CHAPTER 13
ASTRA POV
A scream split the night air. I burst out of bed and, in my boy shorts and tank I ran to the sores or the screaming. As I passed Ren and Kishan's room, they were bursting out, in human form.
We made it to Kelsey's room. The two of them starting rushing towards Kelsey's bed but I got there first and I mouthed to them, stay away from her, or else. Needless to say, they stayed away.
Kelsey was thrashing in bed muttering, "No! Stop! Please, Ren, stop!"
I glared at Ren but he looked as confused as I felt. "Please, stop! Kishan!" I was cradling Kelsey in my arms. Tears poured down her face and soaked my shirt, making it almost see-through. Well that was awkward. But no one seemed to notice.
"Wake her up, Astra!" Ren and Kishan said at the same time.
I shook my head.
"Why?" Again they said it at the same time. That was annoying.
"Didn't your mommy ever teach you not to wake a sleepwalker? This is the same thing."
The Kelsey thrashed in my arms and we turned our attention back to her. She was still screaming her head off.
"Please, Li, stop! Mom, Dad, stop! Then she sobbed out: "I won't tell you, no matter what! I WON'T! You can't make me!"
All of a sudden she jolted awake. She didn't see me in the darn but felt my arms around her shoulders and she jumped up and somersaulted off the bed, landing on her feet.
I felt a bit of pride: I had taught her that. But I raised my hands even though I knew she couldn't see. I sat up on my knees on her bed
"Kelsey, it's me. You don't need to be afraid. Kishan the lights please."
Kishan switched on a light revealing the scene before us: Kelsey was pressed up against the glass of her window, skin paler than I thought possible with that kind of tan, eyes wild and terrified. But she wasn't looking at me. She was glancing back and forth from Ren, Kishan, the door to the hallway, and the door to the bathroom.
Suddenly I pieced it together. She thought Ren and Kishan were going to hurt her and she was calculating exits just like I had taught her.
"Kelsey," I said and she glanced at me. Her eyes locked with mine, and she visibly relaxed.
"Astra," she said.
I got down off the bed and went over to her. I put my arms around her shoulders and led her to the bed and sat her down. She was still watching Rena and Kishan like a gazelle watches a lion when it knows it's about to die.
"Kelsey, Ren and Kishan aren't going to hurt you."
"You promise?" she whispered like a scared little girl and looked up at me.
I rubbed her shoulders, "I promise. They won't hurt you."
Kelsey relaxed against me. She rested her head on my shoulder and I rested my head on hers.
Ren and Kishan came closer. Ren reached out to cup Kelsey's face. As soon as he touched her, she rolled backwards off the bed, "You promised!" She shouted at me before ducking behind the bed.
I went around the bed to her. I knelt down next to her and again coaxed her to stand. I cupped her face in my hand and gently forced her to look at me.
"Kelsey, Ren and Kishan won't hurt you," I whispered, "You don't have to be scared of them. It was just a nightmare."
Ren and Kishan behind me tried their best not to look intimidating. Just then I realized they weren't wearing shirts. It was all I could to help Kelsey and not stare at their well-defined chests. Out of the corner of my eyes, I counted. Kishan had an eight-pack!
Anyway back to the problem at hand. When I said nightmare, she started to cry, tears streaming down her face. She sank down to the floor and wrapped her arms around her knees. I sat down next to her, Ren sat on her other side, and Kishan sat on the bed behind her, massaging her shoulders.
"It wasn't a nightmare," she sobbed, "It was a memory."
"A memory of what?" I asked gently.
"Well, the first part was a dream: the four of us were all captured by Lokesh. You three were tied up and he told me to decide which person in the room would die. Besides him, of course. Ren thought I was going to pick Kishan to live and Kishan thought I was going to pick Ren to live."
"And who did you pick?" Kishan asked in a strained voice.
"Me."
Silence.
"You picked… you?" I asked.
"Yes."
"In your dream you sacrificed so we could escape." Ren stated.
"If it meant saving the three of you, I would do it in real life, too."
More silence. Then Kelsey continued. "The second part was a memory of my time with Lokesh. He would torture me while looking like Ren, Kishan, Mr. Kadam, Nilima, my parents, my grandparents, even Li."
"That's why were so scared of us when you woke up." Kishan clarified.
"Yes. Kishan? Ren?"
"Yes," they said simultaneously.
"You have to be needing to be tigers, I'm fine, so you can change if it hurts to be men."
"We have ten minutes left," Ren said.
"The could you guys go find shirts? It's quite distracting."
They smiled. That was our Kelsey. "We're going to go back to be now." They left.
I was about to go, too, when Kelsey grabbed my hand. "Can you stay with me? Please?"
I smiled, "Sure. But let me go change my shirt."
I went picked out a different tank and then climbed in with Kelsey, just like I did with my little sister when she had a nightmare.
As we were falling asleep, Kelsey told me exactly what Lokesh said. Before I could respond, she was asleep.
It took me a while to sleep after that, Lokesh's words ringing through my head:
I will take you on the cold floor in front of them. They will be helplessly watching me make you mine.
I had a thousand words in my mind for that bastard.