The Nightmare Begins

The bright lights of the largest Ferris wheel I’ve ever seen.

The fragrance of cotton candy and popcorn fills everyone’s noses.

The sounds of little children laughing, smiling and running around echoed into the night.

An illusion of me as a little girl appears before me begging Mommy to buy me some cotton candy

"What a beautiful little Caribbean girl you used to be. So small, so fragile, so easy to break and destroy in a matter of seconds,"

It's that same voice I heard back when I was on the carousel for probably the tenth time. I didn't understand what that voice was talking about so I just ignored it. I watched as my younger self got on to the pearl white horse with its beautiful glowing colors. The moment I waved to Mommy she already started taking pictures of me. When I finally revolved around once Mommy was talking to my brother.

"Hi Chantal, are you having fun?" Brandon called out to me.

I gave him the thumbs up with a smile stretching from ear to ear. I was having so much fun that I was blinded by what came next. A loud bang came from one corner of the circus followed by screams of terror and fear. The carousel halted immediately which causing me to bang my head against the pole I was holding onto. The man who controlled the ride opened the gate so the parents can get their child before something else bad happens. I was so confused, so shaken by the amount of noise that was all around me.

"You should run and try to find your dead family. Who knows, you might find them in the afterlife," The voice said.

"My family isn't dead! You're a liar!" I yelled out.

I scrabbled out the gate alone waiting for someone, just anyone, to come get me. But nobody came. People were scattered everywhere doing different things. The people who controlled the booths where there were competitions and foods were already in their own car driving away. I ran and ran and searching for Brandon or Mommy while calling their names, trying to be heard. In the process, I tripped and banged my head against to something metal. Something told me to turn around. No scratch that. I was being controlled only for those few seconds when making the rotation. I saw them laying on the floor, lifeless.

"This can't be true..." I burst into tears and wondered what I was supposed do now.

"You didn't believe me yet I was telling the truth," It said.

"You can't just trust a weird voice that comes out nowhere," I said while sucking up the snot that came out dripping of my nose.

"You still won't believe me? Then fine. But just a little something you should know:

I’m right behind you,"

I couldn't bear to see the illusion of my younger self getting shot. I flinched at the noise, wishing to get out of this horrible nightmare. I watch as the illusion fades out and becomes black all around me just like how it all started the moment I went to sleep.

"I still don't understand why you didn't listen. The voice that was talking to me back then is now within my shadow.

"Well, you don't just trust a random voice. The answer will never, ever change," I said like I'm arguing with someone.

"I see you're at your rebellious age," It said. The shadow grew on the white walls of the room that had no doors and formed itself a body which it does when it’s about to kill me.

"I don't care if I am or not just kill me already so I can get out of this stupid nightmare," I said annoyed.

"It's not so simple, my dear. It takes time and skill to perform a perfect kill," It explained.

"Okay... since it takes time to kill me I'll just turn my back and wait for you to kill me." I turned around and sat down on the floor. Sometimes, scratch that, all the time I just wish he wasn't real, wish that he didn't kill my family. If I can just rewind time and just have the power to know what's going to happen next then maybe I wouldn't be in this place or the stupid orphanage. Then it struck me.

"Hey... Mr... Shadow," I'm still unsure about what I should call it even after four years of torture." I remember a long time ago that you said you collect power from scaring me, correct?"

"Correct."

"Is it possible that you can time travel?"

"If humans can't time travel, then neither can we."

It was a good I turned around to take a peek at what Mr. Shadow's going to use to kill me this time. But he's just standing there acting like he's waiting for something to magically happen. From where I am, I can see large blades, knives, guns, spears and even poisons on the large table. All I wish for him to do is to hurry up. Finally, he picked up something on the far side of the table where I can't see.

"One more question," I said with bravery that I didn't even know I had in this nightmare place. "What do you plan to do with all that power? I assume that since you've been scaring me for four years that you'd have a lot of power."

He placed down the bottle he was holding and poured some kind of mixture into a syringe.

"What I plan to do is leave your puny body and then," He began.

"And then?"

"The rest is a secret." He slowly stuck the syringe into my shoulder while squeezing the mixture out of my shoulder. I started to feel drowsy and a little sick. Suddenly, a sharp pain came from my shoulder where he put the needle in. The pain grew more and I began to feel it on the right side of my neck. From there it spread down to my stomach and legs and before I knew it I was out of the nightmare.

I woke up with a jolt that I believe woke up Jessica, the extremely mean girl, who sleeps below me. Sweat was trickling down my forehead and dropped onto my hands and tip of my blanket. Every time I wake up I'm either shaking or sweating. I would rather shake because I smell quickly.

"Go back to sleep dork," Jessica said in a groggy voice while she shifted positions.

"I'll have you know that that's impossible for me to do once I wake up," I said.

"Shut the hell up and go away!"

"Sure," I whispered. I went down the ladder on the right side of the bunk bed and looked at the clock to see what time I woke up at this time.

"Great. Just perfect, I woke up at five o'clock. I think I should go and read my book. It's not like I have much time to kill before everyone else wakes up and start causing chaos."

I grabbed my bath towel and a pair of jeans with my 'some bunny to love' shirt.