I let my body be dragged down, even though as I look, there’s nothing there at all.
Just darkness. Just the unknown.
I feel the emptiness and sadness calling my name as I sink further and further.
As I look up, I see a break in the thick ice.
I’m under a sheet of ice?
But it’s not the ice that scares me. No.
It’s the big black crow that stares down at me at the edge.
It knows I don’t belong up there. With Elijah and Jude. I can feel it.
It’s staring down at me like this is where I belong. Down in the darkness.
Alone.
Always alone.
***
I jolt awake, sitting up. I’m no longer wet from the water of the ocean. Now, I’m only wet from the sweat that I’ve accumulated, slick on my skin. I rub my chest, praying for the harsh beating to subside.
“Dammit,” I mutter, hand roaming the sheets for my phone. When I finally find it, the screen tells me Elijah and I hung up around three-thirty. We must’ve fallen asleep on the phone again.
I feel a case of coldness come over me, making me shiver.
That dream was…terrifying. I hate that my nightmares have returned again.
It’s like my brain can’t calm down. I’m constantly on edge.
Maybe I could call Elijah again. But, when I look at the time, I see that it’s only six am. There’s no way Elijah will be up already so calling him is out of the question, and there’s no way I’m falling back asleep either.
It’s the weekend, and I’ve got the whole day before I need to do some restaurant pickups and head into work.
I get up off the bed and start getting ready for a morning run to the local gym.
I normally don’t train on the weekends, but hey, maybe it’ll help calm my nerves.
I shoot Elijah a quickgood morningtext and picture before I jump downstairs for a protein shake.
I’m not paying attention as I scoop the powder into my shaker, snagging the edge with my palm and knocking the bottle over. Water spills across the floor.
“Oh, shit!” I yelp as the cold hits my feet before I can jump back.
I quickly reach for my paper towel on the spindle before lowering myself to the ground, wiping up the spilt mess.
It’s only then when I remember something.
Since when did I buy paper towels?
The hair on the back of my neck stands as the chill rolls down my spine.
Opening the fridge door, I see every shelf filled with things I never purchased. Truthfully, I’m not sure when I last went grocery shopping. Maybe it was before Elijah left for school.
Oranges?
