Stuck in a Fantasy

Chapter 21

"Honey, can you get the popcorn?" Mom asked me.

I nodded and got off our white couch. I went to the kitchen and grabbed a bag of popcorn from the pantry. I put the bag in the microwave and hit the popcorn button. The numbers on the microwave started to count down and I turned around. I jumped when Dad was mere inches away from me. "Geez! Dad, you gave me a heart attack!" I scolded.

His face was blank and he asked me in a monotone voice, "Why did you leave us?"

"What are you talking about? I'm right here," I questioned.

"You left us! We created you and you just left us in this dimension! You're a monster!" Dad yelled at me.

I backed away from Dad as he started to foam at the mouth. My back collided with the counter and I screamed, "Mom!"

"Monster!" Mom yelled at me as she stood next to Dad, "Unnatural!"

"No... No... No! It's not my fault!" I screeched as I faced my parents.

"How could anyone ever love you? You're broken! Broken! Broken!" My parents chanted in sync.

I covered my ears and squeezed my eyes close. "No, I'm not!" I screamed.

"He'll leave you. Even if you don't jump. He'll see the unnatural freak that you are and leave," Mom told me.

I shook my head and ran out of our kitchen. I ran as hard as I could but I stayed in one place. It didn't matter though, because soon the room was just black. I stopped running and searched for a light. "Kyna!" Cara groaned in pain from somewhere in the darkroom.

A light flashed on and a body was laying on the cold cement ground. I ran over to it and saw a barely conscious Cara. She was clutching her stomach and blood was pooling into her hands. Sweat made her dark hair wet and her hazel eyes were watering. I put her head in my lap and asked, "Cara, what happened? What's wrong?"

She coughed and blood spluttered from her lips. She raised her grimy hand and pointed to the far side of the room. I couldn't see anything in the dark so I looked back into her hazel eyes. "Why did you tell him?" she croaked.

"What? Tell who? Cara, what's happening?" I asked her with tears running down my face.

She coughed again and more blood flowed down her chin. "You said you loved me," she whispered.

I burst into tears and I begged her, "I do! I do love you! So stay strong! Tell me what happened!"

I smoothed down her hair as she struggling to breathe. She took in a large breath then shakily replied, "You choose him over your own kind. He knows what we are."

Her eyes went blank and she stared off into the distance. I cried harder and ran my hands through her brown hair. I held her close and pleaded with her to wake up. I told her that she was fine... but she wasn't. She was dead. The only friend I really have is dead. "You killed her," Mom told me.

I looked up from Cara and saw my parents standing over us. Their eyes were bloodshot and the veins on their faces were a dark red. "No. I didn't hurt her. I would never harm her!" I exclaimed.

"Liar!" They screamed at me.

"No!" I yelled back.

They tilted their heads and muttered, "Liar! Liar! Lies is all you know now. You lie to him. You lie to Taylor. All you know is lies... but tell the truth and she dies."

"What are you talking about?" I sobbed.

"You tell him what you are and he'll hunt you down! Don't tell him and he'll be the one dead in your arms!" They yelled. I looked down at the body in my arms but it wasn't Cara anymore... it was the king. His usually tidy blonde hair was a mess and blood dripped down from every opening on his head. I dropped him and scream!

"No!" I screeched into the night. Sweat fell down my forehead and the heavy blankets from the bed trapped me. I thrashed against the cloths, still screaming the one-syllable word.

There was loud stumbling and soon the king was in front of me. He took my face into his hands and forced me to look into his amber eyes. I stopped screaming and instead filled my lungs with air. I panted heavily as my brain realized that the king's death had only been a nightmare. That he was alright. "Hey, it's okay. Everything's okay. I'm right here. You're safe," the king mumbled sweet reassurances to me.

I felt hot tears fall down my face but I didn't care. I wrapped my hands around the king's wrists and made sure that he was real. His warm skin felt solid under my touch and I sighed from relief. I dropped my hands and wrapped my arms around his waist. I took in his amber scent and buried my face into his chest. He ran his hand through my hair as he asked, "Are you alright?"

I nodded and confessed, "It was just a nightmare."

I looked up at him and met his gaze. His eyebrows were puckered with worry as he asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

I shook my head and pushed myself closer to his body. I laid my cheek against his chest and he wrapped his arms around me. We sat in silence as I tried to normalize my breathing.

Once I was relaxed the king whispered, "I should go."

He made movements to leave but I stopped him. "No!" I yelped, "Stay... Please."

He looked down at me with his amber eyes and he had to have seen how disturbed I felt. So he nodded his head and laid down on his back. Once he was settled, I laid down beside him. I rested my head on his shoulder and draped my arm over his torso. I held him to me tightly and listened to each breath he took. I could feel his heart racing underneath my head. He's alive... he's alive.

He slowly put his arm around me and pulled me closer. He lowered his head and I could feel him sniffing me as he smelled my hair. "You're safe with me," he promised.

"I know," I whispered.

We stayed silent after that. We enjoyed being in each other's arms. The only sounds that filled the room were our heartbeats and breaths. I stayed awake... making sure that his sounds kept going. Soon his breathing became even and his heartbeat slowed down. Sleep had overcome him. I snuggled closer to him and whispered, "I don't see myself falling in love with you. I am in love with you."