Chapter 22: Chapter Seventeen—Nightmares and Daydreams: Part I

I crawled towards the academy stairs, grabbing at my broken ribs. A level of fear that I had never felt filled my thoughts, and my body panicked as crimson blood pooled in my hands. My vision blurred, and my strength gave out, sending me to my back in defeat. Everything slowed and the ash raining down came to a complete stop in the air, as if time had halted. I put my trembling, blood-soaked hand up, reaching for the… eclipsing moon—but Eurus had no moons. My hand was violently kicked as a man stood over me with his foot resting on the stairs by my head. He put his black hood back and leaned down. Only, I was staring into my own eyes. That man was me, and his face was piercing and emotionless.

“Let me take control,” he said. His head tilted when my response was not immediate. 

He sunk his hand into my chest like a knife before grasping something, pulling as pain ripped through my body, I screamed at the top of my lungs. Then, frantically clawing at his arms, I watched in horror as he removed my pulsating heart slowly. The arteries followed before snapping like rubber bands, dumping what little blood I had left down the marble stairs. My breathing became quick and shallow before ceasing altogether. Words tried to leave my mouth, but they had no energy. 

He held my heart, which slowly stopped beating. “You will give me control,” he said looking down at me, “sooner rather than later.” 

Darkness filled my vision before I perched up in my bed, drenched in sweat. Rachel sat on the edge of my mattress with a glass of water. Her piercing green eyes seemed like they were staring into my soul for answers… she was so quick to come to my side since I started having these dreams a few months ago.

Rachel looked at me, worried. “Another dream?” 

Nodding, I took the water and drank it in one go, handing it back as my hand trembled. Rachel turned on the light next to my bed as I looked down at the black veins that snaked up my arm. “The black is spreading more and more every time,” I said worriedly. I didn’t know what this meant, and it wasn’t like I could ask another darkness user. I was the only one… maybe ever.

“Tell Edwin,” Rachel suggested as I stood up walking to the bathroom. I leaned on the white marble counter towards the mirror, looking at my left eye, which was completely black, along with the veins in my neck. 

“No,” I replied in a stern tone. 

Gracen told me I would need to figure out a lot of this and not bury Edwin with trivial things. That man had more than he could handle at work. I couldn’t be a baby forever. 

My reflection stared at me as I dragged the black colouration out of my veins and down to my hand as it finally disappeared into my palm. I let out a gasp realising I was holding my breath. Every time I had this dream, it got harder and harder to remove whatever this was—I was losing control. 

Rachel hopped on the counter in her oversized dark blue shirt, staring at me as she leaned back on her palms. “You’re worrying me,” she said, as her green eyes held genuine concern. Although she had lived in my apartment for nine months, not once had I seen her make this expression to that degree. 

“If I tell Edwin, will it make you happy?” 

Rachel shook her head. “You being okay will make me happy—you do what you think is best.”

“I want that shirt back. It’s my favourite. Stop going into my closet,” I said, leaving the bathroom and glancing down at the soaked bed sheets. Rachel came in with a clean sheet to change them. “I can do it,” I mumbled as she pulled the soaked ones off. She, of course, ignored me like usual. “It’s emasculating for a thirteen-year-old girl to take care of an adult.”

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“Do you forget my age on purpose?” she asked as her eye twitched before turning back to the bed. “I am fifteen, and it does not damage your impoverished ego for me to make a bed. It’s from May’s spectacular job of being a whore,” she said, finishing the bed aggression and starting toward the door. 

“That was uncalled for,” I replied, and Rachel stopped, not turning back to me. 

“Focus your energy on friendships worth watering—you have made that girl wait past what is acceptable. Call or go see Chloe,” she said before exiting the room.

I let out a long breath as I glanced over at the grandfather clock in my room, swaying back and forth. I figured going back to sleep was a lost cause, so I made my way to the gymnasium to run for a few hours. My stamina had approached a point where I could run indefinitely if dehydration and starvation were not a thing. All my spare time was with Rachel or running circles around this room. Beyond my element, I was a dull person. How anyone found me interesting was lost to me. All the people in my novel were so interesting and I was… just boring.

Covic jogged up next to me. “Little early, buddy,” he chirped, and I came to a stop. Covic came to a stop and stared back at me. “You okay, man?” he asked worriedly.  

“Is May punishing me?” I asked, and Covic gave me a low-spirited smile that appeared vexatious. Everyone was giving me that look, and I hated it. Covic went to say something but stopped as his mouth opened. “Be honest.”

“The truth is, you’re punishing yourself, Cyrus,” Covic answered, putting his hand to his forehead and shaking his head. “I don’t know what to do with you two anymore. You both keep stabbing yourselves in the heart.” 

I just stared at him blankly. “I think running myself to death is a good idea,” I replied, continuing my jog. 

Covic caught up with me. “You can’t run from your problems, Cyrus.” 

“Correct. That’s why I run around them,” I replied, picking up the pace as I came around the bend of the track.

Covic sighed. “Cyrus…” 

I slowed down and glanced over at Covic. “At least I am looking at the problem and not turning my back to it.” 

Covic said nothing as we continued for a bit, and I abruptly halted as Chloe stood at the gymnasium’s glass doors in her black office skirt and white blouse. She appeared to be on a mission that wasn’t going to be as simple as a quick lunch. I knew this was going to happen eventually. Could I really blame her? I had left her no other opinion for contact. For the past couple of months, I had completely ghosted her.

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