I woke up and rubbed my eyes. I looked around but saw nothing but empty darkness. I felt tears sting my eyes and I started to cry. I remembered everything. The burning pain, my father's drunk face. My mother's horrified one. Even the sound of the gun I remembered. The only thing I couldn't remember was my own name. I knew my mom's name even my dad's name but for some reason not my own. 
        I felt beneath me and realized I was sitting in a patch of dead grass. I looked up at the sky and saw the clouds shifting and moving away to reveal the bright full moon. All around me where things you might see at a carnival or an amusement park. Except, they were all run down. The ferris wheel didn't spin. The rows of carnival game stands were rotting away, their prizes broken and ripped. 
"enfant? Child are you okay?" I looked up at a woman. She had blue hair that was curled and she wore a ringmaster's outfit, like from a circus. Plus, she had a French accent and her skin was as pale as the moon that illuminated her. She reached down her hand and I took it. 
      Pulling me up she walked with me. She was tall. At the back of my mind my mother nagged at me not to go with strangers. That didn't matter though, I was dead, wasn't I?
" enfant, qui êtes-vous? Who are you?" she looked down at me with kind, locking eyes. I a swerved honestly.
" I don't know" I felt tears sting my eyes again and she kneeled down next to me. With a white gloved finger she wiped my tears away. I was eleven I shouldn't be crying anymore, but I was. She pulled me into a hug and let me cry.
" Eh bien, je suis connu comme Lina. Ah, sorry,  I am known as Lina. It is nice to meet you Inconnu." I pulled away and looked into her eyes, they were gold, like the sun.
" why does I-Incon-nu mean?" I struggled with the strange word, but she simply smiled at me warmly and pinched my nose with her thumb and pointer finger.
" it means unknown. Since we don't know your name I thought I'd name you that." I smiled at her and felt safe.  " now why don't you tell moi about how you got here." I nodded.
" papa was drunk. He was angry when he was drunk. He beat mama and me. He was really angry this time. He grabbed a gun and shot mama when she said she'd leave him. Then he shot me when I wouldn't stop crying." I was choking on my sobs now and I thought that my father would come around the corner at any moment and shoot me again.
" shh, shh, shh enfant there is no need to fear you are safe here. No one will hurt you. Come Inconnu, come." 
     She walked me to a bright red and white striped tent. Inside music played and laughter could be heard. I heard harps and sweet songs. It sounded so magical. Light poured from the tent's opening.
" Lina, are you, are you an angel?" I looked up at her. She was standing in front of the tent's opening now. It shined around her like a halo and she looked so wonderful. She looked just like an angel.
" haha! I once was Inconnu. But no longer. Now I help little lost enfants into heaven. I help them travel from purgatory." 
" oh, well I still consider you my angel." I smiled at her so widely my eyes shut and my cheeks cramped. She hugged me and I felt something wet hit my shoulder. " Lina why are you crying?"
" I don't know. I just think I'll miss you."  I looks up at her and wiped her tears away like she did with mine.
" don't worry I'll visit you!" she smiled.
" I wish you could." I waved goodbye to her and walked through the opening of the tent. The light enveloped me and I looked back to see Lina waving goodbye to me with tears in her eyes. 
                                                       ///
              I woke up and felt around. I grabbed my clock and looked at the time. Five a.m. it said. I groaned and jumped out of bed. I slipped on my comfy slippers and walked out of the room and to the kitchen.
     I opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. I turned around and sat down on the counter and sipped at my water. 
"Misté what are you doing p so early you don't have school today?" 
" I was just thirsty." I fiddled with the hem of my tank top and couldn't meet her eyes. I couldn't look at her golden brown eyes, her porcelain skin, or her blue hair.
" Misté, you had a nightmare again didn't you?" I looked p at my sister with tears in my eyes. She looked and sounded just like the Lina from my dreams. The only problem was that we had found each other only a year ago and I had been having the night mare for five years. Foster homes had brought us together. Apparently my mother had been married before my father and she was my half sister. Then when I was eleven he got drunk and shot my mother and just barely missed my heart when he shot me. Somehow I had survived. Only by the grace of god.
" I'm going back to bed, Alena. Goodnight." I said this but as I looked out the windows behind her I saw the sun rising. It illuminated her and cast a halo f golden light around her. I had told Lina I would visit. Maybe I kept my promise after all.
" alright, good night Misté." I walked back to my room and crawled into my bed and slept peacefully. After that night I no longer dreamed of the carnival of purgatory or as my sister once called it Purgatoire  Carnaval, as it's said in French.