Fateless

    I don't know where I am. It's dark, but I can hear the gentle lap of waves hitting the shore. I sit up, only now realising that I had been laying down. There's a tiny beam of light coming in through a zipper. I'm in a tent. I drag myself onto my hands and knees, crawling towards the light. I reach up, pulling the sipper down to reveal a familiar beach. I was on Fiesta Island, camped out on the beach overlooking a small portion of Mission Bay. I had been here hundreds of times with my family.     But this time something was different. The beach was empty except for a small bonfire a short distance from my tent. It was a cloudless night but there were no stars, even the moon had disappeared. This place seemed so unnatural, like it shouldn't exist. You're dreaming. You have to be. I step out of the tent, my bare feet practically silent in the sand. I'm still in my pajamas, a pair of black sweatpants and a cropped, white t-shirt. I walk slowly towards the bonfire, wanting to be closer to the only light on the beach.     As I get closer to the fire, I notice the lack of heat. It's unnatural, just like everything else about this fake beach. I shiver as a chill makes its way down my spine. Something is very wrong. I turn around, hoping to go back to the tent, but the tent is gone. In its place stands a girl. Her straight, brown hair falls neatly a few inches below her shoulders. Her expressionless face and pale skin make her seem almost dead. She has light freckles spread across her cheek bones, her dull blue-gray eyes staring at me tiredly. Her flowy white dress moves gently with a breeze that doesn't exist     I can recognize her in an instant. This girl is me, but different. She seems more emotionless, almost as if she's dead. My own hair always falls in messy waves, never choosing to cooperate no matter how hard I try. My eyes are a brighter blue, always filled with excitement and curiosity. This girl can't be me, she can barely be seen as a living being. She takes a step towards me, pausing when she sees me back away in response.      "You are not supposed to be here," she says, her voice monotone and tired. "They were not supposed to let you live for this long."     "What are you talking about? Who are you?" I shout, confused and angry. Who the hell gave her the right to tell people they shouldn't exist? She shakes her head at me. "They are going to have to do something now."     "Who is 'they'?" She starts walking towards me again, ignoring my questions as if she can't even hear them. I don't back away from her this time. This is a dream after all, she can't hurt me. She stops a foot away from me, and it's once again brought to my attention how eerily similar she is to me. She reaches out, resting her hand on my shoulder. "The world will burn for this mistake," she says, her eyes turning white. There's a bright flash of light and then everything fades to black.     Then my alarm goes off.     I jolt upright, gasping for air as if I had been holding my breath. I struggle out of my blanket that wrapped itself around me while I slept. I reach for my alarm, turning it off before it wakes up my parents. I lay back down, letting out a sigh of relief. It really was just a dream. I close my eyes for a moment, reassuring myself that everything is alright.     Except it's not. I can't shake the feeling that there was a purpose behind that dream. I open my eyes again, staring up at my ceiling. I don't have time to psychoanalyze myself, I have to get ready for school. I grab my phone off the charger and climb out of bed. I glance at the date, October 31st. I shuffle across the carpeted floor, trying not to make any noise. I open my closet door, sifting through shirts until I finally decide to grab a cropped, white cami top. I also slip into a pair of black-and-white plaid trousers.     I grab a pair of chunky combat boots off the floor, putting them on with a pair of black socks. I walk over to my desk, grabbing my backpack and a basic tattoo choker. I hurry out of my room, walking down the stairs as quietly as I possibly can despite my large boots. I grab a dark, denim jacket off the coat rack before heading out the door, closing it quietly behind me.      A car horn sounds off as a small, red car pulls up in front of my car. I grin as the passenger window rolls down, revealing the cheerful face of my best friend, Shiann. We are opposites in every way. Her platinum blonde hair is pulled into a neat ponytail and her tan skin is evidence that she actually enjoys going out in the California sun. She's wearing a  burgundy hoodie and a pair of athletic leggings.     "Get in loser, we're going to school," she calls out. I chuckle, opening the passenger door as i slip inside her car. There's a bag of powdered donuts on the floor in front of my seat. "Those are for you," Shiann says, driving away from my house as soon as I'm safely buckled. "Happy birthday girl! I figured you would want something sweet to eat to celebrate finally being seventeen!"     That's right, my birthday is on Halloween. Which means that while I was growing up I would get cupcakes and candy from trick-or-treating. I grab the bag of donuts, setting them in my lap. "Thanks Shi, you are literally the best," I tell her, opening the bag. I snack on the donuts as Shiann drives on in silence. That's something I've always enjoyed about our friendship, we don't have to talk all the time when we hang out. We can just sit in silence and enjoy each other's company.     But today something feels different. I glance over at Shi again, checking to see if anything is off. Everything appears to be fine. I shake my head, and stare down at the now empty bag of donuts. When did I eat all of them? Shiann glances at my direction and laughs, "I don't know how you eat those things so quickly. Where do they even go? You're so tiny but you eat all the time." I shrug a little bit, and then she turns back to face the road.     It isn't long before we make it to the school. Shi pulls into the nearly empty parking lot. the two of us leave for school much earlier than the rest of the students. Shiann helps some of the teachers prep for the day and I work out in the weight room before the rest of the students completely take over. By the rest of the students, I mean the football boys who think they own the weight room. It's just easier for me to workout early in the morning.     Usually I can recognize every car in the parking lot, but now there's an unfamiliar navy blue truck parked in front of the school. "That must be the new kid's car," Shiann say, pulling in to her usual parking spot. I unbuckle, slinging my backpack over my shoulder as I step out of the car. "What new kid?" I ask, usually one of us shows the new kids around the school because we get here so early, but I don't remember anyone mentioning this new kid.     "I told you about him the other day, remember?" I shake my head. Obviously, I don't remember. The two of us walk side by side up to the school doors. Despite my added height from my boots, Shiann still stands several inches taller than me. I'm pretty short, barely reaching five feet and two inches. However, Shiann is a good six inches taller which means when we hang out she has to grab everything I can't reach.      I push the door open, holding it long enough for Shi to step inside. Our principal is standing by the stairwell, talking to a boy who I can only assume is the new kid. The moment she sees us, she smiles, waving us over. Shiann and I walk over to her quickly.     "Girls, I would like you to meet our new student. This is Ezekiel Knight, Ezekiel these two lovely ladies are Shiann Carson and Aurora Sinclair."