A Thousand Year Obsession ✔

41. Don't Be Obvious

42. Don't Be Obvious

"Don't be scared Morgana."

I blinked groggily, but the image before me didn't fade. I rubbed my eyes, pinched myself, pulled out my hair, but still, a tiny, puppy sized dragon stood before me, it's little mouth speaking to me with a familiar tone like smoothly sliced butter.

"This is a power of mine. The others don't know I have it. And if things go as I plan, they never will."

I stepped back, my feet crunching the withered leaves. I glanced around, but I couldn't see Derek. The last I remember was falling asleep beneath a pine tree, Derek hovering over me like a dejected ghost. And then . . . I was in this clearing, surrounded by dead leaves and staring uncomprehensively at the tiny talking dragon.

Finally, I found the strength to speak.

"Wha--what are you?"

The dragon chuckled, a soft yet resounding sound that dug into my skull with the force of a thousand boulders.

"What am I? What am I, you ask?" The dragon suddenly began to morph, its body lengthening upwards, its scales shifting to human skin, it's face transforming into the pale, freckled face of a boy with hair like sunlight and eyes like chocolate. "Why, I'm your worst nightmare, darling."

I swallowed harshly and turned to run, but my limbs moved as if encased in slime, yet my fear fluttered untamed throughout my mind.

"What is this?!" I cried. "Why can't I move? What have you done to me?!"

"Me?" For a moment I almost believed he was offended. "It isn't me, Morgana. No, it's you. It's your own mind turning against you. Blame yourself. I'm not doing anything. I'm simply here."

I stopped running. It was pointless. My limbs wouldn't cooperate. They wouldn't listen. But it didn't make sense. If he wasn't doing it . . . then who was? Things like this . . . they only happened in dreams . . .

I turned around slowly. "Am I . . . am I . . . dreaming?"

Silas smiled carefully. "Its your mind, Morgana. Shouldn't you know it well enough by now?"

He took a step towards me, but I stepped back. Then I pinched myself, wincing at the sharp sting.

"But I can't be dreaming. I feel pain." I murmured.

Silas's dark eyes sparkled dangerously. "There's a special kind of dream, Morgana, when you can experience things normal dreams wouldn't allow you to. Pain, emotions, thoughts, logic." He paused and took a other step towards me. I took three back. He moved another seven forward. "It's a dream created by magic, Morgana, a dream where you are here, but your body is not. A dream that I am also having."

My mouth ran dry and I quickly turned around, starting when my eyes fell upon the stone wall that seemed to just appear out of nowhere.

"A dream," Silas hissed, his voice directly behind me, "that I am controlling."

I didn't move, didn't speak, didn't breath. This was real, this was happening. And yet at the same time it wasn't. At the same time I was back in the pine forest with Derek, sound asleep.

I could feel Silas's cold breath against the back of my neck, sense that his body was only a breaths length away from me, but I didn't do anything, just stood there, frozen.

"If I'm having this dream." I said slowly, carefully. "Then aren't I really the one who controls it?"

But Silas only laughed.