Married Into The Mafia *Undergoing Re-editing*

A Nightmare

--Eloise--

It was dark...

And, I felt heavy.

Where was I again...?

"Eloise..."

I know that voice...I know it very well...

Cooper.

I snapped my eyes open into a world of colour and light. The picture in front of me, painted to perfection as I know it. The way to my house from school.

A hand obscured it, waving for my attention. I blinked to readjust myself back into reality. My eyes traveled over to my left and took in the features of the boy that I liked. He raised an eyebrow and I winced at the stroke of an oncoming headache. "You okay there? I lost you for a minute."

I took in the sound of his voice, as if they were fragments of my memories, but still so clear and real. With a furrow of my eyebrows, I shook my head to rid myself of this cloudy fog inside. Why had just felt as though I had been dreaming this entire time? A nightmare. "Yep. All good...just...taking in the moment, I guess," I murmured under my breath. Cooper chuckled lightly and scratched his hair in the charming way he always had. Strangely, it made me feel nostalgic and saddened in a way that I couldn't understand. Once more, a hard pulse in my head stirred a dizzy stumble to my step as we walked beside each other. I pushed it away, unfamiliar with this sullen throb in my chest. Why was I feeling this way? "Sorry, what were you saying?"

"Oh, um...just...you know...about relationships and stuff," he muttered in embarrassment. I peeked over to observe the rosy tint flushing onto his cheeks. Oh. He's blushing. My heart stood still and unfazed by what I otherwise would have cherished. Why was I feeling so disassociative? "And, then you said that you don't mind a guy that doesn't give his girl all his attention..."

I widened my eyes in recollection of uttering such a statement. Weird. I think now would be the time that I would frazzle over my mistake and correct myself and yet... 

"Oh...right," I whispered with a cautious glance around our surroundings. Everything was as it was. My neighbourhood. My house was just up ahead. Discomfort in the form of emptiness sunk into my heart. My house...that's right. I had just been gone for a day and yet, why did it seem as though I had not been home for so long?

"Actually..." I paused my thoughts to glance back to Cooper. "Now that I know you're interested..." He averted his eyes, clutching onto his hair to ease the nerve. I knitted together my eyebrows. This...seems familiar. "My family is kinda going on a little celebratory trip to our beach vacation house and..." A sense of dread settled in as I took notice of us approaching my driveway. Wait...stop...something doesn't feel right... "My mum kinda wants me to bring a girl since all my siblings are bringing their partners as well..." A nauseating bubbling radiated in my stomach. I felt like throwing up because of it. I was sweating just looking at the front door of my house. Something...is in there... Something that's making me anxious... I felt terrified to go inside my own house. "I was just wondering..." NO! No, I hate this! I don't want to go inside! 

A sharp, hot, and iron pain rippled through the center of my brain, flinching my fingers into fisting the locks of my hair. "NO!" I squealed, backing away from the driveway. "No, no, no, NO!" Cooper rushed over to me in a panic and held onto my shoulders.

"Eloise, are you okay?!" I held my mouth, feeling bile creep up into it. I'm gonna be sick. My head was pounding at the thought of going inside my house. Something dreadful was going to happen. I could feel that entering this house...my house...would be the start of something truly horrible. 

I have to get away from here! Just take me away from here!

I grasped onto Cooper's arm and shook my head. "Cooper, let's just catch the bus over to the city," I sobbed out, a nasty croak rumbling in my dried throat. He looked confused, unsure of what to do.