Crow of Flame

Chapter 1

I woke up screaming, sweat dripping from me causing my shirt to stick to my spine. My head was pounding and my eyes felt like they were going to bulge from my head. I always got migraines after nightmares like this. Normally I'd go to mom and get the medicine to take the pain away, but it made me sleep for hours and then it fogged my brain when I woke up. The adrenaline from the dream was still coursing through my muscles making them shake.

I looked around my room, if only to ensure that I wasn't still in that dungeon, with that lady. I checked to ensure the yellow walls of my room were still there, ladened with nick nacks I've collected over the years. My closet was still across from my bed and just as messy as it was last night, and the mirror to the side of my bed still stood as a glorious reminder that I will never be the "stunner" people always promise I'll grow up to be. On the other side of my bed is the door, still closed. It was all a dream. I'm here, I'm alive, I'm fine.

The sound of my alarm clock nearly gave me a heart attack. I sighed as I shoved away the blankets and got up. I walked over to the mirror and studied myself. I was an average looking person. I had straight flame red hair that was still messy from bed with bangs that were all over the place and cool blue eyes that always seemed to betray my emotions. My nose was small and buttoned, my cheek bones and jaw line were defined enough that I didn't look terribly huge, but they were by no means sharp. I was mid-sized, by no means skinny, but not fat either. Average.

I walked over to my closet and picked out a pair of black leggings and a cropped grey t-shirt. I paired them with a pair of socks with pandas drinking tea on them, and yellow crocs, a little flavor for an otherwise bland outfit. I brushed out my hair and put it up into a ponytail, strategically pulling out hairs to frame my face to make it a planned mess. I fixed my messy bangs and went back over to my mirror. This was as good as it was going to get. I picked up my backpack from the foot of my bed and walked over to my door. Taking a breath. Readying myself for another day.

I walked out of my room and down the long hallway painted to the stairs. I descended them swiftly and quietly, hoping that I wouldn't wake up my family, hoping that they were still asleep. My hopes went unheard as I entered the kitchen to find them all sitting there laughing about something or another. They went completely silent when I opened the fridge and pulled out a mozzarella cheese stick. The only thing I'm allowed to eat for breakfast in this house. I shoved my lunch of a ham and cheese sandwich and a bag of red grapes into my backpack and I threw it over my shoulder. I unwrapped the string cheese and threw the wrapper in the garbage and leaned against the counter.

"Good Morning" I chirped with a sarcastic smile taking a bite from the cheese stick. My mother sneered at me with distaste and my father didn't bother to look up from his paper. There must have been some dazzling story that's far more important than his youngest daughter.

 I looked them over and was reminded how different from them I look. Mom had long brown hair that was naturally curly, and golden skin with big mud brown eyes. Her frame was small and menacing and her lips always held a sneer when she looked at me.

Dad had black hair cut close to his head, that stood out from his pale skin and was accentuated by big bushy eyebrows. His green eyes were bored and empty. He was a man built from muscle, though he was always gentle with my sister. Looking at them, it was hard to believe we were even related. I was reminded just how unlike them I was.

I stood out from the family with pale skin, red hair and blue eyes. Emmy used to say that mom had an affair and that's why I'm different. She used to say that I was adopted. I didn't understand why I was unlike them...

"Any big plans for today?" I asked hoping that today they would magically decided I was worth the air it took to say hello. My sister, Emerald - Emmy for short-looked up from her phone with a bland expression.