Iridescent

oella sat alone by the lake with her baby apple blossom tree, sketching a detailed drawing of it. Her pencil furiously etched out lines on the blank off white paper, as she listened to the wind dancing across the lake. The sun was setting, the sky a pinkish orange shade, which reflected on the lake. Bugs were humming, birds were chirping, and Zoella felt at peace with herself, something she hadn’t felt in a long time.
Then, as if out of nowhere, the sun fell rapidly, causing the entire setting to go dark. The birds stopped chirping, and the insects stopped humming. The noises of nature were replaced with growls, howls, and giant footsteps approaching. Her breathing became uneven in her throat, as the pencil and sketchpad fell to the ground with a thud. She stood up quickly, and began to run. Amongst the beastly noises, she heard something familiar. Something that would pull her deeper into this vivid, warped delusion, and further away from her cold reality. But she went to it anyway.
“Zoella!” The voice called, and she began to run faster to it. “Zoe! Help me please!” It shrieked. She felt tears stinging in her eyes, her feet stumbling as she ran wildly. She tried to call back, to scream with all her might. Which should be a lot, considering she hasn’t let a single whisper slide past her lips in 3 years. Surprisingly, nothing came out. She stopped dead in her tracks, running her finger up her chest to her neck. She felt nothing, until she reached the very top. She clasped her hands around her throat, her sweaty palms making direct contact with the stitches that sealed it shut. Her eyes widened in fear. She tried to run, but weeds began to wrap around her ankles. Their grip tightened, and she began to sink into the ground.
“Zoella! I need your help!” The voice shrilled again, and she began to sob. Once again, she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t be the savior she needed to be. A shiver ran down her spine.
“Hey, Zoe.” A voice whispered eerily, its hot breath dancing across her skin. She jumped in shock, realizing that whatever that was, had her voice. She hadn’t used in a while, but she still remembered what her own voice sounded like, no matter who, or in this case what, it was coming out of. She stiffened, afraid to turn around and meet the creature.
“Zoella, don’t be afraid.” It said as it ran its finger up her spine. It placed its hand delicately around her throat, its claw tracing the stitches along it.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I borrowed your voice.” The monster mumbled against her skin, which was littered with thousands of goosebumps that she swore would pop at any second. If goosebumps could pop.
“Its not like you were using it anyway…” It hissed, trailing off as its claw traveled up her throat. Realizing that she was dreaming, that it was her dream, and that she held the power to make this beast go away, she turned to face it. Except it wasn’t what she was expecting. It was Iris.
“Hey Zoe.” She chimed, waving at her. She no longer had Zoella’s voice, instead she had her own. Zoella’s eyes went wide, and her heart began to race. “Oh, you thought I needed help? That wasn’t me. It was a clone, or something.” She said nonchalantly, flipping her dark hair behind her. “Or am I a clone? Hm. I don’t know anymore. You should though, its your dream.” The girl acted like this was no big deal when it clearly was, to Zoella anyway.
“Come here, give me a hug. I’ve missed you so much.” She whispered, opening her arms wide. Zoella hesitated, but the girl only held her arms wider. “Zoe, come on. I’m back.” She whispered, her dark eyes twinkling under the iridescent moonlight. Her freckles scattered across her face, like all the stars littering the sky pitch black sky. She exhaled sharply, a gust of cold air slipping past her red plump lips. Could it really be…? No. She said it herself, Zoella was dreaming. It was a vivid dream, far too vivid, but a dream nonetheless. Zoella wanted to scream, ‘Stop calling me Zoe! You’re not real! You’re just a vivid image of my mutated subconscious! Go away!’ with all her might, but she couldn’t. The one time she needed her voice, she couldn’t use it. Iris walked closer to her, but Zoella backed away.
“Zoella. What the hell?” She sneered through gritted teeth, her face turning red. Zoella’s eyes widened once again in fear, but she kept backing up. As she did so, she tripped over a branch, and landed flat on her back. Iris began to loom over her as she crawled backwards, with thorns prickling her hands. They were coated in blood, she didn’t even notice. She kept going. An evil smirk that turned into a grin stretched across Iris’s face, and her teeth turned into sharp fangs. Zoella began to cry again. As she crawled backward, staring Iris in the face, her hand skidded off the ground. She looked behind her, to see that there was a huge hole. It looked bottomless.
“Where ya gonna go now, darling?” Iris cackled. Zoella’s breath became uneasy, and the tears poured out of her eyes. This was it. She would die at Iris’s hands. Right when she decided she would lunge herself into the hole, a familiar voice came her way.
“Zoella! Zoella!” It called, and she looked around curiously. Was that Alex? Why was he here? “Zoella don’t do it!” The voice yelled again, confirming her suspicions. That was indeed Alexander Gaskarth. But why was he in Zoella’s dreams? At an instant, he appeared right by her side.
“Who the hell are you and what do you think you’re doing?” Iris roared, her voice not even sounding like her own anymore.
“I don’t know who you are, but I’m saving my friend.” Alex stated firmly as he untied the vines that were wrapped around Zoella’s wrists. Zoella looked up to him, her eyes wide as she shook her head no.
“Your friend?” Iris growled. “You’re saving your friend? That’s cute. Your friend is my-” She began, only to be cut off by Zoella, who kicked her straight in the stomach. Zoella shut her eyes, and decided that since it was her dream, she had the power to do anything she wanted. And that she did. The bottomless pit that was behind her now appeared in front of her, right behind Iris. Iris’s eyes grew so wide they almost popped out of her head.
“You wouldn't dare.” She said through her gritted fangs, and Zoella inhaled sharply. She felt her throat, and the stitches were gone.
“Try me.” Zoella whispered, and with that, she kicked her in the hole. Iris’s screams echoed in her ears, as she plummeted to her death.
Zoella shot up in her bed, shaking, covered in sweat. Her hair was matted, and her clothes were soaked. She looked to her nightstand to check the time. Her alarm clock red 3:47 in red numbers. She sighed as she slammed back on the bed, knowing that she wouldn’t get back to sleep tonight. She was never able to sleep after a nightmare, especially after one so vivid like that one. Just another perk of being Zoella Rickards.
But there was one thing she couldn’t get out of her mind, no matter how hard she tried, why was Alexander Gaskarth in her dream, why did he call her his friend, and more importantly why did he save her?