Love Conquers All _The Sequel_

Chapter Twenty Six - Leaving

Mary's POV:

In my dreams is where I feel I can get away. I can be peaceful. I can live out fantasies that will never occur to me in the real world, I can leave all my worries behind and just rest.

But I am torn from this tranquility by Michael's large bony hands, which are grasping my shoulders, jolting me.

"Mary!" He whispers. The room is still dark and I don't think it's even morning.

I grunt. "What..?" I don't open my eyes, and I roll over into the pillow, wishing to escape back into my dream world.

"Mary, I had a lucid dream... I was in front of this house, and Tex was there, and he told me to tell you about it, and-"

I shoot straight up, suddenly awake.

"Wait, you had one of the dreams?" I ask, frantic. If he's having the dreams that Tex had so long ago, it must mean things are finally happening... Tex is in that world.

Michael explains his dream to me, detail by detail, and I listen intently.

"So, you banished him to an alternate universe, basically, that's what your telling me?" I question once he's done talking.

With his lips pursed grimly he gives me a curt nod.

"And there's nothing we can do," I state, looking down at my lap.

Michael stays silent.

Guilt twinges and stirs in my chest. Guilt for feeling angry. Michael didn't know what he was doing, and I can tell he regrets doing it, but somehow I am incredibly, unfathomably angry. My chest is burning with rage, and the guilt for feeling this way is making me purely nauseous. I can feel sweat doting my forehead, and my back is sticky with heat.

I stand.

"Michael, I'm sorry," I say, and my stomach is twisting. Tears begin to push from my eyes. So many emotions are swirling in my mind.

Mainly anger, then guilt, then remorse, a bit of sorrow, a bit of forgiveness too, but I refuse to forget about this. Michael did this.

It's as if half of my mind is saying, "He made this happen, it's unforgivable, make him pay," and the other half is saying, "but he's sorry for it, he's clearly just as worried as you are, let him be."

This conflict is tearing me apart.

Michael's head snaps up at my random apology.

"You don't have to be sorry for any-" he starts. I cut him off.

"No Michael, I'm not sorry for that," I say, "I'm sorry for this."

I need time to think. This is too much, I just...

I can feel bile rising in the back of my throat. I wish I could just turn to ash and disappear into the soil of the earth.

I need to get away.

I hang my head low, and the tears have started pouring, and I can feel sobs threatening to squeak from my throat.

But then there's that burning in my chest, the anger that makes my hands shake.

I look up. Michael looks really scared, and I try my best to hold my head high as I begin to walk towards the door.

"I'm leaving."