Dateless and Deadly

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

That night I dreamt about the circus. James was in it as the ringleader. He spoke to the animals using his mind. And a whip. The tall guy was, well, the tall guy. Shorty who opened my door also had a fairly predictable position. He stood at the front and doubled as the ticket ripper.

I handed him my ticket and walked inside. Next thing I knew, I was in the centre of a huge arena with avid watchers waiting to see what I could do.

The redhead smiled and waved at the crowd as she brought out a huge flaming hoop. As she walked past me she said, “You better not mess this up, bitch. Our lives depend on it.” I stared at her retreating back before turning to face my obstacle.

I gulped. No way could I make that jump.

I looked around for help and saw my sister a few steps to my left. I started to go to her but she was talking to a man. He was wearing a long cloak with a hood pulled over his head. He kept leaning closer and closer towards my sister until their noses were almost touching. His nose was the only part of him I could see and from this angle it looked very white and slightly crooked. I took a step towards them and my sister turned to glare at me.

“What do you want?” She yelled. “Haven’t you taken enough from me?!”

I stopped stunned. Slowly the guy talking to her turned to look at me.

His face was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen. His eyes were black. Not black the way the redheads were though. His eyes were dead. There was no spark in them. No life at all. His lips were a thin line on his face and they were curled up into a slight smile. His nose was crooked, long and thin. His skin was paler than any person’s I had ever seen.

I shivered at the look he was giving me and took an involuntary step back.

He took two quick steps towards me. I raised my hands and yelled, “STOP!” at the top of my lungs. He did. His lifeless eyes opened wide and a creepy grin stole across his face. His teeth were perfect and white. For some reason that was the creepiest part of him. That perfect smile on such a scary face wasn’t right.

“You’re not what I expected.” His voice was like poison. I wanted to cover my ears but I wasn’t sure if that would stop it from seeping in through my pores.

“Get out of my head.” I knew this reality wasn’t real. I knew I was in a dream but for some reason, he seemed real.

He cocked his head to the side, considering. “Maybe you’re in my head?”

Huh? Great, another whack job.

“I don’t think so buddy. These are my…friends. You stay away.”

He looked at the tall guy, the short guy, James and vampire girl. Lastly he looked at my sister. “Are any of these people really your friends, Cassandra?”

I shrugged. “More so than you. Leave, please.” I tried the polite route but it was hard with shivers running through my body.

“Okay.” He took two steps back again and looked at my sister before looking back at me. “You’re going to lose her.” Then he was gone.

I sat up in bed, heart pounding. “Shit,” I muttered.

“Well, good morning to you too,” my sister said before pulling the curtains back.

I winced and covered my eyes. “Jeez, a little warning next time?”

“Nah, it’s no fun that way.” She giggled.