Crows and Crooked Tiaras

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER FIVE: THE MORNING AFTER

LUNA'S POV

I'm floating; I don't know anything else--but I know I'm floating, and I welcome it. I am not attached to anything--bound by not even the laws of gravity: I am immersed in water. The relief I feel of the safety in it is overwhelming--I inhale slowly before submerging beneath the waves.

I swim lower and lower, ignoring the slightest in my chest, it always disappears quickly. When I was a child, I quickly learned that I could heal faster than anyone else. That means that my lungs can withstand being underwater for minutes before I'm in more danger than I can heal. I swim and I sum deeper and deeper--and then there is no water.

I'm falling--there is nothing and I am falling, but I don't even have time to panic. I land on something plush before I can even think to panic. I'm in my bed at home.

How weird. Has everything up to now been a dream? Inej, Kaz, Jesper--the club; Elian. Exhaling I sit up and notice two things: that my room is decorated in the way it was when I was a child, and that I am dry--the water had not been real.

"Lunetta." It is my father's voice, and it is kinder than it has been in years--I snap my head forward and the world around me is torn away.

Now I am sitting at the foot of my father's bed while a servant combs my hair. I am young here; still innocent and good and hopeful--and loved. "You are my most prized possession, and one day you may very well be queen."

I look at my expression in the large window; I have yet to ever been touched, the reflection of his crown makes it look like I'm wearing it. I reach for my temple--but that image too, is torn away like everything else.

It is replaced by strong hands throwing me into an unforgiving ocean. All I hear is storming water and Kama's screams for me. The waves submerge me, but this time I'm not healing--I'm choking--and when I am dragged beneath the waves I awake in a club.

In a club with Elian, and he's touching me.

--

I wake up with a start--body thrashing before sitting up fully as if I am still choking on sea water and Elian's toxic touch. I don't remember anything outside of what I've just dreamt, but I am sweaty and cold at the same time.

It all comes back to me slowly. The club, the lights, the drink--Elian. I look down instantly, ready to scream, but when I see that I am not only fully clothed but also covered by a thin blanket--I find myself capable of exhaling slowly.

Where am I?

Everything, including my heart is sore. I had let myself forget that my father was ever good to me, and the fact that last night I had been so stupid--ugh. I am never going to be that stupid again. How did I even get out of that situation?

My stomach knots in horror as I realize that I don't even know if I escaped. The last thing I remember is seeing Kaz...I think? Or had that also been a part of the strange dream? I blink twice, everything feels so blurry...so unsolidified. I'm not fully convinced that this isn't still part of my dream. What the hell did Elian give me?

The door creaks open and on instinct I shift to the side, trying to will myself to jump off the bed. I want to be alone, I think...but I don't exactly feel bad...shouldn't I feel worse? After all, this might be a dream--and I like dreams.

"You're awake." There's some surprise in the comment, but I am too focused on wanting to understand.

My head snaps forward, everything in me too fuzzy to be on high alert. I think I like feeling fuzzy, there's something euphoric about calmness. All I do is run, constantly, and now I don't need to. I am me right now, no secret identities or lies. It's not as tiresome as I thought it would be. I open my mouth, but no words come out. Weird. I try standing, but each movement is too sway-y and unstable. I give up with a slight sigh, slumping against the cot and curling onto my side the way I used to when I was a child and stories would be mumbled to me as I fell asleep.