Fleeting on Dragonfly Wings

Let Me In

I was floating in a space covered in stars. I wasn't quite sure where I was, just floating. There were six stars in the space above me that glowed particularly bright. I stared at them, wondering what they were. They twinkled at me, as if to wave hello. I looked to see all of my clothes gone, my scars barred for the stars. I reached a hand towards the stars, allowing them to fall but they were too far out of my reach. 

Something touched my foot. I looked down, finding a snake wrapping itself around my ankle.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

"I'm you," the black snake continued to twist its way around me. "Who are you?"

"If you're me, then you should already know that," I tore him from my leg, holding him tightly in my hands. "What do you want from me?"

"I need you to let me in, Caius," the snake answered.

"Why the hell would I do that?"

"Because, I am you but you are a part of me."

"That makes no sense."

"You belong to me, Caius," the snake flicked its tongue at me, causing me to drop it in shock. 

"Stay away," I insisted.

"You can't make me do that," it hissed, slithering closer to me. 

"I can and I will. Back off."

"You cannot run," the snake's eyes started to glow, the same color as the six brightest stars. 

"Get away!" I shouted, moving my wings to push myself away from it. 

My wings did not move. I glanced back to see they had been pierced through by the tail of a large black snake. I was terrified. I stared towards the snake, finding it much larger than before, its eyes a throbbing red. Its body began to coil around my own.

"You cannot escape, Caius," the snake hissed. "This is your fate."

"Stop it," I grabbed at it with my hands. It was too wide now, I couldn't get a hold of the damn thing.

"Let me in, Caius," the snake demanded.

"No," I could barely breathe as it wrapped itself around my throat.

"Let me in, Caius."

It squeezed. The pressure around my chest reminded me of too much. My teacher, my father, the loud incessant noises of pain. I lost the ability to breathe, finding air only being pushed from my lungs. I gritted my teeth, keeping my eyes closed. And then and then and then the hands were upon me, the bright red murderous eyes. I screamed, the snake then diving down my throat.

I shot up in my bed, breathing so fast. I scrambled for something, finding Salvador wasn't there. Fuck, he was on a mission again. I opened my hand, commanding a dagger to me. I sliced quickly down my thigh, the blood and the pain an instant return to reality. I winced, taking a deep breath to bring me back.

I could have sworn I saw a snake slither out my door. I grabbed a pair of pants, slipping into them. For a moment, I considered that I had no time, that my blood would dry to the pants and only make me bleed all over again if I removed them. I didn't care, in that instant. Knife in hand, I followed. The lights in the hallway were dim in the night but I could still make out the slithering black tail that crept further and further along the carpet. 

I reached the area where the hallways met up. A ball of slithering snakes danced upon the floor. They wanted me to dive in, to drown in them. To let them in. I raised my knife.

"Caius, what the hell are you doing?" Aelianna stumbled into the hall.

I looked her over. She was wearing only her underwear and a lacy top I could completely see through. She wasn't into boys though. I wondered what brought her out here.