24 August 2012
She lies there, eyes closed, thin blue veins decorating her translucent skin, her hair splayed out behind her in a ocean of darkness. I hold back a scream as I realise what she's wearing. Celyn's favourite dress. Panic overwhelms me, suffocating me, killing me. My best friend lays dead under a old oak and I can't do anything to help. I scream, kicking out and scrabbling at the earth, tears streaming. I have to help. Have to get to her. Have to... Got to... Just... The darkness closes it's thin fingers around my throat, and slowly cuts at my arms, leaving trails of blood running into the undergrowth. I lie there, fear and panic freezing my muscles, killing my thoughts. A cloud of thick mist rises and smothers me, and soon I have no choice but to give in and let the sea of blood wash over my limp body, life slipping away with each breath I take.
I wake with a start, breath escaping my lungs sharply, heart fluttering in a frenzy. Cold sweat trickles down my forehead and my eyes dart around the room. Realisation hits me like a punch to the face, and I run downstairs, oblivious to the fact that I'm only in a pyjama vest and shorts. "EMRIS!! EMRIS!!!! Celyn's dead! She's dead, and it's my fault 'cause I couldn't save her. Emris! You've got to help and..," I work myself into a panicked frenzy, screaming at the top of my lungs, running wilding around the theatre, searching desperately for Emris. "Shh... Shh, it's okay. Celyn's not dead, she phoned this morning. Just, calm down, okay?" Emris emerges from the storage cupboard, and sits me down, rubbing my back gently. It's okay. Celyn's not dead. But… it was so real. I felt the knife cut into my arm, felt the blood trickle from the wounds, felt the pure fear when I realised it was Celyn. It can't just be a dream. Can it? "Sorry. I… I just had a bad dream, that's all. I'll be fine, I promise." "Well, okay, if you're sure. Now, go and get dressed, we've got the music group coming this afternoon, remember?" "Okay. See you in a minute." Like I could forget that. Every so often, Emris rented the theatre out to a toddler music group, and made me sing to them in weird costumes. Basically, hell. Luckily, no one else in school knows apart from Celyn, so I won't be facing social death through rumours any time soon. Thank god.
I sift through the contents of my wardrobe, a mis-matched collection of old charity shop bought items, things salvaged from old costumes and gifts from members of Emris' family that I'd never heard of before. I take a few things from on top of the pile and put them on, staring at my self in the mirror. A pair of lemon jeans with rips in, a floaty turquoise vest top and a teal beret. Completely mismatched and unique. Just the way I like it. I pull on an odd pair of socks, watching Dusky bat at the alarm clock. Something clicks in my brain and a wave of primal instinct washes over me. Cat. It's a cat. I growl, baring my teeth, getting ready to attack and... No. That is NOT happening again. I steady myself on the bed, struggling to control myself. My nails keep sharpening and growing, then shrinking again. I take a deep breath, then let go, shooing Dusky out of my room quickly so I don't attack him. Lights dance behind my eyelids and my stomach churns threateningly. I stagger towards the chair in the corner, clutching my stomach and breathing deeply. Too late. Halfway across the room and my skin is shrinking, a thick coat of fur taking it's place. One more scream and my teeth are replaced with sharp canines and incisors. No. No. No. Please… just no. I scream, an intense pain spreading from my head, leaving me writhing in utter agony on the floor. My lungs seem to collapse in on themselves, and as I take in a breath, something sticks in my throat. I cough, desperately trying to breathe. The floor spins beneath me and a roaring starts in my ears, blocking my thoughts. It's just me and a world of utter pain. Nothing else. Emris rushes in, eyes wide in fear as he watches his adopted daughter potentially dying on the floor. I reach out to him, but stop as a final burst of pain floods through my body. I can feel my bones shrinking, my muscles changing, my tail growing. The world slowly slips away, until I rest in a state of semi-consciousness. Emris shakes my limp body, panic rising in his voice. Only, he's not shaking a girl anymore. He's shaking a wolf.
Midnight Part Three • Opuss № I