Fleeting on Dragonfly Wings

Nightmares

I sat up in my bed, my room claustrophobically small. I looked down to see I'm wearing a grey shirt and dark green pants, the clothes my mother had bought me. No. Not here. I'm back to where I've come from. I could see everything as I left it, the knife in the wall, the books on the floor. I am uninjured however, only finding the same pain in my chest and jaw from the last few days.

How did I come home?

If you could even call it that.

"Boy!" my father calls up the stairs. 

My heart freezes solid. My stomach is a million knots jumbled together. My mind is spinning. I get to my feet, dizzied. How did I get here? Why am I here? I still move, knowing making him wait would be far worse. 

"Nice to have you home again, boy," my father snarled.

I look towards my family at the dinner table. They haven't changed a bit. Shouldn't my sisters have gotten older? Analeise should be at least fourteen by now, finding her interests in people. Maybe getting her first kiss. This isn't how they should be.

"Boy," my father reels back.

All their faces turn to me, reflecting myself on them. They all look like me. I shudder.

But I'm stronger now. 

My father lands his fist into the wall as I duck. He's not phased as he poises himself to hit me again. I take a step back. He misses.

"You could only land a punch once, huh?" he sneers at me.

That's right. I hit him I hit him I hit him I hit him. No wonder he brought me back like this. He wanted to probably kill me, for his revenge. I stood my ground, not giving an inch to any emotion I felt. Here, I was invincible, if I never let doubt or fear cloud my face. 

I was stronger now. 

He lunged at me, grabbing me around the waste. I had tried to fly, to move out of his way, but I discovered I couldn't. What was happening? He slammed me into the wall, my body crumbling to the floor. My one wing shattered, breaking across the floor, scattering. I bit my lip so hard I drew blood, trying to contain my scream. It hurt so badly. He landed a swift kick to my ribs, my body curling up further. 

"That one time, boy," he shook his head.

I moved onto my shoulders, trying to get myself up. He grabbed the back of my collar, lifting me off the ground. 

"Now, you'll see where that got you," he threw me across the floor, deeper down the hallway. 

I felt hands wrap around my wrists, pinning me down. I looked to see Sister Claire, Titus, Salvador, and even Analeise, all holding me to the floor. How could they? My father lifted the cane from his office, a gift from his great-grandfather, one we had always been forbidden to touch. The end of the chokecherry cane sat a dragonfly, poised over a large yellow gem. Under the gem, was an eagle. This was to show that even the small could crush and contain the large, just as the Nocturne Eve held themselves over the Fretela Star Fae so long long long ago. 

He raised the cane over me. Thwack. Right into my skull. My vision blurred. He brought it down again. Thwack. Again again. Thwack thwack. Again again again again again again again. Thwack thwack thwack thwack thwack thwack thwack. 

Thwackthwackthwackthwackthwackthwackthwackthwackthwackthwackthwack.

Each time it rose it came down with more of my blood. My entire body ached. My vision was so fuzzy, my breath so shallow I thought I might be dead. 

"Caius," a voice echoed. It sounded like Sister Claire.

"CAIUS!" Salvador yelled.

I fell from the bed to the floor, my shoulder slamming against the carpet. I opened my eyes, getting a straight vision under my bed, which was stuffed with miscellaneous nothings. My skin was coated with the sheen of sweat, my breathing so fast as if I had run a marathon. I brought my knees up to my chest as tears spilled from my eyes. Every time, he got closer and closer to killing me. The nightmares came back to haunt me, coming at random intervals in my life.

"Caius," Salvador was peering over the side of my bed. He reached a hand down.

"Don't touch me!" I shouted, pushing his hand away.

I quickly covered my face. I couldn't let him see me like this. Why did he have to be here when my father came for me again? Those red eyes haunting my dreams. I couldn't stop crying, my breath shaking, the tears drip drip dripping into my hands, onto the carpet. My body hurt, though from a phantom of pain. The only thing that really did scream was my chest, still not fully healed and probably worse off thanks to hitting the floor and my jaw, which still ached from being punched by Kane.

I felt Salvador's hand on my shoulder. I pushed him again with as much force as I could muster, it hitting my bedside table. It snapped me back to reality. I was still alive, laying on my floor, Salvador in my bed. I hurt him I hurt him I hurt him I hurt him.

"I'm sorry," I choked.

"Ya are all 'ight, love," Salvador was too kind.

"Are," I coughed, choking. "Are my wings okay?"

"'Ey're fine," his hand touched them, letting me know they were still there. 

I didn't move this time. I hurt him. I heard Salvador get off the bed, walking around. He lifted me in his arms, bringing me to the other side of the bed. I kept my face hidden. He laid me down on his side of the bed, which was dry, warm, filled with the smell of him sleeping. His scent calmed me, I found it easier to breathe. He laid down beside me, in my puddle of sweat. His hand was in my hair, soothing my head, calming me. I slowly lowered my hands, letting him see my face festered with crying. I know I was a disgusting sight like this. 

"I'm sorry," I said again, much too quiet.

"Ya are fine, love," Salvador assured me. 

He went to move his hand away, but I caught his wrist. I held his hand over my ear, my hair and my neck, an odd meetup of them. I could see the dark purple ink of the symbol on his wrist. I thought they were black but from here, I could tell it was colored. Sal pulled me close to him, my head falling into his chest. My breath reflected off his skin. I closed my eyes, feeling so calm, so protected. Maybe it wasn't the worst having him here.

"I've always got ya, Caius," Salvador whispered.