chapter 5 : nightmares

* 3 years ago *

I have been following Matthew for over an hour and I am getting annoyed not knowing where he was taking me. Why do I have this feeling that this was not going to be something bad, even though I should feel the opposite. Maybe this was meant to be and Matthew's sudden appearance was to serve a purpose in my life, I thought. It feels weird calling him Matt, I would rather call him by his full name.

I heave out a tired sigh and stop following him. "Where are you taking me?" I ask him.

He notices that I have stopped following him and have been standing still for over a minute. He turns around and smiles sheepishly at me.

How oblivious to his surroundings was he?  I think and scoff at the irony. I was pretty sure he said something pretty similar to me before.

"We are going to where I live." He replies, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and I shoot him a blank face. "Where do you live genius?" I ask him sarcastically and he replies glancing around at our surroundings. "Among humans but you can find some lone wolves here and there."  I nod my head.

Thank god, I would only have to face some lone wolves and not a pack or even worse rogues. I shudder thinking about my almost death experience on meeting one.

"Come on, it's only like ten minutes away.” He says and starts walking towards wherever we he is taking me, and I follow him wordlessly. We walk for about a few more minutes before Matthew stops walking and I almost run into his back.  Thank goodness for werewolf senses.

I step towards the side and gape at the building in front of me. Ii is more like a condo. It was beautiful from the outside and I am sure it would be even more beautiful on the inside.

He led me inside and I was not disappointed at all. It was very luxurious but had a homey feeling to it. It had wood finishing and was modern looking.  The furnishings added to the beauty and every detail was carefully selected and quality crafted. There were four bedrooms, each with a bi-level balcony overlooking the forest.  There was a kitchen with modern supplies and utensils, a living room with plush carpeting and a comfy looking couch and let’s not forget a home theater and swimming pool. Is this heaven?

When Matt showed me my room, I was delighted to find that it was furnished in my favorite color, royal blue. The walls were a deep blue and had the wallpaper of waves depicting the ocean. It had a soft white rug on the floor which was so soft I could sleep there in that moment. 

The pillows on the bed were of a mixture of light turquoise blue, baby blue, dark blue and white with a zig-zag pattern. Do not get me started about the bed. It was soft and comfy.

I turned towards Matt, all the while beaming at him, and say "Thank you and I love it." He smiles and nods his head in reply.

*After 2 months *

*(Dream) *

"You use-less bitch!" He spits out while holding me down like I was a rag doll. Punches are delivered and his pointy claws have left scars all over my body.

Now that he was done with me for the day, he picks me up and flings me across the room like I was nothing but a used-up doll.  I try to sit up knowing full well that I have broken two of my ribs and they rub together making me scream out in pain. Tears stream down my face mixed with my blood, I give up.

I look up at him through hazy and tear-filled eyes, which match his dark hazel brown that are filled with hatred and malice. It feels like I am looking at death himself.  There is a sadistic gleam in his eyes, knowing full well that he is the cause of my pain. He loves seeing people in pain, especially me, his own blood.

He steps towards where I am crumpled up on the floor and with a final kick to my ribs, he pushes the door open and leaves me alone. I drag myself towards my window and try to sit up on the small sitting area near the window.

Finally when I climb up, I look out the window. One by one the stars wink out at my grief, which is too much to bear and the darkness surrounds and wraps me in it like a cocoon.  I no longer care.

It has been a few minutes since I have been sitting there by myself.  While looking out into the dark wilderness that is spread before me outside the window, I did not hear anyone entering the room but suddenly I feel someone grab my wrist and hold them tight.

*(Dream ends) *

I wake up with a start and I hear someone screaming and I realize it is me who is screaming. Matthew is holding me down by pinning my hands down onto the bed and stopping my struggle effectively. I relax knowing that it is not him and that I am safe.

I open my eyes and meet his concerned eyes; I sit up and hug him and he lets me. His hands rub up and down my back in a soothing manner and in between whispering things like 'it's okay' and ' I'm here'.

I calm down after a little bit and pull back from his hold.  My eyes cast downwards towards where my blanket lay around me and it is socked by my sweat and I cringe.

After a long silence, he opens his mouth and asks, "Do you want to talk about it?"  I shake my head sideways indicating no. He understands that it is not something I want to talk about, so he does not push me to answer.

"It's getting late, you should try to sleep." He says. Panic arises in me knowing that I could not sleep alone anymore. The nightmares that I had pushed to the back of my mind have resurfaced.

"Can you sleep with me?" I ask him and instantly flush red realizing the double meaning it may had conveyed.

He chuckles lightly seeing this and replies. "Okay."  I scoot over to make space for him.

This time I fall asleep peacefully.

* After 6 months*

I feel guilty not informing Courtney about my where abouts and I remind myself to call her later.

It has been almost eight months since I have been staying with Matthew and to even say that life had not been easy would be an understatement. It was blissful. Matt and I had gotten to know more about each other.  I knew I liked him and he liked me, so we had decided to try dating each other. It was almost like falling for someone all over again. Cue word “almost.  I am sure that with time that it would happen.

I had not even thought about Damien and Emily once this past two months.  I guess it had something  to do with Matthew and his crazy antics. I spend most of my time with him.

He had been like my support system. An anchor keeping me from sinking deeper into the depths of the terrorizing currents of the ocean that has been my life.

I have nightmares occasionally where I wake up and find Matthew holding my hands down, to stop me from clawing and hurting myself. He only lets go after making sure that I will not harm myself and .afterwards, he lies down next to me. He never asked me what the nightmares were about, and I respect him for that, but he knows that it is not connected to Damien but something else.

Something more sinister.

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