Lilac Scented Dreams

Beep. beep. Beep. Ugh, what the hell? It’s Saturday. Why is my alarm going off? What time is it even? Turning to look at the increasingly annoying sound I see it is 10 am. Not too early at least, I just don’t remember setting it. I do have to pee though. I crawl out of bed trying not to wake up the cat. Dragging my feet to the bathroom, I look in the mirror and notice my hair is sticking straight up and my face has marks from sleeping.. “ ugh I’m awful.” Seeing someone walk past the bathroom in a hurry, I freak out. I look to see if anyone is here but alas it is just my mind playing tricks on me again. I went to a therapist and they said I don’t have schizophrenia, just my mind playing tricks.

“What do I want for breakfast, '' I ask Lucifer. “Meow.” “Ah good choice sir” I grab for my bread but notice I am out. Damn. I get into my fridge and look for eggs, none. Bacon? Nope. Maybe this is why I set my alarm to go to the store. I go into my room and search through my closet, what should I wear? “Alexa, what is the weather today?” “It is sunny and a high of 80 with a low of 60.” I think I’ll wear a dress today. I grab for my all-black and lace dress with medium-length sleeves. I walk to my dresser and grab my socks and underwear. I walk into the bathroom and change into my clothes. I grab a brush and start to comb through my hair, deciding if I should keep it down or put it up. I keep it down and choose to not wear makeup as it’s just the store. Now, where are my keys? I thought I put them on the table. Moving things around, I notice them on the key hook. I usually don’t put them there as I am 5’3 and the key hook is up high. Oh well.

In the store I notice a strange man staring at me. He was about 50 with a long gray beard. It looked as if he was dressed for a renaissance fair. I noticed that he was watching my every move, he followed me to the bread aisle. Looking away pretending I don’t notice the creep. I continue my shopping while being extra cautious about the old man. There have been a few missing girls in this town So I try to be extra careful around people I don’t know. Briskly walking through the store hoping to lose him but not let him know I see him. I go to pay for my things, I see someone that only has one person in line so I join their line. I look behind me as I am putting my items on the belt and see Mr.creep there. He’s two people behind me, still watching everything I do. It’s as if he's expecting me to do something. “Did you find everything ok?” the girl behind the counter asked. Sounding irritated by the busy day.

“ Yes I did, thank you” Loud enough for her to hear but no one else.

“That will be $21.40 please.” She sounds as if she has been here for hours now. Tired and sad.

I pay for my groceries and start to walk out of the store. I look behind me to see if the guy is still there and sure enough he is. Looking straight into my eyes he raises his finger and mouths the word. “You.” Walking towards me with a dead stare. Faster and faster he walks. I start to jog to my car. I look back and notice no one else is affected by him. No one looks at him, no one dodges him, they just keep going. He has to be real, I see him clearly, Why does no one care? Almost to my car and basically running from here. He's about 20 feet away. Shaking and praying I reach for the door handle, as soon as I open my car door he catches me. I see his dead eyes bore into mine.

“We’ve been waiting for you” he whispers into my ear.

I go to push him away but as soon as I touch him he’s gone. A faint smell of lilac left in his presence.

Emotionless and dazed as I get in my car and drive home, unsure of how to react. I put my groceries away and decided to take a shower. I turn the water up as high as my body can handle, I step into the shower and try to justify what just happened. I was drugged, definitely. But how? No one came near me and I didn’t eat or drink anything that wasn’t in my house. Ah, someone broke in. no, maybe I am hallucinating due to lack of eating well. It could be food poisoning.

“God I need help” tears dripping down my face, unable to see anything anymore.

I’m going crazy, it gets worse every day and I can’t handle this anymore. Wiping the tears from my face I look down at my razor. If the doctor won't help and I'm not getting better then I don’t want to be here. I go to reach for it but in the blink of my eye, it’s gone.

“What the hell!” I scream through my sobs.

Curling up into a ball and turning the water up higher, hoping I'll be burned.

“I just want to be normal,” I whisper to myself.

Running through the woods, swatting away branches from dead trees, and trying not to trip over the overgrown flowers. I look back and I see him, the guy from the store, he looks less alive this time. I can feel my heart beating like a drum, and I can see my breath. I don’t remember how I got here or why he’s chasing me but I know I need to run. Is he catching up or am I slowing down? I’m tired, exhausted. It feels like hours of running in a circle, I keep passing the same dead tree. I want to stop, I can’t do this anymore. My legs feel like jello and are on fire. I stop as if to catch my breath, but I'm not breathing anymore. I can’t see my breath anymore. I turn to look at him and he’s gone. I look around but he is nowhere to be seen. A hand touches my shoulder, my heart drops, and I feel so cold. I turn around to see the most gorgeous boy I have ever seen. Short yet shaggy black hair, short and stout nose. Sharp jawline and light green/brown eyes.

“Who are you?” I attempt to inhale, scared and curious

“Wake up” he whispers breathlessly, my skin turns ice cold and my heart stops.