Shadow Moon

Selena

Every night I drift off to sleep and every night at about three in the morning I find myself jerking awake because of the dream. I’m running through the woods dodging limbs and branches, upturned roots, fallen logs; slipping and sliding on damp leaves and other foliage that litters the forest floor. I know without a doubt that whatever’s behind me, chasing me, will harm or kill me if it catches me!

Panting I sit upright in my bed and glance around my mostly dark room. Nothing is amiss. My nightlight still shines dimly in the far corner. The closet door where most of my clothes are, is closed as always. The dresser drawers of my tall dresser, all shut tight. No knick-knacks out of place that decorate the top of the wooden dresser, and my bedroom door is open a crack allowing a sliver of the hallway light to shine into my room.

Breathing hard I close my eyes in an attempt to calm myself but also to be able to draw up images of the stupidly frightful dream.I recall what all had happened during the dream and I’m extremely confused as every other time I’ve attempted to analyze the dream. I’ve only ever lived on the east coast. Virginia Beach to be exact. I’ve never seen a forest let alone run through one. However, the details of the woods as I ducked under branches, weaved around tree trunks, and did my best not to trip over any hidden debris as I ranwere way too precise for me to not have been wherever this forest was located!

The dream is always the same though. It’s never wavered from the first to the last that I just woke up from. It’s late at night, the moon, full, is high overhead, fear starting in the middle of my heart and streaking throughout my body is all consuming as it pumps in my veins and the overwhelming urge to get far away from the... the creature, I guess, pushes me to run. I find myself flying forward having tripped over a log hidden by decaying leaves and as my hands go out to stop myself from smashing my face against the ground, I wake up.

As I release a tired sigh, I hear my mom shout from down the hallway probably in the kitchen wanting to know if I’m up. It’s the last day of my junior year of high school and as I realize this, I’m throwing the blanket off of me as I scramble out of my bed. Rushing to the door I shout that I’m up and then grab the clothes I had planned to wear for the day before I’m crossing the hallway and going into the bathroom.

Climbing out of my car I walk across the parking lot of the school. As I walk, I scroll on apps that I have on my phone. When I find I’m almost to the entrance I turn the ringer off on my phone and slip it into my book bag. The first few classes fly by and in the blink of an eye I find myself in the cafeteriasurrounded by my small group of friends as we crowd around the lunch table.

After lunch I head to my favorite class which is art. Today we’re just helping Ms. Barker clean up the room and making sure any art projects of ours are gathered up to be taken home once the day is done. The last thing I’m expecting is to be called down to the principal’s office while we’re laughing and goofing around in art class!

Since there’s only ten minutes left of class Ms. Barker advises me to take my book bag and the couple of projects I had and head out. Three hallways and a flight of stairs later and I stand in the outer office waiting on the office assistant to tell me I can walk inside of the principal’s office. The older lady with wildly curly salt and pepper hair pushes her bifocals up the bridge of her nose and gives a nod for me to go in.

My thoughts are running rampant as I raise my hand and knock. As I hear “enter”, I shove to door open and slowly make my way inside. Mr. Adams is tall, dark haired and dark eyes. He watches me walk up to his desk and a shiver runs over my entire body as he gazes at me with those dark eyes. “You called for me, Mr. Adams?” I questioned as I perched on the edge of the chair across from his desk.

His gaze is intense, and I bite my lip as I look at his face and wait for him to say something. Mr. Adams sighs heavily which causes my heart to thud hard against my chest. “Miss Blakely,” he starts to say but before he can add anything there’s a knock on his door and a moment later a police officer is making her way into the room.

The police officer with ebony skin walks towards me as Mr. Adams gives him a nod. When he is standing in front of me, he clears his throat and then says, “Selena Blakely?” I tilt my head back slightly so I can gaze into the man’s eyes. “I need you to come with me. There’s been an accident involving your parents.” If the man towering over me says anything else, I don’t hear him. My vision is dimming and as I go to stand up the room begins to spin. Before I’m able to ask what happened or if they’re okay, the room goes dark, and I black out!

Beep... Beep... Beep... There’s a strange sort of beeping noise coming from somewhere to the right of me. I struggle to open my eyes, and I have to blink rapidly a few times for my vision to focus. Slowly I push myself into a seated position upon the ... bed that I’m sitting on? “What’s, what’s going on?”

It takes a minute for my mind to process that I’m sitting in a hospital room, on a bed. The machines though are not beeping because I’m hooked up to anything, I’m not. Looking to my left I see my mother on the bed; all kinds of machines attached to her. Climbing off the bed I had been placed on; I hesitantly make my way over to my mom’s side. Lifting her hand, I clasp it in between mine and whisper, “mom. What happened? What’s going on? Where’s dad?”

She doesn’t answer. Her eyelids don’t even flutter as though trying to open. Placing her hand gently back on the bed I stand and make my way to the closed door. Pushing it open I peek out into the hallway and look to see if there’s anyone who might have answers. Sighing I see the nurses’ station just a few doors down from mom’s room. People are walking quickly by me, not paying attention to me as I lean against the desk to flag one of them down.

Finally! A young woman who looks to be in her twenties notices me standing awkwardly waiting for someone to notice me. “Can I help you sweetie? Are you lost? Where’s your parents?” I roll my eyes because sometimes it really sucks looking younger than my actual age of seventeen, nearly 18 in just a couple of weeks!

“Uh, hi. My mom is in that room there,” I say as I look over my shoulder and then point to a room that has the number 2152 on a plaque next to it. “Can you tell me what happened to her? And where my father is?” I look up and down the hallway hoping to see him strolling towards me. He doesn’t...

The name on her left breast pocket of her scrubs has Linda printed on it. I watch as her eyes grow wider and wider as she realizes who I am. She bites her bottom lip. “I will send the doctor to your mother’s room if you’ll go and wait in there, please.” I have an overwhelming urge to cross my arms over my chest, stomp my foot and demand her to answer my questions. Instead, I give a nod and quietly make my way back to my mom’s room.