I lift my head up from the hard wood desk, a red imprint on my cheek. I must have dozed off. Again. It's not my fault that I've been so busy lately, so busy that I only managed to get an hours sleep last night.

Okay. I lied.

I haven't been busy, I just haven't been able to sleep at all. Each time I do, I keep having these lucid dreams. No, lucid nightmares. But when I wake up, I can't remember a thing. All I know is that it must have been bad enough to make me unconsciously open my first floor window and use the cold November air to slap some sense into myself.

Great. I'm going crazy and I can't even remember why. Is that normal for a teenager? Probably.

My mind is all over the place at the moment, I can barely think straight. I look down at my basically empty workbook, a long blue line across the page where I must have fallen asleep with my pen in-hand.

"And what is the cause of this, Mae?"

Oh shoot. I feel an audience of eyes turn around to face me. I've been caught sleep-headed. I quickly glance at the whiteboard behind Miss Hender's shoulder and find the answer I'm looking for. Thank goodness for technology.

"That'll be because of the sudden decline in authority and lack of transportation,"

She stood there for a while, baffled, "Correct, however make sure you don't let me catch you again,"

"Yes Miss." I stammer. Although I can't make any promises.

A loud buzzing rings through the halls and all around the school grounds before coming to an abrupt stop.

"I want that essay completed and on my desk by next week!" Miss shouted, eager to get the homework out of the way before we all storm out of the door to period 2.

Wow, I'm never going to survive another hour, let alone six at this rate. Liv will have to drag me to English. I clumsily gather all my stuff together and shove it into my rucksack before heading out the door into the crowded corridor full of rushing first years and annoying fifth years. I, currently am in second year, the bridge of social acceptance, and awkwardness...

I normally like school, well, except for the long lunch queues, uncalled for detentions, pretentious beauty queens and other annoying things that shouldn't exist. My grades are average and above in some areas, however maths is definitely not my strong suit. Good job I don't want to become a bank accountant. But recently I've been distracted, for obvious reasons and I've been missing out on important stuff. Not that I can help it...

I rush into Chemistry just before the bell rings to signal the start of period 2. Almost the instant Mr Pyper starts talking about molecular structure of water, I feel myself starting to drift into that rift of subconsciousness, my thoughts clouded over with a large woolly blanket. Soon enough, all talk about particles subsides and I am left battling my own mind.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Black.

Everything around me was covered in shadow and darkness. I didn't know whether my eyes were open or closed. But soon the shadows started to take shape into something else. They cascaded into twigs and trees, rolled into boulders and bushes.

Slowly but surely, colour started to ebb back into my forest surroundings however there was not much of it. The sky was a patchy grey blanket, with little pellets of water dropping from its surface, drenching me. I could hear the faint sound of grumbling thunder in the distance, little sparks of lighting dashing through my vision every now and then.

The trees were bare of leaves and their twigs curled into the space around them. I felt trapped but inclined to keep moving forwards anyway.

One foot in front of the other, I started walking - no - pacing in what seemed like a random direction. I couldn't feel a single muscle in my body when I finally came to a stop. The rain had been falling heavier and the lightning getting closer. The forest seemed to be endless.

I was wondering why I had stopped before I took a second look ahead. There, stood a grand tree. This time with a deathly brown littering of leaves adorning its branches. But, knelt before it was a partially cloaked figure, it's face turned away from me and a white sheet draped over its shoulder.

I approached the tree with caution, feeling drawn towards it. I stopped just short of the cloaked figure leaving me no time to run when he turned and grabbed my wrist, sending an excruciating pain coursing through my body. He looked just as revolted as I did, and hastily he released my wrist from his grasp before disappearing into the shadows, but not before shooting me a glance with his eyes. Red eyes.

Ignoring the strange man and the pain in my wrist, I bent down to examine what he was looking at. An arrangement of flag stones, perhaps a gravestone? But who would be buried in such a depressing place? Maybe someone who doesn't want to be remembered.

I'm about to turn on my heels and find a way out of this hell-hole before a feeling of sudden dizziness washed over me. Next thing I know I'm lay on my back, staring up into the patch work sky, the rain beating down on me. The edges of my vision start to cloud over and my eyes slowly close. The last thing I feel is someone or something lift me into their arms.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

A loud smash brings me back to reality. Dang, I must have fallen asleep again. I hope I haven't missed something important after that strange dream.

Wait.

I remember.

I remember everything as clear as day! I've never remembered any of my recent dreams, maybe because I'd never gotten as far? I'm still in the middle of contemplating this when I realise I'm slouched against a cabinet, shards of glass surrounding me, a few trickles of blood running down my leg just below my skirt. What the heck? Oh gosh I must have sleep-walked again.

I begin to slowly pull myself up and brush the glass off. Looking around the classroom I notice something odd. Everyone's head is on the desk, even Sir's. Are they trying to make fun of me or something? Surely not. I would normally get an after school detention or put on report, but this, this is taking it too far - even after me falling and breaking lab equipment?

I walk over to the first person in my reach and shake him vigorously. No response. Strange...

Oh you have to be kidding me! How long are they going to do this for? I think the point has been made very clear.

After a couple of attempts of waking up, even the teacher, I give up and decide to go and get some help. I doubt that they would keep this up for so long so something must have gone wrong whilst I was out for the count.

I stick my head out of the door before heading down to the next classroom along. My fist hovering in the air ready to knock on the door before seeing through the window that they too, were asleep. What is going on here? I'm officially weirded out.

I run around the corner towards the next classroom however I slam into someone. They catch my wrist before I fall to the ground, sending blinding pains through me. Instantly, he let go, clutching his own hand in pain. I take in what he's wearing. A black cloak with a long white sheet draped over his shoulder. The drama department is on the opposite side of the school so w-

Hold the phone.

No.

The dream?

I cautiously look up into his eyes and see my own reflection in his red irises. I back away from him.

"W-Who a-are you?" I stutter between gasps.

"How are you not dead?"

His voice was surprisingly calm and collected, not that it made him seem any less ominous or the question any less daunting. He seemed to expect me to respond. How was I meant to respond to that?

Bored of waiting for a reply he turned on his heels and disappeared into the dark corridor, the lights flickering as he went.

Suddenly aware of the excruciating pain in my wrist, I slammed against the nearest wall and slid towards the floor. Just another boring day, hey? I try to push away the countless questions on my mind and concentrate on trying to get back on my feet again but each attempt only failed further.

I let my mind finally succumb to sleep, the feeling of someone lifting me into their arms being the last thing I felt.

☆=☆=☆=☆=☆

(Btw: Second year equates to 13yrs old)

Welp, I've finally decided on this storyline and I'm going to stick to it like glue! I made the cover myself and am quite proud of it! ^-^

Anyway I have lots planned for this story and hope to get the next chapter updated soon as I have already pre-written a couple.

Please leave some feedback and speculations on what's going to happen next! I would appreciate it! <3