Disharmony

Secrets

You can't escape us.

Even though they were whispered, the words sent shivers through her bones. They chased after her as she ran, nipping at her ankles, playing with her hair, consuming her entirely and making it difficult to breathe.

She ran as fast as she could, but it seemed she could never get away. Every time she thought she was ahead, she would turn to find them right behind her, taunting her, teasing her, yelling at her because she couldn't get away fast enough.

Her legs finally give out beneath her and she crumbles to the floor, her heart pounding and her breathing shallow as she lowers her head to accept her fate. They surround her, trapping her in her place as she looks up at them in terror. She can't see their faces, but she knows exactly who they are; one of them stepping forwards to grab her, his face obscured.

They've entered her dreams frequently for years, threatening to send her to her ruin; vowing that there will come a time when this life and the fame consumes her completely and leaves her a hollow shell, unable to recover.

Parting her lips, she tries to cry out as he reaches towards her, his hands ready to wrap around her neck and strangle the life out of her. No matter how loud she thinks she's screaming, nothing comes out and soon enough his fingers are closing around her throat, cutting off her air supply. Her vision goes blurry and as she fades from consciousness, he whispers once more.

I told you we'd find you.

She woke with a gasp in a cold sweat, breathing heavily as she attempted to make sense of her surroundings. The room was dimly lit, the curtains pulled over the windows, leaving her unable to see anything save a dark silhouette standing over the end of her bed. Gasping softly, she held back a scream and blinked rapidly to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.

The figure stepped forward, allowing the faint light peeking through the heavy curtains to shine across his face and she sighed in relief before rolling her eyes.

"Xavier...what are you doing here?" She groaned as she pushed herself into a seated position and leaned back to rest against the headboard. Her mind was still hazy from sleep and she felt slightly queasy.

"Are you alright?" he whispered, his lips pursed and his brow quizzical. His hair was a mess of dark chocolate colored locks, and seeing as he'd more than likely just woken up and the only article of clothing on his body was a pair of boxer briefs with tacos printed on them.

She blinked slowly, because although his words registered, she had a hard time processing their meaning. That and she was slightly frightened to know the answer to her next question.

"How long have you been here?" she said groggily, pulling her blanket up beneath her armpits and snuggling further into the silky sheets.

He didn't answer, just stared at her intently for a moment, his blue eyes boring into hers and causing her heart to race. His fingers twitched at his side and he cocked his head just slightly as though contemplating his next move.

"What do you want, Spiers?" she sighed, crossing her arms over her chest on top of the blanket and gazing at him pointedly. It was much too early for this nonsense.

"You were screaming," he said quietly, taking another step closer. "You were screaming in your sleep."

Her eyes widened at his words and she quickly racked her brain for the simplest explanation. And then she realized that, in this remarkable case, the truth actually was just that: simple.

"I had a bad dream," she said nonchalantly, glancing at the clock on the bedside table out of the corner of her eye.

6:23. Even if she got Xavier out within the next minute, she'd have to be up soon after that anyway. Tour rehearsals started today, which meant no more sleeping past 6:30.