I'll Protect You in the Dark

Introduction

         I had been reading one minute, and the next minute I was in a dark forest, which looked awfully familiar.  I glanced up and looked around, and became aware of someone watching me.  I spun around, taking in my surroundings, "Hello?" I yelled.

Suddenly, a tall woman with long black hair was standing in front of me.  She had glowing, intense red eyes that were locked on mine, and I heard her voice as if she was right in my ear, even though she was a good seven feet away, "Hello, Zoe." 

A shudder went through my body and I could barely muster up a whisper as I asked, "How do you know my name?"

"You do not remember me?  I suppose I should not be surprised, as you were very young when you last saw me," she said, and smiled, but her eyes showed only malice.

"What do you mean?  Who are you? And where am I?  Why does this look so familiar?  And wha-

My next question was cut off by a scream, suddenly I could hear someone screaming my name, and the voice sounded familiar

"Mom?" I whispered, and I glanced over to see the woman looking at me and we turned to look in the direction of the screams.  

She turned back to look at me with the same malevolent smile, "Does that jog your memory?"

I gasped and suddenly a flood of images ran through my head, so surprising and vivid that I fell onto my hands and knees, gasping after it was over.  I looked up, and this time the woman was looking at me with an amused smile.

"Try not to hurt yourself," she smirked.  "Do you remember me now?"  I looked at her, and she continued,"They had the same 'gift' that you have, they thought they were safe, but I showed them quite how powerless they really were.  And now I will be coming for you.  Don't worry, Zoe, your time is coming. Soon."

All at once, her face contorted and she opened her mouth to reveal many, many sharp teeth and the whites of her eyes disappeared and her eyes became completely, coal black.

I stood up and looked at her "What the hell are you?"

She grinned, again revealing her sharp teeth,"Your Worst Nightmare."

And then she dove.

I couldn't move, it felt like my feet were glued to the ground and were made of lead.  I ducked down and covered my head with my arms as I felt her coming closer.

"Zoe! Wake up!"

I woke up screaming after another terrifying nightmare, which was odd.  Being an insomniac, I don't usually fall asleep so easily, and when I do, not deep enough to dream.  When I do dream, it's usually nightmares, which is why that wasn't so unusual to me.  This one, however, had been particularly vivid and terrifying.   Within moments, I realized what had awakened me.

"Mason! What are you doing in my room?!" I whispered furiously at Mason, my roommate.

"You were screaming, so I thought I'd wake you up from your bad dream," he whispered defensively.

       Mason is my roommate, who also happens to be a vampire.  He helped me with the bookshop we both live above.  I glanced groggily around my room.  It was all as I'd left it, nothing looked moved around, the book I had been reading was sitting on my chest, still open to where I'd left it.  I glanced over at Mason.  He was staring at me with a worried expression.  I smiled tiredly at him and mussed his carefully styled, dark brown hair.

"Don't worry, I'm just fine," I said, reassuringly.

He glared at me, fixing his hair and then smiled, "Alright, but next time try not to be so loud, they probably heard you in China."

       He got up and stretched to his full height, and he was pretty tall, standing at six feet.  He noticed me watching him and smiled, the smile even reaching his light blue eyes.  I glanced at my alarm clock, which said it was 4 in the morning.   

"Are you up for breakfast?" I asked him.

"Hmm, I wouldn't mind a homemade chocolate muffin?" he asked, grinning.

I chuckled, "Alright."

"Yes!!" he said, raising hands into the air.

"Just let me get showered and I'll start"

"Alright," he said cheerily, getting up and leaving my room.

          I glanced around my room once more, and got up.  I should really clean up, I thought as I walked to my bathroom.  I looked at myself in the mirror.  I pulled my blond hair out of its ponytail and studied my reflection.  There were dark circles under my blue eyes and I was a little pale.  I look tired, I noted as I got into the shower.  I thought about the dream as I showered.  It was definitely an odd one.