Chapter 1: Warmth

She was just in there.  Staring at the empty ceiling,  feeling the world as it goes around her. In the warm glow of the lamp, her fears won't fade away. 

Just like all her other nights,  this one is not different.  She still cannot sleep no matter how she shut her eyes.  Her brain is a train-wreck,  nudging her to open her eyes and be alert of something not existing.  And she complied.  Her eyes darted from one dark corner to the next until it had scanned 360 over her tiny bedroom, at last it landed on her Stitch alarm clock, the long hand silently pointing to twelve.  With a sigh,  she jerked up, opened the drawer of her bedside table and groped for a tiny bottle -her saving grace. She took one of its pearlescent pills and swallowed it. She went back to bed and made it a point to look at her alarm clock and watch its little hand move second to second until her eyes drooped on their own,  her brain numb and she gratefully succumbed to sleep.  

She's running as fast as she can but is not moving.  Her heart's pumping like crazy and her body tensing with its every futile movements.  It will reach her,  the darkness slowly creeping towards her.  A murky and nasty smell arresting her nose,  turning her saliva into a tangy bitter pill,  her stomach in topsy-turvy.  She keeps on running still even if running in her state is just dragging her feet up to a crawl. But it is reaching her. It's dark  and nasty,  sticky and slimy, and as it touches her feet,  it is cold and gruesome.  It slowly creeps to her legs then to her waist.  She crawls still, now in so much difficulty as the sticky thing is gluing her on the spot.  As she resists,  it moves quicker until it covers her face and she can't breathe.  She let out a muffled scream and held out her hand. A hand reaches for it, so warm it feels she's saved. 

She opened her eyes and she's dripping wet with sweat, breathing heavily and her body feels numb and tired as if she just completed a marathon. 

She heaved a deep breath and wiped her sweat with her forearm.  Another bad dream. Kara covered her eyes with her forearm as her Stitch alarm clock blares five o'clock.  She let it blare until it fades on its own.  She immediately went to the bathroom and gave herself a cold shower.  The water is enough to chill her already awake mind and body.  Just great!   Lack of sleep makes her listless and working with lack of vitality somehow has contributed to her poor reputation in the school.  She's known as the "bony panda" in their classroom. She's pale as she is anemic,  and is always wearing those dark circles under her eyes for being insomniac. And yes,  she's thin. Not the "malnourished thin type" but more on  the skinny side.  If ever a gust of wind will blow,  she'll have to hold onto something solid,  or else she'll see herself fifty feet above sea level.  

She's living in a dingy, old and small three-bedroom house along with her cruel stepmom, Klarisse and her bratty stepsister Kendra. She's the same age as her.  Her own mom died when she was just five years old. Her dad married again when she was eight years old to Klarisse Wheats.  A pretty, blond woman in her early thirties, with her daughter,  Kendra.  Her father thought of them,  her and Kendra to become best friends just because they are of the same age. However,  it turned out differently. Kendra is a spoiled brat.  Always wanting to have everything she wants.  At first,  her stepmom was kind to her, cooking her favorite meals, bringing them to and fro to their elementary school,  and treating her at its finest.  Then her stepmom got pregnant with their baby brother, Klint.  She becomes even more doting to the baby,  but makes sure that she still takes care of them.  Only when little Klint was three years old,  an accident happened.  They were playing in a sandbox near the swimming pool,  when the toddler went unnoticed and slipped into the pool.  She was helpless as the toddler scrambled in the water. She frantically called for her stepmom who happened to be in the kitchen,  making snacks. When Klarisse heard of the commotion and looked at what happened,  she was too late.  The baby had drowned.  Since then,  she has become indifferent to Kara.  Later that year, her dad died of a car crash leaving them with debts and her under her indifferent stepmother.  Due to the debts of his father,  Klarisse sold their house and bought a dingy, little house for the three of them. Since then she has become the Cinderella of these people. A servant nonetheless.  

"You should be grateful!  I took you in even if you are not my daughter.  Your father just left me with a burden and you should pay for it!!"  Klarisse was barking at her one time. It would always be the same lines whenever she's not satisfied with her work.  She's helpless but accepts her fate.  And as always, her life is as dreary as a winter day. As always.

She's now seventeen and her life seems to run out of light. She prepared herself. Energetic or not, she has to make it to school before it's seven o'clock or else, her teacher will not be happy about it. She eats a simple breakfast, a peanut butter sandwich and a cup of instant coffee, she even saw a mice dart from behind the peanut butter jar. Not that she minds of course. She did before, but now, these critters were her only companions in her terribly dreary life. At last, after less than fifteen minutes, Kara  is ready to get out of that dilapidated house and head out to where activity rules every nook and cranny of the bustling city.

****

She arrived five minutes before seven. Tom Morris, the regular security guard greeted her a pleasant good morning as she step in the building. She gave him a curt smile and greeted him and went directly to the elevator. Yes, their school has elevators. So much for staircases.  Theirs have elevators specially that the classroom is on the 5th floor. Nicholas Parker was there, neat and looking good as always. Nick is his classmate, a very charismatic and good looking young man and the campus heartthrob, making every girl in the school ogle him as he passes by or do his things. . But not for Kara anyway.

He is holding a cup of coffee in his left hand, his macbook in the other.

"Good morning Kara!" he brightly greeted her, showing off his deep dimples and perfect white teeth, completing his morning charm with a wink. Nevertheless, it did not brighten her always dreary mood, not even a notch. 

"Good morning too, Nick." She replied plainly. The elevator is not packed today, which is unusual because during these hours, especially a few minutes before time, some are in a dire mood to reach their tables on time. Not today though. It's just her and Nick and a man she barely recognizes. She stands behind this tall, mysterious man. She looks minuscule behind him. He is tall - about six foot eight- and muscular, wearing a shiny,black trench coat, too long it reaches the floor. It reminds her of the men in black.  A smirk escaped her lips. On his head sits a pretty black hat where some of his curly dark hair was escaping nicely to his shoulders. 

There was a shrill ding and the elevator door opened. She is on her floor now. Nick gestured to her to go out first, being gentlemanly and all. In which, she complied and stepped out of the elevator. She took a quick glance at the mysterious man who was now alone in the elevator and she was stunned to see the face that had eaten all her dreams at night. 

Kara stepped back, too horrified to see the face of the mysterious man. He has a pair of slanting eyes, cradling within were red irises that seem to glint with danger. A curve of a creepy smile on his lips, a sinister look on his face. Dark and cold and she can feel the chill creeping in her spine. Kara breathed heavily as if oxygen had suddenly escaped the area. This can't be happening. The man stepped forward to her, his arms outstretched as if to touch her. He looked at his hands and saw black nails on the rotting flesh of his hands.  She stepped back again, this time bumping with Nick and his coffee. The coffee spilled directly on her back, a burning sensation raced through her skin as the hot liquid sipped in her clothes. 

"Hey! What the --" Nick said irritably as a body bumped into him, causing him to pour the contents of his coffee. He automatically draws the coffee away from him to avoid staining his brand new jacket only to pour it elsewhere. But not on the floor. 

Kara let out a little cry as the hot liquid scorched her back and looked up at Nick who was stunned. The cup was drained to the bottom  and great, she just had a very nice coffee bath. But it was less of her worries now, the man had reached her and touched her now ice cold arms.

"Are you okay, Miss?" the man said, his voice deep and crisp. And all too suddenly, his appearance is not what it seemed to be. It was that of a human, nonetheless. A handsome and normal human being. Entirely different from what she saw a while ago. She looks down at his hands, now holding her arms. They were clean, nice and soft. And the touch is very familiar. She has been held by this same hand before, she just can't remember when and how.  The rotting flesh and the ugly nails were all gone and she can't believe how silly she looks right now. She looked at his face again and blinked many times, still convincing herself on what she saw. Hoping perhaps that his face will change once more. Nothing happened. She cursed herself silently as reality struck her.

"I- I'm fine." She replied and jerked off the hands touching her and stepped away from them. She looked at Nick as well, who seemed not angry at all for the wasted coffee. 

"I'm sorry for the coffee. I'll just get you  a new one..."  She hurriedly went away from them and heed directly to the comfort room as eyes from her schoolmates bore holes on her coffee-stained blouse.  She went directly to the comfort room. 

She stood there in the last sink in the far end, combing her hands to her head as she looked at her pale reflection in the mirror. She breathes in and out, trying to calm herself and remove the creepy image of the man who has now taken residence in the corner of her mind. Jenna Adams went in, right after she settled in the last sink of the comfort room. She is her one and only friend, scurried worriedly as she came in to check in on her.

"What happened? You look terrible!" Jenna exclaimed, checking out the coffee stains that looked like a brown grizzly hand contrasting the white fabric of her blouse.

"I bumped with Nick. That's all..." she said and opened the faucet. She washed her hands, hoping the cold water would bring back her lost senses.

"Bumped? That's all?!? You look like a mess!" Jenna commented. She always says what's on her mind, and today is not different. 

"How's your back? I hope it is not burned..." Jenna slowly trails the tips of her finger to the stain now caking. 

"It's just a little stingy but I guess it is not burned." she answered as she splashed water to her cold face. The water indeed is  waking her senses. 

"Let me help you." Jenna offered as she took pieces of tissue and dip it gently into the water. She started brushing off the stain. 

"Looks like a stubborn stain." she whispered.Kara sighed. Now her only presentable blouse is ruined. 

"I can lend you my blazer to hide this ugly stain, for now." Jenna offered with a smile as she resigned from brushing off the stain. 

"Thanks Jen." Kara replied plainly and smiled warmly at her. As usual, Jenna provides her with things she needs promptly, not even waiting for her words. 

"Now fix yourself. Mr. Andersen might be in the room now." Jenna winked at her as she left the room.

"Alright. I'll be right there in a jiffy." She replied.

**** 

As Kara moves to the table, she can see their eyes darting to her. Thankfully, Jenna's blazer has kept the stain hidden under their scrutinizing eyes. Little commotions like that will not go away easily. As simple as bumping into a classmate and worse, freaking out with a total stranger.

Their teacher, Mr. Andersen, a very heavy and stocky balding man of fifties stepped in the room. He is not a very pleasant man although a  reasonable teacher. He started off with the day's lesson as usual.  

She saw Kendra at the corner of her eyes, smirking at her.  Conniving with her pals,  Miley and Shay. Maybe they are already planning her day's torture. She sighed and tried to focus on Mr. Andersen but her mind is nonetheless,  elsewhere.  

A classmate from her back nudged her.  It was Kirk. 

"Mr.  Andersen is calling you to read…" he whispered.  She blinked and tried to process his words .  

"He's calling you… faster! " he added and tapped her back. She scrambled to her feet leading to her books to fall to the floor. 

"Yes? Ms. Dawson?" Mr.  Andersen asked as she stood up. She looked around and saw the boys laughing at her.  The girls, including Kendra, smirked. 

"Seems like somebody's not paying attention..." Kendra said in a sing-song manner. 

Kara cleared her throat.  "Excuse me Sir,  I need to go to the bathroom… " she scrambled and hurriedly went out of the room. 

She walked briskly,  not paying attention to where she's going until a hand grabbed her.  It was Kendra.  Miley and Shay are behind her,  giggling.  

"Let go of me, Kendra." she said flatly to Kendra's face.  

"Oh,  you're a fighter now, huh?" she hissed to her ear and pulled her to the far end of the hall.  In her physical state,  she can't fight against Kendra who's better fed than her.  

"I will put you back to your place!" Kendra pushed her down the stairs just like that and her body follow as if a paper in the wind. Kara,  fell down just like when she was young, back in the woods one summer day.  But this time,  it wasn't the hard concrete she fell into but hard,  solid, strong arms had caught her.