1 Chapter One

I gasped as I looked around. I was strapped in the driver's side of a car. The old cloth seats pressed against my skin. I lifted my hand to shield the son from my eyes. Why is my body moving on its own? This has to be a dream, but it feels so real. I was aware of everything around me. My hands grabbed the wheel until my knuckles turned white. Fear. Why did I feel so frightened? My whole body was shaking. Can't stop now. Not while they are after me. Where did that thought come from? It wasn't my own. Who is after us? Me! ME! There is no us. Then my foot slammed on the gas pedal. The sound of the tires screeching and the motor going into overdrive rang in my ears. Gears crushed to gather and the smell of burning rubber filled my nose. 

I noticed my surroundings. Trees. Miles and miles of trees. At the sight of them I did feel a slight comfort. A sense of longing and home. Where was I? Wait, this is the orchard outside of the state lines. I used to go here when my mother was still alive. I'll die before I tell them. What? Whose thoughts are these? They aren't my own. What did they mean they would rather die? Who is 'them?' What does this person not want them to know? I looked into the mirror. A scream escaped my mind. The body didn't scream, but I did. What the hell are those things? 

 I looked in horror as I saw the vile creatures that were in the mirror. I have never seen anything like them before. My eyes were wide in shock. I felt like puking, or hyperventilating. I wasn't entirely sure of those details. I honestly wasn't sure of anything occurring in this dream or whatever the hell it was!

The gruesome disfiguration of the creatures made them appear hunched over on all fours. They had grown long talons at their hands and feet. Their claws dug into the ground with each step as they raced after us. It was as if a black tar-like substance coated them and made them even more frightening. What scared me the most was they were gaining on me. They will never take me back to him. I love you my brothers and sisters. Tell them this, Sybil. What? What is happening? 

It was then that the feeling of being scared vanished in an instant. I looked forward and was at a loss for words. There was a cliff ahead. NO. My mind turned to panic, yet the body I was in, was in a state of blissful content. I opened my mouth to scream, but the body was not mine to control. Instead, the person smiled and closed their eyes as if they were remembering a better time. So many questions were unanswered. The body had closed her eyes, yet I could still see. The ground was coming closer, and those monstrous creatures were following us. Yet, in the distance I saw it. It was clear as could be. A circle of these gigantic stones. They were so beautiful. So whimsical. 

Then the crash hit me. I felt the impact as I slammed against the wheel. My chest slammed into the wheel. The air was knocked from my lungs and I tried to inhale. I could. I inhaled all of the glass as if it filled my mouth and throat. Choking on my own blood. The teeth of the body chomped on the shards as her head slammed back. Sadly, the body of the driver was long gone. Blood covered everything. Yet, where was the body? As the darkness started to gain my vision, I heard it again. The song of sadness and death. She was singing it again. How odd?

I woke up screaming bloody murder. I screamed until my throat felt raw. My hands touched my face, and I felt the puddle of tears as they spilled from my eyes. A rushed sigh escaped my lips. Water. They hadn't been my imagination. It was such a relief to feel the skin of my fingers on my face. The air smelled of hibiscus flowers due to my candle wax warmer I had left on. 

 What the hell was that? That was a horrific nightmare. Nightmares can't be that vivid though, right? I panted softly as I attempted to calm myself down. Not real. It wasn't real.

I heard the sound of thudding feet before the door to my room busted open and my father busted into the room. The door slammed against the wall before bouncing back slightly. My eyes looked at his frantic ones. His chest seemed to be rising and falling with each breath. He seemed to be checking me over to make sure I was alright. It almost gave the illusion that he gave two shits. Since mom left I couldn't be certain that he did. Did he hate me because I resembled her?

"What the hell Sybil! I heard you all the way out in the shop!" He said loudly. 

"I… I'm sorry Pa'. I just had a bad dream. It was nothing, and it won't happen again." I told him. 

He sighed, and then he left. He always leaves. It is not news to me that he will ignore me. He most likely only kept me around as a favor to my mother. She was killed a long time ago. Maybe a few years? It all blurs when I try to remember her. Ever since her death, my father has changed, and not for the better. He spends all of his time out at night, or in his workshop for cars. I think it helps him to not think about mother. 

 I looked back down at my body. It was covered in my black blanket. I was drenched in sweat, and I could not get that dream out of my head. It was as if I was another person. Some people claimed to have those types of dreams. The kind where it is an 'out of body experience.' However, I have never had one of my own. I shook my head. There is no way that is possible. 

I threw the blanket off of me and looked at the clock. Damn, it was time for me to get ready for school. College is a hell hole, but not as bad as high school was. At least college gave you the idea you can make a choice. Despite that being an obvious lie. It was just highschool but you can get drunk on the weekends. Well- maybe it wasn't that different from highschool. 

My room was my own space. I kept it very clean, for the most part. My bed I just kept dirty and cocooned myself in the blankets when I slept. Random posters of bands and some animal posters hung on the wall. A few different pairs of clothes scattered in the corner. It was pretty basic. Mom was always the better decorator. 

 My feet took me over to my closet and I grabbed any outfit I could find. Then I took a shower. I took my shower quickly. For makeup I just did a small amount of black eyeliner and changed into some clothes. My eyes trailed down to my clothing. It was a black sports bra with lightning flashes on it. For pants, they were just a black pair of jeans. I wore a pair of dark brown thigh high boots. It all matched my platinum blonde hair. My hair seemed to never end, but it did, right at my waist.

 Trent would probably like this outfit. I still cannot believe a guy like Trent would date a woman like me. Trent was absolutely perfect! He plays football at the college I go to. He's the QB for the school, and a damned good one at that. He was a one of a kind sweetheart! His features are summed up as stupidly hot. Muscles for days, and hair and eyes that could melt a person. Hell– his voice alone was honey. With that in mind, I grabbed my bag and headed out the door in excitement. 

I ran onto the campus grounds. Students were filling out into the building from the student parking lot. The grass was slightly damp, most likely from the morning dew. My mind told me I was going to slip if I wasn't careful. It was then that I saw him. He was leaning over one of the stone tables in the courtyard talking to one of the other guys. 

"Trent!" I yelled. 

I ran over to him, and then he saw me. He smirked at me and scooped me up into a hug. I nuzzled close to him enjoying his masculine scent. He wore a white t-shirt with a smiley face on it. It seemed to hug his chest perfectly. It matched his blue jeans that he wore in all the right ways. He wrapped his arm around my waist when he set me down. 

"You yell my name like that, and I'll think you have a crush on me." He spoke. 

I mirrored his smirk and looked up at him. His eyes reflected in the sun and I couldn't help but fall in love even more. 

"Oh, well we wouldn't want that, would we?" I said looking up at him. 

It was then that I heard the sound of a woman chuckling in the distance. Trent and I both looked over to see a group of people. There were six in total. Everyone knew them, and no one spoke to them. They kept to themselves, and that was the norm here. 

The leader seemed to be a blonde girl. I knew her name was Allisha. She seemed to be wearing a short black dress with black leggings underneath it. All of them were very pale. The leader was always accompanied by a short black-haired girl. She appeared to be Japanese. She was called Kira. She wore a red band tshirt of something I couldn't read with some jeans. Beside them were three males. The tallest one of the groups was Heath. Long black hair, pierced ear, delicious looking body, and green eyes that could melt my heart. Not that he was cuter than Trent— okay maybe a bit. 

He wore his signature black leather jacket and ripped jeans. The other male was odd. He had teal colored hair with an army styled cut hair. His eyes were a deep blue color, and it looked as if he had no white in his eyes. 

Some say he got his eyes tattooed; others think it is contacts. I tend to not think about that. I believe people call him Boa. The last dude was probably the most normal looking of them all. He had a light brown colored hair that was a short style, but it framed his face. He wore a black t-shirt, and blue jeans. His name is Alexander. He may appear nerdy, but I feel he has a dominant personality inside of him that is what the ladies say. I doubt they have ever been with him though. Call it a weird hunch. 

"I swear, that group is a bunch of freaks." Trent told me. 

I rolled my eyes at his words. Trent is a good guy, to me at least. However, when it comes to those people who aren't in his circle, death is more pleasant. 

"They are unique, not freaks, babe." I clarified.

"Sybil, I don't just say that lightly. Alexander had a girl who use to be a student here, then she died. Gone! Like she was never even here. Reports say she was mauled by a cougar or a wolf." He said.

"I say he did it himself and made it look like an accident." Raizer said. 

I rolled my eyes again. I swear I can't even be with these guys sometimes. They gossip more than women! 

"And the tall one- Heath. Fuck, I hate his guts. The guy can beat someone to a pulp and not feel a damn thing about it. I think he likes fights to be honest." Trent said, shivering. 

Then he laughed and leaned up to kiss my cheek. He always thought I was naive in my ideals of peace. I can't help it. My mother raised me to defend those who were weaker than me. I also feel that it is almost instinct for me to protect. 

 That was the end of that conversation then. He slipped his arm around my waist and turned back to his buddies. I looked at his friends. Trent surrounded himself with more than the athletes at least. One guy looked like he did computers but was pretty lean instead of scrawny looking. I think his name was Owen. Maybe they kept him around to have a homework rookie. Everyone knew Trent was not all there for book smarts. Owen's eyes seemed to catch mine and I swear he glared at me. Whatever. 

Raizer was Trent's closest friend. Sadly, he was also a huge drug dealer. Weed is probably the light shit that he sells. I don't understand why Trent hangs out with him. If he does drugs, he sure as hell doesn't do them around me. Not that I have any objections about that though. If he does drugs, that is his own choice. I refuse. Both of them together always made me feel a bit on edge. 

All of them were laughing, and then I heard it. It made me stop. The melody that drifted into my ears and sent the deadliest chill down my spine. My hot blood turned to ice. The tone was beautiful. I looked over to see it was the blonde woman who was singing to herself. The melody was effortlessly flawless. However, I could not understand the words. Even though I could not understand the language, I grew somber when I listened. It was the same melody from my dream.

"So breathtaking, yet why is it so sad?" I whispered to no one. 

Thankfully, Trent did not hear me, but he was not the one who made me stand up rigidly. There, looking at me, was Allisha. Her eyes locked with mine. I sucked in a breath. Did her eyes just flash red? No. That must have been my imagination. She couldn't have heard me, right? There is no humanly way possible that she heard me. 

 Then, as she continued to stare at me, the rest of her group began to glance over at me. Why did I feel hunted? It was as if I was prey in their sight. I don't want to be here right now. I leaned over and told Trent I would be in class. I made up some excuse about a test and he kissed me goodbye. For some reason I found myself running away out of the courtyard. Never once did I feel their eyes leave me. Even when I looked away, I felt they did not.