I have never used wattpad before so bear with me if any of this goes a little awry. I think I've got a handle on it but we shall see. This piece is complete, I will be uploading chapters a bit at a time. In any case, enjoy.
"So lower-level schemas are the ones that organise all the sensory information like sight, sound, touch, you see?" the professor paused briefly as if to assess if we were fully engaged with the subject.
We weren't. I don't think anyone was really 'here' for a 10 am lecture about memory and schemas. Our bodies may have been there, but our minds certainly weren't.
"Okay, well then, higher-level schemas are the ones that identify these lower schemas as fitting their low-level slots" good old Andy Robinson droned on.
He tried his best, but his soft Scottish accent always made me want to drift off. He'd have more hope as an ASMRist on YouTube than as a university lecturer. My concentration never stood a chance. Looking around I saw others had lost the battle too. People were on Instagram, texting, and talking with their friends. I swear I could see someone drawing Freud attached to a burning pyre.
It was pretty good.
My hands drifted towards my notebook and flipped it to a blank page. Not to write notes mind you; that would be silly. Who actually manages to write during a lecture? Most of my notes consisted of doodles or little sentences like 'Hello my name is Leah and I'm very bored'. Over and over again in different coloured pens.
I grabbed the edge of the page and gave it a little tug. *KKKRRT*. Several people turned around at the sound and my face started to burn.
Crap, I didn't think it would be that loud. I ducked my head to avoid people's stares and pulled more slowly this time. *kkkkrrt*.
Time for a little origami.
I folded with the mastery of someone who does this far too often in her lectures. After about 20 minutes I had a wonderful little zoo on the go . Including a frog, a crane, a turtle and a dinosaur. Quite an eclectic zoo. An attempt was made for an origami bear but I failed spectacularly. Considering bears were my favourite animal this was actually rather saddening.
I picked up the frog I'd made. He was particularly stumpy and could jump quite high. You're my favourite, I thought. You shall be called Mortimer.
"Right, I think we'll leave it there," Andy said "We'll pick up the exciting topic of schemas next week."
An audible sigh of relief swept the room. Quite a few people had already packed up and left by the time he'd said the last word. I crammed my notebook into my backpack with very little care, swung it onto my shoulder and slipped away as quickly as I could.
The air outside was crisp and cool, a stark contrast to the stuffy lecture theatre. I breathed in deeply. Fresh air always made me feel better.
"Leah! Over here!" A voice shouted from behind me.
I turned to look and saw a young woman waving at me to get my attention. Her braids were piled neatly in a bun on her head and she was wearing a bewildering amount of yellow. The yellow did pair perfectly with her dark skin though. "It's me bitch get over here."
Anika. Who else would it be? We'd been best friends since the start of high school. A grin formed on my lips and I shook my head at Anika's antics "I'm coming, I'm coming chill out," I said as I meandered through the crowd towards her.
"Well, I've been waiting forever. I needed you to hurry up," Anika said, throwing her arm around my shoulder and guiding me away from the psychology building.
Anika was over half a foot taller than me and had a penchant for high-heeled boots, resulting in her towering over me. Something which amused her to no end.
Then again it wasn't hard to be taller than me. I was only 5 ft 3.
"Considering you're ditching me to go camping tomorrow," She gave me a pointed look
"Ditching is such a harsh word." I cut in, with a laugh.
"Well considering you're leaving all this" she gestured with her free hand up and down her body "to go frolic in a tree, I think we should go get some food or a coffee or something" She looked at me out of the side of her eye and a sly grin spread across her face "You can pay of course, as a tribute to the emotional trauma you have brought upon me" She placed the back of her hand against her forehead like a damsel in distress.
I knew Anika wasn't really mad, she just likes to be dramatic.
"Oh no, such heartache I have caused thee." I brought my own hand up to my heart and bowed my head in mock sorrow.
"I'm kidding. I'll pay for myself. I'm a big girl now," Anika laughed.
Anika decided on a coffee in the end. We ended up in one of the less crowded coffee shops and sat near the window. She had a mocha cocoa caramel frappe whip thing that looked like diabetes in a cup and I had a chai tea. It was kind of funny how we'd gone out for a coffee but none of the drinks we had could really be constituted as a coffee at all. Anika did in fact pay for her own drink and we spent the rest of the time chatting idly.
"I guess I'll just have to watch the Hobbit trilogy all on my lonesome then," Anika said around a sip of her 'coffee'.
We had originally planned on a hobbit marathon over the weekend. Both of us loved the stories of middle earth. The hobbit in particular always held a special place in my heart. I even had the lonely mountain tattooed on my leg with the quote 'So comes snow after fire and even dragons have their end'. Anika preferred Lord of the Rings but we'd recently rewatched those so Anika had suggested the hobbit this time.
I groaned "I was looking forward to that. I've still only seen the last one once."
"I know I was there watching you crying in the cinema," Anika replied.
I gave her leg a gentle kick under the table. "That's slander. I've never once shown a single emotion. I'm the pinnacle of emotionless."
"Oh shut up," Anika laughed. "You once cried at an advert about a horse running across a field. Nothing even happened. They were just running."
"The music got to me okay," I said, pretending to wipe away a tear.
In my defence, there was also a baby horse and they were going on a tough journey.
"Anyway as I recall we were both crying," I paused for a beat, and took a sip of chai. "As well as my Mum actually. It was a very emotional event"
My mum is the reason I'm such a big fan of Middle Earth in the first place. She'd loved Tolkien's works way before I did and had read nearly everything; the big nerd.
"Okay, okay we were all emotional," she said "I remember Ellen getting upset over all the Elves"
"Yeah, Mum's a big fan of the Elves," I replied.
"Probably because she looks a bit like one, kindred spirits and all that," Anika took a sip of her drink. "It's funny how she ended up with a kid that's more like a hobbit."
I gave her a scathing look at that. She reached over and patted my head "oh don't worry shorty I'm sure you'll still grow."
I slapped her hand away. "Not likely. I'm 20 now, and my growing years are behind me."
I would forever remain short and struggle to reach higher shelves. It didn't seem fair considering both of my parents had been quite tall.
We stayed at the coffee shop for another hour before we parted ways and I headed home. I didn't live around uni, Instead, I decided to stay home and commute. I couldn't bring myself to leave home or Mum. With no extended family to speak of, we were all each other had.
Once upon a time, our family of two had been a family of four. It's been over 14 years since our family was whole but it still hurts to think about them. We had been in a car accident. If you can really call it an accident when the person who crashed into us was three times over the limit and driving a stolen car. All of us had been in the car that day. But only two of us made it out. I had my fair share of scars from that day but it was nothing compared to losing my family. 6-year-olds shouldn't know what it feels like to lose their father and their twin brother.
I pushed my way through my front door and shrugged off my backpack. I turned to find the living room had descended into organised chaos. Camping gear cluttered every available surface and Mum was at the very centre of it. Checklist in hand, she systematically went through all the supplies.
Mum was always good at organising things. I guess it helped with her job as an event planner. You can't really plan events if you're bad at organising, can you? No organising genes seem to have rubbed off on me though. Much to Mum's chagrin.
"Hello darling, I was just getting everything in order."
Long, blonde hair fell down the length of her back. Most of it was left down except for the one braid down the middle. She had a heart-shaped face and her eyes were a storm grey. My eyes didn't take after Mum's. I had blue eyes like my Dad. I got her hair though, a more golden hue than my Dad's was.
"Is that everything we are taking?" I asked.
She took a moment to reply, she was mouthing different items, her free hand pointing to each one so she knew for sure it was there. "Uh yes, pretty much" she looked around double checking "Our hiking boots are by the back door though, but we'll put them on tomorrow anyway."
She looked down at her list before seeming to remember something. Lifting her head up, she looked in my eyes and pointed a finger at me to hammer in the point "Oh and you need to pack your bag as well, I'm not going to do it this time."
"I was going to," I said, a little affronted "Anyway the only reason I asked you last time was because of the way I'd packed it nothing seemed to fit in right."
I walked through the living room, past all of the camping gear. My foot caught on a stray tent pole and it nearly sent me sprawling. A small laugh escaped my mum along with a quick "Careful".
Correcting my balance, I carried on my way towards the kitchen. I made two cups of tea knowing Mum would want one but was too busy to make one herself.
"Oh thank you darling," mum said.
Mum then picked up the cup and perched on the arm of the sofa, abandoning her packing for now. She gently blew the tea before taking a sip. A small sigh escaped her lips.
"So, you still haven't explained the sudden urge to go camping," I said while finding a patch of floor to sit down on.
It wasn't too strange as we tended to camp quite a bit. The abruptness of it was a bit weird, though.
"Am I not allowed to be spontaneous?"
I raised my eyebrows at her. She was never really spontaneous, more at home with careful planning.
"Oh hush," she said, looking away from my gaze "To be honest I'm not really sure why I wanted to go camping. It just felt right."
I nodded. It seemed quite odd for Mum to say but I sort of understood.
"What are we having for Dinner ?" I asked.
"Well I haven't gone shopping yet so we're just going to have to scavenge something from the cupboards" She placed her mug down on the table and got up from the arm of the chair. Tea break over, she was back to packing again.
"I'll sort food out while you deal with all of this," I gestured to the mess around us.
After eating I went upstairs to pack my bag. I managed to get everything in it this time without needing the aid of my mother. While looking through my wardrobe I'd managed to find my wind up torch. It was quite a cool little gadget that used kinetic power instead of batteries to run. Fun and useful. With my bag all packed I placed it downstairs and got ready for bed
A shroud of darkness pressed heavy all around me. The weight of it, almost tangible.
Back flat against the unrelenting ground, my hands caught on rough rock and slick mud as I tried to push myself upwards. Cold, wetness soaked through my clothes, seeping all warmth away.
Where was I?
Shadows writhed just out of reach, obscuring my vision and anything that lay beyond.
My attempt to sit up was thwarted by pain. Burning. Blinding. It radiated outwards from my stomach and suffused into the rest of my limbs.
I pressed against the area, hoping to staunch the pain. Only for my hands to come back a viscous seething red.
Blood.
It was everywhere.
On my hands. On my clothes, On my face.
Mine.
Make it go away, make it go away, was the only thought in my head.
My breath came out in sharp heaving rasps. I needed to find someone. Anyone.
Make it go away.
"Help! Please!" I shouted until my voice was hoarse.
The darkness shifted, parting like a curtain. But it wasn't salvation that answered my call. It was a monster. All teeth and claws and shadow.
"Found you," It seemed to smile, with sharp fangs and rotten gums.
It tilted its head, assessing its prey and lunged.
I woke up with a gasp and a sheen of cold sweat glistening on my skin.
That stupid dream.
It had been so long since it reared its ugly head. I'd thought it was gone forever. Then again recovery was never a straight line. There were always times when you slipped backwards.
I took several deep breaths and tried to centre myself. After being in that car accident, my mum and I both experienced PTSD. We saw therapists to help us deal with the trauma. It took us a while before I could get into a car without panicking. It had taken Mum even longer before she could drive again. There are still little moments right before she gets in the car where she has to take a few deep breaths.
I remember telling my therapist about the dream. It had remained mostly the same over the years. There would occasionally be some differences. Like sometimes I saw my family lying beside me.
The monster always got them though.
My therapist had said that it might have come from me associating the man who crashed into us as a monster. He was a monster. At least to me. I don't care what his circumstances were. He could have had a terrible life, someone who needed understanding, but as soon as he decided to drive while high as a kite, I lost any sympathy I might have had.
My twin brother, Lachlan and I had been inseparable. We were twins, we did everything together. Obviously, we were not identical with us being a boy and a girl. However, we were still very much alike. We'd often get mistaken for each other. Both of us shared our Dad's blue eyes but Lachlan had ended up with my dad's platinum blond hair colour.
He had been older than me by 15 minutes. Mum told me that he always made sure I knew he was older. Then he was gone and I was now the older one.
And I always would be.
Deep breaths. In and Out. In and Out.
Once my heart rate had calmed down I made to get up. It was not the best way to start the day. But determined not to be a bummer, when my mum had been so excited about this trip, I tried to slap myself out of it. I took a shower to clear my thoughts and wash away the last remnants of the dream.
We were packed and ready to go within the hour. Mum had paused briefly at the car door, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply before steeling herself and getting in. We managed to make it to the trail within a few hours. The sprawling hills stretched on for miles. Trees climbed far above us and speckled sunlight bloomed atop the canopy. The leaves blew gently in the breeze, throwing sunrays across the ground. It felt like a postcard with how picturesque the view was. It was also a pretty remote location, our car was the only one parked there.
Maybe Mum had found a less popular trail.
Mum decided that we weren't going to camp near the car either, suggesting that we hike for a while. This was all well and good in theory, except we had a lot of gear with us, namely the tent. Nevertheless, we soldiered on, taking turns carrying the tent and helping each other to manoeuvre it over some steeper climbs. At one point we gave in and each took a handle, sharing the load between us. The air felt crisp and the sun was warm on my skin. Being outside is good for the soul.
As we trekked through the forest we'd occasionally stop and create something recognizable; these included piles of rocks or marks on the trees, for we needed to find our way back.
We'd walked for over an hour before mum seemed to make a decision. We came across a small clearing. It wasn't overly big but it was covered in wildflowers. A small river ran near it so the sound of running water filled the little meadow.
It had a real Twilight vibe about it.
"Here," Mum breathed deeply "Here is perfect."
It took us a little while and a bit of swearing but the tent finally went up. I'd gotten whipped in the face at one point and mum had just laughed at me. Jokes on her though because she tripped over one of the poles about 10 minutes later.
Mum had brought some travel games, like draughts and playing cards, and we played those until it started going dark. I'd changed into some pyjamas as it got darker. It was around 8 pm and Mum was beating me at 13 rummy.
"How do you keep getting such good cards?" I said, shuffling through my own cards. None of them seemed to make very impressive combinations "You've got to be cheating"
Mum laughed "You were the dealer this time. How could I have cheated?"
She reached over and flipped over her cards. Three of a kind, Ace King Queen on a bike and she even had a backhand. I looked down at my own cards, I had two flushes and I couldn't even make a third hand. So not fair. Mum marked her victories down on the piece of paper next to her. Her name had more ticks than mine did.
I reached over to reshuffle all the cards. My hands froze over the deck when a strange feeling descended on me. My hair stood on end and the air itself seemed to crackle like electricity.
I looked over at Mum. Her eyes were wide and there was a kind of frantic look on her face. She was obviously sensing something similar to me. Could it be a thunderstorm or something? Lightning? If it was then we were in a very dangerous position. This high up in the hills, we'd be more likely to get struck.
But when I looked up I found the sky to be completely clear. No ominous clouds, just the shine of the stars twinkling above us. I opened my mouth desperate to ask what was going on. But before I could, my ears caught a very strange sound in the air. A sort of humming. Like a song. One you couldn't hear the words to but still understood.
I turned my head towards the sound. All I could make out beyond our lamplight was the outline of trees. But nothing through the trees seemed to be untoward. However, I felt a strange tugging sensation in my gut. Like it was telling me to follow the song. Come. Follow. Find us .
"There's something over there," I whispered, too scared to speak any louder than that.
"We'll go together," Mum said, her tone resolute.
She must have felt it too. Mum found my wind-up torch and lit the way in front of us. I got my phone and put it on torch mode too. I wanted my phone in case I needed to call the emergency services. No aliens would be abducting me without a fight.
We walked through the throng of trees, in a direction we hadn't come from this morning. Moving through uncharted woods set me on edge. My heartbeat rang in my ears as a mild panic began to set in. With each step I made it felt like the song was getting louder. The air seemed closer and fizzled with energy. I could feel it tingling against my skin.
At one point I reached out and gripped my Mum's hand. She gave me a gentle squeeze in comfort and we carried on, her hand still in mine.
It carried on like this until we reached an opening in the trees. The torches illuminated a small clearing ahead of us. When we stepped through the song reached a fever pitch, a cacophony of sound emanating from the middle of the clearing. I cringed against the noise.
The song got louder and louder until it broke off all at once in a mighty crash.
Light exploded from the centre of the clearing and expanded outward. Its edges were sharp like shards of broken glass floating in the air. As if reality itself had shattered.
My mind refused to comprehend what it was seeing.
With shaky hands, I clicked the power button on my phone twice. It brought the camera up and I pressed record. If we were about to be abducted by aliens or something equally insane then I wanted evidence for the police to find.
The explosion glowed so brightly it almost hurt to look at. I squinted against it but refused to turn away. There was a subtle wave through the misty centre and the light diminished somewhat. A humanoid shadow filled the space, starting off small and far away and getting closer each second.
All sound was swallowed like the whole world was holding its breath. Then the peace was broken by an anguished cry and a very injured man fell backwards onto the grass below
But he wasn't the only one to come flying out of the circle of light. A spine-chilling, guttural growl erupted into the night as a thing landed in front of us. Bloodied claws and a mouth full of fangs.
It barely stopped to look around before it attacked.