Intensity

I couldn't sleep. The pressure of his body still lingered on my lower abdomen. Why couldn't I sleep? My mother had finally gone to sleep. I only know because I went in and checked on her; a fresh bottle of vodka opened and half gone.

That is how it always was now-a-days. I came home late, my mother cried, I locked myself in my room, and she drowned her sorrows in alcohol. Lovely family, don’t you think?

I sighed to myself as I turned on my mattress, creaking as the weight of my body moved to different rusty springs. I stared at my drapes that were swaying a bit in the wind. Clouds were moving over the heavens, blocking the moon from my view. I slowly felt myself drift to sleep, the sounds of the chimes that my mother had hung outside on the front porch luring me into a restless sleep.They have always done that, and even though I couldn't sleep, they always put me to sleep. I don't know how many times my mom got angry with me for leaving my large windows wide open. She always said that an intruder could easily get in.

I shook my head once letting myself fall into oblivion, the night world just a thought in the back of my head, where Cullen was no where to be found.

-

It was a sunny day, the brick road was one of the older ones that were downtown. Part of the historical society’s idea. They said that they needed to keep the history of the town I lived in alive. I didn't blame them; I always thought that brick and cobble stone roads were beautiful.

It was Celebration day. The day where school was let out and students were allowed to dress up as a historical person. It was a day of pure mayhem. The goth kids dressed up as witches from the Salem days, and most of the geeks were some kind of great historical figure. The jocks were always the same - the kings, or nobles. Everything that had to do with history, we were allowed to dress up as. Some even went as far as to dress up as werewolves and vampires. I think though that’s why they usually hosted it on October 31. We didn't have a Halloween like most normal places. Why we didn't have it, I still had no idea. But we didn't hand out candy or anything. Our town quit handing out candy on this day when a few years back there was an outbreak of razor blades stuck into chocolates. Many young children died that Halloween. The mothers had a fit and candy on Halloween in our town was banned.

People walked past me, nodding their hello's. The kids my age just threw me dirty looks, possibly because the outfit I was dressed up in was an elegant flowing deep red gown. I didn’t know what I was; I was just wearing one of the many dresses my older sister had bought for me. My mother insisted that I dress up. In honor of my ancestors. I shook my pale blonde hair out of my eyes, it's length had grown quite a bit, and it was almost back down to its original length. I sighed as I caught glimpses of my mother working her way around the students, children and adults. She was so thin and fragile, and she was looking for me. I turned quickly on my heel and walked aimlessly in the opposite direction. Straying farther and farther away from the bustling downtown area.

Suddenly I stopped. Or well, something stopped me. My body went cold as I turned my gaze from the street ahead of me to the odd coldness on my arm. I followed its fingertips that were planted into my arm, up to its arm and then shoulder and finally its face. I opened my mouth to scream but it grabbed my waist and flashed me into an ally where he pushed me against the brick wall. My mouth open in horror as I felt his hands trail down my sides, leaving hot fiery kisses in its wake. It all happened so quickly; everything moving at 3 times the speed of real time. One minute the masked man had me up in the air against the wall, the next he was being thrown into garbage beside us. I slid down the wall, the fine material that my dress was made out of, giving way to the jagged edges of the brick. I stared up at the person who knocked the person off me. My eyes widened in shock as I saw Cullen standing there, his left arm holding his neck, blood seeping through his fingers.

His eyes widened as he predicted my reaction. Instantly he was down in front of me his free hand covering my mouth.

"Don't scream."

I screamed anyway.

-

"Emmbla! Emmbla, darling honey wake up! You're having a bad dream."

My eyes popped open, my cheeks damp with tears. My mother was sitting on my bed, worry evident in her eyes.

"Honey, are you all right?"

I nodded my head, and turned to look at the digital clock that I had placed next to my bed.

3:15

Flashed bright red. I sighed as I wished my mother goodnight. She stood up and walked out the door, stopping hesitantly only for a moment to ask once more.

"Are you sure you're alright honey?"

"Yes mom. I'm fine."