Unwanted Obsession

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"You really thought you could win this? You thought you could get away from me?"

Todd Delozier's overbearing figure was standing directly in front of her... Taunting her, toying with her, manipulating her mind..

Kate stood unmoving. She couldn't even blink, she could only stare. Was this for real?

It certainly seemed real because there he was, mere feet away. But..

I thought they killed him? I thought they shot him dead! They did, I know it happened.. Didn't it?

Todd was walking towards her now, with a threatening look in his eyes.

"I- I'll scream," Kate whispered, trying to regain control.

"Go right ahead," he invited with open arms. "Be my guest." His eyes were level with hers. "Would you like to know what will happen if you scream?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "They'll commit you, that's what will happen. They'll lock you up with the other crazies. Because they'll think you're hallucinating. But we know the truth, don't we Katie?"

Tears came to her eyes as the words sank in, the meaning. Perhaps Todd Delozier wouldn't be considered 'real' to others at this point, but to Kate he was very real. "You'll always be here, won't you? You'll always be in my head.."

"But of course."

"And.. I won't be able to stop it?"

"Apparently not," Todd replied, watching her closely.

"But-"

"Just stop talking, Katie. Your mouth has only ever been good for one thing," he chuckled.

Kate felt her cheeks go red with humiliation. 

--

"Kate?" 

She felt herself being shaken and immediately flinched away, trying to escape the pair of arms she knew were his.

"Kate, honey, it's me. It's Mom." It was obvious her daughter wasn't buying her words. "Wake up, baby, wake up. You're just having a bad dream. It's just another nightmare."

Kate's eyes fluttered open and she found her mother's face above hers. A major amount of relief spread through her body. She sat up and gave her a fierce hug. 

Beth kissed the top of her head. "It's ok, see? I'm right here. You're safe." Oh, how she wished she could help her daughter. She wished somebody could.

Instead of relaying the story of her dream, Kate lay back down still looking into her mother's eyes.

"Ok now?" Beth asked worriedly.

"Yeah."

While continuing to look into her eyes, Beth said softly, "You don't have to keep it bottled up. Whatever your dream was about, you can talk to me." Kate looked away. "Or, don't feel like you have to. We just want to help you get through this."

"Nobody can help me," Kate murmured pathetically, looking down. "Look, just forget it."

Beth stood realizing her daughter wasn't ready. "I think that's part of the problem, Kate. You're trying to forget and suppress too much."

Kate waited until her mother was gone before moving again. She reached under her pillow to pull out a light green, flowered journal. Flipping to an empty page, she began writing her dream down, detail for detail.