"It'll help you relax."
To his left, Nolan extends a hand, offering me his beer. I take a swig from the bottle, washing down the bitter pill before handing it back.
"We'll get a security system if it'll make you feel better," Dax says. "I can have someone come and install it tomorrow, okay?"
I nod, but it doesn't really make me feel better. If he's having a security system installed for me, that means he thinks I'm going to be here for a while.
I want to go back to my dorm room. I don't want this to be my home.
This was supposed to be a blank slate for me. They weren't supposed to be part of any of it.
"Good night, Saige," he says. "Text me if you need anything."
The two of them head upstairs, and I return to the spare bedroom, closing the door behind me. But as this isn't meant to be used as a bedroom, there's no lock.
Maybe I'll ask Dax to get me a lock, too.
But the thought only adds to my hopelessness—to my fear of the potential permanence of my situation.
I turn off the lights and crawl under the covers, my back to the window and eyes on the unlocked door. I watch it until the pill Dax gave me kicks in, calming my nervous system before pulling me under.
I'm not alone in the room. A dark figure stands in the corner, his face covered, watching me. I can barely breathe; I don't dare move. I don't want to alert him to my consciousness—I'm too afraid ofwhat will happen next. Minutes go by like this before finally, slowly, the figure approaches the side of the bed.
My heart thuds against my ribcage. He's close enough now that he could reach out and touch me. Unable to hold it in any longer, I open my mouth and scream.
"Help!" I shout. "Someone help me!"
He lunges for me, and I flail wildly, attempting to kick him off, but it's useless. He grabs me by my ankles, pulling me from the bed, and I hit my head on the hardwood floor. Stars form behind my eyelids as I continue to scream, and the masked figure drags me toward the back door.
"Saige!" someone calls out. I think it's Dax, but I must have hit my head too hard, because his voice is distant and distorted, and this time, when I open my mouth to scream, nothing comes out.
The man pulls me through the sliding door, but we aren't in the backyard anymore—we're in the forest, rounding the side of a familiar rundown cabin, and I know what happens next.
But I can't scream. My brain tells my body to kick, to fight, to grab onto trees and rocks, anything to stop it from happening, but my limbs are like boulders. As hard as I try to lift them, they refuse to move. And I can hear the water now.
Silent tears roll down my cheeks as I accept my fate. He drops me right at the precipice, and I try to pull myself up, but again, I can't make my body move.
I look up at the man, my eyes pleading with him to stop before he kicks me over the edge. And finally, as I plummet into the abyss, I manage to scream.
"Saige!"
Awareness returns to my body. Still screaming and flailing, I open my eyes. Dax sits on my legs, straddling me while holding my arms down at my side.
"Wake up!" he shouts as I thrash on the bed, tears running down my cheeks. "Are you awake?"
I nod, choking back a sob. "Yeah..."
"Hey, you're okay. You're okay; it was just a dream."
"It didn't feel like a dream."
He releases me and crawls under the blankets, gathering me in his arms and holding me against his bare chest. I lean into it, letting myself sob against his chest.
"It's all right. You're safe."
"No, I'm not. I'm not safe."
"Yeah, you are," he whispers. "It's all in your head, baby." He places his hand on my cheek, wiping a tear from under my eye with his thumb. "You just need to turn it off."
