Different Worlds // n.h.

chapter twenty-five // the date.

Gracey's POV

    "There's nowhere to hide now, Gracey."

    "Don't hurt me, please don't hurt me!" I cried, my voice breaking as I covered my face with my trembling hands.

    Victoria proceeded towards me, ruler in hand, with an evil glint in her eye. "You never should have left, Gracey. Maybe your family would still be here if you didn't,"

    "What — what do you mean?"

    "They're gone, Gracey. Every single one of them."

    That single sentence echoed in my brain and I felt the ground shatter beneath me. I screamed and screamed till my throat hurt and my mind went numb.

    My family was gone. I'd never see them again.

    "I'll take everything you've ever loved away from you, Gracey, starting with your dear prince. Consider it as payback for ruining everything in my life."

    "Please, don't hurt him! I'll do anything, anything, just don't hurt him!" Tears streamed down my pale face and I feared I would drown in my sorrow.

    "It's too late for that now."

    I immediately sat up, my body covered in a cold sweat as I tried to catch my breath. I was panting as if I had just run a marathon; the dream felt so real. I looked all around me in fear my stepmother would be lurking in any corner.

    It was just a nightmare, Gracey. Get yourself together.

    The night was still dark and I still had a few hours before I needed to get ready for the day ahead of me, however, I couldn't bring myself to fall back asleep in fear I would get another nightmare. I shakily got out of bed and wandered to the other side of my bedroom and took a seat on the windowsill.

    I stared at the palace grounds as I let my mind wander through all of life's recent events. Everything was the best it's ever been: I made new friends, I'm living the life I always dreamt of living, and I'm even finding love. But yet, I was terrified. Utterly terrified.

    The dark January nights have turned to nightmare-filled terrors — with the same one every day — and I'm fearful of the fact that Niall loves me. What if I fall in love with him too? There's no doubt he'll leave me; I've had too much of a bad experience with love.

    But now, who am I to confide in? All of my newly-made friends left for home weeks ago, and I barely get the time to call Reeja. The rare times I get my free time, she's busy at work.

    "Suck it up, Gracey." Was the only advice my brain could give me.

~ ~ ~

I stared at the ceiling, trying my hardest not to let sleep overcome me. It was at last my free time and I was more tired than I had been in months. All I could think of was my nightmare. What if it came true? I couldn't let it happen.

I heard a quiet knock on my door, causing me to jump in alarm. "Come in," I said, my voice scratchy due to lack of sleep.

The door slowly creaked open and the blonde Irish prince came walking in. Niall's eyes searched the room looking for where I was hiding. His expression softened when he finally spotted me on an armchair in my reading room.

"Ah, there you are, for a second there I thought it was a ghost who told me to come in," He laughed. I attempted a small smile, but I failed greatly as I couldn't muster the will to do so; the little amount of sleep I had been getting seemed to be taking a toll on me.