Shadowed Pt1 by Ana Garcia

"Claire please don't leave me alone" I say clutching my sisters arm.

"Sorry sis but you need to learn that it's all in you head, you need to stop talking about the shadow man or whatever you call it or else  mom will send you away"
"But…"

"Don't you want to get better?" I nod my head in agreement already tearful eyed.

"Okay then stay here for a while okay?"

"You promise it won't hurt me?" "Yeah, promise" Claire reassures me with a small smile.

"Kay" I say as I take a deep breath of air.

            That was the last memory I have of my sister Claire. I was eight and she was fifteen, and it's the last conversation we had before she was taken away from me. Nobody but me knows the truth and its my job to find her, even if I have to go to hell itself and reface the shadowed man that ruined my family ten years ago.

            "Suzanna…Suzanna…WAKE UP GIRL!" Linda said waving her tanned skin in front of Suzanna's blank face.

"Oh sorry Linda…did I day dream again?" Suzanna said as she blinked back to the present. "Day dream!? You just passed out right now!" Linda said flapping her arms in the air. "Oh really? Ha oops I guess I should get some more Z's then" Linda's knowing eyes searched my face for a hint of truthfulness.

            Her ocean blue eyes bore deep down into mine. I know what she sees; deep crescent blueish-purpple shadows proof of the hours of sleep I've missed. "So why do you look like crap again?  Is it like some new rebellious show against your parents or what eh?" Linda says tilting her head slightly to the side.  "Oh you know studying for these freaking SAT's and the finals that are right around the corner" I say dodging her piercing stare, and finding a safe haven I stare at the already falling rain.  I know she knows am not telling her the truth, and I know she knows that I know she knows. But what can I say? Yeah I'm not sleeping because my sisters' trapped soul reaches me in my unconscious state and begs for help before a shadowed man- no wait slash that, a freaking demon- laughs as he takes her away.

            Psht yeah right, now all I need is for my only friend to stop talking to me.  "It will get better soon" I tell her though mostly to myself.  I don't know if she believes me or not, all I know is that deep down I hope my nightmares get better or for sure I'm going to go insane.  'You swear?" Linda asked but I don't want to fool her "Yeah" I say displaying one of my best reassuring smiles.  It kills me every time I dodge her questions, but for now this I have to keep to myself until am sure of what I'm going to do. Linda takes my hand squeezing it.

            I have this deep longing that soon things will get better, both for me and my dysfunctional family; and some answers to my bizarre flashes of pictures I get in my head when I touch an object, or why I can see things other people can't i.e. ghost.  The one thing am positive and 100% sure of is that it's my fault my sister Claire is gone.   I still have that haunting memory of that strange night, as the winds whispered these cryptic ass words "You have what we want" –Still to this day it torments my every waking moment.
            I'm not sure why and what I'm doing in my sisters room now.  Everything is just as it was ten years ago. Since then my parents and I are in a constant battle.  I don't know if my mom blames me for what happened to Claire or if she blames herself for not believing in me in the first place.  My father? Well let's just say that he's too "busy" to care about anything anymore.

            Sometimes I loose track of time, like am on autopilot or some weird ass shit like that.  Once am out of that foggy state, a wave of anxiety want to drown me; and now here sitting on my sisters bed it wants to overpower me.  Deep in thought i notice something new, more like a tingly feeling or something odd and out of place from my sister's untouched room. I stand up and survey the room, and there it is; one of my sisters' precious porcelain dolls she treasure lying in the middle of the floor.  I stare at it confused, how the heck did it get there from across the rooms' bookshelf? How come I didn't notice it when I first walked in? Once pick up the beautifully dressed doll, I make my way to my sisters bookshelf with the rest of her porcelain doll collection, when I see the doll blink.  It might have been just a trick of my own sleep deprived brain mocking me, making me think I saw the thing blink, and then… "WHAT THE FUCK!?" the doll blinked again! my voice bounces from every corner of the room. "What is it now S'anna?"  My mother calls from the hallway "N-nothing mom, I just though I saw a spider" I reply quickly.  I don't have to worry about keeping calm; mom won't even dare glance at the door let alone walk in the room.