Don't Tell Me It Was All A Dream (On Hold)

Chapter 12

Sang's POV:

I knelt over the toilet with my shaking hands wrapped around the edges; they were the only things keeping me upright. My clothes were soaked with sweat and my damp hair was plastered to my face and neck. The contents of my stomach roiled and surged in a familiar sensation. I leaned over and emptied the contents of my stomach for the fourth time in the last half hour. This time the vomit was tinged red and I tasted metal in my mouth. I reached up and touched my fingers to my lips; they came away coated in blood. My entire body shook as I hung my head and let a single tear slip out. It paved a way down my flushed cheeks before falling silently and mingling with the blood.

I slapped my hand on the counter and hauled my body up off the floor. I took one look in the mirror before closing my eyes. I looked ghastly. The image that had peered back at me from the mirror was seared into my brain. My clothes were covered in vomit. My hair was so saturated with sweat that it appeared almost brown and was stuck to my body. My complexion was that grayish color that you typically saw in those who were deathly ill. The drops of scarlet that clung to my lips and chin looked incredibly vivid next to the sickly pallor of my skin. Worst of all were my eyes. They looked as if they had sunk deep into my skull. The normally sparkling meadow green of my irises had dulled to an ugly greenish gray. They were horribly bloodshot with dark shadows under them. They looked dead, completely devoid of feelings of any kind and all because of her.

Flashback:

As we reached the bottom of the stairs my mother's grip on my shirt tightened and she hauled me into the kitchen. As we neared the island in the middle of the room she tugged hard sending me sprawling on the floor. My head slammed into the wood cabinets with a thundering crack. My vision blurred and the darkness threatened to take over.

"Get up you ungrateful little brat." She snarled at me. I went to move but I must have been a second too slow for her because she lunged towards me, grabbing a fistful of my hair. She hauled me up to my knees only to slap me across the face. Despite being sick and small she had unbelievable strength. Were it not for her grip on my hair I would have hit the floor again.

"I never wanted you to come back. If it weren't for your Father defending you I wouldn't have bothered to bring you back here at all. But because he asked I allowed you back into this house and gave you food and clothes. After everything we've done for you this is how you repay us; by throwing yourself at a bunch of men the minute you are out of our sight. You disgusting, dirty little wretch!" Her voice had steadily risen louder and louder until she was screeching and spitting in my face.

I knew I should keep my mouth shut but I just couldn't help it. "I wasn't throwing myself at them. We were just talking and they weren-"

"Talking?" She screamed. "Don't lie to me! I can tell when you're lying!"

"But mo-" I tried to protest but she cut me off again.

"SHUT UP!" She howled and backhanded me across the face again with even more force. The lights in the kitchen seemed to swirl and dance. The pressure on my head lessened as she let go of my hair and I slumped against the island. She turned around and stormed towards the pantry. She returned a moment later with something in her had that I couldn't quite make out with my hazy vision. Her cold clammy hand grabbed my jaw and forced it open. I tried to fight back but I was too weak. My eyes focused just enough to see the crazy glint in her eyes just before she forced something to my lips.

"Maybe this will teach you not to "talk" to men." The smell of citrus and something else sour assaulted my olfactory senses as she tipped the contents of the cup into my mouth. I choked and tried to scream as the lemon juice and vinegar gushed down my throat burning the tender flesh along the way.

End of Flashback

I opened my eyes again and forced myself to look at my reflection. I cringed and turned away slightly. I could barely stand to see myself and I wondered what the boys would think. I quickly shut that thought down. There was no way they could see this. They would want to do something about it and I was pretty sure no one would be able to stop North from breaking into my house and violently murdering my mother.

Once I was sure I would not throw up again I cleaned up the bathroom and myself before dragging myself to my room to change. As soon as my head hit the pillow I was out. I slept restlessly for a couple hours before the nightmare began.

I was running through the forest. There was something chasing me. I had no idea what it was, but I did know that if it caught me I would die. I tried to pick up my speed without tripping over anything. I knew I was running towards something but I wasn't entirely sure what it was until I saw it. I stumbled into a large clearing and standing in the middle of it was the boys. Relief surged through my body as I raced toward my friends and the safety they could provide.

I must have been a couple yards away when I slammed into something. I flew backwards and rolled a couple of times before coming to a stop. When I sat up and my vision cleared I could see what was in front of me. A thick sheet of glass stood between the boys and me. It must have been several miles high and it continued on into the forest on each side. There was no way around. I stood up and walked towards the glass. I was about to tap on it when I heard something. I turned around and an enormous shadowy figure emerged from the tree line. Terror flooded through my veins and I backed up until my back hit the glass. The figure stopped and stared at me for a moment before gliding towards me.

I whirled around and faced the boys. None of them seemed to notice me or the creature slowly making its way in my direction. I slapped my palm against the glass and yelled for them. They didn't even flinch. As the panic took over I began to scream and cry and bang on the glass. I called their names and threw my entire body at the wall till I could barely move. None of it made a difference. They glass remained unscathed and the boys continued to stare blankly at each other. Sobs tore through my body. I raised my shaking fist as if to punch the glass but I couldn't. I didn't have any fight left. My fingers uncurled and I rested my palm on the glass. I drew a deep shuddering breath.

"Please." I whispered. "Please hear me." As if by magic the boys began to turn around one by one. Hope started to fill me but it turned to dust when they opened their mouths. In eerie unison they hissed. "You should have listened to your mother." I reeled back in shock and turned to run but it was too late. A cold clammy hand seized me by the throat and everything went black.

I jerked upright my entire body heaving. I shook like a leaf gasping for air. I stumbled out of my bed towards the window and threw it open. Cool fresh air filled the room and sucked in gulps of air. Once I had calmed down enough I shut the window and stripped my bed of its threadbare blanket. I grabbed a random book off my shelf and settled into a corner. I wouldn't be getting anymore sleep tonight.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Not entirely sure how I feel about this part but I figured I'd stick it up anyway. Let me know what you think.