Beyond the Border | ✔

10 | rule 150

RULE 150: OBEY THE COUNCIL ABOVE ALL ELSE

✷ C H A P T E R      T E N ✷

"Sage," a velvet voice whispered.

"You are mine, Sage," the voice taunted, possessively. A chill ran down my spine, as the startling words caused my breath to hitch in my chest. I was completely mesmerized by the unidentified voice. My hands yearned to reach out and find the source. It was like the voice was so close yet millions of miles away at the same time. Where was it coming from? More importantly: who was it coming from?

"Only a matter of time till you are mine in every sense of the word."

My body heated up, and I tried to will my mind to focus. Focus. In a foggy haze, I couldn't get a grip on my bearings. Where was I? I tried to look down at my hands, but everything was dark.

I screamed.

And, then I screamed again like my life depended on it.

Startled, I jolted up in bed, my breathing rapid — coming as quick pants. My body was drenched in sweat, eyes popping open. The voice had been so familiar yet so foreign at the same time; I was having trouble keeping my head on straight.

Who could it have been?

I clutched my wrist, as my body's knee-jerk reaction was to spring up from my slumber, causing my arms to flail about. My wrist ended up hitting the wall. I winced instantly, finding it hard to bite back another scream.

My eyes were glued shut.

The nightmare invading my life recently was never-ending. My dreams — now nightmares (at least I think) — did not relieve me of this terrible reality, and it was looking like I could never catch a break. What had I done to deserve this?

As my breathing started to normalize, I didn't want to think about whose voice taunted my dreams. It made me uneasy. It made my toes curl up and my stomach clench; it made my stomach rustle and my senses alert. No matter how hard I tried, I could not shake this feeling.

I could not shake him.

Him. I would have scoffed at myself if I wasn't currently wincing in pain, and if I also was not currently having somewhat of a whole life crisis. I couldn't dare think of his name, afraid he would invade my thoughts. Would be able to find me through my dreams? The thought felt ridiculous, but it lingered nevertheless.

Being unsure of the capabilities of the supernatural, I decided it was too risky to think of my time on the Outside. The Outside was so foreign. By now, the charm of having been in the presence of wondrous technology had faded off, leaving me with just the feeling of dread.

I was as good as dead.

I gulped, my mind turning into a thousand different directions, but I was too tired to go down any single path of thought. Not knowing how long I had slept for — there were no windows in the room I was lodged in — I decided to try giving sleep another chance.

As the once searing pain in my wrist had dulled, my head was nodding back and forth, getting ready to surrender to sleep at any moment. This could all just be a dream. And, I hoped that turned out to be true.

Sleep never came to me, however, a stranger did.

Not even bothering with a knock, someone entered my room and abruptly flipped up the light switch. My eyes stung at the flooding of light; I was still not used to electricity and artificial lighting.