Imagine

A story by Purvi Reddy, class 8A
About the Author: Purvi taps to music and she loves the company of books.

        “Ahaa….!” She woke up as a wave of shudder ran through her. “Rebecca, honey are you okay?” her mother gushed, “are your nightmares back already?” she questioned further.

Her nightmares had started just as she was introduced to the Hidden World. A world where Fairies, who are half Human and half Angle, strove to rid this world of all Dark Things. She, Rebecca, had been chosen to become a Keeper, someone who kept the secrets of the Fairies and played spy for them. Keepers were also sent on missions to act like innocent human bystanders but actually stole information from the Dark Things and when they would attack.

Stumbling out of bed, she ran a hand through her forsaken, unruly brown hair. Her nine year old self was still unable to properly see into her high dresser mirror though her tall parents promised her a future of good height. She got dressed for school quickly; yes Keepers went to school but only to maintain their alias.

She climbed down the stairs, her eyes searching for her fine younger brothers who would have been making racket. The voice of her parents slowly rang through the house: they were arguing.

“…friends are really doing her no good!” Her mother exclaimed, “The nightmares are getting worse by the day Luke”

“Yes, yes Samantha you think I can’t hear her scream every night,” her father consoled “but if we tell her?” her father stopped short, finally spotting Rebecca standing in front of them.

Her mother gave father a pointed look then walked away. Her brothers suddenly appeared next to her, pulling her to the breakfast table, she was getting late. “Rebecca... … um…… honey can we have a small talk…um you see” her father stuttered. Though just then she heard the bus, which was unusually loud today for some reason.

“Daddy, not now. I have to drop the boys at the pre-school bus stop and then go to school myself,” She replied quickly.

Her father’s frown deepened and he gave her a troubled look. She understood though, her parents were always fretting about her being a Keeper and everything especially because the job was extremely dangerous but she had always waved them off. This new drama must be much of the same.

She walked outside the door, her brothers trailing by her side. Her best friend Hillary was waiting near their house bearing a troubled look on her face. She was startlingly pretty with long blond hair that everyone envied. She also knew about Rebecca being a Keeper and most of Rebecca’s Hidden World friends.

Hillary and Rebecca walked alongside each other for a minute. Hillary looking behind her back, then she muttered “One of your Fairy friends asked me to tell you that they have just uncovered information on a large Dark Things gathering next to your school, in the games shed.”

“What now?! But I have to go to school and ….” Rebecca started off. “You took an oath remember? The Service before anything” Hillary stated. Rebecca sighed! Of course she remembered. The Service oath had always been ingrained in her memory. They left the boys at the bus stop, where people gave her strange looks as she waved goodbye, though this was probably due to the fact that she had five brothers.

After that they quickened their pace, trying to reach school as quickly and quietly as possible.

The games shed was dark, they walked in stealthily on their tiptoes, all of a sudden the doors on either sides flew shut. A sinister laugh erupted from the side. Demons! She thought. They were the worst of all Dark Things.

Hillary and Rebecca took a step back, afraid because this demon was more powerful than anything they had ever faced before. It almost radiated power. The moment the demon’s face came into view they stopped in their tracks. It was the most appalling, despicable, vile, vicious and disgusting thing they had ever seen. It almost seemed as if it changed its face itself to appear scarier to them individually.

Though something was nagging Rebecca’s mind, a dream, a phrase, a memory one that always succeeded in frightening her so much that it gave her nightmares. The memory choked her throat insisting on being let out, then unable to keep it inside any longer she screamed it out.

The demon’s face contorted; she had found its Ending Curse, a curse that touched a demon only human sense, fear and then sent it to oblivion.

The demon vanished and Rebecca looked at her right to see Hillary looking at her with an expression of awe. Her chest swelled with pride, until she remembered school!

She raced to school, late by almost thirty minutes. As she entered the class, the girls snickered when she told the teacher she had a duty to complete, while the teacher just sighed. Rebecca went and took her place in front of Lindsay and Zoe, geeky looking girls prone to gossip.

She heard Zoe say “oh God! Do you thing they are ever going to tell her?”

“Of course not, she’d probably go into shock!” the other one giggled.

“They’ll have to tell her someday, she can’t drop her brothers to preschool every day in front of everyone now can she?” Zoe questioned.

“No but……. Imaginary friends, imaginary siblings and all that stuff about ‘her duty’ she’s got serious problems. She has built her whole life on lies and imaginary things” Lindsay finished.

Rebecca turned around and gave them a weird look.