Clocke

Chapter 1 Part 2

* * *

My dreams are always lucid. I know when I'm lost in the depths of my mind. Yet, I'm equal parts thrilled and horrified because I see him. I am surrounded by darkness and in the distance, he is standing there. I can't spot one distinguishing detail yet, I can tell. I know. It's Dorran.

Do not go to him Livia. I tell myself. You know how this will end.

And I do. But I never listen. My feet begin to shuffle toward him. I can hear them dragging, trying to resist but not completely dedicated. Tears blur my view of him as he slowly gets closer and closer. I know what will happen when I finally reach him, but I don't stop. Something about him won't let me.

My heart beats erratically as something warm and wet pools at my feet. And I realize I am trudging through his blood. I move faster, thinking I can outdistance it. But then it starts to spread. Up my legs, over my stomach. When it reaches my hands I whimper, trying to wipe it off, but it only smears. I can feel it crawling up my neck and I'm terrified of what will happen when it reaches my face. But it doesn't. Because it stops. And I'm right in front of him.

I can see him clearly now. Satiny, ash brown hair rests on his head in the messy way that I remember so well. Dim light and shadow accentuate his muscular build. He is taller than me so I tilt my head back to gaze up into his eyes. He smiles at me. And that's when I forget. Every time. I can't stare into his prepossessing warm gray eyes without forgetting.

I'm not dreaming. I tell myself. This is real. It must be real. He's here and I'm not dreaming.

I want to touch him, to rest my hand on his cheek. I want to bring his warm lips closer to mine until...

I scream, horrified. The blood is back, but this time it's not on me. It's on him, covering him. His body convulses, morphing into a terribly mutilated figure. The same figure they told me was him on that day.

I yell his name, knowing he won't hear me and collapse with him as he falls to the ground. My tears fall to his face and roll off his cheeks. All I can do is sit there and watch him die.

"Dorran." I whisper. I want to say more but I can't. I'm broken.

* * *

I don't wake with a start. My eyes just open and I stare at the ceiling. The blood doesn't scare me anymore. Or even the sight of his mangled body. What leaves me shivering is his eyes. When he looks at me, I want to believe it's real. But the inevitable realization that it isn't crushes me. I wake with no tears, just bitter loneliness.

"You talk in your sleep." A voice deadpans through the room.

I sit up and glance toward the window. Outside, the sky holds the beginning notes of a flaming sunset. I focus my attention on Prinine Khatri, who is standing in the middle of the room with her arms folded across her chest.

"Hi." I say, hesitantly.

"It's really annoying you know." She rolls her eyes as she says this.

"But I'm a heavy sleeper," Prinine leans toward me and whispers, "So you're lucky."

"Okay." I'm not entirely sure what else I should say. I figure she is just relishing in the fact that I'm brand new here and she certainly isn't.

Prinine continues to stand in front of me though. Glaring. At this point, she's starting to irritate me. I try to tell myself to calm down. Anger issues are something I've struggled with since he left and at this moment, I have to resist the urge to jump up from this bed, face to face with her and demand to know what her problem is.