Adellade swallowed, twisting the edge of her sleeve around her fingers as she paced the length of the room. The nightmares had returned, yet they were worse than before. Now she would fall asleep in her own bed and wake someplace else-someplace she had walked to and had no idea how to return home from.

Then there were the things she would see, the things they would say during the nightmares…. There were ones where she dreamt Madeline had come to take Gustave away and she was begging Erik and Christine to do something about it.

"He's your son!" she shouted at him. "How could you do this to your own son?"

"There was no choice. It had to be done."

"You could've fought for him! You could've fought for him to stay here! With his family! How could either of you do this to a little boy like him?"

"It's been decided, Adellade. Enough. There's no denying what was to come."

Then there the horrid ones where she woke screaming and shaking with fright after seeing Christine and Gustave being punished for something she had done in Mazenderan….

"It's alright," she whispered, trying to stop the bleeding. "It's alright. It's all over now. It's all over."

"Why must they do that?" Gustave asked, looking up at her.

"I don't know," she lied. "But it's alright now. You're safe."

"It hurts. I'm frightened, Adellade. What they've done…. I'm terrified of them."

"I know. I know." She held him closer to her. "I won't let them hurt you. Not again. I promise. Not ever again." She swallowed. "You don't deserve any of this. You never deserved any of this. You never did a thing wrong."

"Then why must they hurt me?"

"Because there are so many monsters in this world who want to hurt people like you. So many monsters and all they want to cause is pain. It's alright though. I'm here. They won't ever hurt you again. Not while I'm here. I promise."

The small clock on the mantle of the fireplace gave out a little chime and she flinched at the sudden noise. She sighed and shook her head, continuing the pacing.

Only a few more hours until morning, she thought to herself.

She didn't know what nightmare had started it all, but now she couldn't bear to sleep for fear of the nightmares. She couldn't return to what she had seen. She couldn't see those images again...couldn't bear to even think of such a thing.

Now here she was: pacing around the room, trying to occupy herself enough to remain awake….

"Adellade…."

She stopped and shook her head to clear it. It was nothing. Only the wind-only her imagination. She was alone. There was no one there.

"Adellade…. Why do you keep up this foolish game of yours? Trying to stay awake?"

She turned, seeing the empty chairs. Adellade sighed and started to walk again, only to gasp as someone gripped her shoulder.

"Haven't I taught you to answer when someone asks a question of you?" Madeline demanded. "I asked you a question and I expect an answer."

"You're not real," she whispered. "You're dead. You're not here. Madeline Destler is dead."

"A mother can still hear her daughter's pleas even in death."

"You. Are. Not. My. Mother."

"I am your mother, Adellade. I will always be your mother."

"No you aren't! And you will never be my mother!" She whirled around, only to stare at the empty room before her.

"You're wrong, Adellade."

She turned, seeing Madeline sitting in a chair.

"I am your mother," she continued. "I only want what's best for you. I only ever wanted what was best for you."

"Then why sell me away to the gypsies? What sort of mother would ever do that to her own children?"

"That monster was never my child!" she corrected. "He is the very reason you've ended up as miserable as you are. He is the very cause of your pain-of all the suffering you've had to endure. I've tried to get you away from him-to keep him away from you!"

"Erik isn't a monster. You are."

"Now Adellade: look at what he's done to you. Look at how he's twisted your mind-how he's warped your very thoughts and turned you against me! Your own mother!"

"He never did a thing to me. Erik was the one who was there for me after you sold us away!"

"And I always lived with that regret."

She blinked in surprise. "You-you did?"

"Of course!" Madeline stood. "I grieved for your loss! I regretted every moment I had to spend separated from my little Adellade!" She walked over toward her. "Oh, how many nights I spent wondering if you were safe-if you were ever going to return home to me one day."

"Then why didn't you show any of that when you were still alive? When I spent all that time being threatened into behaving or else Erik would be harmed?"

"I tried to, but he twisted your mind so much…."

"He cares about me," she murmured. "Erik cares about me. More than you ever did no matter what you say." Adellade sighed and turned, closing her eyes. "And don't you ever dare call him a monster ever again!"

"Adellade Destler…."

She grabbed the book on the table and threw it at her. It landed on the other side with a loud thud as Madeline vanished from sight. Adellade sighed and fell into one of the chairs. She curled up and hugged her knees to her chest, staring at the spot where Madeline had once stood.

A few more hours…. Just a few more hours….