Here With Me - A Y/n Barnes Story

Episode 1 - A Birthday Stalker

The only reason why I'm stuck in this world is that my powers won't help me anymore. I mean, they can, they just choose not to, and it haunts my nightmares every day.

As usual, I woke up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night. That's the fifth time this week alone, and it's only been a little over a month since it happened. In this world, though, it's only been a few days, maybe closer to a week. I'm still not quite sure.

I'm sure this is all confusing for you and trust me, I've had to go over all of this already with my friends, Vallerie Dawn and Killian Whitlock, but between you and me, they're not actually who they say they are, just like me. I'm not actually y/n Edevane. But more on that later.

"Y/n, you look exhausted!" My aunt, Brooke, can't help but turn on a motherly instinct when she sees me. My mom died when I was around 6 or 7; it's all foggy to me. My dad was never around, for obvious reasons, so everything I know about her comes from Brooke. She grew up with my mom and was her roommate, so she was the only one I wanted to be with after she died. "Was it another nightmare?"

I nod quietly and sit down without saying a word. Today is July 19, Vallerie's birthday. I spent all of last night making her something. It's a cute little canvas with her initials on it that she can hang in her room. She lives with her brother, York Harvey, who also took the time to make her Sweet 16 extra special. When his parents died, he didn't give up on Val. He's the best brother Vallerie - or anybody, really - could ask for.

"Are you sure you want to go to the party?" Brooke asks.

"Yes, I'm sure. It's only going to be the three of us, and you only have one Sweet 16, however small," I reply.

Brooke puts a plate of my favorite breakfast out in front of me and I'm mesmerized. She makes the best pancakes from scratch with crispy bacon, hash browns, and cheesy scrambled eggs. I guess her high school culinary classes paid off. My mouth waters and my stomach growls as I pick up my silverware and cut out a big mouthful.

"I knew that would cheer you up," Brooke smiled, setting down a cup of hot cocoa next to me. She rubbed my back before she sat down next to me with her plate. We eat in silence for a long time. It's only when I start digging into my hashbrowns that Brooke breaks the silence.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Her gentleness is enough to convince me that talking about it wouldn't be such a bad idea. I put the fork down and decided to let my stomach settle and break away from the food in front of me for a second as I told her what happened.

"I saw . . . I saw him again. It was just like the other ones. The dream is always the same. He went into the maze, and Harry had to bring him back out. Except, this time, he didn't disappear when I touched him." My breath hitches slightly. I take a deep breath before continuing. "Not only was I able to touch him, but . . . I don't know. It just all felt so real like I was there all over again. Everything else after that was the same; the twins carrying me out of there, them giving me his dog tags, everything."

Tears spill from my eyes and I bring the back of my hand to my nose as I squeeze my eyes shut. "It's okay, y/n," Brooke soothed. "You're allowed to grieve. It's all still new." She hesitates before adding, "Trust me, I felt the same way when your mom died."

"No, I know. It's just . . . now that I'm back here and away from everything . . . I know it's healthy to heal from it, but . . . " I take a deep breath, not caring to finish the thought, stand up and grab my fork and my plate.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to sit by myself for a while."

"Okay, I'll be--"

I didn't mean to be so abrupt, but I closed my bedroom door before I heard the last of her response.

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