Class of the Titans
Theresa's Nightmare
Theresa woke with a start. Her breathing ragged, pulling her. She started crying, her body shaking in hysteria. Jay raced in asking what was wrong, his voice high in panic. She told him of her nightmare…
She was running on a boardwalk. A wooden railing ran the full length of the boardwalk joining up ahead. In her dream, she was Atlanta.
Jay was running in front of her towards something dark. A dark silhouetted figure but Atlanta/Theresa could just make out flowing, fiery red hair in the dense moonlight. She ran faster, towards the shadowed form and gasped as she came close enough to see whom it was.
It was Theresa.
Though it couldn't have been. It was she but she was different. As she came close enough to see her own face, she shivered. She looked insane and that was putting it lightly. Her hair was blowing fiercely in a dangerous breeze; her clothes seemed heavy as if they were wet. Strange. Her face was too pale and her features gaunt; this Theresa hadn't smiled for a long time.
Just as Atlanta/Theresa thought this Theresa smiled. Her smile was enough to give her Goosebumps of terror. Her bloodless lips pulled back over her teeth, almost in a grimace.
Jay was pleading with her, "Theresa, we can talk about this!" He yelled trying to reach for her.
She stood on the top rung of the railing that Atlanta/Theresa had notice earlier. Atlanta/Theresa didn't want to know what she was about to do.
"Jay I don't want to hear it!" Theresa screamed her voice a world of pain.
"I loved you Jay and you never loved me! I will never come back! If you are so caught up in Cronus and will stop at nothing and notice nothing until he is defeated, then you better recruit another team member because I'm not going to help YOU!" She screeched the last word with venom that lashed out and Jay visible winced.
"But Theresa, I DO love you!" He moaned pitifully.
"Really Jay?" She spoke coldly, no hope left in her. "Well you're too late! Do you know how many times I tried Jay? Just to get you to see me? I wanted you Jay and you NEVER let me close enough to tell you!"
At this Jay started to speak but Theresa knew his lines off by heart. "Oh yes, Jay the hero, wanting to save the pathetically frail Theresa, boo hoo. I can take care of myself Jay! Since you never let me show you my love and you thought that if you held back you would protect me, I'll show you what your protection did! It burnt my heart Jay, burnt my heart. So now," she said her lips twitching, "I'm gonna burn!"
With that, she brought a match to her skin and everything clicked into place. Why Theresa was standing on a boardwalk about to jump into the water and drown herself when she was already wet…
Everything happened so fast. Theresa was crying and then she was on fire. Atlanta/Theresa heard Jay's broken howl, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
He raced towards her but Theresa jumped. A blood-curdling scream exploded into the air, escaping Theresa's lips.
Atlanta/Theresa screamed and inhaled the acrid scent of kerosene and burning flesh. Tears streamed down Atlanta/Theresa's face. She screamed in agony and pain. Why was this happening? Why the pain? The part of her that registered herself as Theresa felt the heat and the flames and the water not taking the pain away.
The Atlanta part of her screamed to no end, her heart breaking, thoughts, emotions and pain crushing her lungs, shattering her mind. Then that smell. It burned Atlanta/Theresa's nose, bile rising in her throat. Darkness fluttered at the edge of her clouded vision.
The last thing she saw was Theresa, Atlanta's best friend, herself; Theresa falling, flaming, the water sucking her up greedily. Then a darkness crowded her, blocking out the screams, the sirens, the crying, the smell, but not the burning image imprinted in her mind…