It's Not Over
I lay against the soft dark linens, staring at the ceiling. 'It's Not Over' by Chris Daughtry played in my ears and I listened intently. 'It's not over, 'Cause a part of me is dead and in the ground.' I wish it wasn't true, I wish I hadn't cheated death and I wish that it didn't come with these side effects. It's like someone has a tight grip on what I was able to do. Dylan rolled over next to me, his face scrunched up in pain. I reached my hand over to wake him up when he shot up gasping for air.
"Did that really happen to you?" he asked.
I stared wide-eyed at him, mouth open and nodded.
"Wow, when you said you had bad memories, I thought you meant a bad break-up," he joked, running a hand through his hair.
I shook my head and frowned in confusion.
"Sometimes, when you're think hard about something, you'll project to telepaths," he explained laying back down.
Changing the song on my iPod, I turned on my side to face him and smiled sleepily. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer so I was nestled against his bare chest.
"Try to get some sleep Stella," he whispered, kissing the top of my head.
My eyes fluttered closed as I listened to the new tune in my earphones.
Dream Start
I walked through the woods, hearing Three Day Grace's Animal I Have Become echo around me. The twigs snapped under me and I came up to the cemetery where the Sackville-Baggs used to live. Getting my bearings, I went to the stairwell and pushed through cobwebs and dust. Hanging from the ceiling was Rudolph and Gregory as vampires. As I got closer, I saw a crumpled figure in the corner. I reached my hand out, touching the figure only to see my 14 year old face looking back at me. My eyes widened and I turned around to see Gregory watching me, fangs elongated. My feet took off in the opposite direction and I ran, calling out for Rudolph frantically. When I finally glanced over my shoulder and looked back, Rudolph was standing in front of me. The 12 year old boy look up at me, then behind my body before grabbing my wrist and pulling me into the woods.
"Rudolph, where are we going?" I asked out of breath.
"Somewhere safe," he replied.
I glanced over my shoulder and slammed into a now 18 year old Rudolph who was staring at something in the distance. I peeked over his shoulder just before a giant figure slammed into his frame.
"Rudolph!" I gasped.
The creature turned to me and growled slightly before lunging at me in my frozen state. The only thing I managed was a blood-curdling scream.
Dream End
I shot up from the bed screaming and flailing my arms in a panic. The door burst open as Dylan was trying to calm me down and Rudolph and Tony ran in. Tony grabbed my legs and held them still, while Rudolph tried to get me to stop screaming. My parents came in shortly after, followed by Gregory who I was surprised to see. Soon enough, my screams turned into quiet whimpers and my head was rested on Rudolph's chest as he sang a quiet tune to calm me. My breathing was shuddered and my head cloudy as I looked at Dylan who looked worried and hurt at the same time.
Are you okay Stella?
I'll be fine.
Are you sure?
Yeah, just a bad dream, nothing new.
"Stella, sweetie," my mom spoke from the door way.
"Yeah?" I called.
"Can I talk to you?" she requested.
I nodded faintly and untangled myself from Tony and Rudolph. As I walked out the door after her, Gregory gave me a pitying glance. I kept my head down and followed Mom to her room.
"Sweetie, what's going on?" she asked.
"Nothing, It was just a nightmare," I shrugged.
"You looked completely terrified," she sighed, "Did Dylan…do something to you?"
"What? No, he would never. Plus he has the upper body strength of a 6 year old girl," I shook my head.
"Look if something's going on, you need to tell me," she argued.
"There's nothing to tell, I'm fine," I lied slightly.
I turned to walk out, hoping she would drop the subject.
"I think you should see a therapist," she stated, making me stop dead in my tracks.
"I'm not seeing a therapist," I shook my head, turning to her.
"You will and you are," she ordered.
"If I go to a therapist, they'll think I'm crazy and send me to the nut house. Also, you can't make me go, I'm a 20 year old, I'm legally an adult," I shot back, as the lights flickered.
"Fine, you don't want to go, then I won't make you, but you need to get help," she tried to reason.
"I'm fine," I shook my head.
She looked at me unsure but nodded anyway, dismissing me. I turned on my heel and walked back to my room where everyone had dispersed.
"Hey is everything okay?" Dylan asked as I walked in.
"Yea, just fine," I lied.
Passing him, I went to the bathroom connecting Tony and I. Shuffling through the cabinets, I looked for my medication.
"Babe, what are you doing?" Dylan asked from the doorway.
"I got these before, when the nightmares started, they help me sleep the full night without dreams," I said as I pulled two out.
"Stella, please, just be careful," he sighed, finding no use in arguing.
I looked at him and nodded before taking the two small pills. After drinking a tall glass of water, I returned to my bed and pulled the covers up to my neck, drifting into a deep, dreamless sleep.
