Inferno

Mage Breaks Wind(ows)

    Waking up in a cold sweat is never fun. Mostly because you probably just had a nightmare that really shook you up, but also because you wake up feeling like you hadn't drank anything in seven centuries while walking through the Sahara.

    My eyes were still wide and my heart was pounding as I reached blindly for my glass of water I always kept at my bedside table. Unfortunately, these nightmares weren't new and I had grown used to waking up in unpleasant ways, hence the already prepared glass of water.

    The nightmares I woke up to were always the same characters, setting, and plot. Characters: me, Ripper, and a couple of his buddies. Setting: Ripper's house, or more specifically, his living room and sorry excuse for a kitchen. Plot: Ripper is beating the crap out of me while his friends laugh.

    "You'll never get better at fighting if you don't fight someone better than you," Ripper would always growl at me. "Now, stop crying and fight back, you weak girl!"

    The same feeling of rage would burn through my veins at the memory. I always fought back. I never stopped fighting. Even at eight and nine years old, I knew that giving up was not in my blood. Giving up wasn't how you got the things you wanted, needed. After a year and seven months of fighting, I finally won. Maybe Ripper really had been useful in my life.

    He taught me to fight for what I want until I got it.

    When I was nine, I wanted freedom.

    When I was thirteen, I wanted the bullying to stop.

    When I was eighteen, I wanted to make decisions for myself.

    But then there were times like this, where I would wake up drenched in sweat with my legs tangled in the sheets and my heart racing like it was in the freaking Indy 500. When I still lived with Kiera and Cole, either one or both of them would hear my screams and come to comfort me. The nightmares hadn't come back until after the Super War, after the blood and chaos brought back the terrible memories. I could tell it scared them at first. But after the first shock, they were always there when I woke up, ready to comfort me.

    Now, living on my own, I had to comfort myself.

    But that was what I wanted, right? I didn't want to rely on other people?

    Right, I reminded myself. You're on your own. You chose to do this. You're a big girl and can get rid of nightmares yourself. I untangled my legs from the sheets and stood up on wobbly knees like Bambi. With a deep breath, I strode to the huge windows that allowed me to look at the city. Being on the seventh floor certainly had its perks, but the buildings around mine were much taller than seven stories, so it sort of cancelled out the whole "beautiful cityscape view" thing.

    Below me, the streets were still alive with a steady flow of cars and a few people wandering down the sidewalks. Even at two o'clock in the morning, Cryptic City wasn't quiet. I reached up to unlock the window and slid it all the way open silently for some fresh air. A cool, summer breeze swept across my face, cooling the perspiration. I swung my leg over the edge, then the other, so I could sit on the window sill. I wasn't scared of heights, but even if I was, the fire escape was just inches below my feet. I just needed to relax. It was only the first day of school and I already was considering throwing Bennet and Nolan off the Cryptic Bridge. My nightmares weren't making my bad mood any better. Even sleep couldn't offer me solace anymore.

    I was jerked out of my thoughts by the sound of a helicopter coming close. I leaned a little farther off the window sill with my eyebrows furrowed. There usually weren't too many choppers out at night, unless . . .