BackBone

BackBone.

Hanging from an iron bar, hanging on for her dear life. Fear, shock, sadness are the messages her eyes gives. And then. She's falling, slowly, struggling, silent screams but freaked out eyes. She's fading, but finally I hear her ear piercing scream.

**

"No!" I yell shooting out from bed, my air supply slightly cutting, my heart pounds heavily in my chest. Another dream about the lady again.

"What's wrong?" Tori asks beside me. She struggles to lift herself into a sitting position, her voice filled with worry even if I can't see her face in her dark bedroom.

My breathing doesn't calm down quickly, and I'm sweating profusely. What kind of dream is that? Why do I keep seeing her? Why is she falling? Why me? Why am I seeing her?

I try to reply Tori, but I'm also trying to fill my oxygen desperate lungs, so speech is something I cannot deliver at the moment.

"Hey" she whispers and wraps one arm around me "is it the dream again?"

I nod, able to bop my head. I don't think she sees me, but I guess she feels me nod, because she says.

"It's okay, come on, let's go back to bed". She gently pulls me down and wraps me in her arms "you're pretty sweaty".

I quiver against her, my head resting on her arm, I try to get back to sleep. I really try, but as usual, the dream keeps playing in my head.

"Go back to sleep, okay?" Tori whispers, the sleep in her voice very noticeable.

How can I? The worst part of the dream is the feeling. I don't know her but I feel it.

I feel like I'm the one falling.

**

Tori and I managed to make it to school on time even after the party last night. I for one didn't really manage, I was partially up till six and couldn't wait to let the sunlight bask me.

About the party last night. The kiss with Keith was pretty much the only thing out of the ordinary in the party, as always, Leo got drunk, and Tori had to drive him home. Nothing was different from the other parties.

The party ended around ten, and I can't believe people were still reluctant to call it a night, partying from seven to ten is too much for me anyway.

School ended quickly on Fridays, so the turn out of students were less and teachers knew, so on Friday's tests and quizzes were done or a general class attendance. Yet, students didn't care.

I shut my locker and lock and start heading for Tori's down the hall. There's that unsettling feeling in me again like yesterday, but it's stronger today. It's burning with purpose, as if there's something else I should be doing or somewhere else I should be. I don't understand why I waking up with these mixed feelings.

As I'm walking I see Keith by his locker, he has his back to me as he shoves in his books. Last night comes whirling in my mind. Do I say hi? Do I just walk on?

Walk on.

I do. Three more steps and he calls out to me.

"Hey Cassidy".

Some people were born with a lot of great stuff, that included Keith, with a voice of an angel.

I spin around and smile widely, the unsettling feeling seeming to calm.

"Hey Keith".

He shuts his locker then smirks at me "Been meaning to ask, um, want to hangout sometime?".

I blush. Wow. This went from great to amazing! First, we never spoke, then we kiss, now we're planning to hang! If I accept.

I grin "Sure".

"Does today work?" he asks.

I nod happily "Yeah".

He grins handsomely "Aight. Pick you up at your place, does seven work?".

I nod again, grinning as I start to retreat "Perfect". I spin around and wrap my arms around myself, grinning sheepishly.

I reach Tori's just as she shuts her locker. When she sees me she looks worried but it turns to a smile when she sees the grin on my face.

"Uuuuuu. Look at you, all smiles, what's up?".

"Keith asked me to go out with him tonight" I gush out.

She opens her mouth in a silent gasp her eyes sparkling with delight "A-ma-zing! I'm a great matchmaker".

I giggle "Don't flatter yourself".

"Thank God you're happy now" she grips my hand "let's go, my chauffeur should be here".

She gingerly pulls me out of the school building, both of us smiling with excitement.

But when I step out of school, I don't feel happy anymore, that unsettling feeling overwhelms me again, harder. It tugs at my inside and battles with my mind.

"Hey" I say quietly pulling Tori to a stop, my brows creasing with jumbled feelings.

Tori's smile fades when she looks at me "What's up?".

"Um" I wet my lips "I think I'm just going to walk home".

I hated walking, especially long distance, like from school to my place, but somehow, that's what I wanted to do.

Tori frowns, scrunching up her nose in distaste "Walk? You?" she sighs "What's wrong with Cassy, you were just happy few seconds ago and now you're acting weird again. Is it the dream?".

I don't know how to answer her, but I know I need to walk back home.

"I'm sorry" I sigh "I don't know what's wrong either, but we'll talk, okay?"

Tori glances at her chauffeur "I could tell him to go and walk with you".

I quickly shake my head "No way. You won't kill your legs because of me, okay?" I pull her into a brief hug "See you around" and with that I whip around and start walking, I don't dare look back at her. I know she's watching me anyway and I don't want to see the protest on her face.

I just know I have to walk.

**

I've been walking for thirty minutes now. Shockingly, I don't feel exhausted, I feel purposed. I glance at my watch again and keep walking.

My phone dings again in my phone, another text from Tori, she's been texting non-stop, I don't dislike it at all, I'd do the same, I only wish she'd be a little bit calmer, nothing's going to happen to me anyway.

I don't know why I'm breaching or zoning out. It's bothering me, ever since I woke up from bed yesterday, I've not been myself. It started with everything at home being foreign to this battle for balance inside me. All of this started after that dream that snaked it's way into my subconsciousness.

The flyer on the wall catches my eyes from afar. I can't make out anything on it, but somehow, I feel I know what it is, I feel it's what I wanted, why I came here.

As I edge closer to the flyer and see the name in bold, I know it's why I came here anyway. The feeling is overwhelming.

I pull out my phone and take a picture of the flyer. My legs instantly feels weak.

I need a cab.

**

I stared at the screen of my phone. I'm at home, sitting upright on my bed after I called a taxi. I didn't bother to shower or change, I wanted to get this over with.

I already followed all the procedures, and now a field popped out, asking for my full name.

I hesitated, asking myself why I even wanted to sign up for this. I had no interest for it, and yet, I do.

I key in my name. The next page pops up with a short and scary T&C(terms and conditions). It said:

Accepting the terms and conditions states that in the course of your participation, any form of brutality, situations with the cops or loss of life, has no concern what so ever to this company. Clicking accept means you agree and you will be of no trouble, trouble comes with dire consequences.

What? I peer at it. What is this? Some death platform? Why did I want to play this game anyway?

Yet, I click accept.

I've heard about the game. It's been everywhere that it'll be released this year, and it's finally out. I didn't care for it before, but I want in now.

The game, from what I've read, gives you assignments to carry out, if you don't carry them out, you get eliminated. Any assignment you carry out well earns you money which is directly paid into your account, whenever you fail or quit, you're free to go home with your acquired cash. As usual, people are watching, but they don't get to decide the assignments, they just watch and bet on which people will leave and which people will stay. Watchers who bet correctly gets rewarded, but not as much as they put in to bet and definitely not as much as the players.

But now I see something about loss of life. It's creepy-ish.

The page slides out and a scanner pops out next. A female robotic voice reads out what's already written on top the scanner.

"Permission to scan face".

I lift up my phone, holding it in front of my face. It scans, writing out few stuff and then a click sound follows.

"You are to join other players at the location that will be sent to your mail, time and everyother information will also be included. Welcome to BackBone Cassidy".