Unexpected | Simon Minter | Miniminter

Chapter Seven

 My eyes fluttered open.

Warm light. Cool breeze. Soft grass.

Where the hell am I?

Horses pranced around me, dashing through the meadow with their young trotting after them. Birds dove through the blue sky, chirping and singing. Rabbits dashed around my feet, weaving through the tall grass.

Peace. Serenity. Ease.

Those three words perfectly described this world—the world I dreamt up as a child, the world I wished I lived in.

"Raelyn."

I turned to see someone lost to me long ago, the kindness in her eyes almost real. Instead of hatred and anger, all I felt was remorse. My heart broke for the woman who abandoned me.

My eyes watered, tears spilling down my cheeks. "Mum?"

"My beautiful baby girl." As she held out her arms, a gust of wind blew her long hair out of her face, revealing her eyes.

My eyes.

Without a second thought, I buried myself in her arms, tucking my head under her chin like I did when I was small. Her lavender scent filled my nose, reminding me of a simpler time.

"I missed you so much," I whimpered, lost in the moment.

She slowly leaned back, running the pads of her thumbs along my tear-stained cheeks.

"You missed me?"

Her beautiful face began to morph, a familiar evil filling her eyes. Her full, rounded cheeks turned sullen, marred by scars and blood. Her soft smile became wicked, rows of jagged teeth on show.

"Blade."

I tried to run, but he was everywhere I turned, his maniacal laugh echoing around me.

With a sinister smile, he pressed a knife to my throat, the same one I used on him years before. Blood trickled down my neck, landing in the grass and turning the green world beneath my feet into a wasteland.

"Say goodbye, sweetheart."

Black consumed us all at once.

*****

Screams rippled through me, draining my entire body of any strength I had left.

"Raelyn, it's okay!" My brother came into view, dispelling my blurry vision. "I promise, it's okay."

I settled into his arms, struggling to slow my beating heart. "Josh?"

"It's okay, I'm here." He peeled away from me to inspect the plaster on my shoulder. "Damn, you bled through."

"Is it bad?"

Josh tugged on his beard, reluctant to meet my eyes. "Had it hit a centimeter over, left or right, you could've lost all function and nerve in your arm."

"So, like old times?"

The smile that forced itself onto his lips was enough to make me smile, too.

But it didn't last.

The colour drained from his face. "Raelyn, there's something I need to tell you."

Ignoring the tightness in my chest, I pulled my legs under me and offered him a small smile. "Are you okay?"

He shook his head, finding my hand and squeezing it without looking at me. "Noah's missing."

Everything froze.