Happy. For the first time in a long while I have been able to say that I have never been happier than I am right now. Love did that sort of thing to you. It casts a spell over you that makes it so everything in the world seems wonderfully perfect. Unfortunately that feeling doesn’t last forever, as I soon realized. Sure after my little run in with John I had been ecstatic, at that point in time I was queen of the world, nothing could bring me down. First, I had gotten over that sarcastic, heartless, excuse for a best friend, Ian. And second, I was in love. But like I mentioned earlier, the bliss I felt didn’t last long.



When Nicole and I had returned home from the mall I rushed into my room, locking the door behind me. I wanted to just be alone with me and my love stricken thoughts. Was it possible for someone to be so irresistible, seriously, it should be illegal or something. I wondered if other people ever realized how gorgeous he was, I know I found him particularly handsome, but I wanted to know if when other people looked at him they felt what I felt. I came up with the conclusion they wouldn’t, of course not everyone could. Chemistry just doesn’t happen between everybody, only the lucky ones.



I smiled to myself. I was one of those lucky people.



A few days passed and that’s when my mood began to turn sour. Every hour I was away from John I got more and more depressed, I felt like I was on a drug or something. Like when addicts go to rehab and try to live without the stuff, now I know how that feels. And let me tell you something, it plain out sucks. Every second of every hour I felt like I needed him more and more. The whole thing was like one giant mood swing. One minute life was perfect, then the next the world was suddenly a dismal black-hole where nothing good ever existed and all you wanted to do was sit in a corner with the lights off and feel bad for yourself.



Eventually the two extremes evened out and I was back to normal. Well I shouldn’t say that, now that I had met John nothing I did was normal. Every act I did I thought about him, most of the time without noticing I was even doing it. For instance if I was making a peanut butter sandwich I would ask myself, I wonder if John likes peanut butter? Stupid things like that. But it kept from going insane, just a little thought about him every once in a while seemed to make everything ok.



Then the third night since I had officially met John, I had a dream. If it’s safe to even call it that. Because from my point of view a dream involves bliss and peacefulness, and this was the exact opposite. This was a nightmare.



I had no clue where I was at, but I knew it was bright because it hurt my eyes. Finally when my vision adjusted I got the chance to actually look around the place I was in. It had one blinding fluorescent light in the middle of the square room and the bleach white walls and tiles reminded me of a hospital, but there was something else that made it feel like a hospital to me. The smell, it smelt like death. I don’t know how to describe it to people who have never experienced it before but it was a sort of mixture of tears, depression, and the irony, salty aroma of blood. It smelled horrible, the worst thing you could ever imagine.



Another thing I noticed was the feeling of being alone. The agony of knowing there is no one you can hold on too, no one to comfort you and say everything is going to be all right even though they don’t believe it themselves. I was by myself, in a strange place that reeked of death. I looked around the room in panic, searching for a way to escape. But there wasn’t any. No door, no windows, no anything. Just four large, silvery mirrors centered in the middle of every wall.



Cautiously I took a step forward towards one of the mirrors. I stood in front of it staring at the refection. I didn’t know the face I saw staring back at me. I mean I recognized it as my own, long brown hair, Blue eyes, and freckles. But the intensity my eyes showed. They looked like they knew too much, something no one should. And they were terrified because of it.



Out of my peripheral vision I saw a shadow move behind me. Too scared to actually turn around I shifted my head then searched for the shadows figure in the mirror. I wanted to scream when I had seen it but not strength came from my lungs when I tried. A black figure in a hooded cape stood staring at me on the opposite side of the room. The cloak covered its entire face and body so deducing who it could be was impossible.



I was still facing the mirror, because I was frozen in place, as I watched in the reflection how the figure stuck out its hand, very slowly. Somehow I knew why, whatever it was wasn’t alive. Well it was in a literal sense but that’s not what I meant. Then again it wasn’t dead either. What would you call something that has never been alive but can never die? I couldn’t think of anything, I was too petrified.



Its hand emerged from the robes sleeve, a bony, white, fleshless hand. Its pointer finger signaled for me to come to it, and I don’t know why, but some part of me wanted to go. I had a feeling that if I went along with this creature I wouldn’t have to ever be sad again, but that means I could ever be happy either. In deaths home emotions don’t exist. I did not want that.



I shook my head back and forth furiously and the reaper lowered his arm and laughed menacingly. Its voice resembled a cool wind, the kind that sent a shiver down your spine. And it sounded as if he had whispered it directly in my ear even though he must have been at the least twenty feet away.



“They never take the easy way out.” It hissed. “Oh well, have it your way. Just remember I gave you a chance to get out before things got bad.” Its voice now resembled the sound of a snake more than something human. “Let’s hope you’re lucky, because next time I might not be so generous.” It disappeared into a black, misty smoke that let off the same bereavement like stench I had smelled before.



I woke up with beads of sweat on my forehead and I was clutching the sheets in both my hands fiercely. I steadied my breathing then wiped the sweat from my face. I kept repeating deaths menacing words over and over in my head as I laid flat on my back staring up at my ceiling. “I gave you a chance before things got bad.” It sent a quiver of fear through my entire body.



What a crazy dream. I thought to myself. What could it have possibly meant? I mean I got the general idea but what would be so bad I would actually want to die. But more importantly why was my subconscious feeling this way, it obviously knew something I didn’t and that scared me.



Trying to get my mind off of it I looked to my alarm clock.



I groaned. It was five in the morning. And to make matters worse there was no way I was going to be able to fall back asleep after that lurid nightmare, I was much too frightened.



I made myself get out of bed and go turn on the lights. Maybe that would help wake me up. But as soon as I flipped the switch the bright light filled the room blinding me. I thought of the bright room in the dream and the cloaked figure appeared in my mind, laughing the same ominous laugh. Quickly I shut the lights off. I should probably give my eyes some more time to wake up before trying that again.



I watched television until sunrise, and then gradually let my eyes adjust to the light of the sun. I sighed, turned the TV off and headed over to my closet, time to begin my day. I was in a lazy mood so pulled on an old ripped pair of jeans and a camisole. The first part of the day went uneventful. I had breakfast, did my chores and then read part of a book. Just as I was setting the book down on the end table the annoying tone of my phone sounded off and startled me. It had been sitting beside me so without picking it up a looked at the number. I gulped. It was Ian. Nervously I picked up the phone and pressed the talk button.



“Hello?” I sounded quiet, even to myself.



“Hey!” Wait a minute. That was definitely not Ian’s voice. It was high-pitched and bubbly.



“Olivia? Is that you?” I asked bemused.



“Well duh. Do I sound like a guy to you?”



“No sorry. But why did you call me from Ian’s phone?” I was annoyed. She had gotten me all anxious for no reason whatsoever. Well at least I knew the real reason Ian hadn’t called me.



“He left it in my car when we dropped you guys off after Kate’s party.” She said like it should be obvious.



“That makes sense, I guess. But then why haven’t you given it back to him?”



“I couldn’t get a hold of him. So I thought you might be able to give it back to him for me.”



“Uh Liv, hate to break it to you but that’s not going to work out so well… I can’t give it back to him when you have it.”



“I know that!” She seemed offended. “I was going to ask you if you wanted to hang out this afternoon and I could give it to you then to give back to him.” I wanted to tell her me and Ian weren’t speaking at the moment but didn’t get the chance before she began to talk again. “So I got us tickets for a movie later.”



“Er, Thanks. But Liv, Ian and I aren’t really--.”



“Great! The movie starts at twelve thirty so I’ll meet you downtown at about noon. Bye!”



“But Liv!” Too late, she had already hung up the phone.



Well at least I had something to actually do today now. And I could always just get Nicole to run over to the Wolfe’s and drop off Ian’s phone. I started to feel a little bit more energetic, I had the feeling today was going to be a good one.



Not really worried about my appearance, we were going to be in a dark movie theatre, I got ready quickly. I opened the door to Nicole’s room, she was listening to some music and I wasn’t sure if she could hear me because of her earphones so I shouted much too loud.



“Hey!” She turned her head to look at me and I lowered my volume now that I knew I had her attention. “Tell mom I went to go see a movie with Olivia, I’ll be back later.” She nodded. I left her room and grabbed some money from my wallet then headed out the door.