Subject #192-X9.

Annabelle White.

Darkness, the heart of all fears. A shroud of the unknown surrounding you and swallowing you up like a giant beast of black. The darkness of the night, swirling, warping reality, creating shadows and shapes, illusions in your mind that play on the primordial fear of the unknown; the childhood fears of monsters in the dark, shattered by the light, an artificial sun that shows all as it really is.

With your eyes held shut, it gets darker still. Not wanting to know what is out there, leaving you open to whatever predator may be hiding, lurking in its own darkness. The fear of what could be, created by an over active imagination and the swirling shapes that hide behind your eyes; broken only by your will, to open your eyes once more and gaze upon the light.

The final darkness, deepest of all, blacker than anything known to man or beast is the darkness within you. The capacity to do evil, and know evil. The black soul of man. That is true darkness, and the source of all other fears in their own dark. The fear that you will encounter something not unlike yourself�

The only way to stop the darkness within is by the blinding light of pain.

But then, that�s where it starts, with pain�

The blinding, sharp light flashed across Annabelle�s eyes as she hit the ground. Pain wracked its way along her hands, knees and face as the rough concrete floor bit into her flesh. The sickening taste of blood in her mouth greeted her as the world began spinning back into focus.

The scene before her eyes was obstructed partially by her arms and her school bag, its contents spilt across the courtyard. Behind it, she could make out figures, human figures standing around. School uniforms on most� it was difficult to tell one from another, her eyes were blurred by tears, the automatic response to pain.

Then the noise came back into reality. Laughter. Horrible, cruel, unfeeling laughter� so much of it. All directed at her, lying there in pain. That seemed to hurt more than the cuts and scrapes that now adorned her limbs. More tears stung at the corner of her eyes.

Memory was vague of what had happened. She remembered walking, talking to her friend, Tia. She had said something� about Marty Walsh� about him being there� and something� Then she hit the ground, then pain.

Somewhere there� something had happened� somehow she had fallen� Marty Walsh. That jerk had tripped her up. She remembered it now. That made her mad.

He was there, standing over her, gloating and laughing with the rest of them. Why did they all just laugh? She was in pain, and bleeding. Why didn�t they help? Why?

Marty Walsh, schoolyard bully, moron and general pain to anyone weaker than him, like Annabelle. He picked her regularly, teasing and hurting her, making her look like an idiot in front of everyone all the time, if only to make himself look better. It was so unfair.

Now this. This was crossing some kind of line. Annabelle was really hurt now. The bleeding kind of hurt, not just the usual pain that went away quickly from a hair tug or Indian burn or something like that. This she couldn�t hide from her parents.

Slowly Annabelle began to roll over, gasping and sobbing in pain as she applied pressure to her scraped up hands, forcing herself off the ground. She didn�t get very far. She slammed back into the concrete as a foot connected with her back, knocking the wind out of her as she landed. She lay there for a moment, coming to terms with being back on the ground, struggling to get air back into her lungs. Finally, with great effort, Annabelle began breathing again; coughing and gasping from breath, while sniffling back the tears.

�You bitch! You did it! I know you did!� Marty yelled at his helpless victim, pressing harder on her back as he did so.

Annabelle was left virtually breathless once again. �Wh� what do you want?� She managed to get out between forced breaths and sobs.

�You know what you did! You drew that fucking thing all over the wall in the corridor.� Marty stomped on her once again. �It has to have been you. You�re always carrying around the stupid art book full of crappy drawings. You�re the only one who could have drawn it.�

Annabelle just gasped for air, horribly confused and scared, and in more pain that she had ever felt.

�She didn�t do it, you pin-dicked prick.� Someone else cut in. Tia, Annabelle�s only close friend and probably the only person brave enough to stand up to anyone for her. She stood staring down Marty and his small group of friends who had now gathered. She was a year older than Annabelle; taller and thinner, almost anorexic; with fiery red hair that matched her personality: hot-headed, quick to anger, stubborn and slightly crazy.

�Who the fuck drew that stupid thing then?� Marty demanded taking his foot off Annabelle.

�I did, wanker.� Tia smiled evilly at him. �Since you were so intent on trying to show me your tiny dick the other day, I figured the whole school would probably want to know just how small it is as well.�

Once again, the surrounding crowd of students laughed, this time at Marty. It wasn�t something he was used to, and he turned a bright shade of red with embarrassment and anger.

�What are you going to do about it, tiny?� Tia laughed at him with the rest of the crowd.

Marty just yelled in anger and swung a punch at her. The blow connected with Tia�s cheek, knocking her to the side. Her reaction was instantaneous. A swift kick came out of almost nowhere, connecting with Marty�s groin, sending him to the ground just as quickly.

�Hey, that�s enough.� A slightly older, sterner sounding voice broke through the laughing and chanting for the fight. �Break this up, now.�

�Who the fuck do you~� Marty staggered back to his feet and turned around, stopping dead in the face of the head prefect of the high school across the road. Kyle Barker, chief high school prefect, A-grade student, and the local judo champion; not exactly the kind of person you messed with. When he said jump, you usually went for the stars.

�I said break it up, twerp, before I break you up.� Kyle menaced. �Now beat it before I have to beat you.�

Marty complied, hobbling off to join his friends, who knew better than to cross swords with someone of Kyle�s reputation.

�This isn�t over bitch. I�ll fucking get you.� Marty yelled back as the small group of them left. What remained of the crowd of students slowly broke up and returned to whatever it was that they were doing before this incident started.

�Fucking annoying little runt.� Kyle muttered walking over to when Annabelle lay, still crying into her arms. �Are you ok?� He rested a reassuring hand on the small girl�s back.

Annabelle shook her head and sobbed, unable to make any other sounds. The shock of the situation was eating away at her brain.

�Of course she�s not alright, dumbass.� Tia swore at him from where she sat on the pavement, rubbing her jaw. �Damn, that little dick hits hard�� She muttered to herself.

Kyle�s expression never changed from the slightly concerned frown that it was. He�d let that one slide; after all, that particular 6th grader had just proven herself a reasonably nasty opponent to go up against, and he didn�t want to look like he was picking on young girls� well, again. You didn�t develop a reputation quite like Kyle�s just by looking mean.

�Can you get up?� Kyle asked, helping Annabelle roll onto her back.

�Ow�� She mumbled as she used her torn hands to try and sit up. �Umm� (sniff) maybe�� With some small effort Annabelle made it to an upright position and took a moment to look over her own injuries. The palms of her hands were ripped up, and she was grazed down the side of one arm, as were her knees. And judging by the numb feeling on her chin it was as well.

�Can you stand up?� Kyle said, examining the cuts and grazes himself.

�Umm� Hello?� Tia interrupted, �She�s not the one who got floored by some asshole�s fist. All she did was face pant into the ground.�

�She�s also the one who is bleeding, and probably in more pain than one little knock can cause.� Kyle scowled back at her.

�He punched me in the face.�

�You kicked him in the nuts, so I�d stop complaining if I were you. Your friend didn�t get to fight back.� That silenced Tia, though she did continue to mumble curses and various swear words under her breath for a while. �Christ, where do they get it from?� Kyle muttered to himself.

�Now,� He turned back to Annabelle, who was busy trying to wipe away the tears that streaked her face. �I guess we should get you to the nurse, so they can clean you up a bit.�

�Uh-huh. (sniff)� Annabelle nodded. She was slightly numb with pain, and her brain was having a great deal of difficultly voicing her thoughts.

�Come on, on your feet and we�ll go see the nurse.� Kyle stood up and offered Annabelle a hand. Graciously, she took and, with some slight pain, she was back on her feet.

�Oww� that really hurt�� She muttered, lightly brushing at her knees.

�Oh Ky-el! What are you doing?� Possibly the most annoying singsong voice in the world called out from some distance away.

�Oh shit, why now?� Kyle muttered holding his head with one hand as if he felt a massive headache coming on, while the other kept Annabelle steady.

Alexandra Kidd, Kyle�s apparent, 15 year old shadow, stood some distance away, waving as hard as she could to get his attention. Behind the buxom, more than hyperactive brunette, stood her less bouncy and annoying, almost shy friend, Meagan. They had been close friends since Primary school, and had followed Kyle around then. He thought he was finally rid of them once he escaped to High School, but alas, they followed. And they keep following him, and it was driving him mad. That could of course be why they follow him. But who exactly knows how a teenage girl�s mind works? Probably not even them themselves.

Despite Kyle�s hopes to the contrary, the pair of girls came running over. �What�s going on?� Alex asked, peering down at Annabelle. She gasped. �What did you do to her?� She asked in an accusing tone.

�I didn�t do anything to her.� Kyle glared down at Alex. �I did break up a particularly nasty fight which she was losing, badly.�

�Oh.� Alex reverted back to her usual self. �Ok, then. Anything I can do to help?�

�Yeah, you can go away.�

Alex just blinked at him and smiled nicely.

�You could always help me over here.� Tia chimed in.

�Or, I could, you know, not.� Alex smiled down at her.

�Just shut up and help the other one before I have to stop her hurting you.� Kyle sighed. �If she does do something, I�m not in the mood for breaking up another fight so it may take some time for me to stop it.�

Begrudgingly, Alex complied, dragging Meagan with her.

�Why in the name of hell do those two have to stalk me of all people?� Kyle mused to himself. Annabelle cracked a small smile. She was starting feel better. �Anyway, feel you can walk? You�ve torn your knees up pretty badly there. Looks like they�ve already started to swell up.�

�Umm� no. It kind of hurts to move them.� Annabelle answered.

�Guess we�ll have to figure something out then.� Kyle smiled down at her.

�Get your hands off me! I can walk by my self, damnit.� Tia objected loudly to the over enthusiastic help she was being given by the other two. �Let go!�

The antics that the three girls were enacting were enough to take Annabelle�s mind off the fear and pain that the incident had caused. She smiled a bit more at them, and the carrying on her best friend was doing as the over enthusiastic pair went about trying to help her� over enthusiastically.

Kyle just shook his head in pitiful shame that he knew them. �Oh god� Ok, to the nurse then.� He turned back to Annabelle. �And since you can�t walk, I�ll carry you.�

Annabelle obliged, and Kyle lifted the small girl up and began carrying her towards the school buildings. �If you want your face looked at, follow.� He called over his shoulder.

Annabelle latched onto him automatically. Everything was still sore and she really didn�t feel like saying anything. At least this guy was nice.

�Since we�re getting this intimate,� Kyle said, throwing Annabelle off slightly. �Why don�t you tell me your name?�

�Annie.� She responded shyly. �Well, umm, Annabelle. But people call me Annie.�

�I�m Kyle. Kyle Barker. Lord of tyranny and hall monitors in the Littlefield High School.� He indicated the small badge that read �head prefect� stuck to the collar of his blazer, emphasising the words tyranny and hall monitors. �Nice to meet you, Annie.�

She made a small sound that could have been called a laugh. She didn�t feel like laughing. Not right now. She was thinking how she was going to explain all the injuries to her parents. They�d make some kind of big deal out of it if she mentioned fighting. She didn�t want that. She wanted it all to go away. The stupid plan to get back at the moron had backfired in the worst way possible.

�So,� Kyle continued after a moment. �How old are you?�

�Eleven.� She answered simply.

�A little young to be starting fights with tiny dicked idiots, aren�t we?� Kyle glanced back and forth in the hallway as they entered the now largely empty building. �Crap� nurse�s office� err� this way�� He muttered to himself before setting off down the corridor. He paused, looked about and then turned around. �No, this way.�

�You saw that thing too?� Annie blinked at him.

�I don�t think anyone hasn�t.� Kyle mused. �I�d be kind of pissed as well if someone happened to draw something like that about me on the road facing wall of the school building.�

�I think he deserved it.�

�Wouldn�t surprise me if he did. I know I�ve had to deal with him more than once this year already. He�s making my job involve actual work. Its annoying.�

�Heh.� Annie sighed. She wasn�t really in the mood for joking. She was glad he was at least trying to cheer her up, but it wasn�t working.

�Alright. Nurse�s office.� Kyle said wandering in through the wooden door. �I got you a patient.� He said to the young woman sitting behind the desk that was the main feature of the room. �Mostly scrapes and grazes. She fell down in the courtyard. And there�s a fighter outside, needs an ice pack for her face.�

�I see.� The nurse answered. �Stick her down over there and I�ll go fetch the first aid equipment. I�ll be back in a moment.� She said as she walked off down a side passage.

The room was typical of the old school, stained wooden panels all around bordered by a dark green carpet and similarly stained wooden roof. The windows opened out onto the spacious grass lawn area that ran along that particular wing of the building. The room was dominated by the large book self that ran against the sidewall, holding probably hundreds of book on almost any topic imaginable. In front of that was a desk where the nurse had been sitting, and a small examination table opposite.

Kyle set Annabelle down on the table and took a seat himself next to her. �Ok, I�ve got a nice big pile of crap to do, mostly boring incident report writing, so I�m going to leave you here. Sounds like your friend is out there,� Kyle paused to listen to the stream of curses about a cold compress being too cold, �so you should be alright. I might be back later if you are still here. Have fun.� He patted her on the head as he got up.

�Ok�� Annabelle responded, less than enthusiastically.

�That�s the spirit.� Kyle said as he left.

Annabelle watched as he paused to have a few words with the nurse, glancing in her direction now and then, before he disappeared entirely.

�Ok, honey, lets take a look at you then.� The nurse said as she entered, carrying a large bowl of water some antiseptic and a lot of cottonwool. She set it down next to the examination table and began taking a closer look at the scrapes on Annabelle�s chin.

�Hum� looks like you�ve really cut yourself up badly here.� She continued, pulling a small piece of cottonwool off the bundle and dipping it into the antiseptic. �Hold still, this will probably sting.�

She brushed the wad lightly against Annabelle�s chin. She was right � it stung like hell. Annabelle winced in pain as the nurse cleaned up her injuries, tears stinging in her eyes again.

�Gosh you are a mess, child.� The nurse said as she finished. �There, all cleaned up. Now I�ll just apply some bandaids to the worst injured areas to stop them becoming infected, ok?�

Annabelle nodded. She was still worried about what her parents would say, and about the threat that it wasn�t over that Marty had made.

�Not the most talkative one, are you?� The nurse said as she peeled back the covers on the bandaids. �What�s your name, sweetie?�

�Annie.� She responded automatically. That seemed to be the only thing she was capable of saying at the moment.

�Well, Annie, my name is Heather.� The nurse responded, applying a bandaid to Annabelle�s knee. �How did you fall down?� She asked.

�I tripped.� Annabelle responded quickly. �I tripped over something in the courtyard and grazed myself on the concrete.�

�Oh, poor dear.� The nurse responded, bandaging the rest of her injuries.

�Umm� what did he say about me?� Annabelle broke the silence that followed. �I saw you talking in the hall.�

�Just to look after you, because you were such a sweet girl.� The nurse replied, finishing up. �Ok, I think we are all done here. You can go back to class if you want to, or wait here for a little while.�

�I� might wait here for a bit.� Annabelle answered hesitantly. She didn�t feel like going back to class now. Not after that humiliation. They�d all talk and whisper behind her back, she knew it.

�Ok, sweetie.� The nurse said getting up. �I�ll just put these back where they belong, and you can rest here for a while. No sense in leaving if you don�t feel like it. I�ll inform your teachers that you won�t be there for class this afternoon. So, I�ll be back soon.� The nurse collected the cleaning implements and headed for the door. �Just relax for a bit. I�ll be right back.� She left as Annabelle nodded behind her.

After she was sure the nurse was gone, Annabelle lay down on the bed and began crying. Why were people always so mean to her? It was so unfair. They didn�t pick on anyone else half as much. It was almost unbearable. But why did they treat her like this? She felt like she didn�t belong here, to any of the small groups of people all over the school. She barely fitted in with her small group of friends now. She was always feeling like she was being excluded from things they were doing, like they purposely went out of their way to avoid her. Again, it felt so unfair.

She wasn�t entirely sure how long she had lain there feeling sorry for her self and crying; somehow in the middle of it all she had fallen asleep. She awoke to the sound of the last bell for the day ringing, tears still streaked down her face. It looked as if the nurse had left her there, undisturbed, and someone had gathered up her stuff and brought it in to her. She would have smiled if she felt like it. These people were nice, or at the very least pretended to be nice really well, which was close enough for her.

She remembered dreaming� something. The images and memories had faded instantly to be nothing more than the impression that she had dreamed. The only real thing remembered was a voice in her head, calling out to her as she ran down a blurred corridor. Other than that, it was all forgotten. It was strange to say the least.

Annabelle swung her legs off the table and tried standing up. Her body didn�t hurt as much any more, and her joints weren�t as stiff. She could make it home. Home� one of the places she didn�t feel like going. Unfortunately she really didn�t have anywhere else.

At home there would be questions, questions she didn�t feel like answering. But she would have to face it sooner or later.

Sighing heavily, Annabelle lifted her pack onto her shoulder and winced as it came down on the bruising she had suffered there.

�Ow�� She said to herself, shifting the strap into a slightly more comfortable position. She couldn�t find one and just decided to just bear the pain. It didn�t really matter; it was just another reminder that life didn�t like her that much. She glanced down at her clothes. They were covered in dust from the fall. She knew she�d get into trouble for that.

�Damn�� she muttered trying to brush some of the dirt from her jumper. It looked like it would need washing. With another long sigh, she began trudging out of the school. She�d missed the bus by now, so walking was her only option left. It really wasn�t so bad; it was summer so it was at least warm, even if walking meant she would be unbelievably late home and in even more trouble.

It was getting closer to being dark when Annabelle stepped through her front door. The smell of dinner on the stove greeted her as she closed the door.

The house was a nice, comfortable, semi-modern, two-story building; built from a standard template that matched every other house on the street. It was well furnished, clean and simple, with a neatly kept lawn and polished pair of new-ish cars in the driveway. It was home, more or less; typical of every other home in town.

�Annabelle Elizabeth White, where have you been?� the booming, demanding voice that instilled fear into the heart of men and child alike: mother. �Your father and I have been worried sick.� Her father looked worried all right, sitting quietly on the couch, half listening to what was going on, feet up on the table, TV blaring. Yeah, he was very worried about her indeed. That didn�t mean he didn�t care, he did. He was much nicer and more lenient on Annabelle than her mother was.

�Good grief, what happened to you?� Her mother appeared in the entrance hall. Annabelle had a horrible feeling that she knew what was coming next, the inquisition.

�Mum, I�m� I�m fine.� She tried to wave it off, avoid the questioning that would follow. �It�s nothing, I� I just fell over at school and grazed myself a little bit. The nurse fixed me up. I�m ok. Really.�

�I�ll be the judge of that.� Her mother bent down to examine the grazing on Annabelle�s chin.

�No, it�s� its nothing. Really. It doesn�t hurt or anything. I�m ok. Please, just let me come in.� Annabelle pleaded.

�Why were you so late home?� Her mother asked.

�I was getting fixed up by the nurse and missed the bus so I had to walk.� Annabelle lied. �It wasn�t that far, and I know the way.�

�You should have called. I would have come to get you.�

�I didn�t think of it at the time.� Annabelle was getting exasperated. �Sorry� can I come in and sit down now?�

�Ok, you can watch TV until tea, and then its straight up stair to do your homework. I want you in bed by ten at the latest.�

�But mum��

�No buts. You�ll do as you are told.� �Now, tea is at seven. Don�t be late or I�ll feed it to the cat.�

�Yes mum�� Annabelle sulked, slightly defeated, but at least pleased the questioning hadn�t gone as far as it could have. She sighed as her mother went back to preparing dinner. With a minor grunt of pain, Annabelle placed her bag in its usual spot next to the coffee table in the entry hall and went to sit down in the lounge room. Wordlessly she took a seat beside her father on the lounge.

After a moment her father broke the struggling silence. �Don�t be angry with your mother, she was very worried about you.�

Annabelle stayed silent.

�She may not show it too well, but she does really love you, you know.� He continued, brushing a loose strand of dark chocolate brown hair out of Annabelle�s face. She just looked down slightly, a tiny bit guilty at being less than grateful for what her parents did do for her.

�Well, lets have a look at what you�ve done to yourself here.� Her father shifted her head so she was facing him. �You�ll live.� He said after a slight examination of her injuries. He smiled down at her.

�Heh�� Annabelle smiled a little bit.

�Hey, come on now,� Her father rested a reassuring arm around her shoulders. �You can�t be a moody teenager for another two years at least.�

Annabelle let out a small laugh. Her father had an odd way of being able to cheer her up. Unfortunately there were some things he just couldn�t help her with.

He left his arm around her and she cuddled into him. It felt safer there than anywhere now, all the worlds troubles seemed to melt away in her father�s arms.

�Come on, squirt. I think dinner is ready.� He broke the embrace after a short while. �And I wouldn�t doubt your mother�s threats to feed your dinner to the cat.� He stood up and offered her a hand, which she happily took.

The evening passed by quickly, Annabelle spending the rest of it in her room, trying as hard as she could to amuse herself with art books or music or something to take her mind off the day�s events. It was impossible. Finally, tired from the ordeal, she took a very painful bath, her scrapes still raw, and then headed for bed.

She lay awake in bed, the lights out for some time, her mind buzzing more than she wanted it to. The noises of her parents disappeared into the black silence of night, along with almost everything else. It was eerily quiet. The only sounds the low thumping of her heartbeat and her quiet breathing in the dark.

Something wasn�t right. Something was different about her room. She couldn�t place it, not in the dark like this. Not even the moonlight outside seemed to be shining through as it usually did. Maybe that was it, the complete darkness, impenetrable by anything. Anything but the small light that emanated from near her chair. She looked at it, the yellow glow, as it began to come into focus. They were eyes, glowing a supernatural bright yellow, barely illuminating anything around them.

Annabelle froze in fear, unable to even breathe. A brilliant set of white, shining teeth shone in a twisted, cruel smile just bellow the eyes, staring at her from across the room. Then in a blink they had vanished. Annabelle started to panic.

There was something in her room, something horrible and terrifying. And she didn�t know where. She hugged her favourite stuffed animal tightly to her as she sat in bed, staring into the black, trying to see where whatever it was had gone. The room was still deathly silent, save only her shaking breathing echoing around her.

�Ok�� She whispered to herself. �Ok� I� I think it�s gone� I�ll just get out of bed and go get mum and dad and they can make sure its gone� Yeah� just� just get out of bed and go find them�� She sat there for a few more moments, staring around, wide-eyed and listening.

�Come on, Annie. Just get up and run to mum and dad�s room�� She uttered to herself. �There�s nothing here to worry about��

�Annie�� A soft, female voice echoed around the room in a playful tone, barely above a whisper.

�Ok, maybe there is something to worry about.� She mumbled in a tiny, frightened voice.

�Don�t be scared Annie�� The voice echoed around her, still in its soft, playful tone. �Be terrified.� The voice dropped to an angry, terrifying tone emanating from right beside her. The golden eyes opened besides her, glaring angrily at her.

Annie didn�t need to be told to be scared out of her mind. She was. With a small shriek of terror, Annabelle was up and across the room before she knew what she was doing, huddling in a corner, trying as hard as she could not to cry in fear. She huddled down into her bear; wishing as hard as she could that whatever it was would go away.

It took some time, but eventually she built up the nerve to look again. The light from outside was pouring into the room like a silver river. Silhouetted against the light was something that Annabelle didn�t expect to see. A girl, maybe 16, wrapped in tendrils of cloth that seemed to take on a life of their own, and with what looked like bandages around her eyes. She was awe inspiring and terrifying at the same time, as she knelt on the bed, stretched out towards the light, letting her body bask in it. Then she turned back to Annabelle.

Slowly the girl prowled like an animal around the bed, away from the brilliant light shining in and into the black shadows where she seemed to merge with them, everything except her eyes, still glowing a brilliant gold.

Annabelle found herself huddled in the corner of the room, between the wall and the door, shaking like a leaf. The door� it was closed. She needed to open it, get away from this� girl� thing, whatever it was.

�Annie�� The girl said in her musical tone. �You had better run, Annie.� The voice lowered again to the more serious, dangerous sounding tone.

Annabelle fumbled behind her for the door handle in the darkness, still trying to watch the girl as she moved through the darkness like she was part of it. The door swung open and Annabelle ran through it, slamming it shut behind her.

She wasn�t in her house anymore. The door behind her looked like part of the school. She was standing in one of the long corridors, in the dark, alone. She tried the door she had just come through. It was locked. She pulled hard on it, trying to get backing but it refused to open. In the end she slumped against it, crying.

�Annie� You�re not running, Annie.� The girl�s voice echoed down the corridor. �I would run if I were you�� She began a musical laugh that sent a chill up Annabelle�s spine. Annabelle looked up into the darkening corridor. Somewhere down the end she could see the glowing eyes, quickly getting closer. She turned and ran in the opposite direction. Something screamed at her to get away from it, to escape it. The corridor came to an end in a spiralling set of stairs that ran high up into the darkness.

Glancing behind her for her pursuer, Annabelle began running up the stairs. On and on she ran, slowly getting tired. The stairs seem to go on forever. Every now and then she could hear the giggling laugh, echoing from one side or another, as if spinning around her and running up and down the stairs ahead of her.

Suddenly, the stairs ended in a sharp drop that Annabelle didn�t see, sending her plummeting off the end into darkness with a scream. She fell for what seemed like forever, screaming until finally she hit the bottom, crashing through an ornate mirror reflecting herself as the other girl, sending shards flying into the darkness above her.

Annabelle sat up with a start, breathing hard and sweating like mad. A dream� It was just a dream� A really freaking weird and scary dream� She was both amazed and thankful that she hadn�t wet herself, she was that shaken. Already the memory of the dream was beginning to fade, all she could remember was the girl, silhouetted against the shining window, and the way her eyes glowed in the dark. Just the memory of it sent a chill down her spine.

After a moment or two to compose her self, Annabelle tentatively climbed out of bed, still clutching her favourite stuffed bear. She needed a drink and probably to relieve herself before heading back to bed.

Nervously she climbed out of bed, slightly paranoid that the thing in her dream would be waiting for her somewhere. With some hesitation, she tiptoed into the hallway. It was normal. No freaky darkness, no scary school hallways, no glowing eyes of doom. She sighed in relief.

Cautiously, Annabelle tiptoed down stairs, more worried about waking her parents now than of things leaping out of the darkness at her. It took her a moment to adjust to the lighter atmosphere down stairs. The large dinning room windows let in all the light from outside; keeping the area illuminated enough to be able to see late at night.

She found her way to the bathroom, and then back to the kitchen. A shadow leapt out in front of her as she walked, scaring her half to death.

�Meow.� The shadow said loudly.

�Oh, dammit, Tilly.� She said picking the cat up. �You scared the hell out of me.� She began scratching him behind the ears and the large creature started to purr, deeply.

Slightly bemused at her own paranoia now, and kind of relaxed now that she wasn�t as alone as she had been, Annabelle continued her path into the kitchen.

�I�ll bet you�re hungry, aren�t you?� she said placing the cat on the bench. �Heh, when aren�t you hungry?� The cat just looked up at her and gave another loud, deep meow. �Yeah, ok. I�ll find something for you to eat.� Annabelle opened the fridge door, the small light inside lighting up the room and casting deep, exaggerated shadows across the walls. She pulled out a small tin of cat food and a large bottle of cold water then shut the door.

She set about feeding the cat, who seemed more than interested in the idea. �Boy, you are hungry. Why are you so hungry at�� She glanced at the small green numbers that emanated from the clock on the stove. �Three fifteen am? Wow, it is kind of late. Been dreaming of creepy, scary stuff too?� she stroked the cat while he ate. �Yeah, nasty dreams that suck. Much like life sucks�� She sighed. She poured herself a glass of water took a mouthful. She may have had a nightmare, but she still needed to sleep and get up for school a few hours after that.

She put the bottle back in the fridge, taking another drink from the glass as she did so. She closed the door and caught a glimpse of her reflection in the steel door. She froze instantly letting out a startled cry, the glass falling from her grasp and shattering on the floor.

She saw where her face should be, the face of the creature in her dream. An instant later it was gone, and she was just staring at herself and breathing heavily.

�What�s going on down there?� Her mother�s voice shocked her back to reality, only to be partially blinded as the light came on.

�Err� I� I dropped a glass.� Annabelle said quickly diving to clean up the mess.

�What are doing up so late?� Her mother moved down stairs into the kitchen.

�I had a bad dream� and I thought maybe a drink or something would help.� Annabelle tried her best to explain without giving away too much.

�Alright honey.� Her mother got down to help her brush up the broken glass. �You go back to bed, you have school in the morning. I�ll clean up here.�

�Ok.� Annabelle agreed almost automatically. �Goodnight mum.� She said as she headed back to bed. That whole reflection thing had been weird and scary. Nightmares didn�t usually do that sort of thing, did they? It had never happened before. It was really weird.

It took her a moment to climb back into bed, first searching her room for anything out of the ordinary. She was kind of worried that she hadn�t found anything, and fell quickly into an uneasy sleep.

Again she dreamed, again being chased. This time she wasn�t alone when she ran. She saw her friend Tia getting chased down by the creature, unable to stop it, and then Kyle, the nice guy who she had only just met; and the nurse too� all of them running and not escaping the creature. She watched it kill them, bleeding them out while they cried for help. Annabelle found herself unable to help them, instead running from them, trying to hide from the monster, to no avail. It found her wherever she ran, calling out in its fear inspiring musical voice.

Annabelle woke up crying in fear, too scared to go back to sleep. She lay huddled in bed, fighting to stay awake and avoid dreaming until her alarm went off hours later.

A very tired looking Annabelle stepped onto the school bus later that morning. She yawned as she found her way down the aisle, nearly loosing her balance as the vehicle moved.

�God, Annie. You look like crap.� Tai said as the younger girl sat down next to her. �Well� more like crap than usual.�

�I couldn�t sleep�� Annabelle said quietly, trying to stay awake. �Kept� dreaming things��

�Like what?� Her red headed friend sounded slightly concerned.

�Like� the kind of stuff you don�t want to dream.� She didn�t want to remember it. The images of Tia screaming in pain and dying were all too fresh in her mind. She doubted her friend would take to well to the idea of Annabelle dreaming that she was dying. �Weird, scary stuff that seems all too real.�

�Oh�� Tia really didn�t know how to respond. She wasn�t the best with words. She was more into action. �Well� err� umm��

�Its ok, I�m just tired is all.� Annabelle said between yawns.

�Oh yeah,� Tia suddenly remembered something. �My dad is gonna press assault charges on Marty �cause of the punching. We can take his dumb ass to court and sue him into the ground all because of one little bruise. What are your parents gonna do?�

Annabelle stopped to think for a moment. �I� I didn�t tell them.� She finally said.

�What? Why?� Tia was a little taken aback.

�They�d make it worse. Blow it up into something huge. I don�t want it to get worse.� Annabelle said quietly, looking at the floor. �I just want it to go away.�

�Don�t worry, I wont say anything.� Tia said reassuringly resting a hand on Annabelle�s shoulder.

Annabelle grimaced as Tia hit the sore spot from where Marty had stopped on her.

�Oh� sorry.� Tia said removing her hand. �Does that still hurt?�

�Its... not a problem.� The younger girl said choking back tears of pain. �I�ll be ok.�

�Maybe you should say something about that to your parents if it hurts so much.� Tia suggested

�I said it was fine.� Annabelle said angrily.

�I... I�m sorry.� She said after a short pause. �I�m just tired, is all.�

�Its ok.� Tia said quietly. �Hey, we�re here. Lets hope today is better than yesterday.�

�Hmm� Yeah�� Annabelle wasn�t all that confident in her response. She really was hoping it would be a better day than the previous few. She doubted it though.

The day passed by quickly enough, and with no problems of any kind, despite Annabelle nearly falling asleep in several classes. The lack of sleep was getting to her, slowly. By the end of the day she was almost asleep on her feet.

It had been a relatively quiet day, no sign of Marty or anyone else who annoyed or harassed her. Annabelle was still worried though, she couldn�t get the images of the dreams out of her head, and it was weighing heavily on her mind; it had been so real, so life like.

Eventually school ended, the final bell shocking her out of a small daydream and back to the boring, tiresome reality. Annabelle found it surprising that she hadn�t had any run-ins with anyone today. Maybe people seeing Kyle stick up for her had made them all slightly nervous about trying to pick on her. He seemed to have more influence and infamy than she had originally thought.

Life was still getting her down though, and she was still very tired, even more than she had been in the morning. No amount of caffeinated drinks were going to keep her focused; all they really did was keep her running for the bathroom all day, which tended to annoy her teachers.

But it had been quiet, if long and boring. But long and boring was what it usually was, so it had been an ok day for her. Slowly as the class began their run for the door and home, Annabelle began her long, slow, tired trudge to the buses, lost in her own mind and sleepiness.

�Have a better day?� The question shocked Annabelle out of her little world. Kyle was standing in front of her, watching over the crowds heading for the buses, hiding behind a pair of dark sunglasses. Somewhere not that far away were his annoying pair of teenage shadows, watching and talking quietly amongst themselves occasionally throwing glances his way. He didn�t seem to notice or care.

�Umm, yeah.� She answered, looking up at him.

�Well, that�s good to hear.� He answered, not looking at her. �Hmm� if Brendan Maher and Jenny Marks think I can�t see them smoking, they are sadly mistaken. Excuse me for a moment.� He said, shifting Annabelle to the side as he walked off towards a small group of student who suddenly looked like they knew they were in trouble.

Annabelle sighed and continued her slow trudging walk towards where her bus usually was. She got as far as the second building.

A hand reached out from behind the faded stone structure and grabbed her by her ponytail, pulling her backwards.

�Gotcha, ya stupid bitch.� Marty yelled, pulling her back behind the building by her hair.

�Ow! Let go!� she screamed stumbling backwards.

�Fucking shut up.� Marty yelled back at her, throwing her to the ground. �You and your stupid, fucking friend calling the fucking cops. I�ll fucking show you. There�s no one else fucking here to help you now, you stupid bitch.�

�No� I didn�t ~� She said, tearing up.

�I said shut up.� Marty punched her in the side. Annabelle fell back to the ground, winded and gasping for air.

�I�m fucking sick of the cops always coming around my place, they don�t have a fucking clue. Always trying to charge me with some shit, most of which I didn�t have anything to fucking do with. The fucking bastards.� Marty said angrily while cracking his knuckles.

�Please, leave me alone.� Annabelle begged, starting to sob.

�You gotta fucking learn not to fuck with me.� Marty snarled at her. �You and all your little bitch friends.�

�Leave me alone!� Annabelle yelled at him crying. �Just go away��

�Make me, bitch.� Marty snarled at her again, moving closer. �I�m gonna fucking teach you a lesson.� He kicked her in the stomach.

She lay there for a moment, crying in anger and fear. Angry at both him for what he was doing, and herself for not fighting back.

Get up and fight him. A voice echoed in her head. Get up and fight

. �Wh-what?� Annabelle sobbed.

�I�m gonna fuck you up, then your little friend, and you can�t do shit to stop me.� Marty gloated over her fallen body.

Time to wake up, Annie�The voice said quietly. It was familiar. Too familiar. Time to show them what you really are�

Something inside snapped. Annabelle felt it give; she became angry. Mad at him, mad at everyone. Nobody threatened her friends.

Annabelle rolled over glaring up at him. �I won�t let you hurt them.� She growled at him. Slowly she climbed back to her feet, wiping away the tears.

Marty took a stunned step back. Annabelle had changed slightly; her hair had gone pitch black and her skin now much paler than before. She scowled deeper at him and her eyes flashed a brilliant gold.

�What the fuck?� Marty took another step back, horror and confusion wrapped across his face as he looked at her.

�I wont let you hurt anyone.� Annabelle yelled angrily at him. Black tendrils of energy whipped out from her body wrapping around Marty like cloth fingers, crushing the air out of him. With an angered cry, Annabelle slammed him against the side of the building as hard as she possibly could, burning out all the rage she felt instantly. She glared at his dying form, a sadistic smile of pleasure etched across her face.

Then it all went away, all the power, the feeling of anger, the rage, gone. She fell back to her knees, breathing hard and staring at Marty�s body in dull shock of what she had just done. Slowly she edged her way over to it and checked for a pulse. Nothing. She retracted her hand quickly, still trying to come to grips with what had happened.

Marty was dead.

She began to panic, scrabbling backwards away from him, forcing herself to her feet. Panicking blindly, she ran, only one thought going through her mind driving her on.

She was a murderer.

**End of Part 1**