T-w-i-s-t-e-d: Chapter 1- A Rude Awakening

The vines reached out and attacked, their thorns digging into my skin. I gasped in pain. Breaking free of their painful grasp, I made a run for it, not really sure which way to go. Any sense of direction was lost in the dark, ominous forest. My heart raced as I did a 360, quickly weighing my options. I chose a direction and sprinted as fast as my feet could take me. The dagger twigs pierced my feet, and the branches whipped my face. Ahead it looked like the trees were thinning. I was so close. I broke through the tree line and………

Nothing more than a clearing. I was still surrounded by trees on all sides. The forest began closing in on me, soon I would be crushed between two trees, or impaled by branches or…
“NO!” I screamed aloud. “NO!”

I awoke to the smack of my floor giving me a cheerful good morning. It was a dream. Just a dream. I must have fallen off my bed thrashing around. “Damn nightmare,”

I grumbled, picking myself up off the unforgiving floor. I’d had this dream 3 times already this week. A quick glance at my alarm clock told me I had overslept. I fumbled around blindly searching for the light switch. Flipping it, I grabbed a pair of jeans, a random shirt, ran a comb through my hair, and was on my way.

I trotted into the kitchen and sat across the table from my mom, sipping coffee. Her blue eyes assessed me with a quizzical look. “Have another nightmare?” she asked.

“Yeah,” I sighed. There was no use denying it. We’d already had this conversation before.

“What was it this time?”

“Mutant trees again,” I said calmly, pouring a cup of coffee for myself. I glanced up and saw the corners of her mouth twitch.

“You shouldn’t drink coffee, it stunts your growth,” she joked. Nearing six feet tall, I could honestly say it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I had a break from growing.

“Dang. I was really looking forward to being in the Guinness Book of World Records. I can see the title now. A behemoth among behemoths,” I said sarcastically, taking a swig from my mug. I looked nothing like Tanya. In fact, many people upon seeing me who have met my mother ask if she adopted me. Her blonde curls and blue eyes were quite the contradiction to my brown hair and emerald green eyes, not to mention the obvious differences in build and coloring. She was peach colored, 5’4”, and looked fragile. Me on the other hand, well, I’m tan, 5’11”, and could probably hold my own against a full grown man. My hair was long, reaching to my waist and pin straight. She always told me I looked like my father. I couldn’t agree, having never met the flighty jackass.

“Well, I’m off to the grocery store, honey. Have a good day at school,” Tanya said, excusing herself from our small kitchen. We weren’t poor. Tanya had a descent paying job owning a small greenhouse where she grew herbs and flowers for local customers. We definitely weren’t rich either. I wasn’t complaining. I had my MP3 player and some good CDs, a working, albeit decrepit computer, and a library card. We didn’t need a big, fancy house. It was just the two of us.

I pulled myself out of my reverie, glancing up at the clock. It was about time I got going to school. I took a last swig of my coffee and put the mug into the sink. Turning my MP3 player on, I put my headphones on and grabbed my bag, walking out the front door. It was an autumn day. All of the leaves were now turning colors and it was chilly outside. I began walking the half mile to the school, my own personal hell hole.

I arrived at the school to the sound of one of my favorite songs, Freak on a Leash by Korn featuring Amy Lee. I walked down the crowded hallway towards my locker. The paint was chipping and there was a dent from the last time it had jammed up on me and I lost my temper. I deftly swiveled the lock to the numbers and opened it, stopping to admire the many posters, signs, and pictures that covered the inside of the door.

“Hey babe, what’s up?” A group of jocks walked up behind me as I reached up to grab my books for my next class.

“Go to Hell,” I growled with such ferocity I half expected my tormentors to run away screaming in terror.

"Ooh, the freak's got an attitude," the leader noted, recieving raucous laughter from his gang. I turned and started walking away.

“Ooh, I think you hurt her feelings,” Another said mockingly.

“Oh, sorry! Didn’t mean it!” The leader said with false sincerity. I turned and glared with such force I saw a hint of worry cross some of the other’s faces.

“Oh, come on. Whatcha gonna do about it princess?” They all burst into neaderthal- like guffaws at the comment of me being a “princess”. Quite frankly, I couldn’t think of anyone further from royalty than me.

“I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’ll kick you so hard you’ll be talking soprano for the rest of your pitiful excuse for a life,” I hissed through clenched teeth. That shut them up. The leader’s tone grew serious.

“I’d like to see you try.”

We took a moment to stare each other down, then, turning my back on them I said flatly, “No. You wouldn’t.” I walked away carrying my books to my first class. What a way to start the day, I thought grimly. They’ll be back.

Sitting down in the very back corner as far from people as I could get, I dropped my stuff down roughly onto the desk. This, of course caused a bang loud enough to turn some heads. Just what I needed. More attention, I thought sourly as Mrs. Syrie finally noticed the bell had already rang.

“All right class, today we’ll be discussing the topic of sex, and I know you are all old enough to handle this maturely,” She said, glaring at the snickering kids to the left of me. “To start, let’s talk about….” she droned on. I tuned out. I was pretty sure she wasn’t going to give some break through knowledge I hadn’t already learned from my mother when I was 9, seven years ago. That was one discussion I’m glad I had had before I was old enough to feel embarrassment.

“Ok, now let’s discuss some hazards of sex. STDs are one thing. Kelly, can you name one?” Mrs. Syrie asked. I grimaced as my classmates giggled, and with timing more perfect then your friend arriving to pick you up as your grandmother begins talking about the bunions on her feet, the bell rang. My savior.

Upon walking out of the room I became extremely nervous. Standing around my locker were thankfully not jocks, but still more intimadating were police officers.

"Erm, can I help you?" I asked, twitching slightly. It really made me nervous to have a bunch of cops around my locker. Not that I had something to hide but still.

"Are you Belladonna Arnica?" asked one of the officers.

"Um..... yes?" I replied hesitantly.

His partner spoke then. "I'm afraid we have some bad news. Your mother, Tanya Arnica? She was in a car accident."

The room spun. My hand slammed against my locker, holding me up. "Wha...?" I asked.

"She didn't make it," He added softly.

I felt light headed, like I was no longer grounded to this Earth. I could feel my jaw hanging open in a shocked expression. My breathing edged towards hyperventilation and the world spun. My mother. Dead. It couldn't be.

Pain finally edged through and my conscious mind rejected it. This couldn't be. I looked into the faces of the two officers, lost. They stared back with pitying expressions.

I couldn't take it anymore.

I did something I'd never done before.

The ground rushed up to meet me.

I blacked out.