Finite

Chapter 1

Eyes drooping. Breathing shallow. Vision going dark. Sabrina knew there would be consequences, she even expected them. She had to fall asleep eventually. Such is the pain of doing an all-nighter. She leaned on her arms, which became more comfortable by the minute as she felt her thin cheek touch the desk beneath her. The room faded to a dull black. It grew, clouding her vision as she sunk into sleep's inky grasp.

As she became aware of her surroundings, she found herself floating, as though the blackness that surrounded her were water. Panic slowly set in. Which way is up? Where is the surface? What if I drown? Her thoughts circled around as though they were trapped in a loop, an endless cycle of fear and desperation. She tried to breathe, but only the liquid darkness filled her lungs. She wanted to scream, but no matter how much she tried, it stuck inside her throat. She clawed at it, trying to set it free, to no avail. As the blackness settled in her ears, a golden beam emerged in front of her eyes, cutting the darkness like a knife as a voice called out. You need to wake up. Wake up. Sabrina. It's time. It's time to wake up. Wake up.

Sabrina's eyes shot open to find her classroom darkened and empty, her teacher standing at the side of her desk. She appeared impatient, almost annoyed to see Sabrina awake.

"About time," the teacher groaned. "You ought to consider yourself lucky that I didn't leave you here."

Sabrina finally came to her senses and leapt out of her desk. "Oh my gosh! I am so sorry!" She apologized profusely.

The teacher shook her head. "Such unacceptable behavior..." she muttered before handing Sabrina a book. "Anyways, this is the book the class is reading. I expect you to have chapters 1 and 2 done by Wednesday."

Sabrina looked down at the book in her hands. It was a tattered copy of The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. The cover was almost completely faded, save for the title in bold letters. The pages were torn and dog-eared. Some sections were annotated in a dark marker that bled through the pages and made the text nearly illegible. She examined the book with a sort of appalled curiosity. "A little... worse for wear, isn't it?" She remarked.

"Not as bad as your grade if you don't read it."

"Point taken."

Sabrina stood up from her desk and walked awkwardly toward the door. She stared back at the empty classroom before trudging into the hallway. Just like always, her closest friend Aliyah was waiting right outside the room. Her large hazel eyes seemed to grow to the size of dinner plates as she caught sight of Sabrina.

"Hey!" Aliyah grinned, bounding to her friend's side. "What happened in there? Everyone's been gone for a bit now."

"I fell asleep." Sabrina groaned. "And to top it off, I have to read this old book. Doesn't she realize that I have other things to do?"

Aliyah's eyes fixed on the book in Sabrina's hand. "Oh! I love that book! H.G. Wells is a really great author!"

"So you've read it?" Sabrina asked as the pair made their way to the cafeteria.

"Yeah! I have! The visual imagery is astounding, and..."

Aliyah began to fall into a rant about any aspect of the book that could come to her mind. Sabrina couldn't help but grin as she noticed her friend's eyes light up like Christmas trees as she described the characters, the scenery, the plot... the trek to the cafeteria seemed much shorter with her around. The two slid in without a hitch.

Lunch was a short blip in an otherwise uneventful school day. Aliyah departed to drive home and Sabrina went to her locker to pick up her jacket. As she turned to leave the school, she noticed two boys her age approaching. One was quite large, with greasy brown hair laying flat on his forehead, and the other had faded curly red hair that was so far off his head that it looked almost like an afro of sorts and a smattering of freckles across his face and arms. Both were eyeing her like a predator would eye their prey, searching for any hint of weakness or suggestion of strength. Red flags went off in Sabrina's brain as she picked up her pace and calmly dove into the girl's bathroom. The door closed softly behind her as she strode into a stall and waited. Muffled footsteps seemed to materialize outside the bathroom door, before it slowly creaked open and two pairs of shoes shuffled inside.