Chapter 15
I am cold, extremely cold. The wind blows against my skin harshly, sharp to the touch. My eyes open abruptly. All they see is the inky vast night sky above. The array of tiny lights scattered around the black canvas seem to come closer as if the sea of the unknown is going to swallow me up. I look to the side, and I see the foundations of endless large trees, and they are too thick to reach my arms completely around. Standing up is tough, as the ground doesn’t stop moving. It feels like a giant water balloon is under my feet.
“Evangeline,” someone calls out.
Their voice growing closer with each second.
“Evangeline.”
My legs move in a sprint, but I do not seem to be going anywhere.
“Evangeline.”
My heart pounds like a drum caged in my chest, and when I look behind me, a giant shadowy creature appears between the trees. Its glowing, red eyes fixate on me before an alarming, hair-raising growl thunder from its throat. Immediately I run to the opposite direction, knowing that it is not far behind me.
The trees wave back and forth like blades of grass submerged in water, and some come crashing to the hard forest floor. I climb over a tree trunk and come splashing into a shallow pool of water. My heart jolts from the sudden feeling, and my toes begin to turn blue.
“Evangeline,” the voice calls for me again, so I hop out of the icy water and frantically search around me.
“Who are you?” I shout.
A growl erupts from behind me, and I look to see the beast drawing closer. Its canines drip a red substance, and its black fur seems to be in knots. It stalks towards me in an unearthly trudge. Its limbs seem built to tear me apart limb by limb.
“Go away,” I cry. “Go away!”
The muddy ground devours my feet, holding me captive as the beast’s scent crawls up my nose, making my face scrunch. The putrid smell causes my stomach to rise. I yank at my legs to free myself from the sinking mixture, but they do not budge. The growls grow louder, and ringing noises pierce my ears.
“Evangeline. Evangeline.”
“Go away!”
Air floods my lungs as if I am coming back to life. I fly up in the bed and breathe heavy, almost gasping. My hands fist the covers while my mind begins to realize that it was all just a figment of my disturbed imagination—a nightmare.
I hear shuffling beside me then his voice. “Evangeline?” Now embarrassed, I curse myself for reacting in such ways.
“Sorry, sorry.”
I shove the covers off me and climb off the bed, bringing Sebastian to sit up and register what exactly is going on at one o’clock in the morning. I unlock the window and slide it open, letting the sounds of night float into the room and, more importantly, a cool breeze. My skin feels hot and clammy.
“Evangeline, is everything alright?”
“Yes, everything is fine. Sorry for waking you,” I murmur to Sebastian while enjoying the breeze against my flushed face.
More shuffling noises coming from the darkness, and suddenly, the bedroom light is turned on. I glance back at the door to see a half-clothed Sebastian walking back to the bed. If it were not for my already red face, he would see my fierce blush. But when did he take off his shirt? Not that my startled eyes mind, casually glancing at his captivating body. Everything looks so, so taut and new. If I had no self-control, my hands would undoubtedly be running over his chest like I had never felt the sensations of touching someone else before. Something ordinary has become alien to me.
I stop my thoughts for a moment. Since when did I think in such ways?
“Is it hot in here?” he asks.
“It is now,” I think to myself.
“Do you want to keep the window open?”
“Oh, I just had a bad dream. That’s all.”
“About?”
“You really want to know?” I question him and lean back towards the window.
He shrugs. “As long as you are up, I am. And it might be nice to know what goes on in that head of yours.”
“Okay, well, I was in the forest, and there was this wolf-like creature. It was chasing me, but it feels like I couldn’t run. Everything seemed to be in slow motion. Whatever the beast was, it was just creepy. Now that I think of it, I might have had this dream as a child because it sounds really cheesy, being chased by a monster. How original.”
Sebastian tiredly leans against the headboard. “Maybe it means something.”
“Really?” I say and close the window back up before making my way to the light.
“Well, don’t dreams have meanings?”
I can tell that he is fighting himself to stay awake. My heart warms at the idea of him waiting up so that I am not alone.
“Well, I don’t know about any monsters chasing me anytime soon.” I yawn and turn the light off, submerging us in darkness once again.
“You’re scared of him, aren’t you?”
“What?”