The Badboy's Secret

IX Sweet Dreams

PREVIOUSLY ON THE BADBOY'S SECRET:

Lexa goes to a party with Archie. She spends the day shopping with him for the dress and secretly picks out a nice one to surprise him. At the party she finds out that Archie only brought her to make his, now, ex-girlfriend Serena jealous. But, she brought Zack, a big guy that Archie doesn't want to face so Lexa and Archie hide in a cupboard. Archie almost kisses Lexa but rejects her at the last minute. She becomes upset at all the nights events and runs outside to walk home. On the way, she stumbles down a dark street but a boy finds her and attempts to assault her. Archie comes just in time to knock the boy out. He carries Lexa home but on the way she falls asleep.

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I'm walking through a forest. It was one in our holiday estate in England we'd go to when we were little. We sold that estate when I was 10 to an old family friend. We just didn't have time to go there anymore. It's a green forest. Like the picturesque ones you see on default computer backgrounds. The leaves are soft beneath my feet, an everlasting deep green blanket curling around the trunks of trees. I am barefoot. Why am I barefoot? I look up through the light green foliage and see the sunlight peeking out through the leaves. Sometimes we would ride horses through here. I walk for a while. Normally there were birds here but now it's silent. Maybe they've all gone to sleep. I see a clearing, caked with luscious moss. I know this place. It's where we used to spy on the adults drinking tea in the garden courtyard. I become excited. Maybe they're there waiting for me. I make my way over to the clearing. The sunlight is warmer here. I squint my eyes to look for the courtyard. I see them. A whole group of people around the antique oak table my grandpa owned. They're laughing. I can see my father throwing his head back in laughter, my mother covering her mouth to giggle.

"Hey!" I yell. "Mum! Dad! I'm here!" They don't turn. Maybe they can't hear me. The sun is reflecting on the pavement, blinding me but I can still see their silhouettes. I move to go forward.

"Dad! Mum! Dad! Hello?" I call out again. They don't reply and continue to laugh. Why can't they hear me? I start to run forward.

"Dad! Mum!" I start to sprint. They still seem the same distance away.

"DAD! MUM PLEASE!" I wave frantically. I stop. Puffed out and panting. They're still the same distance away.

"You'll never get there," a familiar voice says from behind. I whip around. The clearing is still empty.

"Who's there?" I say hugging myself as tears begin to form in my eyes.

"Only me, baby," says the sinister voice, chilling me to the bone. I shiver.

"Who are you?" I say quietly, frantically searching the sunny clearing for the source of the voice. There is no reply this time. I spin back around to look at my parents and freeze. The oak table and the laughter is gone. Instead there's only rubble scattered across shattered pavement. The oak table is in splinters and bits of rock have been sprayed across the pristine pavers. Suddenly, thunder cracks and lighting begins to illuminate the scene before me. Tears fill my eyes. Where are my parents? Then a figure of a man walks across the rubble. I can't see his face but he's tall.

"Dad?" I say. But the figure turns around and I scream. It's not my dad. It's...him. I can't breathe as the tears stream down my face. I scream as loud as I can but no one can hear me. I look into the cold blue eyes that seem to be piercing my very soul.

"I told you. It's only me Baby," the figure says with venom dripping from its voice.

And then the blue eyes swirl into ocean green and there stands another figure less sinister than before. It's Archie still in his white t-shirt, jeans and converse, looking into my eyes with warmth and kindness.