Al's eyes shot open, when she turned her head, she found herself under the covers without Marco next to her.
"Was it a dream the whole time?" she muttered to herself as she looked around.
She stepped out of bed and walked to the bathroom. She turned on the water making the temperature perfect, hot enough that it's not burning a few layers of skin off her body.
She turned around to look at the mirror. She slipped a piece of clothing off one at a time. She stared at herself, her eyes scanning each part of her body. She peered down to her hips and stomach, there was a birthmark shaped like a clutter of sweet peas.
She followed her curves up to the ends of her hair, almost reaching her belly button. She disliked the way she appeared to people. The skinny bones, long hair, blue eyes, she wanted a change.
She angrily reached for the scissor that sat in a cup next to her toothbrush cup. Her mom would trim her hair every three to four months to keep it healthy.
She gripped her hair in one hand and placed the scissor up it. She took one more look at herself in the mirror, if she doesn't change nothing will. This single thought kept playing over in her head as the scissor sliced through her hair unevenly.
Once she was finished, she took on more look in the mirror and busted out laughing. It was so bad that she was going to have to cut it shortly just to even it out, tears started to flow down her face. Her laughter turned to sobs as grabbed at her hair.
"It's fine." She held her hands up as if she was stopping her reflection from walking through to choke her for her bad decision.
"It's fine." she repeated slowly and more firmly. Both their eyes staring into each other, not daring to move or they would lose the showdown.
Tap. Tap. Tap
A distant knock came from the room.
"Marco, is that you? Please tell me that it is you." She called out, but nothing came back.
Al poked her head out, but the room was as empty as she left it. Anxiety and fear creeped up her spine as she closed the door and locked it in hopes nothing could get her.
She turns back to the mirror, wiping her face dry. "Nothing is happening, nothing is happening." She kept telling herself as she glided into the shower. Her hair became heavy as the water fell through it. Her chest felt lighter as she shampooed her hair, reassuring herself the locked room was safe.
Click
Al's body trembled head to toe as she stopped herself from screaming. She quickly peered out the curtain with one eye open and saw the door was still closed, she looked around the bathroom and nothing seemed out of place. Al went back to rinsing the shampoo out. She kept wondering to herself where Marco could have gone.
Suddenly, the door slowly creeped open causing a haunting creak to fill the bathroom. Al instantly froze. Her hands slowly crept to her eyes to wipe the soap residue, but ended up rubbing too hard causing the soap to go in her eyes.
"Darnit." she screamed out loud while rushing the water into her eyes to get the burning to stop. Al stuck her head out one more time, but this time the door was halfway open. She glanced around before hopping out, making sure the coast was clear.
As she closed the door she opened the closet door next to the bathroom door and grabbed a 3 step stepping ladder that they kept. She pushed the ladder under the doorknob, wedging it between the doorknob and floor as tight as she could. She gave it a good tug and it refused to give way. She let out a sigh of relief.
She slowly tipped toed back into the shower with fear pouring out of her chest, uncertain that she was really safe or not. None of her previous dreams or nightmares have been in their house before, she felt like she couldn't be dreaming.
"I can do this.." Al repeated to herself as she tried not to cry. Her body was now uncontrollable shaking as she continued washing her body. Loathing the soap down her arms, making their way down her chest sliding down her legs.
As she placed her leg on the corner of the tub, a light silhouette inched into view. Her body was frozen as her eyes traced the outline.
She managed to muster up a question, cracks in her voice disrupted her tone. "Marco, is that you?"
"Oh no, my Dear Alice, he is no longer here." The figure spoke back with the same voice from the letters as he inched closer to the curtain, his shadow gulped the curtain.
Al turned towards the wall while closing her eyes. "No. No. No. God, please no."
Meanwhile his elongated fingers crept through the stream,a drop somehow never touching him. He was just close enough to feel the warmth peel off her skin. His hand hovered inches from her, not with violence, but with a possessiveness that made the air feel eerie . her heartbeat rang in her chest so hard that she couldn't breath.
Al sat up in the bed, screaming. Her eyes darted next to her, she found Marco startled awake from her screaming. He stuttered, "Ar- are you okay?"
Just past him in her vision, the alarm clock blinked repeatedly. There was another blackout in the neighborhood, her area was known for blackouts during 2pm-4pm every Thursday and Sunday. It was the city's way to save power. When she looked out the window, it seemed to be the afternoon. Al focused back on the clock trying to make out when they fell asleep.
"Al, what's wrong?" Marco rubbed his eyes.
"Nothing, the power went out again."
Marco got up and headed to the bathroom. Al stared out the window once more while having her knees to her chest wondering who this man could be that won't leave her alone. All she knew about him was his name. Marco came out of the bathroom and sat down next to Al on the bed. He stared at her face for a moment.
"You have that look, I know the power didn't wake you up screaming in fear, so what's up, what's really bothering you?" He shifted his weight.
"It doesn't matter..." She murmured.
"It does matter because it matters to you." He grabbed her chin turning her face to his as he said it.
"It was my dream." Al said with the happiness of safety behind it.
"What about it? You never have the same nightmare in a row." He got up to brush his teeth.
"I woke up in the room, but without you here. I figured I was dreaming about you, so I went to take a shower."
"You dream about me, huh? Marco teased her as he walked back to her still brushing his teeth.
"Stop joking around." She gave him a quick jab to the chest before continuing. She began explaining the terrifying moment from where she left off.
Marco watched her expressions as she spoke. He had always thought she was beautiful since the first day he had laid his eyes on her. It was a Monday afternoon, Marco was instructed to stay by the window and watch for a little girl.
He couldn't move until he witnessed a girl with pitch black silk hair and skin as light as a cloud with a tiny splash of sunkissed color in her cheeks. A few people passed by that day. One kid with brown hair and a blue baseball cap on, red shirt and blue jeans. Next was a mom pushing her baby along in the stroller. But then, the girl he was instructed to look for walked into view as if it were a movie. He watched as she passed with her pink dress on and white hard slippers. She was looking around observing her surroundings. She seemed sad with her eyes tearing up. She made sadness beautiful as she walked past his house.
Marco focused back into reality and braced Al's face with his hand resting it on her cheek.
"Al, I know things have been crazy for you, but I'm here now. I will protect you." As he lowered his hand, he leaned in to kiss her forehead, hoping it would ease her mind even for the moment.