A flash of sharp bloody fangs, a piercing clang and a blood curdling shriek. Tessa's whole body seized with terror as she screamed out into the night. She sat up quickly, her arms and legs flailing to kick off the vicious creature, in an attempt to loosen his grip on her shaking body. As her eyes snapped open though, her stomach flipped and sunk as she fell back into reality and realised that she wasn't lying in a room filled with Vampires, but was safe in bed at the Institute. Her head span slightly and bright dots encumbered her vision as she waited for the dark room to come into focus.
Every night for the past few weeks Tessa had awoken from her slumber with a start. The uncomfortable stickiness of her sweaty skin under the heavy blankets, her pillow - damp from her tears - and the high pitched scream which left her lips were all a part of this daily routine. She was constantly flung from her nightmare by the sheer terror of the situation.
Tonight was no exception.
Tessa awoke to her dark room, it's only source of light being the faint stream of moonlight which slipped through a thin gap in the curtains. It splayed across the fabrics of her bed, emitting a soft glow from the silky material. Tonight she could hear her mind ticking like clockwork as it tried to take in her surroundings. There was something not quite the same.
With scrunched up eyes, Tessa rubbed at her temple with her slim fingers, trying to make sense of it all. Then she realised. For the first night in weeks it wasn't a cold and imposing silence which met Tessa's ears, but a sultry range of beautiful notes which flowed smoothly through her mind. Usually after the screaming she would be forced to relive her nightmares over, and over again as the battles replayed in her head. But tonight there was some other sound which kept her grounded; a silky drone of music which allowed her mind to remain in this world.
Slipping her tiny feet from beneath the covers, Tessa gently lifted herself out of bed. Her night dress billowed in slow movements as she glided across the cold wooden floor. Her toes curled in the frosty air, but Tessa thought nothing of it as she moved towards her bedroom door.
Once in the hall, Tessa paused for a moment, listening for the magical sound. She heard it, echoing dimly from her left. A spark of curiosity formed in her mind as she continued to follow the musical trail.
Eventually she came to a door she knew only too well; that of Jem. It was slightly ajar, the catch not having clicked shut properly. Moonlight escaped from his room to where Tessa stood in the hall. She cautiously tilted her head to peer through the tiny crack between the door and its wooden frame. And what she saw made her breathless.
There was Jem. His hair shone silver in the light of the moon, which in turn gave his skin a strange translucent effect. In one hand he held his violin beneath his chin, while his other moved swiftly through the air, gently drawing the bow it held along the taut strings.
He seemed so at ease and in control. This boy – No, this Shadowhunter – in front of her was anything but the ill ensued Jem she had seen only this morning. This was the Jem she knew, the one she cared so dearly for, the one she wanted to save from the terrible fate which awaited him. Not wanting to disturb his peace, Tessa gathered the thin skirt of her night dress and, with her back to the wall, slid to a rest on the floor.
As Tessa listened to the lustrous tunes emitting from the door beside her she found herself falling into a dream state. Her lids felt heavy as they fluttered; open, then closed. Every muscle in her body relaxed so that her head fell gently to her chest. After solid weeks of nightmare-ridden sleep, Tessa was finally able to forget the blood and the angst enough to fall into a state of pure and wonderful bliss.
Unaware of anything around her by this point, Tessa did not realise that the music has stopped, or that the gap in the door had begun to widen slowly, letting more moonlight spill into the hall.
"Tessa?" said a soft voice, as beautiful as the music itself had been. "Tessa, what are you doing in the hall? It's freezing out here!"
Tessa forced her tired eyes to open and lifted her face to find herself staring at Jem's worried features. She mumbled something unintelligible before her eyes closed once more. "You can't stay out here, Tessa. You'll catch an awful cold."
"..Uh…too tired." was all she could manage in her sleepy state.
"Come on" The next thing Tessa felt were a set of surprisingly strong arms slipping beneath her tiny form to lift her easily.
A small thought of embarrassment flashed across her mind as she remembered that she was dressed in nothing more than her nightdress, which was rather inappropriate given where she was currently situated; but the thought lasted mere seconds as her tired brain numbed itself.
Jem placed her gently gingerly on the bed. Her eyes opened in the dim light and she mumbled "No. Jem, I can't…"
"Of course you can." He rebutted, collecting the pile of plush sheets from the end of the bed. He pulled the blankets up to her chin, tucking her in to the warm mass.
"I must head back to my room." Tessa whispered sleepily, and made as though to get up, but Jem placed one hand on her shoulder and held her where she lay. "You need to sleep, Tessa. You look like you haven't closed your eyes in a week."
"You're not far off," Tessa smiled. She could feel herself being pulled back into the pillows as her body became heavy. "Where will you sleep?" she asked with concern, trying to fight off the onslaught of tiredness.
"Don't worry about me; I'll sleep on the floor if I feel tired. But for now I'm wide awake. As for you however…" His voice trailed off into nothing as Tessa's subconscious took over.
The beautiful music started up once more, pulling her deeper through the maze of apparitions. She was walking slowly along the paved footpath of the bridge. Water glimmered below her in the moonlight. Nervous butterflies flittered in her stomach as she though about the party this evening where she was bound to embarrass herself in one way or another. She paused, folding her arms across the balustrade and leaning down to rest her head against her forearm. She stared out to the waters; so quiet and dark. There was something magical about them; something mysterious. A voice came from behind her and she turned, surprised that she was not alone. Her lips spread into a smile as she spotted a certain silvery haired boy. She called him over and he smiled back. With one are protectively on her waist, he allowed Tessa to lean out over the water. With eyes closed, she flew over the supple waves. Retreating back to the bridge, she revelled in the way his hand remained perched on the old stone wall, his fingers barely brushing hers.
The scene changed. She was dancing, in the huge ornate ball room of the Institute. Pretty girls in magnificent dresses swirled around her. Boys with black tailed coats lifted them high into the air. Tessa twirled on the spot, her own partner holding tightly to her hand and waist as he led her through the crowd. 1…2…3…1…2…3. The music flowed over her in a constant rhythm, her heart falling into sync. She looked up from beneath her long lashes as her partner withdrew his hand from hers, placing it securely on her waist and lifted her into the air. Tessa giggled as the strong arms brought her down into the safety of his embrace. She stared into his sparkling eyes; his silvery hair glistened in the light from the candles all around.
Now Tessa sat in her room, carefully pulling out the last of the pins and combs from her hair. The candlelight flickered before her as the last of her brown tresses fell from its place in her bun. Tonight had been wonderful; the time of her life. And she hadn't embarrassed herself, not even once. There came a soft knock at the door. She called out for them to enter, and upon turning to see who it was, she spotted her own silver haired prince. The black coat hung loosely from his shoulders, his shirt untucked from his dress pants. She smiled ecstatically and before her mind had time to think, she was walking swiftly towards him, and as he took her into his arms he kissed her lips softly. She responded, moving with him as emotion took over.
Somewhere in Tessa's conscious mind she registered that the music had stopped. Her mind swayed on the verge of awakening, but she resisted, wanting for this dream to last longer.
"Goodnight Tessa" whispered a voice from far away, as though from the other side of a wall, "Sweet dreams". A small pressure against her lips was enough for Tessa to know that sometimes a dream doesn't have to stay a dream.