A woman surrounded by a soft glowing light stepped before me. "Run! Run and don't dare look back. There's nothing here for you now." Her voice was commanding.

"What? What are you talking about? Run where?" I panicked. Where the hell was I?

"Run to it, run girl. It'll protect you. It'll always protect you." Although her voice was even, she spoke frantically at me.

"What? What are you talking about? Who are you?!" I asked confused and scared.

"There's no time, child. Just go. Be safe."

She took off. Running towards the darkness and disappearing into the black abyss. Soon there was an ear-piercing scream and dread filled my entire being. I had to run. And I had to run now.

Turning away from where she went off, I ran in the opposite direction, running as fast as I could go.

Soon as I felt that I could slow my pace ever so slightly, the sound of running caught my attention. "No, please."

I didn't know whether or not the noise was coming from behind me indefinitely but I would be damned if I stopped to find out.

Not. Today. Satan. Not today.

I kept running, pushing my legs to keep on. I was far, very FAR from what anyone would call an athlete and I knew that I was running on nothing but adrenaline. That soon this boost in energy will run out and I will be screwed unless I found some type of civilization. And I needed to find it fast.

If I weren't running for my life from...whatever it is chasing me, I'd appreciate the beauty of the forest around me. It's not every day that I'd get to be surrounded by something as beautiful as this but this wasn't the time nor the place. I knew I was running out of time and energy. Whatever was chasing me is probably much faster than I am and most likely terrifying.

'Man... why the hell am I in the forest anyway?' My speed was beginning to decrease, 'please, don't run out now. Please.' I knew my eternal pleas didn't mean much but still, I hoped some force in this universe heard me and granted me a new pair of lungs or athletic legs. Anything that would help me in the situation.

I was beginning to lose hope. I was tired, my legs were burning, and my lungs felt as if they were about to burst at any second.

But I kept running.

Kept pushing.

That's when I saw a light. 'YES!' It was right there. I was so close to being safe. Just a little further and whatever is chasing me won't be able to touch me. With newfound vigor, I pushed myself even harder. A new surge of adrenaline coursed through me.

A few more feet. 'You can do it!' I told myself.

And just when I was about to reach my safety, something yanked my hair back and began pulling me away from the light.

"NO! NOOOOO! HELP ME!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, hoping someone, anyone could hear me. I had been so close, somebody had to be around. But as the light started dimming so had my hope.

Tears streamed down my face as I tried to free myself from my captor's hold. "Let me go!! Let Go!! LET GO!"

-----------------

"Aurora! Aurora! Wake up!" Jumping out of my skin, I barely caught myself falling off my chair.

"What? What?" I looked up at Ivy, who was looking down at me with a sad expression.

"You were having a nightmare."

"Nightmare? I wasn't sleeping. Was I?" Confusion had to be written all over my face.

"You were, I've been trying to wake you for five minutes now."

"I. I don't remember anything." I rubbed the sides of my head, hoping to remember something.

"Seriously?" She asked doubtfully.

"Seriously." I stood up on shaky legs, my body felt more exhausted than it did before. 'What happened?' I wondered to myself before shaking my head. 'No time for this, class is going to start soon.' I grabbed my bag off the floor and looked at Ivy. "Let's go, classes are going to start." I began to walk to the lounge door when Ivy grabbed my arm.

"Rory, school is over already."

"What?" I pulled out my phone and started at the time on my screen. 3:07 PM. "No way. Are you telling me I slept through the rest of the day and nobody came to look for me?" I stared at Ivy with wide eyes.

"Hey! I was excused from afternoon classes today. Dance practice, remember? I didn't find out you weren't around until I was at our lockers. Everyone just assumed you went home after the lunchroom incident."

"No, I just came here to relax for the rest of the period. Which I did and then some."

"Who you telling?" Ivy laughed and hooked her arm with mine and smiled at me. "Enough of that now, it's Friday. Which means sleepover at your place, with Netflix and Wattpad."

"Babe, you know me so well." I smiled back at her and we left the lounge, arm, and arm, ready to start our weekend.

---------

"Honey! I'm home!!" Ivy called out into the distance as we walked into my house. I shook my head.

"Welcome home honey!" My mom responded as she came out of the kitchen.

"Mom. Please stop entertaining this crazy person." I continued to shake my head at them both.

"Aurora, you brought this crazy person home," my mother replied.

"Mom, you adopted her," I whined.

"You found her first." My mom stuck her tongue out at me.

"Touche mother, touché."

"Uh... hello?! I am standing right here!!" Ivy glared at us both but my mom and I just laughed. "AND I am NOT crazy. At least not all the time."

"Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night." I chuckled and grabbed Ivy's arm as she was mumbling, most likely profanities to herself. My mom watched us with amusement in her eyes before turning back to head into the kitchen again. "Oh! My mom, Vee's staying the weekend!" I called down before she walked away completely.

"Oh? Who is it this time Ivy?" My mom asked.

Ivy sighed dramatically, "Leaky Linda."

"Oh." My mom shuddered. Likely remembering the last time Ivy's Aunt Linda came to visit. "Stay as long as you need to honey."

"Thanks, Mom!" We both replied to her. We continued upstairs and to my room. Walking inside I plopped down onto my bed. It was good to be home.

"So, what are we going to binge this weekend? Haven or Bitten?" Ivy drops her bag somewhere in my room and jumps on my bed too.

"Well ...Bitten has better reviews than Haven, but Haven has more mystery. I don't know." I shrugged as I thought about the two shows.

"Ok...that wasn't helpful at all Rory. Fine. Werewolves or Magic?"

I weighed them both, "hmm. Werewolves, definitely werewolves."

"Alright, Bitten, it is." Ivy gets on Netflix and searches for Bitten.

"Ok, what's for dinner tonight? Chinese, Pizza, or shuffle?"

Ivy shrugged, "we had Chinese at my place last night. Let's go for pizza."

"Cool, pizza it is. I'm gonna go find out if my parents want any, be back." I jumped up off my bed and kicked off my sneakers before heading back downstairs.

I hummed, Closer by The Chainsmokers as I skipped down the stairs, and into the kitchen. Looking around I didn't see my mom anymore. "Weird, she was just in here."

I checked the living room, the library, and the backyard porch. "Ok. I know she didn't go upstairs. Where the heck is my mom..." I was confused, did she leave? As I passed my dad's office, I heard muttering. 'Dad's study?' I peeked my head inside and saw my mom's back facing me. I was about to call out to her when she spoke.

"Miranda, I do not want that woman coming here. Please. She'll take my baby away from me." My mom's voice was barely over a whisper but I was able to hear her. The person she was speaking with, Miranda, was talking now but I couldn't make it out.

"Yes, I know how important she is." 'Who? Who's important?'

"She doesn't know anything. She's just a child! You can't just take her and think she's going to follow your orders."

My mother sighed before speaking again, "I. I understand." Her voice sounded so defeated, and in pain. "I have to go now, we'll speak again."

I knew it was time to leave, mom would be furious if she caught me eavesdropping. As quietly as I could I closed the door of the study and sped back upstairs to my room.