Author's Note: Again with the depression. But hey, as long as I keep
plunking out stories, it's all good, right?
Chapter 2: Into the Night
"You seem distracted." Bryant frowned at me over his glass of beer. I'd never been a fan of drinking, but since neither of us were driving, I let it go. "What's the matter?"
I glanced at him, briefly, before chasing the peas across my plate with my fork. We were in the kitchen of his apartment, having dinner. Chicken, mashed potatoes and peas. Bryant was an excellent cook, a quality he attributes to living on his own since he ran away from home at sixteen. But at the moment, my mind was elsewhere. Like a thousand imaginary miles elsewhere.
"Colt?" He reached across the small table, putting his hand over mine. We'd only been seeing each other for about a month, ever since he met me with flowers outside the hospital, a few days after I woke up. He was one of two people who believed me about Hyrule. The other was my best friend Amy. Well, at least they SAID they believed me. I don't think I'll ever be a hundred percent sure if they did or not. And I loved him. It wasn't about Lance anymore. For once in my life, it was about me, and MY happiness.
"Sorry... I was just... thinking."
He just nodded silently. He understood, or at least pretended to. It was a part of my life that he didn't have access to; the one thing he couldn't share with me, however much he might like to. I felt a bit of pity swell up. I loved him with all my heart, but... At the same time, I missed Hyrule. I missed Princess Zelda, and Impa. The Great Deku Tree, and the Kokiri children. And most of all, I missed the Hero of Time himself.
He gave me another minute or so, then stood, sweeping our plates off into the sink. "Dessert?" He winked at me, and I offered a sly grin in return.
"Pervert." He scolded, and pulled open the freezer to reveal a carton of ice cream, and a cake. I frowned at him, and he laughed. "You forgot, huh? I can understand, I guess. You're 19 today, remember?" I almost choked. I HAD forgotten. With all the excitement, and the therapist, my birthday had completely slipped my mind.
"Roger and Zeke aren't going to be happy they missed this, you know." My brothers were big fans of cake. I'm sure they wouldn't have minded missing my birthday, though. Bryant just shrugged. After all, what did he care about my siblings? He was dating ME, not them.
The cake itself was marble, which is my favorite. But it said "Happy Birthday, Kole" in bright pink letters. I arched an eyebrow at Bryant, who shrugged. "I spelled it for them. I guess they weren't listening." He frowned down at the frosting.
I laughed. "I can be Kole for tonight, if you want."
"AFTER dessert." But he wasn't frowning anymore. "Make a wish."
I blew out the candle, and wished with all my might. Glancing over at Bryant, I sighed in mock disgust. "It didn't work. You're still here." He grunted, trying to look insulted, but it wasn't long before the gales of laughter overcame us both. "Now... About my birthday present?" I said, grabbing his hand. He followed me into the bedroom, cake forgotten.
*~*~*
I woke to the soft sound of Bryant's snoring. Kissing his forehead gently, I slipped out of bed, and pulled on a pair of boxers and a ratty t-shirt. It took me a moment of fishing through my backpack, but I finally found what I was looking for. I ran my hand across the cover of the battered book, and sighed. The truth was, I'd only been half-kidding when I had said my wish hadn't come true. I'd wished that I could see Link again. If only for a moment.
I ran my hand through my hair, remembering how much trouble I had gotten into simply because I was a blonde. Being mistaken for a Hylian warrior definitely made for an interesting vacation.
Outside, lightning flashed, illuminating the slumbering form of my boyfriend. The blanket had shifted while we slept, so I walked over and tugged it back into place. Bryant stirred for a moment, muttering something unintelligible, and sank back into whatever he was dreaming of.
The rain outside splashed against the window, sending strange shadows streaking across the opposite wall. The wind whistled, howling in muted rage at the indignity of being shut out. It was the kind of night where I was afraid to look out the window, because someone just might be looking back. My interest in reading disipated, and I tossed the book across the room. Instead, I crawled back into bed, and pressed against Bryant's back, trying to keep warm. Exhausted as I was, I was asleep before I hit the pillow.
*~*~*
I woke alone, shivering. Someone had left the window open, and, while the rain had stopped, the wind was still crying outside. "Bryant?" My voice sounded flat, as if the sound were afraid to travel much farther than my mouth. It did nothing to improve the situation. "Bryant?" There was no answer. Not that I expected on, really. It's just something that you do when you're alone... The wind snarled outside, and I moved to the window to shut it. Glancing out, I froze.
I wasn't staring out at Reseda Blvd. Instead, I found myself gazing out at the fresh, untarnished landscape of what was surely the Lost Woods in Hyrule. A passing Moblin confirmed my suspicion. But it was wrong. Different somehow. It was the Lost Woods... but at the same time, it seemed... older.
It was then I realized I was dreaming. The brand on my hand began to itch, as did the scorpion tattoo on my shoulder, and the scars down my arms. They glistened in the darkness, illuminated with ethereal light, red, blue and green respectively.
From the corner, where I had discarded it, the book blew open, its pages fluttering in the wind, despite the shut window. In the middle of the room, a shadow coalesed, and began to laugh.
The wind buffeted me, invading me. And I screamed.
*~*~*
"Colt! Colt, wake up!" Bryant was there, shaking me awake. He was still naked, wrapped in the blanket of his bed, concern battling fatigue on his face. "It was just a dream, babe. Just a dream." Just a dream. I whimpered into his shoulder, needing to be held. He ran his hand through my hair, comforting me as a mother might comfort her child. Another time, I would have protested, but now... It felt good, and I felt safe. "Maybe I should take you home?"
"No! I don't want to be alone..." Co-dependence, anyone? His face contorted with the unasked question. It was not the first nightmare I'd had since my return, but... It was the first time I'd woken up screaming since that very first night. Cradled in Bryant's arms, I soon fell asleep. I didn't dream again that night.
Chapter 2: Into the Night
"You seem distracted." Bryant frowned at me over his glass of beer. I'd never been a fan of drinking, but since neither of us were driving, I let it go. "What's the matter?"
I glanced at him, briefly, before chasing the peas across my plate with my fork. We were in the kitchen of his apartment, having dinner. Chicken, mashed potatoes and peas. Bryant was an excellent cook, a quality he attributes to living on his own since he ran away from home at sixteen. But at the moment, my mind was elsewhere. Like a thousand imaginary miles elsewhere.
"Colt?" He reached across the small table, putting his hand over mine. We'd only been seeing each other for about a month, ever since he met me with flowers outside the hospital, a few days after I woke up. He was one of two people who believed me about Hyrule. The other was my best friend Amy. Well, at least they SAID they believed me. I don't think I'll ever be a hundred percent sure if they did or not. And I loved him. It wasn't about Lance anymore. For once in my life, it was about me, and MY happiness.
"Sorry... I was just... thinking."
He just nodded silently. He understood, or at least pretended to. It was a part of my life that he didn't have access to; the one thing he couldn't share with me, however much he might like to. I felt a bit of pity swell up. I loved him with all my heart, but... At the same time, I missed Hyrule. I missed Princess Zelda, and Impa. The Great Deku Tree, and the Kokiri children. And most of all, I missed the Hero of Time himself.
He gave me another minute or so, then stood, sweeping our plates off into the sink. "Dessert?" He winked at me, and I offered a sly grin in return.
"Pervert." He scolded, and pulled open the freezer to reveal a carton of ice cream, and a cake. I frowned at him, and he laughed. "You forgot, huh? I can understand, I guess. You're 19 today, remember?" I almost choked. I HAD forgotten. With all the excitement, and the therapist, my birthday had completely slipped my mind.
"Roger and Zeke aren't going to be happy they missed this, you know." My brothers were big fans of cake. I'm sure they wouldn't have minded missing my birthday, though. Bryant just shrugged. After all, what did he care about my siblings? He was dating ME, not them.
The cake itself was marble, which is my favorite. But it said "Happy Birthday, Kole" in bright pink letters. I arched an eyebrow at Bryant, who shrugged. "I spelled it for them. I guess they weren't listening." He frowned down at the frosting.
I laughed. "I can be Kole for tonight, if you want."
"AFTER dessert." But he wasn't frowning anymore. "Make a wish."
I blew out the candle, and wished with all my might. Glancing over at Bryant, I sighed in mock disgust. "It didn't work. You're still here." He grunted, trying to look insulted, but it wasn't long before the gales of laughter overcame us both. "Now... About my birthday present?" I said, grabbing his hand. He followed me into the bedroom, cake forgotten.
*~*~*
I woke to the soft sound of Bryant's snoring. Kissing his forehead gently, I slipped out of bed, and pulled on a pair of boxers and a ratty t-shirt. It took me a moment of fishing through my backpack, but I finally found what I was looking for. I ran my hand across the cover of the battered book, and sighed. The truth was, I'd only been half-kidding when I had said my wish hadn't come true. I'd wished that I could see Link again. If only for a moment.
I ran my hand through my hair, remembering how much trouble I had gotten into simply because I was a blonde. Being mistaken for a Hylian warrior definitely made for an interesting vacation.
Outside, lightning flashed, illuminating the slumbering form of my boyfriend. The blanket had shifted while we slept, so I walked over and tugged it back into place. Bryant stirred for a moment, muttering something unintelligible, and sank back into whatever he was dreaming of.
The rain outside splashed against the window, sending strange shadows streaking across the opposite wall. The wind whistled, howling in muted rage at the indignity of being shut out. It was the kind of night where I was afraid to look out the window, because someone just might be looking back. My interest in reading disipated, and I tossed the book across the room. Instead, I crawled back into bed, and pressed against Bryant's back, trying to keep warm. Exhausted as I was, I was asleep before I hit the pillow.
*~*~*
I woke alone, shivering. Someone had left the window open, and, while the rain had stopped, the wind was still crying outside. "Bryant?" My voice sounded flat, as if the sound were afraid to travel much farther than my mouth. It did nothing to improve the situation. "Bryant?" There was no answer. Not that I expected on, really. It's just something that you do when you're alone... The wind snarled outside, and I moved to the window to shut it. Glancing out, I froze.
I wasn't staring out at Reseda Blvd. Instead, I found myself gazing out at the fresh, untarnished landscape of what was surely the Lost Woods in Hyrule. A passing Moblin confirmed my suspicion. But it was wrong. Different somehow. It was the Lost Woods... but at the same time, it seemed... older.
It was then I realized I was dreaming. The brand on my hand began to itch, as did the scorpion tattoo on my shoulder, and the scars down my arms. They glistened in the darkness, illuminated with ethereal light, red, blue and green respectively.
From the corner, where I had discarded it, the book blew open, its pages fluttering in the wind, despite the shut window. In the middle of the room, a shadow coalesed, and began to laugh.
The wind buffeted me, invading me. And I screamed.
*~*~*
"Colt! Colt, wake up!" Bryant was there, shaking me awake. He was still naked, wrapped in the blanket of his bed, concern battling fatigue on his face. "It was just a dream, babe. Just a dream." Just a dream. I whimpered into his shoulder, needing to be held. He ran his hand through my hair, comforting me as a mother might comfort her child. Another time, I would have protested, but now... It felt good, and I felt safe. "Maybe I should take you home?"
"No! I don't want to be alone..." Co-dependence, anyone? His face contorted with the unasked question. It was not the first nightmare I'd had since my return, but... It was the first time I'd woken up screaming since that very first night. Cradled in Bryant's arms, I soon fell asleep. I didn't dream again that night.
