return • theo raeken [2]

prologue.

I wake up in a cold sweat and all my eyes can see is the metal box I'm trapped in.  The only light illuminating the box is coming from above me.  My fingers run across the edges of where the light is pouring in and find hinges, letting me know it's a door.  I slam my hands against it, and the door budges a little.  There isn't any way for me to shuffle around to kick the door open so I throw more power through my hands.  After quite a few attempts, I finally bust the door open.

Crawling out of the box with my lungs fighting for a breath of fresh air, I land on the floor down in the morgue of Beacon Hills Hospital.  I don't have any energy to push myself up off the ground.  The months without any sleep catching up with me and making my body too weak to carry myself.  However, a sound comes from outside the room and pure adrenaline shoots through my body in a fight or flight reaction.  I jump to my feet and lean on one of the examination tables to balance myself.

The doors open on the other side of the room, but no one appears behind them.  They close after enough time to let something inside.  My knees shake in fear of being alone with whatever's on the other side of this table.  Harsh breathing awaits only a few feet away.  I swallow my fear and hesitation and step around the table.  My entire body begins shaking at the sight of the girl crouched on the floor.  Her ribs are hanging out of her chest and her blood is still dripping fresh.  My shoulders drop, and I can't help the cry from leaving my mouth.

"Please," my voice is shaky, "Tara, please.  I'm sorry."  She starts crawling towards me with such speed, I fall on my backside.  Tara's on top of me before I can get back up on my feet, although I wouldn't have been able to in the first place.  Her eyes are so similar to Theo's, it's a darker shade.  She glares down at me with them before looking down at my chest.

My head rests against the floor in defeat as she lifts her hand.

Words flood out of my mouth before I can stop them, "It's okay.  You don't have to stop." 

I've spoken the words before, in other dreams, but I don't know remember ever thinking about saying them.  As if they were automatic, or said for me.

Her hand presses in through the middle and breaks my ribs, piercing my lungs, just to get to my heart.  I can feel her fingers grip it.  My lungs feel like they're getting water instead of air, and I can feel something climbing up my throat.  I don't know what it is, but Tara looks at me like she knows.  Like she's seen it happen a thousand times.  I can't breathe.  She knows.  I can't breathe.  Just take it.  End it.

She rips my heart out.

I lurch out gripping the steering wheel in front of me.  The entire truck shakes as I jump awake.  My hands find the spot on my chest where Tara had stuck her hand inside, the spot hurts now as I try to catch my breath.  I check the time on the dashboard and find I've only fell asleep for five minutes after arriving to the school.  My eyes turn forward out the windshield and Tara is standing in front of the hood of my truck.  I slam my hands against the steering wheel repeatedly as tears start to fall down my cheeks.

"Just take it!  If you want my heart, just come and take it!" I scream at her.  "I'm so tired.  Please!"  I lean my head against my steering wheel as my shoulders shake in both fear and sobs.  The driver's side door is ripped open and I only have enough time to see Liam's blue eyes through the blur before he pulls me into a hug.

"Hey, what's wrong?  What's going on?" He asks as he wraps his arm around me.

"I-I fell asleep and-and I-"  Liam doesn't let me finish as he hushes me.  I cry into his chest and my arms wrap themselves around him.  After a few minutes, I pull away and wipe the tear streaks off my cheeks.  "This isn't who I want to be anymore, Liam.  I can't go to sleep.  I can hardly function because of it.  I don't know how to fix this."

Liam looks at me with a hopelessness in his eyes.

"Maybe you should talk to Scott's mom.  She could probably help get you a full night's sleep," he suggests.

I shake my head and say, "I don't know if I can.  Not after what happened between Scott and I."

"Did you forget who raised Scott?  If Scott is understanding, don't you think Melissa will be too?"

I stare at him for a few seconds before nodding my head.

"Yeah, I guess."

"You need sleep, Luna.  There's no way around it."

"Thanks, kid.  I don't what I'd do without you."

"Probably have a mental breakdown and drop out of school," he states jokingly.  He helps me out of my truck and walks me in to school.

"Honestly though, I probably would."

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