Chapter 3 - Sleep

Nights were longest when he was alone, the sights and sounds of the day replaying in his mind as he lie awake in bed.

He could still hear the music and see the shimmering orbs that drifted lazily above the parade. He'd been inside them at one point, seeing ripples of incandescent color reflecting off the surface as his fingertips pressed against the shining substance. But even worse were the bars that separated him from the audience.

He would see them when he closed his eyes, and at times he would dream of being in a cage, of grasping the iron bars and screaming but no one heard his cries. These terrifying images often merged with moments from his past, placing his adoptive mother in the center ring, lashing at him with his belt while the crowd cheered and laughed.

Was it really any better than the life he led before? Credence lost track of the number of times he'd asked himself this question. But then he felt her weight against his chest, smooth scales gliding across the warmth of his flesh, and he started to relax, the images fading as she slithered into his bed.

Her name fell from his lips, his voice low and groggy. Credence was past the point of exhaustion, his mind running in endless circles until he felt he would collapse from the strain of living like an animal in a cage.

He was already asleep when his body let go, becoming tangled wisps of blackened smoke that wove themselves around her coiled form.