1
Erin
"Why? Why do you still think I love you? Especially with all of this running around, trying to save the world!"
"But, darling, I still love you."
"You don't love me! You only love adventure."
"No, that's not it. Please, dear, sit down. We can work this out."
"We can't work this out. We really can't. I suggest you leave this house before it gets too dark."
"But where will I go?"
"I don't care! Just get out of this house!"
Erin O'Brien woke with a start. Her heart was pounding and her chest was heaving. She gave a withering glance to the person beside her, a man she'd known since she was a child.
Instead of rolling over and giving the man a small kiss (like she normally would've done), Erin threw back her blanket and tiptoed out of the room, careful not to wake her lover. She padded down the hallway in her bare feet and stepped lightly into the bathroom. Upon turning on the lights, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror.
The dream had been a regular nightly disturbance as of late, causing Erin to lose much sleep, and it showed in her features. She was tired all of the time, her hair bedraggled, and huge dark circles encompassed her eyes.
"Oh, dear," Erin said softly to herself as she prodded her face. "How am I ever going to look good again? For goodness' sakes, I'm twenty-four years old, going on fifty-five!"
Erin sat down on the toilet and put her head in her hands. Why was the dream haunting her? Why now?
"I know why," she said bitterly. "This engagement has caused the demons from my past to return in my dreams."
Erin looked out the window and thought about the dream. Gosh, it was so long ago—they were only nineteen. Erin threw her lover out of the house due to his startling love for adventure and a taste for a dangerous lifestyle. They were supposed to get married, but Erin couldn't take it anymore.
Oh, why couldn't he have just agreed to settle down? Why couldn't he have decided to live a quiet life with Erin and, hopefully in a few years, children? He chose his lifestyle over Erin, and she was never able to forgive that.
Erin finally rose to her feet. It was almost daylight outside. She turned off the bathroom light and walked back down the hall to her bedroom, where her fiancée was still sleeping soundly. Erin picked up a ridiculously huge diamond ring from her bureau and placed it on her finger. She didn't particularly care for her engagement ring (especially since she didn't care for pretentious things), but her fiancée insisted upon it.
Still, it did look good on her, and it was quite pretty. Erin took the ring off and crawled back into bed, giving her lover a kiss on his shoulder.
I won't let this dream ruin my life, she thought firmly. I will be happy.
