The Medallion

Nilla: The Dream

I locked away inside my own mind just so I could be wrapped in Jace forever, or at least the length of the car ride. Dad came outside in a rush and took me from Jace.

"Thanks for calling," he said.

I didn't remember hearing a phone call. Perhaps I nodded off for a bit, but I didn't recall doing that either.

"Of course," said Halo.

Dad carried me to the sofa and everyone followed. I guess Mom wasn't home yet.

"What happened?"

I opened my eyes and saw Steven and Halo exchange glances.

"I believe it was the sun," said Jace. "Perhaps we were out in it too long."

I appreciated the lie. I didn't want Dad to think I had gone insane or something. For all I knew, it could've actually been the sun that made me attack.

Dad nodded. "That sun is nothing to mess around with." He looked at Jace. "I don't believe we've met."

"No, sir. My name is Jace. I'm Nilla's...."

"Friend," Halo interrupted. "He just moved to our school this year and he's new. We're all friends."

Thank you, Halo.

"It's nice to meet you, sir," said Jace. He held out a hand, but Dad didn't take it.

"Mmm-hmm," Dad didn't sound impressed.

"Well," said Steven. "Since we know she's safe, we'll be going now." Steven shook Dad's hand. "Nice to see you again."

"You too, kid. Don't be a stranger."

"Bye, Dad number 2!" Halo waved and gave him the biggest smile.

"Farewell, sir," said Jace. Dad didn't respond. "Get well, Nilla," he called out to me. Jace backed to the door and didn't turn around until he was outside.

They were gone.

I had a strange dream that night about Jace. I've had many before so it wasn't a big surprise, all of them very realistic in sensation. This time, however, was different. I walked over a beautiful meadow when I came across a very large mirror floating all on its own. I looked in the mirror and saw myself, but instead of a lush green meadow, the mirror reflected a dead zone. All of the grass and trees were dead, not only void of life, but color. Mine was the only image in the mirror that still had color, everything else looked black and white.

I stared at myself in that mirror, and my mirror self stared back. I saw Jace's reflection. I turned, but he wasn't there. Only in the mirror. I watched him hold my mirror self. He caressed her, kissed her, and I felt so jealous. I couldn't feel him. I could only watch him with my other-self.

The mirror girl held her hands up to him as if she were asking to be handcuffed. He tied her hands with a rope and then tied her hands to her chest. Before I knew it, she was completely bound by rope. The mirror girl mouthed the words "help me" but I didn't understand what was going on. Jace pulled a handkerchief from his pants pocket and stuffed it in the mirror girl's mouth before tying that with even more rope. He gave me a sinister smile that sent chills down my spine before dragging the mirror girl away to a place I could no longer see.

I heard a voice call to me from behind. I turned around and saw a fiery red-headed Allison.

"He's trying to harm you," she said.

"Are you doing this?" I asked.

"He wants something from you."

"Why are you showing me these images?"