Amy lay staring at the ceiling as her brain went a million miles a minute. She and Michael had stayed up late whilst she studied and he researched dirty things and in the end, they both fell asleep in his bed. But she hadn't been able to sleep long and now she was wide awake. She had a lot going on inside her head. She was anxious about her test with Myrtle since the woman was such a hard ass but she had a deep need to please her. And she was thinking about how things were going with Michael. It felt like things had moved with a fast pace since the day he got here. It had all been a whirlwind and she never really got a moment to reflect on it all. Now they were actually trying this relationship thing and if she was honest, most of her was terrified. He was the Antichrist for fuck sake. What if eventually he got sick of her not being able to love him? What if he felt hurt by her? What would he do? She felt like she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders and it was a heavy burden to bear. Aside from that. She felt relieved. She had finally given in to the need to be with him. She no longer had to deny herself or him how she was really feeling. She didn't have to fight the urge to kiss him or soak in his warmth. He brought her a comfort she had never known and she was trying to cling on to that instead of the fear that was clawing its way out of her.
She heaved a heavy sigh, glancing over to the sleeping boy next to her. He looked so angelic in that moment. She couldn't believe he had such a dirty side to him when most of the time he was a blushing mess. She sat up and glanced over to the notebook he had written in earlier. She hadn't read it yet. He had been too embarrassed to let her read it whilst he was there. But now he was fast asleep and her curiosity was killing her. She was dying to know just what got the Antichrist off. She already had a few ideas by some of the things he'd already done. She grabbed the notebook as she leant back against the headboard, opening up it. His handwriting was so neat. Cursive and fancy. She felt like she was getting a sneak peek into what made him tick. Sexually at least. The rest of him was still a puzzle she hadn't solved.
Dominance. Well duh. She knew that one already. The dark side of him really liked to be in control and she enjoyed submitting to him. She put a tick next to that one.
Spanking? You, not me. She snorted how he had to specify that he wanted to spank her. The image of spanking him almost made her laugh out loud. She put a tick next to that one too.
Bondage. She quirked her brow imagining herself tied up at his mercy. She'd definitely be up for that. Another tick.
Knife play. I promise not to hurt you. It was a strangely sweet sentiment she had to admit. She hadn't ever done anything like that before but the idea of it was exhilarating. She nibbled her lip before she put a tick next to it.
Orgasm denial and control (for you). Fuck, yes please. She tingled all over and smirked to herself. He was so shy but she could practically taste his darker side coming out when he was writing this. She wondered if he got excited reading about all the kinks. She put a tick next to it like all the others. He had good taste, she had to admit.
Submission. Maybe. Her grin widened reading him admitting to liking her in control sometimes. She figured it was the sweeter side of him that liked a girl in control. It would be fun. She put a tick and a winky face next to it. When her eyes landed on the last one, she swallowed thickly as her heart thumped a little harder.
Blood. Doesn't have to be yours. Her brow rose thinking back to the time he had been eager to touch her when she was on her period and she wouldn't let him. 'Blood doesn't bother me'. It made her curious. Just what did he have in mind for this? She was unsure as she looked at it, but in the end she put a tick. Her curiosity was too strong about what he meant by this if she was honest. Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back and all of that.
She closed the book and set it back down before she lay down, hoping to get some sleep now. She had to be up early for this damn test and she wanted it over with. She closed her eyes as Michael snuggled closer to her in his sleep. He murmured something she couldn't understand before nuzzling her neck sweetly and it made her smile. His embrace always felt so warm and safe. He made her feel special. Her eyes drifted shut and she finally fell into a deep sleep.
The next time she woke it was to the alarm on her phone beeping at her. She never usually set her alarm. Her body clock just woke her up when she needed to get up. But her test was earlier than usual classes so she'd set it. She rolled onto her side, blindly groping Michaels nightstand to find it as he groaned next to her.
"What's that awful fucking noise?" he grumbled tiredly. She snorted as she opened her eyes and finally grabbed the phone and turned the alarm off.
"Sorry, my alarm. I have my test," she said as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. He reached out and grabbed her wrist, cracking one eye open as he pouted at her. It was adorable.
"Do you have to go?" he asked sadly. His voice was still thick from sleep and his hair was just everywhere.
"Yes. Unless I want Myrtle to come and kill me," she snorted as she wriggled from his grasp. If he begged her enough she would end up saying fuck it and stay here.
She jumped out of bed and walked to her wardrobe, still feeling his sleepy eyes on her. She grabbed some black jeans and a black t-shirt, not feeling like making too much of an effort today. She shucked off his shirt and grabbed some underwear from her drawers as she got herself dressed. When she was done, she went over to the vanity. He was laying there still watching her and as she caught his eye in the mirror, a sweet sleepy smile graced his lips. It made butterflies swarm her belly. She smiled back as she took her hair from the ponytail and brushed it. She decided to leave it down and with a quick coat of mascara, she was ready. She grabbed her books and walked over to his bed where he lay.
"I'll see you in class," she smiled, leaning down and kissing his head. He grabbed her before she moved away though and pulled her back down for a proper kiss. She smiled into it before she moved away.
"I'll miss you," he murmured softly. Her heart jumped and she blushed a little. He was so sweet it hurt sometimes.
"I'll miss you too," she replied, making him smile brightly at her.
She left before she ended up jumping back in bed and laying with him all day. They had Zoe's class after her test so it wasn't like she'd be away from him long. She'd never felt so clingy or needy before. She'd never felt anything like this. She dreaded what her next period would be like. She knew she was due one soon. She walked into the library to see Myrtle sat there waiting for her.
"There you are. I'm glad you came on time," the older woman smiled at her. Myrtle could be such a hard ass at times but Amy really liked her. She grinned as she went and sat down, ready for the test.
An hour later and she was finally done. Myrtle said she'd mark it right away and let her know how she did later in the day. It wasn't like it was a super important test or anything. But with how much classes she'd miss due to her periods, the older woman felt it necessary to make sure she was up to speed and learning enough. Amy understood it but she still hated tests. They made her so anxious. She wandered outside and saw people milling about in the garden waiting for Zoe to start class. Zoe was sat down with a cup in front of her and a bag of herbs. Amy's eyes wandered over to Michael who was sat with Mallory and Coco. Coco was chatting away as Michael picked at the grass and Mallory nodded to whatever Coco was talking about. Amy walked over with a smile and Michael looked up, his face brightening when he saw her. She plonked down next to him and he took her hand in his, giving it a sweet kiss. The simple gesture made her melt into a puddle, especially since everyone was watching. Mallory smirked at her and she blushed and looked away.
"Alright class, today's lesson is a little different. You won't be able to practice it until tonight," Zoe called out as everyone settled down. All eyes were on the teacher wondering what they would be learning today.
"Today we're going to be learning about dreams. More specifically, being able to go into someone else's. This can be useful if you need to pass a message onto someone or just find out more about them," she explained.
"I suggest you take notes on how to use the spell, and tonight you and your partner will pair up. Speak together and decide who goes first. You will venture into one another's dreams. One tonight and the other tomorrow night. Make sure you pair up with someone you feel comfortable with since it can be a little personal. And what happens in the dreams, stay between you both. Do not divulge what you find to anyone but your partner. Disobeying this rule will have consequences. We respect each other here," she said firmly.
Amy took notes, eager to soak in as much information as she could. Zoe showed them how to brew the tea and the incantation and gave advice about navigating the dreamscapes. She explained how sometimes it can be confusing at first and that if both people consent, they could keep practising for a few days. She told them how most times memories could come into it and you'd see a dream version of memories. She said how that when you master the spell, you could navigate people's dreams and find specific things you were looking for or specific memories. She also informed them that when using this on people, they wouldn't actually know you had been in their dreams unless you wanted them to know. But how you shouldn't do it without consent if it was possible.
Amy already knew she would be paired with Michael. She trusted him more than anyone. But she couldn't say she wasn't nervous about what he would find. Then again, he'd already done a deep dive into her soul once and he still stuck around. And if she was honest, she was super curious about his dreams and the things she'd find. Once Zoe was done and the class was over, Amy, Michael, Mallory and Coco stayed outside for a bit.
"Shall we do your dreams first?" Michaels quiet question caught her off guard and she looked at him. He looked anxious and she wondered if he was worried about her being in his head. It only served to make her nervous about what she might find. His shiny imploring eyes had her nodding her head and he relaxed a little looking relieved.
"So… you two look cosy," Coco smirked, breaking them for their weird exchange. Amy looked over at her and snorted. Michael's hand was laced with hers and his cheeks flushed a little. She didn't fail to notice how he seemed to lean a little closer to her at the scrutiny of her friend.
"Yeah, we're… together now," Amy said hesitantly. She still felt weird calling this whole thing a relationship. Coco's eyes brightened and she clapped her hands excitedly before looking at Mallory who smirked again. Coco's eyes narrowed then.
"Wait a minute! You knew didn't you?!" Coco asked looking so offended. Amy bit her lip to stifle a laugh as Mallory gave her a sheepish look.
"Maybe…? It wasn't my place to say anything!" she defended. Coco huffed and folded her arms over her chest.
"That's just rude… You two do look cute together though," Coco grinned as she glanced from Amy to Michael. Amy looked at Michael noticing he was looking at his lap but he had a small smile on his face. If he could stop being cute for a damn minute, that would be great.
The rest of the day seemed to fly by with no event. They hung out, had dinner. Amy put up with the usual dirty looks from the twins, even more so since Michael was being so openly affectionate with her. He'd hold her hand, wrap an arm around her shoulders. At one point he even kissed her cheek which earned some awwww's from Mallory and Coco whilst Amy groaned and wanted to hide. It was strange getting used to this whole thing. But she enjoyed his affection. Myrtle had found her just after dinner and told her she passed the test with flying colours. She felt the relief sweep through her and the woman's praise was something she soaked in.
When they were finally in their room, she sat on his bed with him as her eyes poured over her notes from class. She wanted to make sure she got it all right and she had pages of notes. She was glad since Michael didn't have many. He wasn't great at taking notes. The tea sat on the nightstand. Only the person doing the dream adventure would need it and it was waiting for Michael so he could hop into her head. She started to feel a little anxious now the time had come. She remembered her dream about the waffle house. She remembered her dreams about fucking him in a circle of candles. Oh god, what if he saw those or something else like that? That would be so fucking embarrassing.
"I just want to say, I'm not responsible for anything you come across in my subconscious. No judging," she snorted. He laughed lightly and shook his head as he took her hand and placed a sweet kiss onto her knuckles.
"I'd never judge you," he smiled sincerely. She relaxed a little. She knew he meant those words. He drank the tea, grumbling how it tasted awful and soon enough they were lay side by side fast asleep. The tea had made him super sleepy and she was just exhausted from hardly sleeping the night before and her early morning.
When Michael opened his eyes, he was stood on the porch of a very large house. His eyes scanned the area wondering just where he was. He remembered the spell, he was in Amy's head. But where was this place? He opened the front door and stepped inside. The home looked pristine. Mostly white interior with nothing out of place. He walked further into the house and he heard voices upstairs. He trailed up, looking at how impersonal the house seemed. There were no pictures. Nothing to give away who lived here. He followed the voices until he stopped outside of a room.
"Leave your father alone!" a stern voice called out. It was a woman. Michael pushed open the door to reveal a study. It was quite large and darker than the rest of the house. A man was sat at a mahogany desk writing something. A small girl was sitting on a rug near the fire. Pages of paper scattered around her and a box of crayons tipped out. She looked about three. Her hair was blonde and wavy and he knew right away this was Amy. She was absolutely adorable with her cherubic cheeks and her wild hair. It made him smile. Who he presumed was her mother was sat in a chair near the fireplace, book in hand as she looked at the child sternly.
"But mommy, picture!" the girl said sadly, holding up one of her drawings. Michael stepped further into the room, crouching by the girl. No one noticed his presence. Her drawing was of a stick figure family. A mom, dad and a little girl. Her mother huffed and rolled her eyes and Michael found himself sneering at her. Young Amy seemed so proud of her picture. He found the urge to praise her for it welling up inside of him. She stood up and toddled over to the desk and Michael watched carefully.
"Daddy! Look!" she beamed at him. The man didn't spare her a glance as he waved a hand at her.
"I'm busy," he said firmly. Michael felt his heart constrict when young Amy's bottom lip wobbled, her hand coming to her side as she clutched the picture tightly. She looked so dejected.
"B-But daddy-" she started, her voice quivering. Her dad turned to her then looking angry and he ripped the picture out of her hand so hard it jostled her tiny body. Michael felt the rage build up in him when the little girl sobbed.
"No one cares about your pictures Amy! They're a waste of time! Now leave me alone!" he boomed, balling up the picture and tossing it into the fire. Amy looked at him with wide frightful eyes that were streaming with tears and all Michael wanted to do was run over and scoop her in his arms. It was hurting him seeing her in pain. Her mother stood up then, storming over and grabbing her wrist before yanking her out of the room. Michael felt his rage flaring, but before he could register much else, the room started to morph and distort.
Suddenly he was in the living room and Amy's parents were by the door with suitcases.
"Mommy, do you have to go?" Amy asked. She looked about 6 now and she looked at her parents sadly.
"We have important things to do. Laura's here so behave for her," her mom said carelessly. He frowned watching as the parents left. No goodbye. No kiss or hug. The girl stood by the window and sniffled, rubbing her eyes. A portly woman with ginger hair walked in the room then and he mused it was this Laura woman. He had no clue if she was a relative or simply a nanny of sorts.
"Quit crying child, I'm not putting up with the waterworks the whole time they're gone," she snapped. She had an Irish lilt to her voice. She walked further into the room and Michael didn't fail to notice how the girl flinched as if she was scared.
"I-I'm sorry," she whispered, keeping her eyes to the floor. He could see her fighting the tears as he watched the exchange.
The room changed again as the sun outside rapidly set and rose and then set once more. As if time was skipping forward. It was dark now and he heard wailing, making his eyes snap to the stairs. Amy was being dragged by Laura harshly down the stairs. She had a nightgown on as if she had been in bed.
"I'll teach you to wet your bed! I told your Ma she needed to get you fixed but of course, she didn't listen! Stop being such a little baby!" Laura yelled as Amy sobbed and tried to pull away from her. Michael took a step forward, a growl lodging in his throat knowing he couldn't do a thing to help her. This was a dream. A memory of something that had happened. He watched in horror as Laura swung open the closet door. It was tiny and pitch black and she shoved the small girl inside and then locked the door. Amy screamed at the top of her lungs, pounding at the door as she begged to be let go. That she'll be good. It broke his heart seeing her treated like this.
Time fast forward again and what he presumed to be two days passed with how the sun went down and back up. Laura opened the closet door and Amy was sat on the floor hugging her knees. Her eyes were wild and she looked like she was in some state of shock. Her whole body was trembling. Had she been in there for two days? No food or water? Locked in the dark by herself? He swallowed thickly as she stood on shaky legs and Laura smirked at her.
"What did you learn?" she asked smugly. Amy stared at the floor looking dazed.
"Not to be a baby," she muttered.
"Good girl. Now behave. No wonder your parents are sick of you," the woman tutted before walking off to the kitchen. Amy stepped out of the closet, eyes squinting as they adjusted to the light after being kept in the dark for so long. He reached out, wanting to touch her. Wanting to make it all better. But his hand went right through her as if he wasn't there.
Things changed once more and it was giving him a headache, maybe this was Zoe meant about it being confusing the first time around. Now he was stood in the kitchen. Amy looked a little older once again, this time around 12 or 13. Amy and her parents were sat at the dining table eating breakfast. It was so tense and quiet with her parents occasionally talking to each other but acting like she didn't exist.
"May I be excused?" Amy asked meekly. Her mother waved a dismissive hand and she got up. He watched as she left the house and he walked to the window, seeing her go to the mailbox. When she returned to the house she put letters on the cabinet before opening something that looked like a card. He looked over her shoulder. It was a birthday card.
To Amy, happy birthday, lots of love, Grandpa and Grandma.
It was her birthday. He furrowed his brow as he glanced around. There were no other cards or balloons. No presents. Her parents hadn't acted like it was her birthday at all.
Her father came in then, his presence looming over the girl as he snatched the card from her hand. She looked at him with wide eyes as he laughed mirthlessly and shook his head.
"Really? Hardly anything to celebrate," he scoffed, tossing the card in the bin before he left the house. Michael was gaping at the door. He couldn't believe these assholes. No wonder she had these issues about love. Never feeling like someone could love her. Or how she wasn't capable of love. No one had ever shown her what love was. Sure he had a fucked up past but his grandma had been good to him and tried to love him. And Ms Mead loved him too. He watched forlornly as Amy sat on the couch and sniffled, trying her hardest not to cry.
He was feeling nauseous as everything morphed and warped once more. This time he was in the waffle house. He saw Amy sat with a dream version of himself and it was weird. He walked over, sitting on the table right next to them as he watched them. It was strange seeing another version of himself.
"I'm really glad I met you," Amy smiled sweetly at dream Michael. Real Michael's heart swelled at her words and he wanted to wrap his arms around her.
"Me too. You make me really happy," dream Michael said with a shy smile as his cheeks flushed. Was he really that embarrassing and shy? Shit. Ms Mead would have smacked him around the head.
"You'll always be there, right?" she asked, her blue eyes looking at him imploringly. His heart clenched watching the exchange.
"I've told you before. It's me and you forever," dream Michael beamed as he took her hand from across the table. Everything began to distort and tremble and he frowned as he looked around. Then he was surrounded by darkness. He felt confused. Had the spell gone wrong? Had she woken up? He wasn't really sure. But as his blue eyes scanned the dark abyss from every side of him, he heard a sobbing. He followed the sound and then stilled. Amy was curled up in a ball sobbing softly. She was wearing a nightgown just like she had in the dream about being locked in the closet. It was a Scooby-doo nightgown. Only now it was larger to fit her frame as she looked like her current self.
His heart shattered seeing her weeping and he walked towards her. He didn't expect her to sit up suddenly, staring right at him.
"Michael? She whispered, her voice quivering. He swallowed the lump in his throat. She wasn't supposed to be able to see him. He didn't know what to say so he nodded and walked until he was right there, crouching next to her. She launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around him tighter than she ever had in real life. She sobbed into his neck as he didn't know what to do. He stroked her hair as he held her just as tight.
"I'm here, it's okay," he soothed carefully. His voice caught a little feeling his own emotions stirring within him. He hadn't known what to expect entering into her mind but this had been awful.
"You… you left me! I was all alone!" she cried, soaking his neck with his tears. He frowned, squeezing her tighter. What was she talking about? He'd never leave her.
"I've not left, I'm right here," he whispered. She didn't say anything else. She just clung to him and cried as he held her, wishing he could take her pain away.
His eyes snapped open as he gasped, finally awake. He glanced over to Amy but she was still soundly sleeping beside him. He closed his eyes and inhaled a shaky breath as his brain tried to digest all that had happened. He rolled onto his side, his eyes watering as his lip wavered looking at her. She was such a beautiful soul. She deserved the world and more. He wanted to burn it all to cinders after the things people had put her through. He had felt a lot of pain, abandonment and rejection in his life but now he knew that she did too. Even more so than him in some ways. She'd never had someone to love her. Until now at least. He felt like he knew her more. Connected to her even deeper. They had a shared pain. He reached out, stroking the heart tattoo on her wrist softly and she stirred a little in her sleep. He couldn't go back to sleep now. His heart was aching too fiercely. Instead, he watched her sleep until the sun started to rise and he wondered just how he got so lucky to have her in his life. He would make sure she never felt unloved again.