KIERAN
Thunder rumbles overhead as the clouds hovering around the grey skies seem to get heavier and heavier. The cool wind ruffles my hair and clothes but I make no movement. I remain seated on one of the benches in the deserted park. I tilt my head upwards, towards the cloudy skies and let out a small sigh. Still feeling dejected after my awful day at school, I'd walked all the way to the park, refusing to talk to anyone. I am drowning in self pity and self loathing. After a loud clap of thunder, the heavy downpour comes, large drops of water hitting my face and body. I close my eyes, my mood dampening even more as I start to get drenched. I feel so pathetic right now. What can I say? That's the only thing I do best. The cold slowly starts to seep into my bones and I welcome it, desperate for the numbness that is to come. Suddenly, I feel someone else's presence beside me and I open my eyes.
"You shouldn't be sitting out here in the rain. You could get sick for goodness sake" Sapphire's smooth voice caresses my senses and I don't move.
"You really shouldn't punish yourself because of what others think about you, Kier"
I ignore her and continue to stare at the empty space in front of me. When I don't acknowledge her, she squats in front of me with a frown on her face.
"Kier, you need to go home"
"I'm fine right here" I mutter and her brow creases up.
"You're shivering so hard"
"I'm fine"
"Kier-"
"I said, I am fine!" I yell and she flinches for a second before quickly regaining her composure. She rises to her feet and I start to believe that she's actually going to leave. But then, she suddenly embraces me, leaving me speechless.
"I'm sorry, Kier. I know all this is hard for you. I should've tried to understand you better. Friends stick with each other. From now on, I promise that I will never give up on you. I will never walk away from you again" she whispers. I remain silent, inhaling the sweet scent of vanilla coming from her hair. For once, I no longer feel so alone.
"Come on, let's get you home" she says and I rise to my feet.
"Whenever you need someone to talk to, I'll be there" she whispers and our gazes meet.
"Thanks" I breathe, my voice shaky. She links her fingers with mine and we began to walk away from the park.
And all I can think of is the fact that there's one person after all who knows the real me. I met her yesterday, but here we are walking hand in hand. I've never felt so connected. Thirty minutes later, we arrive at my house. Mum is sitting on a chair, reading a magazine when we both walk in.
"Kieran! Why are you soaking wet?" She asks, her eyes narrowed.
"I walked in the rain" I reply bluntly.
"Go freshen up. We need to talk" mum says, before turning to look at Sapphire who gives her a weak smile.
"And, who are you?"
"My name's Sapphire. I'm a friend of Kieran's" she replies. Mum nods slowly with one of her eyebrows raised. "You're wet too. Kieran, you can give her some of your clothes to wear even though she's not your girlfriend" mum says and I let out an exasperated sigh.
"Come on, Sapphire" I say and she follows me into my room. I move towards my closet and grab one of my white shirts and a pair of sweatpants. "Thanks" Sapphire says as she takes it from me. I nod in response, taking my own change of clothes before heading to the bathroom. When I walk back into the my bedroom, dressed in a black T-shirt and grey sweatpants, I find Sapphire sitting on my bed, wearing my clothes. She gives me a sheepish smile and pats the spot beside her. I slowly sit on that spot, pushing my black fringe off my forehead.
"So, I figured you should have my phone number since we're friends now" she says and I nod, reaching out to pick up my Android phone from the night stand. I unlock it and hand it over to her to type in her digits. She takes it from me and types in her digits. Then she saves the number as 'Blue'. I raise a brow but all she does is shrug. She dials her number on my phone and takes out her phone, saving my number as 'Red'. Again, she merely shrugs when I ask for an explanation.
"You're so weird" I comment and she chuckles.
"Aren't we all?" She beams.
I roll my eyes and look out the window. It isn't raining anymore. "I have to go now. I'll see you soon, okay?" She says, rising to her feet.
"Sure"
"Thanks for the clothes" she says and vanishes right in front of me. I will never get used to that.
*****
The sounds of crickets and birds echo through the dark forest as I walk deeper into it with my feet bare. I'm soaked to the bone, but somehow, I feel numb. Sticks and stones bruise and scratch my feet but I don't feel it. I reach out to hold the tree in front of me. The tree immediately starts to shrivel until it falls to the ground, looking dead and rotten. I stare at the tree for a moment and continue my journey towards the center of the forest.
"Who are you?" A familiar voice says from behind me. I turn around only to find myself staring at my alter ego. "Who am I? I'm you" I reply and he frowns, his bloodshot eyes boring into my black ones.
"I don't think so" he comments and I scowl.
"Why? Is it because we seem darker and stronger?" I ask and he lowers his gaze.
"I don't know what you're talking about" he mutters.
"See? You have to accept that you're me and I am you or you'll continue to be a push over. You'll always be weak"
He turns away, his black bangs covering his eyes.
"You can't force me to. I'll rather stay like this than murder people"
"It's not murder if you do it in defense" I reply and he glares at me.
"Stay away from me"
"I can't. We can't" I say and I give him a dirty grin.
There's a little girl cowering behind a tree. I grab her by the hair and she whimpers.
"Don't hurt me please" she cries and I grin at my alter ego who stares at me, horrified.
"Don't hurt her" he pleads and I roll my eyes.
"We're monstrous. You can't just pretend that I don't exist. Watch and learn" I drawl and he pales further, tears filling his green eyes.
"No, please--"
I immediately snap the little girl's neck in half and she slumps to the ground like a ragged doll. My alter ego let's out a panicked scream, tears now streaming down his cheeks, leaving wet trails behind. Still smirking, I squat and dig my claws into the girl's chest, pulling out her heart.
"Do you like what you see?" I ask and he moves backwards, his body trembling feebly.
"N-no! No!--"
With a tortured gasp like fish out of water, I shoot upright in bed, my heart threatening to jump out of my chest as it throbs painfully. My stomach churns and I rush out my room and into the bathroom. I barely make it to the sink before I begin to throw up.
Sniffling weakly, I look up into the mirror, my blood running cold when I notice that my eyes are pitch black with red rings around them.
I hurriedly get rid of the mess I've made and stumble back to my room. I curl up on my bed, my hands wrapped around my knees as I continue to tremble. With my emotions all over the place, I start to sob quietly, into my pillow. Try as hard as I can, I can't seem to get my nightmare out of my mind.
I'm so caught up in my head that I don't notice the figure now standing in my room. The light bulb comes on and I flinch. "Kier?" My sister says as she kneels on my bed, behind me. I stiffen and hurriedly start to wipe off my tears. "What's wrong?" She asks. "Nothing. I'm fine, Arlie. You shouldn't be awake by this time" I reply, my voice hoarse from all the crying I've done today.
"You're shaking, Kier" she whispers, her voice laced with concern. She starts to move closer and I squeeze my eyes shut, hoping that she wouldn't question anything else. I'm not really in a right state of mind and I'm worried that she would see my eyes.
"I'm just cold, that's all" I reply. "But-"
"Arlie, would you please just let me sleep?" I say and she sighs. "Fine. Goodnight, Kier. Sleep well" she whispers and a couple of minutes later, I realize that she's no longer in my bedroom. Biting my lower lip, I look across the room to stare at Aidan who's sound asleep on his bed. At least, for once Aidan's deep sleeping habits is an advantage. He literally sleeps like the dead. I close my eyes and grip the pillow hard. Again, I wish things were different.