Drowning In Darkness: Chpt 2

  But, as it was the usual routine by morning, I looked effortlessly perfect, though it had taken me hours to rid myself of the awful after effects the nightmare caused me. My long black hair was down and straight, covering the red marks on my neck from the menacing nightmare I had every night. The little make up I had to wear was around my eyes, covering the bags under them and making them look smokier, and bigger, like an anime girl. I checked myself one more time in the mirror to see if the red marks were visible; my short pleated school girl skirt covered my thighs, my white v-neck, and black Converse, well…it looked good but covered the marks it needed to. Compared to my friends, well I didn't really fit in to the hyper atmosphere that flitted around them, like an aura some physics will tell you about.
  Marie was like a Brazilian, druggie, fire bomb who rose straight from the depths of Hell to bring torture upon those she hated. Her big, unfocused brown eyes, and pixie cut dark brown hair did nothing for her rather strange looks already. She was always disfocused, her eyes flitting from thing to thing, hyper, always moving and bouncing, and screaming, we often joked she had Turrets.
Karlie well she was quiet, and shy until you got to know her rather well, then she changed before your eyes much like a chameleon changes color. Her black curls and black eyes made her look serious and dark, but she was truthfully the most hilarious person I'd ever had the pleasure of speaking to. She could make a joke even in the most serious of situations, during tests, during lectures, during serious moments; she no doubt would have a piss-yourself-laughing joke.
  Then there was Aria, she was my best friend, and one of the only two people who knew my darkly troubled past, all the years of therapy I'd been through, and all the problems I'd faced. But…Aria knew because she'd gone through the same rehab program, but not for the major crime I'd committed. She'd taken a steel baseball bat to most of her fathers body after he'd sexually abused her…for most of her life he'd threatened to kill her if she did anything, at the age of fourteen, she'd just snapped. Her case was cleared when it was proven, but her disgraced mother sent her to rehab refusing to believe her husband had committed such an awful crime.
  I pulled my straight, razor edged bangs down over my right eye, it was still red rimmed, I didn't want people to expect anything and I wore my hair like this enough that they wouldn't. I shook my head as I descended from my second story room to the kitchen which was on the first story, and I took the longer way, winding around the house rather than passing the living room. I never walked by the living room, even though it was just across from the staircase that I was forced to use to go downstairs, pictures of Archie, Adrian, Dimitri, my parents and I hung on the walls. But the pictures taken after the death of Archie…well they never looked quite as happy, my parents' smiles were forced and they refused to touch me. I walked into the kitchen and Dimitri, one of my fourteen year old brothers, smirked at me over his book, he was smart and read a lot, his ice chip blue eyes peered at me.
  "Hey, D, what's the smirk for? Fucking yourself behind that book?" I smirked. He rolled his eyes and continued reading. Adrian slowly walked in several minutes later, he was Dimitri's twin, but he didn't act a thing like Dimitri. He was just as smart, his glossy dark black hair mirrored Dimitri and mine's, but rather than ice chip blue eyes of my father, he had my mother and I's, green eyes. He was lazy and did everything slowly, and always had some sort of snarky comment to make about everything he shouldn't. He stretched; rubbing much needed sleep for him from his eyes, and slumped into the chair next to Dimitri.
  Adrian wasn't a morning person by any stretch of the phrase; sunlight bothered him in general so we thought.
  "When are mom and dad going to be awake?" Adrian asked between huge bites of cereal I hadn't noticed him get up and get. I blinked; I was really starting to let these borderline real nightmares effect me. I shrugged, and Dimitri did his signature face, cocking one eyebrow up and pursing his lips.
  "Vero, will you be driving us to school this year?" Dimitri prompted. I snorted, it was an unattractive habit I'd had since I was young…younger than twelve that was.
  "Yeah, with what car that has more than to seats, because I'd love to know when they started to trust me to drive anyone but myself. Much less even believe to begin I wasn't homicidal, why would they let me drive you two?" I rolled my eyes, but for some reason I knew they remembered Archie. But for some reason both of them seemed to understand that I was well again, Adrian shrugged, silent as was usual for him in the morning.
  "Well I want Bells to see me in your car, what girl doesn't love a Porsche?" Dimitri said. Okay, so I had a nice car, but I'd payed for it myself. I had to choke back a laugh, we all knew Dimitri had a crush on Bells, my best male friend Julian's little sister. Julian and Isabella Saint-James, they were the hottest 11th grade boy and the hottest 9th grade girl. Julian, Jules as I called was warm and friendly, and Bells was just the ice queen.
  But just to torture him, I had to clarify this, "Bells, my best male friend's sister. The ice queen with platinum colored hair and steel grey slabs for eyes," I was exaggerating, her eyes were actually rather pretty.
  "Hey! She's not all that bad once you get to know her," Dimitri protested. I smirked.
  "Dimitri! She's awful!" I smirked, I wasn't teasing this time, I really did hate her.
  "Her brother is your best friend!" Dimitri said, venom leaking from his words. That was true, Jules and I were close, and he was the second person that knew my secret. But he was nothing like Bells though; he had warm hazel eyes and thick chocolately brown hair. He had a loud laugh and an interesting sense of humor if I were to be asked about it. I shrugged and Dimitri had already known the large differences between Jules and Bells.
  Adrian spoke up, "Ah, fuck off Dimitri. You're just jealous because I get the most gorgeous girl in the grade." Adrian really was with one of the most gorgeous girls I'd ever seen. Kira Pak, she was Japanese, with flawless alabaster skin and black hair, with long black eyelashes and black eyes. They'd been together since the beginning of 8th grade, it was nice. Dimitri pailed…in obvious jealousy, because even he couldn't deny it, everyone wanted Kira.
  I looked down at my watch, hoping too much time hadn't past and I wasn't loosing my sense of reality because of the god be damned nightmares. But when I looked down…well shit I was surprised and screwed, beyond all points of return. I was so late, I couldn't even make it to first period…I probably was going insane I realized.