The Empire of Four

Chapter 1

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Kaytlyn’s eyes ran over the black walls. Her pale hands searched for any niche which could fit her hands or feet. Her heart missed a beat as she lost her footing. Suddenly she was plummeting through the dark. She was miles from where she estimated the ground to be and swore on the name of James that she could hear her name being called through the dark.

“Kaytlyn…Kaytlyn…Kayt…Kayt…”

Kaytlyn decided she didn’t want to fall any longer and screamed. A scream to awake her from this nightmare. She screamed loud and long and waited for her eyes to snap open and find herself lying in the top bunk bed clutching her patchwork quilt.

“Kaytlyn…Kaytlyn…Come to me Kaytlyn…”

“W-who are you?”

“I am you.”

Kaytlyn screamed again. There was something silvery below her, like water, and it was only metres below now. She braced herself for impact, imagined the cold liquid freezing the very blood running through her veins.

When Kaytlyn did break the surface of the silvery water, however, it felt pleasantly warm as it ran over her.

She thrust her head out and gasped for air. The silvery liquid up close was no longer silver. Kaytlyn didn’t know which way to swim; all she could see was black. She knew the water must be deep as she hadn’t hid the bottom although she had fallen from such a height.

“Over here…swim to me…Swim to me Kaytlyn…”

Kaytlyn looked to where the voice had come from. In the distance there appeared to be the silvery light that had issued from the water. She didn’t know why, but Kaytlyn began swimming to it.

After what felt like hours she reached the silvery light which had taken the form of a figure and was standing on a high bank. Kaytlyn looked up at it and saw that it was a girl. A girl emitting a strong dazzling glow, with flaming red hair and vivid green eyes. The girl smiled. Kaytlyn did not return it; this girl was her exact double, right down to the last ginger curl. The girl shrugged and reached out, but not to help Kaytlyn up, but to push her under the water.

Kaytlyn’s eyes, mouth and lungs filled with the water which suddenly turned freezing cold. No matter how much she struggled against the girl, the girl seemed to keep her under a firm grip.

Kaytlyn was aware she was becoming light headed and was sure the contents of her lungs mainly consisted of useless freezing cold water. She felt weaker, lighter, and very aware she was sinking deeper into the pool. The girl had let go of her now but she couldn’t find the strength to propel herself up. The only source of light was from the girl at the water surface.

She was also very aware of her body in those moments she thought to be her last. She felt every beat of her heart, every struggled breath of her lungs, every slight movement of her limbs.

Then she was floating up in an uncontrollable flailing way. Just as she was about to break the surface, something so freezing she felt her very heart would turn to ice and shatter, pierced her. She closed her eyes.

“Kayt? Kayt are you all right?”

Kaytlyn kept her eyes shut tight, the pain of the piercing still aching, but she felt pleasantly warm again and what’s more, dry.

“Kayt?”

“Kaytlyn opened her eyes and saw the head of a dark-haired girl peering into her top bunk.

“Someone wants me dead.”

The dark-haired girl looked at her quizzically.

“Someone wants me dead, Rach!” Kaytlyn sat up straight and looked at the girl, who clambered up into her bed and sat with her legs crossed. Her eyes searched Kaytlyn’s, and Kaytlyn knew that she could see and feel everything Kaytlyn had.

“I’m scared Rachel. I’m scared.”

“Rachel clasped Kaytlyn’s hand and squeezed, Kaytlyn guessed that she was reliving the drowning. Rachel’s eyes went blank and Kaytlyn had to shake her out of it.

“That was me.”

Rachel was looking warily at her, but Kaytlyn desperately wanted Rachel to understand.

“That girl was me. I tried to drown myself.”

Rachel shook her head.

“It was a dream. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“No that was too real.”

“Can you two not shut up and go back to sleep.”

Rachel and Kaytlyn looked over to where their blonde roommate was now sitting bolt upright in her single bed.

“Sorry Danielle.”

Rachel clambered out of Kaytlyn’s bed and down to her own.

“We’ll talk in the morning. Jams will need to know.”

Kaytlyn didn’t go back to sleep. She didn’t want to for fear of what she might see. That girl so like her, trying to kill her. It had been a dream, but then why was she so exhausted as if she only been through the whole ordeal just moments ago?

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