Destiny

1.

Chapter 1

The ground was hard and cold under me. The dirt was dry and the grass was turning brown from the lack of rain. The sky was dark and the trees were still. The only noise I could hear was the crickets chirping.

I ran my hand over a large rock at my side and jumped back as it came in contact with something sticky. Under my fingers was a slug, leaving slime in its path.

I cringed and wiped my hand on my dress, continuing down the path I was on.

Ahead of me was a girl kneeling. Her back was to me and in the center was a pair of wings. They were long and extended far from her back. They were translucent with a touch of pink color in them. The girl's hair was the same color as her wings.

I walked closer to her but stopped so there was space between us. "Hey."

The girl didn't move.

"Are you okay?" I reached out to touch her but a pair of hands appeared and rubbed the girl's shoulders. I stepped back and saw a tall man standing over the girl. His hair was black and hung down to his shoulders.

"She doesn't have much time, Aryan." The girl said in a high voice, turning around to look at the man. Her eyes were a bright blue.

"What do we do?"

"We need to make sure she's safe. Somewhere he can't find her."

I took a step back and backed into someone. I screamed as I felt arms wrap around me. The people faded away and everything became dark.

"Julia? Can you hear me?"

"Julia?"

I blinked my eyes opened and I was in my bed again. My skin was damp with sweat and I was having a hard time catching my breath.

"It was just a nightmare, Julia. You're alright."

I glanced at the nurse standing by my bed. It was a male nurse this time, his badge reading 'Floyd'.

"Do you want to get ready for breakfast? I hear they're making pancakes."

I pushed the white blanket off of me and got to my feet. "I hate pancakes."

"The pancakes here are very good."

I rolled my eyes and shut the bathroom door behind me. "You're not changing my mind." I started the shower but didn't get in. I looked at my reflection in the mirror and sighed. My hair was sticky with sweat, some of it stuck to my face. My eyes were rimmed in red and there were dark circles beneath them. My cheeks were starting to hollow out. If the kitchen staff could cook, maybe I'd be more inclined to eat.

I took off my clothes and got into the shower, letting the hot water clear all the sweat from my skin.

The dreams happened a lot. They were never scary, by any means, but they didn't make sense. I never recognized the people in them or what they were saying.

They started when I turned fourteen. They escalated into something darker over time. I started having dreams of angels. People with wings. Most were the same. Most either happened the same way or it was the same setting. And every time, they were talking about a girl.

The doctors at the mental hospital I was living at thought it was from trauma I'd experienced. They thought that with extensive therapy, I could get better. I could put the nightmares away and live a normal life again. But angels weren't real and it was stupid to think it was from past trauma.

If it were up to me, I wouldn't be at the hospital. I wouldn't be thought of as 'weird' or 'abnormal' and I would have answers to my stupid nightmares.

They said it was all in my head. And maybe it was. But it was my head so it should have been my problem to solve. Not theirs.

I rinsed off and stepped out of the shower. I wrapped a towel around me and ran a comb through my hair. It was then that Floyd decided he needed to check on me.

"Julia, is everything okay?"

"They're after me." I said, trying to sound scared. I moved so I was against the door. So they'd have to force their way in.

Floyd tried the door but he couldn't move it much. Such a strong man he was.

"Julia, let me in."

"They might hurt you too."

"You have to let me help you."

"I can't."

"Julia-"

"Stay away from me." I tried making my voice level though my smile was making it hard to do so.

I slid down to the floor and pulled my knees to my chest. I moved away from my door just enough for someone to get inside. Sure enough, a few minutes later, a female nurse came opened the door.

"Julia, tell me what's going on." I recognized her as Amy, a middle-aged woman with short red hair. She knelt down beside me.

I shook my head.

"Julia, I can't help you if you don't talk to me."

"They're gonna hurt me."

"Who?"

"The monsters."

"Julia, the monsters aren't real. They can't hurt you."

"But... what if they want me to hurt someone?"

"You don't have to do what they tell you. You're stronger than them."

I pulled fake tears to the surface and looked up at her. "Can I sit with you at your desk?"

She held out her hand for me to take. "Do you want me to get you any breakfast?"

I shook my head.

She helped me to my feet and walked me out of the bathroom. She gave Floyd a look before we left the room, him standing in the middle watching us leave.

It was almost impossible for me to stop from smiling.

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Edited 3-14-19