would be perfect circle and its surface would reflect like a mirror, for it was covered in ice. I would look down and see my face but then it would transform into my mother's. She would wear a mask of anger. The pond would explode and sharp pieces of ice would fly everywhere. Then I would wake up.

That's how it usually happened. It started out the same. I walked through the woods. The tree's interlocking fingers making me feel like I was in a cage. The tree's towered over me, some as tall as skyscrapers. If I hadn't been in a dream I would have thought this weird, but I thought nothing of it. I found the pond again. This is where the dream wandered off its usual path. When I looked down in the pond, the water was pitch black, and there was no ice.

I waited patiently staring at the smooth water. Why, I could not tell you, for I was in the land of dreams where reason did not affect your choices and you did only what you felt you were supposed to do. Some sixth sense told me something was going to happen. The sixth sense was apparently correct. A whirlpool started in the very center of the pond. It grew larger and larger filling the whole pond. As it grew larger it picked up speed. It was spinning and as it spun the water turned clear. The wave of clearness started in the middle until it sloshed up onto the shore. The rebounding wave turned the pond to ice. I stared at the ice and saw a blurry figure looking at me.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. The sound came from behind me. I still did not shift my gaze. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. The sound was too loud for human footsteps, but to quiet for hooves. The thumping stopped right behind me, and I was falling, falling towards the thin layer of ice. But instead of crashing through it or even landing on it as if it could hold my weight. I just fell through it. It didn't break it was as if it was non-existent. I turned over to get out of the pool but when my hand touched the ice it was solid. I panicked. I could not break the ice no matter how thin the layer was. I calmed down enough to look through the window of ice. There was a wolf peering down at me. I realized the eyes vaguely reminded me of Embry, the boy I had met yesterday. It was the same wolf I had dreamt about days ago…

I woke up with a startled yelp. I was breathing hard. That dream, that nightmare, was a new one. I realized I was shivering. The covers were on the floor, not as if they had been thrown off while I was thrashing about in my sleep, they looked like I had gotten out of bed. Next my gaze turned to the window, the open window. Strange. I must have been sleep walking. I used to do that when I was younger, but I hadn't done it reasontly. I got up to close the window. The floor around it was soggy from the pounding rain. Great. I sat down on my bed. Ms. Newton walked in with her pajamas on, a pink button down shirt, and pink loose sweats. I didn't know she liked pink so much.

"Sweetie, are you okay? I think I heard you screaming."

"Yeah," my voice was raspy, "I just had a nightmare."

"Oh, I'm sorry, would it help if you told me about it?"

I shook my head. No matter how kind and loving Ms. Newton was, she had no idea how to comfort a teenager who had lost her parents.

"You look like your sick maybe you should stay in bed today," she looked concerned

I shook my head. "I'm fine," my voice was still raspy.

She left still looking unsure what to do. I rolled over and went back to sleep, a deep sleep, and dreamless sleep. I slept until 4:30 pm. Maybe I had really been sick.

...

Up and down up and down I paced. 5:14 pm.

5:15

5:16

Every tick of the clock. Second by second. Worrying. I missed Embry, but it had only been a day. I had only known him for a day. I felt like I had known him for forever. He made me feel light. But every minute, every second I felt heavier. Heavier. Heavier. Memories flooding, drowning me. Where was my savior? 17 hours 44 minutes. 43 minutes. 42. 41. 40. Time passes. Slowly. Seemingly endless. But it passes. Though every second I counted. Eyes searching. Staring at the clock. A minute. A whole minute. The clock ticks, ticks, ticks… Never ending. Immortal. The eternal ticking. Hours may pass. The sun sink and rise. But your heart counts not hours, but days, years, a life time. Even if I travel the world. Ticking will always haunt me. My dreams. My waking hours. Tick Tock Tick Tock. Memories. I could not swim. I could not breathe. Memories.