Brushing her thick hair back, Alana studied her appearance in the mirror. Her hair was now a shock of platinum blond, her dazzling deep blue eyes framed by long black eyelashes, and highlighted by just enough eyeliner to make them striking in her beautiful, pale face.
"Alana you're going to be late!" Her mom called from the next room, just a step outside the door of her bedroom.
Not my bedroom anymore; Alana thought, looking around at the now bare walls of the room that she had called hers for the past 12 years, sense Tom and Sharron Adams had adopted her from the foster house she was placed in for a year.
She shuddered as dark, murky memories overtook her mind. The image that occurred more often was the sight of her mother and father, their bloody corpses tangled, limbs ripped from torsos, chunks scattered everywhere in mutilated clumps by what the police had said was a wild animal, a bear perhaps. Her memory supplied her with only the dark shadowy figure, it's eyes gleaming in the lights, her parents blood staining it's shadowy form as it turned to glower at her. Her broken memory sifted and churned, mixing and twisting, as it usually does, making her lose the fact that she was now 19, and going off to collage in only a few days. Now she was the scared 6 year old, racing through the forest, terrified and knowing that something was chasing her, that if she stopped, she would be eaten like her parents before her.
Alana gasped, jerking her head up, only to find herself huddled in the corner of her empty room, her mom's worried face above hers. Alana took a moment to gather herself, aware that she had had a panic attack, the first in nearly three months. To calm her mind, she studied the familiar face of the woman above her. The thin, slightly upturned nose, finely sculpted in the center of her heart shaped face. The almond shaped eyes, a beautiful shade of green that Alana hadn't seen on anyone else, she use to look into those eyes all the time, wondering if they were real. A strand of graying hair fell forward, curling slightly at the end and tickling Alana's cheek. Her eyes fell on the strand and the lips beyond, not too thin, and not to plump. The lines around her mouth showed it was more given to smiling than the worried frown it now held. Alana understood why, ever sense the time she was orphaned, she would go through phases of panic attacks, sometimes striking out and harming others, most times ending with her seated on the floor, shuddering and unable to recall how she had gotten there.
"Alana, come back to me, baby. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere." The soothing voice dispersed the remaining shreds of panic clinging to the back of her mind like stubborn cobwebs. Alana's eyes focused on her mom's, and she smiled slightly, bringing her hand up and wiping away the cold sweat that had formed on her forehead.
"I'm OK, mom. I'm OK. Let me up?" She took in a deep breath, the tight feeling in her chest loosening. Alana stood up as her mom backed away, taking thehand her mom offered with a greatful smile.
"Are you sure you will be OK, alone in your dorm room? What if you panic and seize like you use to? Your roommate won't be equipped to help you..." Her mom fretted, her hands now knotted in front of her, worry etched in every line on her face.
"Mom, I'll be OK. Samantha will be there and I have my medicine. I promise, I'll be OK." Alana tried hard to smile confidently, but her mom gave her a glare, seeing through the facade easily, as she had always been able to do.
But this time, there was no changing Alana's mind, she wanted so badly to go to collage to be a child psychologist, so that she could help children that had been, or could be, in her situation, and her mom knew her ambition.

Should I be driving to campus by myself? Alana thought, checking the rear view mirror, yet again. Her plump bottom lip and the inside of her cheek were chewed almost raw, her stomach twisting in worry that had plagued her sense she left her home. It was only a half hour drive, only across town, but it felt as if she had been driving for so much longer. Her first class started in the morning, and her pale blue Toyota Camry was packed to the hilt with her belongings, the reason why her childhood room was stripped bare.
Alana stopped at the red-light, campus on the next right exit, and looked at her phone, studying the map of the school her older brother had given her. A chill crept up her spine, goose-flesh raising on her arms. Someone was watching her, she knew it.
Looking around, she didn't see anyone, no other car was in sight. Confused, Alana chuckled at herself, trying to focus on the map, but too late, realizing the light was green. She began to accelerate, only to jerk to a stop, her food flooring the break petal. A man was standing in front of her car, only an inch from being hit as she struggled with her vehicle. His smooth, handsome face was void of emotion under his neatly combed hair, and his dark brown eyes seemed to scorch her and chill her at the same time.
Alana met his gaze, dread settling deep in her bones, before he turned and walked off, his hands in the pockets of his pressed-looking suit, his pace even and smooth, as if he hadn't almost been hit by a car.
Apprehensive, Alana watched him walk off and disappear around the corner of a building before she looked up, the light red again. Settling into her seat, Alana chewed her cheek again, knowing he looked familiar, but unsure how it was that she knew him.
Forgetting him for the moment, she looked at the clock and realized she was late. Glancing up at the light, she saw, with relief that it was green, and she drove off to meet her roommate.