Five Years Later

Those eyes, those red slit-like eyes, drew closer. Translucent lips mouthed something I couldn't quite hear. It didn't matter. The murderous intent streaming from them was clear. Fear and a desperate need to escape crawled through me. I was forced up and out of my subconscious with a piercing scream.

I popped up with heart hammering and anxiety clogging my throat. I looked around needing to reassure myself that I was alone in my bedroom. There was a small beam of light streaming through the left of my lilac blackout curtains. I was blasted with excruciating pain as soon as my eyes detected light. I was having another migraine.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I allowed a few beats to pass and my heart rate to slow.

Then slowly reopened them. Thankfully, this time, the light didn't bother me as much. My sight still watered but the unbearable pain was gone.

I sighed in relief but also in exasperation. This was a shitty way to start my morning. A torrent of bitterness surged and threatened to take over my senses. That would send me into a blackout and on a binge which I couldn't allow. The last time my anger got

the best of me, I woke up in a strange place with a weird taste in my mouth. I closed my eyes again and drew a deep breathe. In. Out. In and out. I continued until my emotions were back in control.

As I recounted the nightmare, vivid images swirled through my mind reminding me that it was the 5 year anniversary of the day that I had truly escaped the lab of hell.

Every year, on this day, no matter where I was or who I was with, I was haunted by this nightmare starring the red, slit-like, murderous eyes. It started on the plane ride to Arizona the day Keith and I parted ways. I had never seen anything like them before not in any movie and definitely not in real life. Yet, year after year, something deep within me whispered that they were real.

Lost in thought, I absentmindedly glanced over at the clock on my dresser. "Crap, Crap, Crap!" I was going to be late for yet another doctor's appointment. Flipping back maroon silk sheets, I slid out

of bed. As usual any attempt to move quickly was thawed by my two left feet that got tangled in the sheet and I did a face-plant. Not for the first time, I was grateful for the plush, purple, carpet that blanketed my house.

Otherwise, my body would be covered in bruises especially my face. One would think I would be as graceful in my daily life as I was on a tennis court, but no such luck. "Oooouuuch!" I didn't even bother to get back on my feet instead I crawled to the bathroom and climbed into the tub. There was no way I was going to see my favorite doctor without taking a shower first.

Six minutes later, I stepped out of the fastest shower of my life and started my hair

routine. It was always the same. I spritzed water over my hair, followed by moisturizer, coconut oil, and finally castor oil. Then I parted my hair down the middle and did two big braids down each side that met in the back to form a bun. It was simple, cute, and easy to do.

When I got to Phoenix 5 years ago, I had decided to wear my natural hair. My hair had thrived, growing healthy and thick but it took a lot of time, and effort, to get it into a manageable style.

I rushed out of the bathroom and quickly applied lotion to my skin. I threw on the first pieces of clothing I put my hands on; a pair of dark, loose-fitting, jeans and a pink blouse. Then I sprinted out the door.