Chapter Three

The Inescapable Reality

SLEEP PARALYSIS

• is a feeling of being unable to move, either at the onset of sleep or upon awakening, accompanied by hallucinations and intense fear

I look away, hoping I was just mistaken.

"Hey!" I freeze, a voice so eerily familiar. I gasp when a hand suddenly grasps my arm and I stare to look at his familiar face, a little lower only to see his bruised nose, it didn't look as bad anymore but it was still clearly broken, proof of what happened that night. But as I stare into his skeptical eyes, my heart beats, could he actually recognize me? Did he actually remember everything that happened?

"We need to talk" It wasn't much of a question or a suggestion, it was a demand. His eyes held a passionately curious gaze and I was slightly relieved that he didn't seem furious. I froze, unable to comprehend that he was actually here, in front of me, touching me and very much familiar to who I was. I didn't have much time to react as he drags me through the hallway, glancing back at me as if making sure that I was actually here.

He glides through the school smoothly and I can't believe I've never even noticed him before. I curse myself for having little attention of what goes around me, always being in my head and talking to my own thoughts.

He pushes the door open to the library and the smell of old books fills the air, anyone barely comes here anymore, they always preferred the public library just a few blocks from here, it was bigger and always managed to smell of lavender, I always liked the smell of antiques, the type you whiff when opening the doors of a museum. The librarian gives us a suspicious glare but keeps her mouth shut as we disappear deeper into the shelves. He pauses, grabbing two random books before going further down the back.

It was clear the school had low maintenance of the place, the tables had turned dusty but that didn't seem to bother him, he brushes off the dust with the sleeves of his jackets and glances at me, signaling me to sit down. He settles himself in front of me and opens a random page of his unknown book but by the looks of it, he had no intention of reading them.

"You" he stares at me intently and I couldn't help but feel heat traveling up to my cheeks.

"You were there. I remember..." he looked torn, whether to believe it actually happened or dismiss it as a dream but a part of me felt that it was only right for him to know the truth after I put him in so much trouble.

"You...I...I...couldn't control myself. You were in my head, I could feel how you felt and I knew...I knew who you were there for and why you did it...for this...Anne person" he shakes his head, scrunching up his nose as if he was trying to remember a nightmare of a dream. I frowned, he did remember. He felt the same things that I did, his feelings but mine were always dominant. I wondered how vulnerability felt like, having no control but seeing the situation lay out with your own two eyes, having no choice but to live through it.

It was different that time. When I looked into that murderer's eyes, I held nothing more than resentment, I didn't feel his fear of dying, a bullet in the head, all I thought about was how this man had just killed aunt Leah. Dying seemed so easy in the hands of a murderer but this person in front of me tells me of a connection of two strangers, intimate yet unknown, willing yet not truly.

"I woke up...dazed. I knew I hadn't drunk and the broken proved my point." he looks up at me with a slight glare and I shift uncomfortably in his gaze. That really must have hurt.

"I just..I thought you were a ghost. You know...unfinished business perhaps? But...you're here. Very much alive" he runs a hand through his hair and for the first time I finally look up to meet his gaze. His eyes were piercing blue, curiosity flooded them, his nose still looked a bit broken but it didn't look as bad anymore. His features were precise and masculine and I can't shake the thought of how handsome this guy actually was. But the situation didn't feel the need for appreciation of physical appearances. It needed answers.

"So..tell me. Who are you?" there were a lot of ways I could answer that question. I could be sarcastic, tell him that he's crazy and that I've never met him in my life before, all the while guilt would eat me up. I could tell the truth, say the words I've never told anyone before, to a stranger who's strikingly beautiful. I could lie, tell him my name was Princess Consuela Banana hammock and I was just doing witchcraft and dare him to burn me at the stake. But as I was about to answer the much awaited question, a familiar voice cuts in.

"Woah. I wouldn't have believed them but this totally changes my mind" Anne comes in view, a playful smile across her face, as if she had just caught me doing a very naughty deed, sexually speaking of course. But then her eyes widen as she looks at the man sat across from me, her poise falters and I could see her cheeks flaming in embarrassment, although, I never pegged Anne to be so unconfident in front of a stranger.

"It's you" she regains her composure in a split second and shows him a flattering grin. He falters at the sight of her and glances over me, unsure of what to say or if she was aware of the situation. I quickly shook my head and he looks away, offering Anne a small smile in return.

"Right..you were at the party" Anne settles down next to me, her eyes never leaving his' and I bite my lip, anxiety taking over me. What if he says the wrong thing? What is Anne gets suspicious? My whole life's secret that may or may not be vital to a peaceful one was suddenly in the air, free for him to just throw out in the open.

"I see your nose got better" he snickers, touching his nose in a conscious manner, giving me a side glance.

"It was..for a good cause" Anne lets out a chuckle, one I've never heard before. I stare at her, calculating what she was doing until I finally understood her stance, her hair set back on one side, torso leaning in to give a sign of interest, a hand laid softly under her chin to show that she was listening. I almost let out a laugh when I realize she actually listened to my tactical flirting skills based on psychology. I flinch when the bell rings and before mystery guy could say anything, I pat Anne's shoulder and whisper

"I'm going to go" before hurrying past through the shelves and into my freedom.

My mind feeds my conscious guilt as I enter the hallway and I couldn't help but feel bad for not telling him the truth. But I wasn't ready yet and its not like I could avoid him forever, but for now, I'll have to put in all my efforts to make sure that I do.

I walk slowly through the hallway, a dim light illuminating from downstairs. I watch them as they slept soundly, tucked comfortably in their sheets. I laugh when I see Elaine has slept with a book over her face, snoring loudly over what I can only imagine was a good dream. I felt more comfortable leaving my room now, my home felt less eerie at night and the moon seemed to shine brightly in my favor. Although memories still remained in the walls, blood stained floor from a bullet through the head but courage had managed to pull me through. I'd like to believe that Anne's disapproved actions had changed my course of feelings into something much better.

But only one room seemed to be impossible. I always hoped that one day aunt Leah's soul would show itself to me. Talk or even just one last peek of her smile, the one that held so much care and love, something that can never amount to anything else. I stared at the closed door, something urging me to go in yet stopping me from doing so. I close my eyes, shaking off the feeling, there was no need to hurry, it might even be better if the four of us faced it together, not everything in life has to be done alone after all.

I turn back to my room, taking my time to feel the cold atmosphere of emptiness around me.

"Aiko" I stop. I shiver at the sound of her voice, something I had just wished for yet something I dreaded to hear. A tear falls down my cheek, suddenly I'm back to that moment, where her breath was rugged and shaking, a fear for her life and mine.

"Aiko" it was soft, the voice of a fallen angel. It almost seemed to be too good to be true. But I wasn't imagining it. I slowly turn around, afraid of breaking down if I ever saw her again, but she wasn't there. The kitchen light was suddenly brighter and an unknown force beckoned me to go downstairs, discover what might be my doom or the epitome of my happiness.

I couldn't help myself. If she were here, I would hug her, cry, get angry for defending herself, one last moment was all I wanted. I gasp; a familiar face stared at me. She looked peaceful, happy, contented, just like she always has.

"I see you" she smiles, wide and inviting. Her arms lay open for me to rush over to her motherly embrace. But my smile soon leaves my face.

I see you

"Aiko" she beckons yet again, her eyebrows scrunching ever so slightly. She was waiting for me to cry or shower her with love but her words stopped me, scarily familiar. I stared at her, deep into her eyes and I sob when emptiness greets me. It wasn't her.

"Aiko" suddenly, her innocent facade dropped. Her face turned to a menacing glare, her voice raspy and harsh, equally as venomous as the figure I had once seen before. Her beauty melted before my eyes, her skin dripping into the ground and slowly turning to blood that flooded over her feet.

The kitchen lights flickered and dimmed as its true form slowly began to form. Aunt Leah's clothes torn as black long limbs poked their way through, disoriented and broken. It eyes held the same demonic trance they once had and its teeth dripped of black liquid that traveled down to its tangled torso.

It let out a laugh and I gasped at its piercing sound, numbing my sense of hearing, my vision turns blurry as I try to regain balance. I could hear its limbs cracking in every move and sway and I let out a scream as it dashed its way towards me.

I push myself up and run through the narrow hallways, they seemed to twist and turn and my body seems to sway in every step, I could hear it carelessly slamming into the walls, the sound of glass shattering. The door seemed to get further and further away, I extend out an arm in a weak attempt to reach it. I panted heavily, my eyes rolling back into my head involuntarily.

I could hear it get closer and closer and I throw myself unto the door in an attempt of escape. I fumble, trying to find the doorknob, my blurry vision darting back and forth to the demonic figure crawling towards me, I could hear my own breathing, heartbeat and the thoughts in my head were loud. I let out a cry of desperation as I grab hold of what I could only hope was the doorknob.

The door swings open and I let out a scream as its fingertips gnashed at the flesh of my cheeks, I fall down the steps of the front porch, clutching the side of my face. It felt like lave splashed at the side of my face, the gates of hell crawling its way out through my flesh, I stumble, pushing myself further away from the door.

I crawl through the wet grass, praying for the burning sensation to go away. It glares at me, its mouth turned into a sickly grin, its claws digging through the door frame, desperate to catch me but it doesn't. It stops by the door, screaming and pressing itself further down the wooden frame, its eyes burning daggers into mine.

I move further away, the pain slowly fading away and I breath heavily, my vision starting to find its way back to focus, the dizziness doesn't fade away and I could only stare at it, my heart thumping loud and hard over my chest. I shake away the dark thoughts creeping in my head and at this moment I realized that I could never go back to how it was before.

I could never be safe just waiting in my own room, it might have not tried getting in there yet but someday in some way it will. And I fear that I might actually die when that day comes and the unknown still awaits my soul. What if I could never leave? Stuck in watching my family die one by one without ever knowing the truth as to why this was happening to me in the first place. Fate has finally set down its foot and pushed me to places I would have never dared to go. But something tells me that I needed to start this cursed adventure before I'd be dead to even try.

I didn't leave my room early morning, I was still afraid that it might still be there, maybe just outside my door just waiting to swallow me whole in darkness. Anne came to knock, wondering why I wasn't awake yet, I faked sleepiness and answered her lazily but I was truly and scarily awake, more than these past few years in my life. Reality hit me that night and I wasn't backing out from it anymore.

And as I find those familiar eyes staring at me, I move one foot in front of the other until I'm right in front of him, "We need to talk"