applause.
“This didn’t happen!”
I screamed inside my head.
“None of this happened. This isn’t how it goes!”
He moved closer. In his teeth the rose was no longer a rose, and I stared at it before I realized what it was.
A bone.
Vincent brandished it like a prize, then tossed it away. “Too much?” he asked. “You didn’t like my performance, I see. No clapping. I’m upset by this, Abbey.”
He planted a hand on my back. Forced me toward the bed again.His features changed. Eyes turned huge and black, as craggy, dark wings sprouted from his shoulders and his teeth grew long and sharp.
“And now, the pièce de résistance!” he shouted.
He threw back the covers. The candles swelled, the flowers were overwhelming, and there … was a body …
I sat straight up in bed, my blood racing and my face covered in sweat. My heart was thumping so hard, it felt like it was going to burst right out of my chest. The clock said 3:12 a.m., but that couldn’t be right. I’d been asleep for only a couple of minutes.
I kept staring at it. Blinking. Trying to bring it into focus and force it to make sense.
“Abbey?”
I heard Caspian’s voice, but I couldn’t see him. My eyes weren’t adjusted to the dark yet, and I had the strangest feeling that he was floating all around me.
“Are you okay?” he whispered.
My dream came flooding back, and suddenly the room seemed smaller. The air thinner. My chest tightened painfully, and I tried to suck in a breath. “Caspian? Where are you?”
A faint tingle on my arm flared, then died.
“I’m here,” he said softly. “Right here. It was only a dream. Are you okay?”
“I don’t know. … Stay with me.”
“I will. I’m here.” Moonlight filled the room, and I could see the worried look on his face. “Was it about Vincent?”
“Yes.”
Caspian got up and turned on a small lamp. Instantly I felt better as the shadows receded and light flooded the room.
My T-shirt was clammy, and I pulled it away from me. Swinging my feet to one side of the bed, I stood up. “I’m going to change. I’ll be right back,” I said.
I padded over to the closet and pulled the door shut behind me. My stuffed animals were piled up in one corner, and I sat beside them, looking blankly at the wall. I must have been lost in my thoughts for a while, because a soft knock eventually came on the door, and then Caspian said, “Abbey? Is everything okay?”
I struggled to my feet and peeked out at him. “I’m okay. Just thinking about everything. I’m going to get changed right now. Be out in a minute.”
He nodded and closed the door. I went over to the pajama section of my closet and reached for a pair that was light blue and covered in white fluffy clouds. I slid them on, and then returned to bed.
Caspian sat down beside me. “Want to talk about it?”
“Yes.” I shivered. Then changed my mind. “No.” Drawing my feet up under me, I hugged my legs to my chest. “I don’t know.” I wound the sheet around my fingers. “I don’t even …” I shook my head.
“What?”
“It doesn’t do any good to talk about it. It was just a stupid dream. It doesn’t mean anything and it doesn’t change anything.”
“Sometimes it helps to talk things out.”
“But my dream didn’t make any
sense
.” I told him what I could remember of it. “In real life I didn’t cut Vincent with a piece of glass. Or even try to defend myself.”
“Maybe that’s
why
you had the dream,” he said. “To act out a different course of action.”
I laughed. “Yeah. Right. Because I have a hero complex.”
“It’s not a hero complex to want to defend yourself, Abbey. He came into your space and hurt you. You didn’t get the chance to do anything about it then, so let yourself do something about it now. Even if it is only in your dreams.”
“What I’d really like is to dream about saving Kristen,” I mused. “To stop her from meeting Vincent. Or going to the river.” I
“This didn’t happen!”
I screamed inside my head.
“None of this happened. This isn’t how it goes!”
He moved closer. In his teeth the rose was no longer a rose, and I stared at it before I realized what it was.
A bone.
Vincent brandished it like a prize, then tossed it away. “Too much?” he asked. “You didn’t like my performance, I see. No clapping. I’m upset by this, Abbey.”
He planted a hand on my back. Forced me toward the bed again.His features changed. Eyes turned huge and black, as craggy, dark wings sprouted from his shoulders and his teeth grew long and sharp.
“And now, the pièce de résistance!” he shouted.
He threw back the covers. The candles swelled, the flowers were overwhelming, and there … was a body …
I sat straight up in bed, my blood racing and my face covered in sweat. My heart was thumping so hard, it felt like it was going to burst right out of my chest. The clock said 3:12 a.m., but that couldn’t be right. I’d been asleep for only a couple of minutes.
I kept staring at it. Blinking. Trying to bring it into focus and force it to make sense.
“Abbey?”
I heard Caspian’s voice, but I couldn’t see him. My eyes weren’t adjusted to the dark yet, and I had the strangest feeling that he was floating all around me.
“Are you okay?” he whispered.
My dream came flooding back, and suddenly the room seemed smaller. The air thinner. My chest tightened painfully, and I tried to suck in a breath. “Caspian? Where are you?”
A faint tingle on my arm flared, then died.
“I’m here,” he said softly. “Right here. It was only a dream. Are you okay?”
“I don’t know. … Stay with me.”
“I will. I’m here.” Moonlight filled the room, and I could see the worried look on his face. “Was it about Vincent?”
“Yes.”
Caspian got up and turned on a small lamp. Instantly I felt better as the shadows receded and light flooded the room.
My T-shirt was clammy, and I pulled it away from me. Swinging my feet to one side of the bed, I stood up. “I’m going to change. I’ll be right back,” I said.
I padded over to the closet and pulled the door shut behind me. My stuffed animals were piled up in one corner, and I sat beside them, looking blankly at the wall. I must have been lost in my thoughts for a while, because a soft knock eventually came on the door, and then Caspian said, “Abbey? Is everything okay?”
I struggled to my feet and peeked out at him. “I’m okay. Just thinking about everything. I’m going to get changed right now. Be out in a minute.”
He nodded and closed the door. I went over to the pajama section of my closet and reached for a pair that was light blue and covered in white fluffy clouds. I slid them on, and then returned to bed.
Caspian sat down beside me. “Want to talk about it?”
“Yes.” I shivered. Then changed my mind. “No.” Drawing my feet up under me, I hugged my legs to my chest. “I don’t know.” I wound the sheet around my fingers. “I don’t even …” I shook my head.
“What?”
“It doesn’t do any good to talk about it. It was just a stupid dream. It doesn’t mean anything and it doesn’t change anything.”
“Sometimes it helps to talk things out.”
“But my dream didn’t make any
sense
.” I told him what I could remember of it. “In real life I didn’t cut Vincent with a piece of glass. Or even try to defend myself.”
“Maybe that’s
why
you had the dream,” he said. “To act out a different course of action.”
I laughed. “Yeah. Right. Because I have a hero complex.”
“It’s not a hero complex to want to defend yourself, Abbey. He came into your space and hurt you. You didn’t get the chance to do anything about it then, so let yourself do something about it now. Even if it is only in your dreams.”
“What I’d really like is to dream about saving Kristen,” I mused. “To stop her from meeting Vincent. Or going to the river.” I
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