The icy streaks of rain splattering against my skin had been shocking enough to stir up some energy in me, and not before long I was on my feet and running. I should have been grateful that the rain was coming down so fast and cold, soothing my burning skin. Instead, all the rain was just making me miserable. At the moment, I didn't really care that the rain meant that the dry hart wave would be over. If anything, it would probably only make it more humid. When I appeared on my doorstep, raw hands banging against the slick metal door, I looked down and took in my appearance for the first time. I really was a sight for sore eyes. My bare legs were scratched and bruised, dried mud running down my calves, turning to liquid as the rain hit it. My hands were raw and appeared skinless in the dim light that came from the windows beside me. My nails were split and broken, my long hair hanging about my head in messy, filthy strands. I could only imagine how bad my face looked, considering the fire burning beneath my flesh. I winced some as the door slid open, my eyes still unused to the light, a stinging hand rising to shade my eyes shakily. "Oh, thank god" said the dark silhouette in the doorway, bony arms throwing themselves around my bruised torso. "...Felicia...?" I asked slowly, clearing my throat. My mother's brow didn't even crinkle at the sound of her first name coming from my mouth, and that left me feeling unsatisfied. I was tugged inside, then, the door shutting swiftly behind me. Felicia rushed me into the sitting room after she, in extreme paranoia, I presumed, fastened the three heavy locks on our front door. "Mom, what's going on/" I asked cautiously, seeing how worried she had been. I looked around the sitting room, seeing that it was empty, and figured that she'd already put my little siblings to bed. It was summer; how on Earth had she gotten the little ones to bed so early? My eyes drifted to the digital clock on the front of the television and my eyes widened somewhat in surprise. 11:00 PM. Lola, Nina, and Dante would be long asleep by now. I couldn't help but smile lightly, even though I was in obvious pain, at the thought of my two pretty little sisters, and the bouncy ball of energy that was my brother, Dante. I knew it wasn't right to pick favorites, but I still liked him most. Suddenly, I came back to focus, noticing that Felicia was making big hand gestures, waving a newspaper around with her free hand. She was at another one of her rants, I figured. Curious, I tilted my head to the side to get a glimpse of the headline.

GRISLY DEATHS AT BLACK RAVEN'S RAVINE

My eyes widened, and I reached out to snatch the paper from her. She didn't seem to notice, and just kept on shouting about how I'd had her worried sick. I doubted she really cared, anyway. She was probably just putting on a show. If she had truly been worried, wouldn't she ask how I'd gotten into such a disheveled state? My mind far away from Felicia, I let myself sink into the story. Just yesterday, three bodies had been found at the bottom of the ravine, torn into bits. Teeth marks marred the corpses, like they'd been ripped apart by starving dogs. The bodies had been disfigured to such an extent that they had been left unidentifiable, dental records currently being searched to find the identities of the victims. I put the paper down and looked to my mother. "I thought one of them was you!" She was shouting, but looked more angry than concerned. "I was just about to call the authorities and report you missing!" I doubted she was really telling the truth again; she wouldn't want to police around our home. Then the neighbors would be the ones gossiping about her. Having a feeling her rant wasn't going to be over anytime soon, I got comfortable and waited. Her speech was over within five minutes, to my surprise, and she let me go upstairs to clean up. I undressed and stepped into the shower, cranking up the heat. It warmed up quickly, the water stinging me as it rinsed away the blood and muck, swirling down the drain in an ugly brown cloud. I idly lathered, rinsed, and repeated as I thought, still wondering about what had gone on back at the ravine. Someone had actually died near my happy place. It was so hard to believe, but I couldn't think of why or how the press would lie about such a thing. Another question slid into my mind, the water sluicing the soap from my hair and body. If people had died at the ravine, why had it not been blocked off? Shouldn't there have been a police line around it or something? Maybe someone had taken it down. Maybe it had been my mysterious savior. Speaking of my mysterious savior, who was he or she? This question was troubling me the most. I couldn't help thinking that the person that had saved me might have been the same one who had killed those people. Then again, the paper had said that the victims had been ripped to pieces, bodies torn to an extent that couldn't be reached by human hands or electrical tools. So why was I so worried? Letting out a sigh, I shut off the water and stepped out, wrapping a worn green towel around myself before too much water hit the yellowing tiles on the floor. I stepped silently across the cracked surface, the soft padding of my wet feet the only sound in the room. I was soon standing upon the hardwood floor of my bedroom, dropping the towel to the floor. I pulled a T-shirt over my head, eyes drifting to the window where lightening and thunder crashed outside. I found myself drawn to the window, strolling over to it in an almost possessed state. "Who are you?" I whispered, pressing a lightly pruned hand against the window, watching light fog slide out of the glass around my touch. Shaking my head, I pulled back, walking over to my bed. It was placed in the corner, just a mattress on the floor. I felt uncomfortable when sleeping up on a bed frame. Nibbling a bit at my lower lip, I slowly got down on the bed and pulled up the thin sheets, pushing away the heavy comforter. My eyes fell shut, my breathing soon slowing along with the beating of my heart. My dreams were anything but sweet.