1997
It was the usual routine; he woke up, brushed his teeth and got ready. One of the older boys ran a comb through his raven hair and did up the buttons on his murky white shirt. They ate breakfast at 7am, usually a mixture of cold toast, lumpy porridge and a cup of milk, followed by a piece of fruit. There were six rows of three tables, eight children sat on each side. Girls and boys were not aloud to mix, and you weren't allowed to excuse yourself until every drop of food on your plate was gone. The nuns sat at the back of the room, next to the door so they could watch out for anyone trying to escape the disgusting food.
It was a Friday, some time in June, and Merlin sat staring at the bowl of mush with a disgusted look on his face. Opposite him, Wilburn wolfed his down as if it were sweet and made of chocolate. Merlin glanced up at the boy, and pushed his bowl towards him. Wilburn frowned.
'What?' He questioned, his mouth full. Merlin pointed to his full bowl and then to Will's almost empty one.
'I don't think so, pixie. I don't want to get in trouble.' Merlin shook his head rapidly and pushed his bowl further towards Will, his lips turning into a small pout. Will dropped his spoon and pushed it back. 'I said no!'
Merlin folded his arms across his chest and kicked the bottom of the table. His ice blue eyes scanned the room. Most children were done with breakfast and had neatly placed their spoons and bowls and cups in the middle of the table, waiting for the others to finish. The nuns moved around the room, talking to the children and making sure everyone was well and happy. As he turned to look over his shoulder, Merlin's hand missed the edge of the bench and he fell to the floor, knocking the back of his head against the wall. He looked around the room again, but nobody was looking. Touching the back of his head, he felt something sticky and wet, and when he looked at his hand it was spotted red. He stared at his hand, his lips pursed and his eyes narrow. The world around his seemed to be turning grey and fading out, and he could feel a strange warmth spreading from his spine to his skull.
'Merlin?' He felt as if his brain was on fire, as if the world had suddenly vanished and he was all alone in a strange, dark place that he'd never been before. Red spots appeared before his eyes, and suddenly he wasn't looking at a blood-soaked hand anymore, but at the faces of Nan and Wilburn. The world came back into focus but he was no longer in the hall, he was sat in his bed and the sun had gone down. He touched the back of his head, but he felt nothing. It was as if he'd dreamed it all.

That night Merlin lay awake, watching the heavy rain crash against the window pane. The wind was hurricane like, causing trees to fall and roofs to collapse. There was a quick flash of light, followed by a deep rumble of thunder in the distance.
Next to his bed was a nightlight. It was small and blue and it casted shapes and shadows on the high walls. There were clowns doing handstands and elephants on tightropes, and if Merlin squinted his eyes enough they looked as if they were alive. Pushing the covers from his too-warm body, Merlin sat up and rested his head against the headboard. From his window he could see the nearby church, which stayed lit up and open all through the night for the homeless people that needed shelter from bad weather.
Another flash of lightning lit up the room, brightening even the darkest corners and crevices. Merlin pulled his knees to his chest and hugged them close. As he focused on the wall, he trembled. A sudden gust of cold air surrounded him, chilling his bones. The lightening died. The clowns that danced across the walls. seemed to stop, and Merlin glanced to the nightlight expecting it to have stopped turning also. It had not. Looking back, the wall seemed smaller and darker, as if the darkness ha consumed it. It appeared to sway as the trees did, back and forth in a hypnotising dance that Merlin could only stare at. Even in the darkness he could see it, bending into shapes and crawling across the walls. It did not look human, not like a ghost, but somewhere in between. Merlin knew it was not his imagination, because the room lit once more for a brief second and it was still there. She was still there, standing tall and unmoving. He could only assume that he was dreaming. The hairs on his arms stood straight, and a chill ran through his bones as the woman moved closer, but she was not walking. She was almost gliding across the floor, her arms outstretched and the space where her eyes should be glowing white. Merlin shuffled backwards, but he was already against the wall. He reached out for the blankets and pulled them up to his chin. He did not blink, he couldn't, he was entranced by the dream that was crawling closer and closer to where he sat, frozen. She looked familiar somehow, and yet he couldn't think of who she reminded him of. The woman stood at the foot of his bed, unmoving. Unreal. It was then that another flash of lightning hit. It was then that the woman bared her unnaturally sharp teeth and pounced, arms reaching for his throat and her eyes devoid of life. It was then that his eyes became a mixture of orange and gold. It was then that fire shot from his fingertips.

[[I realise that the first two chapters aren't as good, and I'm thinking of re-writing them. Thanks for the reviews and the follows, I honestly can't believe people are taking time to read my story. As I've said, it may not make any sense, but in trying to make it less boring for you all ;) please keep reading and reviewing x]]