The Phantom Files: Eve

CHAPTER 1

I never knew where I was, and I never cared to ask. Like always I found myself playing with the toys that lay before me. There were several blocks scattered in front of me, and two wooden chests which had pretty black markings on it. It looked as though they were small stick figures dancing wildly across the wooden lid. One chest had clothing, bolts, markers, and other random accessories. The other box would not open, despite my attempts. I began my routine project with the blocks: I began building my beautiful castle. It was nothing fancy, just a few towers here, and about two stories high. It was nothing compared to what I have seen in pictures or read about. None-the-less, it was a castle that I had built with my tiny hands, so I was proud of it. Though I tried to use as many colors possible, my castle remained empty and alone inside.

The emptiness that I felt inside my castle could be easily seen in the dark room I was in. I was always alone, and the loneliness became my closest companion. It felt as though it was alive, keeping a close eye on me as I continued with my little project. I found myself talking to it at times, and surprisingly getting a response. It never creeped me out because this was a dream. Dreams always had something strange and weird going on, so I thought nothing of it. What I did mentally complain about was the temperature of the room I was in. This room felt so cold: my black summer dress barely kept me warm against the constant chill. Whoever dressed me clearly didn't know how cold this room was.

Once my castle was completed, I quickly got up and made an announcement. The Castle of Queen Evalease Turner is now ready. Come all, and marvel. I took a swift bow, and began to clap. I turned to my left, and gave my imaginary companion a polite order. Now, can you be a dear and bring me something sweet?

A small mahogany table with a fancy china plate appeared next to me. Three sugar cookies laid on top: my favorite. I quickly ran to them, and devoured it as though I haven't eaten for days. As I was eating, I began to look for the fuzzy mug filled with milk. I never knew why the sugar cookies were put on such a nice, blue-laced plate, and the milk was put into a fuzzy mug that smelled. The milk never tasted good, but after eating the sugar cookies, I never bothered to question what I was drinking. Maybe that was the problem: maybe I never knew how to ask?

My dear Companion, where is my milk? With that, another bright light appeared a few feet away from me with another mahogany table and a fuzzy mug filled with milk. If I didn't drink all of it, the same mug would appear again. No matter where I turned the same table would appear, haunting me. So being a good little girl, I drank every drop, despite its rancid taste. Moments later, I began to feel sleepy, and cold. Time to go night-night dear friend. I curled myself as best as I could beside my castle, and closed my eyes tight. Soft violin music began to accompany me as I slept. The sad music always put me to sleep...always.

I woke up in my own room, filled with the chill of my recurring dream. Every night, since I could remember, I've had the same dream. Even though I was no longer that little girl, I remained at that age, wearing the same black dress and shoes. The taste of the disgusting milk remained in my mouth, like every other morning.

My room was frigid. Cold fog covered my windows, despite the warm summer morning. I grew accustomed to keeping a heavy, winter blanket on me as I slept. I never used to think anything of it. I don't know why, but it never use to bother me as much. I would pick myself up and continue on with my day. I jumped off of bed, and ran to my window. I quickly opened it, and allowed the warmth to consume my room. It took a few minutes, but I began to see the fog clearing away. I looked outside, and saw the few college students who remained during the summer walking around: some heading to class and others wandering around campus.

I had a small heater on top of a table next to my bed that stopped working, courtesy of my ever so worried mother. I tell her that it keeps me warm, even though it died several months ago. No matter what I did, whether it was leaving the windows or the door wide open, or even dozens of small heaters in my room, nothing worked. I would wake up with everything closed, and the heaters malfunctioning.

My empty room remained quiet, yet the memory of the violin played around in my head. The sound echoed over my empty room, dancing around the corners with every note. It was sad, yet beautiful.

I kept my room simple and clean; I didn't keep much to begin with. I had paintings along my walls of some of the things that I have dreamt, which to a stranger's eye would seem lonely and depressing. I felt relieved every time I remembered that I sleep alone, and do not have to suffer the torment of various questions and suggestions to talk to a therapist.

As soon as I felt that the room returned to some degree of normalcy, I quickly grabbed my bathroom supply, and made my way to the public restroom. The hallways were quiet, due to most of the students being home for summer vacation. I never found the need to return home, mostly because my dreams seem to feel colder the closer I got home. As long as I kept myself focused on my studies, and my mind away from the cold, my dreams were left behind the wee hours of nighttime when I would fall asleep. The questions that I had about my dreams remained a weak thought as I lingered in the bright morning sun.

As I turned the corner towards the bathroom, I accidently bumped into a wall. I looked up quickly to notice a strong pair of eyes looking dead at me. I quickly backed off and began to apologize to this random man, who remained painfully silent. He said nothing to me as I tried to mutter out an apology. He had on a white lab coat, with a small blue mask covering the bottom half of his strong face. He didn't give me a chance to get a good look at him, let alone apologize. Before I knew it, he was down the hall towards the dorms. Weird? I found myself staring at this person for a few minutes. Something didn't feel right.

Evalease? I turned around and noticed one of my neighbors staring at me weirdly. Her name was Rachel Stowe, and she had the habit of staring at me like if I was a bother. She was studying to be a pre-school teacher, though it was clear that she wasn't blessed with patience for anything. She was the average, gorgeous, blonde, stuck-up who came from a pretty well respected family in her town. She was pretty much liked by everyone.

...Rachel? Ummm, did you see that weird looking guy with the lab coat? I turned back to where the man was, but oddly enough he disappeared. Other than the dorm rooms, there was no other doors there. I turned back towards Rachel, and noticed that she had her hands to her head.

Rachel I swear I just saw-

Sure Evalease! Geez, it's way too early for one of your jokes. She pushed passed me, and walked down the hall. She stopped midway, and turned back to me. Look, you are most likely still sleepy, or still high from the drugs I know you do, but it is not funny to joke about something that creepy. Think about other people Evalease. With that, she quickly walked down the hall towards her room.

I couldn't get the eerie feeling to go away. I didn't like the vibes I was getting from this guy. But maybe Rachel was right...maybe I am still sleepy? I mean, I sure as hell was not high...it's too early for that. Yet he clearly isn't there anymore, and I didn't hear a door open. Maybe I was imagining it? Whoever he was, I couldn't keep him from detouring me from my routine. I turned back, and continued walking towards the showers.

The showers were dreadfully silent. Despite my need for solitude, it had me craving for at least another person. At least if there was one other person, I could shake this eerie feeling of having an audience. It felt as though no matter how many times I checked, someone was with me. The thought about the loneliness I felt in my dream crept through my mind, and I found myself thinking about that room. Dear Lord, I need to clear my thoughts! God knows I didn't need to start my day with the guy in the lab coat and this.

The steam from my shower spread throughout the bathroom. This wing didn't have a big bathroom to begin with, but it fulfilled its purpose for the many girls who walked these hallways in need of a mirror.

The water began to get cold. I tried to adjust the temperature, but the more I moved the knobs, the colder it got. Well, if that is a sign that I needed to go, then so be it. I grabbed my fluffy maroon towel, wrapped myself around it, and proceeded out of the shower. There was a row of sinks with their own adjacent mirror to the front of me, where I had left my belongings. As I headed towards it, a sweet aroma caught my attention. The steam did not disperse, but through the corner of my eye, I could see a small table.

'That wasn't there before...' I begun to think as I slowly walked towards it. I know it is stupid to walk up to something, especially when you know it doesn't feel right. I know this...yet the table felt familiar, as if I had seen it before. I placed my hand on it, and an immediate chill ran through my spine. My wet hair began to feel icy cold on my back, and the hair on my arms began to stand. That feeling of having an audience crept back into my mind. I began to look around, dreading to see a pair of eyes staring at me. I saw nothing, yet I felt someone was there. As the fog continued to thicken, the sinks and showers began to disappear.

The lights began to flicker on and off, leaving the one above me on. All of a sudden, a violin began to play in the back ground. The same sad song was playing over my head, slowly getting louder with every note. The music felt different this time though; it felt angrier and more violent. For some reason, it was making it hard for me to keep my balance. I felt myself fall hard of the floor. My head was spinning, and I couldn't see anything. My hands began to tremble as I tried to hold my head up. Pain began to radiate through my body, as if I was being ripped to shreds, and my head was being beaten against something. As my vision began to darken, I heard a sharp, crackling laugh.

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As I began to hear the violin fade away, I opened my eyes and realized that I wasn't in the bathroom anymore. I was standing in the far corner of a dark room holding myself up against a wall, staring into darkness. I was still wrapped in my towel, drenched from the cold water. It felt as if I was in the same room from my dream, yet there were no sets of blocks in front of me, just emptiness. I kept quiet, expecting to see something familiar from my normal dreams. All of a sudden a flash of light appeared a couple feet in front of me, and I saw a small kid playing with blocks. She had on a gray dress, and was barefoot. She appeared to have tiny scratches that did not fully heal yet, covering her legs and arms. She seemed to have my wild crazy hair, but something was off. I couldn't see her face. 'Who was she? Why am I dreaming about something different?' I stared in complete fearful confusion as I saw what seemed to be some small child replaying the same dream and scenario, only this time I saw that we weren't alone.

The room was smaller than I had thought; it was no bigger than a classroom. The only form of light appeared above the child, leaving everything else pitch black. This child looked like me, but it made no sense: why would I be dreaming about something different? 'I've had the same dream for about ten years, and now it decides to take a different turn?' As I continued to survey my area, I looked toward my left and noticed a dark armchair pushed against a wall. There was some weird person sitting on it. The only thing I could make out was his bright, red eyes, hidden underneath a dark cloak. His eyes had so much malice and anger...it was frightening.

I couldn't move, and I couldn't speak. No sound came from my lips, as I tried to remain unnoticed by this thing. All I could do was watch. I watched every movement that she made as the castle was finished, and she took her bow. As she began to make her speech, the man began to smile. I saw his teeth: brightly yellow, distorted, and sharp. Fear began to pour inside me. I could feel my stomach react towards this disgusting sight. I wanted to run and hide, but my legs stood frozen, forcing me to watch this thing as it looked at her. My heart began to race, and I found myself holding back tears; there was nothing I could do for myself, let alone her.

I turned my attention back to this child, hoping that she at least could see me. If I could get her attention, maybe I could do something. I noticed the same two wooden boxes from before laid in front of her, but this time both were opened. The second box has never opened for me; I found myself curious to see what was inside. I wanted to know, yet I had a feeling that it was not something good. The man also stared intently at this child as she put her hand inside the box and pulled out a single doll. There was nothing fancy about the doll; it was made up of some hard, tan fabric. It had two black buttons for eyes, and black curly string for hair.

Hmmm...what should I add to you my Lady? she asked. She stuck her other small hand into the other wooden box and pulled out silver paper. She reached into the same box, and pulled out scissors and glue. She placed the doll in the floor next to her, and began to cut shapes out of the paper. Once she was done, she glued to triangles on top of the doll's head. She then used the same scissors and viciously stabbed the back of the doll. She made a small cut, and forced a piece of paper, in the shape of a question mark, inside. Once she was done with that, she poured glue inside. She tossed the glue into the ground, and tried to hold the open part together so that it would stay closed. But for some reason, it wouldn't. Why won't this tail stay!? She became angry, and threw the doll towards the man on the chair. She folded her arms across, and sat angrily, staring into darkness.

Where are my sweets?! asked the child impatiently. I noticed that she turned to the corner where this freak was sitting. 'Did I turn to that same corner in my dreams? Did I ever notice someone was there?'

The man seemed all too eager to comply with her wishes. He quickly snapped his fingers, and a bright light showed the mahogany table at the other side of the room. The same scenario played before me again, yet everything was different. Finally seeing that there was someone else changed everything. I felt so disturbed, like if my entire world was invaded. Though I never knew where I was, I never felt scared. Seeing that thing for the first time made me wish I wasn't there...it made me wish that I wasn't alive. I didn't know what was going on. Tears began to fall from my face as I notice the man get more excited as the scene played out. She had drunk the milk, and was already laying down falling asleep. He took a violin that was laying on the other side of his chair and began to play for her. I watched her fall asleep under his watchful gaze.

The dream didn't end for me; I remained there watching the lights dim. That weird thing, who had been sitting down, was now standing, facing towards me. A bright swaying light appeared above me, keeping everything around me in pure darkness. I knew he was looking at me; his bright red eyes were as clear as day. He still kept his distance, but I knew he was itching to come closer. I could not tell how his body was formed, but I could sense that it was as distorted as his teeth. His eyes remained a brilliant red with small black pupils.

Tears began to fall faster down my cheeks, and I could no longer catch my breath. I was breathing hard, trying in some way to keep oxygen inside me. He began to walk forward ever so slowly, as his eyes remained fixed on me. His feet made the wooden floor creak beneath us. I still couldn't move, but felt words coming through my lips. W-who are you?!

It stopped. Its smile began to grow wider, until he finally let out a bone crushing laugh. It was as if someone was grinding their nails against a chalk board. The sound made my ears pound from sheer pain. It's eyes began to narrow at me, as if I had asked a stupid question. As if I didn't see the answer in front of me.

You should be asking yourself that question. Its voice was as painful as its laughter. With that, it disappeared into the darkness, leaving me in fear. My heart began to pound hard in my chest; the noise echoed against the darkness onto unknown emptiness.

CHAPTER 2

I woke up in tears, screaming bloody murder at the campus nurse. The poor thing was in complete shock and confusion as I scrambled to get off of the couch from her office. I was still dressed in my towel, and had a handful of blankets thrown on top of me. Some of my hair fell on my face. Just a few minutes ago my hair was wet, yet now it was completely dried. I glanced outside, and noticed that the sun was already setting. 'How long was I asleep