Night Terrors

Chapter Six

It was now 7:45pm and Mimi had arrived to her mother's house in North Long Beach, near Lakewood. She sat in her car trembling and hoping that her mother would be home when she'd get to the door. Frightened, she stayed in her car for a couple of more minutes. During those couple of minutes she meditated and took an few sips of water. She was receiving an influx of incoming calls, a few from Brenda, Jessica, Christian, Jesse and Stephanie G.

Just when she thoughts the calls had finally stopped she receives an incoming call from one of her closest friends, Danny. They both met at the same place of work. Just like her friendship with the rest of her coworkers, they developed a strong friendship. Almost like siblings only Mimi had common sense and Danny being unreasonable at times.

She slides the "End call" and rest her head on the driver's seat. He calls again and she hangs up. He calls her a third time. It was the last straw. She turns off her phone and shoves it in her purse.

Her head was filled with the nightmare she had last night and the flashback ,she had just thirty minutes ago, and the one from last night's party. It was knowing at her like a parasite. The more she thought about them the more she felt too scared to tell her mother.

Her mother had raised her and her younger sister alone, at the age of 23, after her father had left her to move his other family across the state. Their divorced was finalized just two months later. Her mother, Leila, had struggled raising both her children alone after the death of her mother. She relocated to NYC where she had met her second husband, a Moroccan native of Middle Eastern descent. The two got married just moths after dating and lived in several parts of Brooklyn. Their marriage was very rocky, with her mother being the bread winner of the household and her step father, with his green card, being the housewife and struggling to find a job.

Throughout the years together, however, there was something strange. Every night, Mimi would see strange and frightening monsters. It was normal for kids to fear monster living under their beds or see strange shadows in the dark but these monster were shaped like humans. When Mimi was four, she was sleeping saw a shadow appear on the wall in front of her. The shadow had gotten bigger and its head and legs elongated as it approached. She screamed. The shadow had disappeared instantly and her mother and stepdad came rushing in to check on her. She cried for quite some time but had a hard time explaining what she had saw. Her throat and lungs felt like they were closed shut. Every morning she'd wake up paralyzed and unable to speak. Her mother would often move her to help get her out of it. Nights and mornings like those had continued until she turned seven. Her mother was always welcoming her to talk to her about anything that bothered but all she'd just say is "nothing" or "I just need some time alone to think"

Five years later, they had separated, after a dispute between the two. Mimi's mother settled into a shelter for women and then permanently settled into an apartment in the projects in the Bronx. Her mother's and step father's divorced was finalized two years later. The small family spent the rest of their lives there but didn't love their living conditions or the environment. All her mother wanted was to look and feel loved, but didn't expect to be used by her two former husbands. Mimi's teen years were not so pleasant either.

She was shy, quiet but adored by teachers and a few classmates throughout middle school and high school. But she was silly and herself in the comfort of her own home. Like most high schoolers, she was encouraged to talk to guidance counselors about their educational plans and preparations for college. She took her education seriously. Mimi had interest in baking and the culinary arts and applied to as many colleges possible. Mimi, however, had growing problems that she herself could not understand.

Mimi had became distant and quieter but found solace with the discovery of Kpop and other music. At the age of sixteen, her mother had suggested she'd see a therapist. The last person she had trusted with, professionally, was was her speech therapist when she was four. Her speech therapist, Susan, was the closest thing to a best friend she could have, before she left to her new job. Before she left, Susan gave Mimi a handmade book with pictures of her and peers. In memory of Susan, Mimi still keeps the handmade book in hopes to finally see her again.