Sleep Much?

Riley tiredly paced the floors of the Abgehenden common room.

It was around midnight, and the glare of the fireplace warmed everything it's light touched.

She glanced at the flames, which almost appeared dancing over the wooden logs.

She rolled her eyes. No, Riley.. You need to sleep. Riley really hated her consience and wished she didn't even have it.

She just brushed away the indecisive feeling in her and laid down on the couch.

Typical sleepwear, Warm and comfortable. For some reason she couldn't sleep.

She didn't know why but it was haunting her. Whatever it was.

For almost twenty minutes she stared at the fire. Nothing. Not even a yawn.

She pulled the warm cover of an Afghan blanket over herself hoping it would at least make her somewhat tired.

Since, Hey. They're the most calming and relaxing, and rather more peaceful blankets on Earth. According to some...

Victoria sat in bed with her earbuds jammed in her ears listening to the music she loved.

Riley caught her eye.

That girl is up again?

Victoria yawned and shook her head, humming quietly to the music and playing a game of Fruit Ninja.

Riley got up and stoked the fire before finding Victoria awake still.

"Psssssst, you asleep yet?"

She looked at the girl with her dark , exhausted eyes.

"Do I look like I'm asleep yet?" Victoria moaned, turning over on her pillow and staring at Riley.

"Wassup?"

"Not sure...."

She climbed up onto the top bunk and stared at the ceiling.

"Just.. Can't sleep."

Victoria yawned. "Well, if anything's wrong, you can trust me, crazy."

She grinned and pressed a button on her iPod.

"Like Maroon Five?"

"Like? I LOVE Maroon Five!"

Riley tapped her fingers on the side of the bed and smiled.

Oh Yea-eah...

Victoria beamed. "See? This is why we're best friends!...so scared of breaking it, but you won't let it bend... "

Riley hummed along for a little bit before saying,

"And we'll always be best friends."

Victoria grinned.

"For life!"

She started humming.

Soon the moonlight filtered through the room as the crescent shape was raised high in the sky.

Riley on the other hand, lay fallen asleep, Finally.

One arm dangled over the bunk, the other placed across her abdomen.

And, she dreamed....

'Mother, You never will let me go to fulfill my dreams. I am good at magic, perhaps better than you will ever be. I am a great witch.'
The girls eyes showed a sharp glare at the elder woman who sat high in her chair, sewing. She sat down the needle before grabbing her daughter by the ear. 'I give you food, a well orderly household to grow and prosper in, and what is this? UNGRATEFULNESS???'
She flung the little girl into a cold dark concrete room in the back of the house, the basement. Her body hit the floor and almost seemed to bounce back up. As her mother closed the door, blocking off the last of the light, she said, ' Maybe some alone-time will do you good, Agatha.'
And as the woman sat down to sew again, more attention was payed to the little girl, whom was weeping in the basement corner.
'I can't... Believe..' She started off slowly.. ' She'd do this to me.. Everyday I care for that old witch. Everyday I mop the floors and clean her her bed and iron her clothes. And in return- In return-- She locks me in a basemtn cold and dark and really not a pleasant place...'
A few rats scampered by and one raced over her ankle. The girl winced and pulled her legs closer. ' And this Is what I get in... Reutrn...'
She covered herself with a blanket. 'And it's coming for you too, Rileyyyyy......'

In an instant flash the sweet dream turned into a wicked nightmare of her mother's childhood.

Riley woke up with a scream and practically leapt off the bunkbed falling to the ground.
There was a sharp pain in her back before a quilt fell off the bunk and swept over her.
In the darkness of the quilt, she could almost hear whispering. Was she going Insane?

The world seemed to be getting colder and colder and harder to breathe until Riley realized, she was sufficating.

After trying to pry the killer-blanket off of her nothing worked, it was wrapped around her ankle and she couldn't get it off.

And after a few seconds, it was all darkness. And almost felt as if she was trapped underwater.

"Riley!" Victoria screamed, leaping off the bed and abandoning her iPod. She knelt down by her friend. "it's okay, just a nightmare Riley...it's okay...." Her friend looked almost cursed.

Victoria pried the blankets off her shivering friend.

"It's okay....it's okay.....I'll get you help..." Victoria whispered.

She racewd out of the room as fast as she could.

Riley lay shaking on the cold hardwood floor. She watched as Victoria ran off.

The world was spinning and blurry and she could make out faint black shapes swirling by the ceiling.

It all emptied into thin air when the world turned into darkness.

but then a few moments later riley woke up sitting in the corner. Maybe she was going mad, or maybe this simply was a dream. It seemed real and unreal at the same time. Almost like a movie.

She released the freezing grip of her hands from her kneecaps where her skin had gone completely pale, almost white.

"V-v-v--..." Riley studded and pulled on the bed to stand. "Victoria?" She quietly choked on her words as she made her way over to the fireplace.

the flame had burned out and cold steam arose from the logs. The room was almost completely black, and riley didn't like that at all.

The ringing in her ears didn't help much, but she searched desperately for her friend. but all in an instand her leg slammed into the couch and she was pulled back into the wall and flung to the ground. The ringing stopped and with a sharp pain, it all went black again. Without a trace.

Victoria knocked rapidly of Headmistress' Wolff's door.

"COME QUICK!" she screamed. "IT'S RILEY! HELP!"