Under Your Bed

[TiaLynn]

Have you ever wondered if there were monsters under your bed? In your closet? Peeking behind that window in the night? Did you ever fear them, praying your blanket covering your body was going to be your salvation.

Truth is; we hide around every corner, in every closet, under every bed, and we look in every window... But we are also on every street during rush hour, picking up our morning newspaper, driving to work or school, we are everywhere.

If you've ever feared a monster, well I can only say one thing: we are more scared of you than you are of us.

It was nights like this, grinning up at that black canvas specked with little white lights I call Mistake and Wonder where I realized how I could almost be normal. My eyes were always piercing, and sometimes hard to take, but right now they were soft like a child who had been let down one too many times. Sliding the tip of my tongue over my canines, I cringed a little. I was nowhere near normal.

With a quick turn, I cut it off like that. Been like this for years, no use wallowing now. The tail of my coat billowed in the breeze as I took off running faster than humanly possible. Human, ha! Such a term to be using in my position. The forest flew by my like a movie on fast forward, and as I arrived at my favorite hill peak the world around me stopped once more. My favorite part was standing on the very tip - the edge of the universe as I call it - and watching the sea fight with itself. We understood each other, the sea and I. It always looked so beautiful, and I am sure many admire it, but it was always fighting something not many noticed because the beauty hid it. Beauty always hid lies.

A small crack could be heard behind me, which is not unheard of near a forest as much wild life roamed the night along with me. Out of curiosity for once, I turned slowly. To my surprise, my eyes met one of those loud short things that cry when they fall. In utter disgust, and heart breaking shock that it could be someone I once knew, I simply stared at her. A little girl no older than fourteen I would guess stood before me at such an ungodly hour I almost had a heart and questioned the parenting methods displayed before me.

"Who are you?" the tone was soft, curious, and my personal favorite in the mix, on guard. A small smirk danced began to dance across my face, "Not something I would ask a strange elder at such an hour" I cooed. She took a step back at this. Fear, oh how I loved the game of chance - the guessing game of who moves first. But this is not chess, and your joining the game was already checkmate.

"I just saw you, and thought you were going to jump." a whisper in the darkness could not be a better sound sometimes.

"Jump? Now, why would I do that?" I asked smoothly.

"Well--"

"Why would you care?" coldly, I stared her right in the eyes. Boy, if looks could kill... Wait, did I really need looks?

"God would not like--"

The mere three words made the laughter erupt from my chest. Unable to stop it, but keeping it short, I decided to just be cold. Seemed to work. Hell, might as well be fairy tale monster so I can be alone in peace.

"If God cared, he would have made me different." Words like daggers.

Her velveteen lips formed a small, hurt 'o' as she stepped back once more. Mother always said not to play with your food, but I have never really been one to play by the rules.

"Tell Him I would like to have a chat with him when you see him though." Like talking about the weather, it flowed out of my mouth.

I could hear her heartbeat increase, watched as her already big eyes widened, and turn in panic to run. Like always I gave her a head start for the simple purpose of hearing the same old tune. I felt like a proud conductor on the day of the show. The lights were up and I was ready to go. This was my moment, and I sure as hell wasn't giving anything less than all I had despite it being already laid out.

What took her five minutes of running, tracking, and panic the darkness proudly took me seconds to have her screaming on her stomach beneath my foot. I drank it all in; the fear, the agony, the lost hopes and dreams, the regret, and the chill of near death that made me feel colder than ever. All the no's, the please don'ts', the why are you doing this', were a part of me. Do I regret it? I am not allowed. Do I happen to like what I do? Most times, I hate it, but in order to get over the fact that it is my life I try and make a game of it all. It works, oddly enough.

It was over as quick as it began. The oh-so-familiar porcelain girl before me who wanted to help lay in a heap of red nectar and skin shredded like paper. Normally I go for the neck only, but this one got out of hand. Not sure what happened, but at least this one is unlike the others and will be blamed on werewolves or demons like they always do with the fully torn open ones. Oh well.

Now that I had my fill, licked my wonderful canines, and cleaned myself, it was off to the shadows once more. Not liking the life I led, I only hoped sometimes I could be alone. To rot, and die in the shadows. No one ever let me lurk, no one ever let me be. We hide because not all of us fight out of blood-lust, we are more than what you see in your books and under your bed. We hide because we don't want to act upon our own destiny. We hide because we are tired of being hated when there is so much else to hate and even love. We hide because we are scared.

We are scared of you.