Keeping Her Safe

The man in the shadows

If you know who it is at the end, please don't say anything, I want to leave people hanging even though most people would know already. Thank you, Rotter Black

It had been a wee since I had the dream and every night so far he was there for me in my sleep. The letters were still on my bedside table not opened even though Misha kept telling me in my dream to open one.

“Why haven’t you read any of the letters?” he asked me as we walked down the street in one of my dreams. “They are meant to help you,” he said with his hands in his jean pockets as he looked over at me.

“What is the point of reading them? I don’t even know who sent them,” I said kicking a small rock on the sidewalk.

“Does it really matter who they are from? Whoever gave them to you is trying to help, Nicole.” We stopped in front of a small store as we watched a couple shopping with some friends. The lady looked kinda like me and the guy was definitely an older Misha.

“Why are you always in my dreams?” I asked without looking away from the front window of the store.

“One, because it’s your dream and you want me here no matter how much I’m getting on your nerves right now; and two, because I’m here to help you.” He said as he began to walk off but at the last minute he turned around and planted a kiss on my forehead.

That dream was two days ago and he wasn’t there when I needed him last night. He keeps the bad guys away, and since he wasn’t there last night they were after me.  I was at school going to class when they came out of a class room with their guns. According to Tara I was screaming in my sleep, which I hadn’t done since the night I fell off the couch.

All day everyone had been watching me from the corner of their eye like I will have a break down, which I haven’t had yet. We were at Kennedy’s studio when Tara finally asked if I was ok.

“Yeah, why?” I asked looking up from my science book.

“You haven’t seemed happy today, what’s wrong? Was it your dream last night?”

“Kinda and kinda not,” I said marking my page and putting the book down.  “They were at school this time,” I said looking out the window as Tara got up. “I’m tired of people feeling sorry for me, I think therapy is needed.” Tara stopped where she was and looked shocked.

“I thought I would never hear you say that, we have wanted you to get some but didn’t want to make you do something you don’t want to,” Tara said sitting back down.

“That shouldn’t be the reason, if you really care about me you would make me go even if I don’t want to,” I snapped, losing control of my feelings.

“What else happened in the dream?” she asked. I looked over at her and I could tell that she knew something else happened in it. I don’t get sad from my dreams, I get scared but she could see sadness in my eyes. “What happened?”

“He wasn’t there; he has been there every night so far for a whole week and then the other night I got mad at him in my dream and he wasn’t there to keep the guys away like he always does,” I said crying into my hands.

“Who is he? Who are you talking about?” Tara asked getting up again and came over to sit down by me.

“You will laugh, I know you,” I said moving away from her. “I don’t even know why I’m telling you this,” I said getting up and going to the counter to get a piece of candy from a bowl.

“Nicole, who was it? I won’t laugh at you.”

“Since last week Misha has been in my dreams every night, he has been there to protect me from the guys with the guns. But I got kinda mad in my last dream and he left, he wasn’t there last night to protect me from the guys,” I said with my back still to her.

She came up behind me and wrapped her arms around my neck before letting go and walking to the back room. “We are heading home early, Nicole needs to rest some,” Tara said from the door way.

“Are you sure? Do you want me to come with you guys?” she asked turning from her computer screen to look at Tara.

“We’ll be fine, I have a phone anyway,” I heard she say. A few minutes later we were out the front door.  Tara was talking about a date that she was going on with Miles that night and she was going on and on about what to wear. I zoned out when she got to what pair of shoes to wear with the outfit as we passed a rundown building.

I hit someone’s arm as we walked down the side walk and I looked up to say sorry when I saw who it was.  I stopped where I was as they walked right passed me and then they stopped. I turned to look as Tara kept walking, not realizing I had stopped. The three guys turned around and gave an evil grin when they realized who I was. I started to run in the other directions and looked over my shoulder to see the guys running after me.  While trying to get away I tried to dodge people that were walking by. People behind me yelled as the guys pushed their way through the crowd after me. Why hasn’t Tara realized that I wasn’t with her? I ran by one building when someone pulled me aside and into the alleyway between the two buildings.

Someone had grabbed me around the waist and covered my mouth to keep me from screaming. My back was against their chest and I could tell it was a guy by the lean muscles.  I was breathing hard against their hand as the guys ran by and we waited for a few minutes to be on the safe side. When we were sure that the guys were gone, the person that saved me let go. Without looking at who it was, I turned around and hid my face in their chest. They wrapped their arms around me as I cried into their chest and then after letting me cry my eyes out they let me go. I didn’t look up until they lifted my face up and I thought I had died.