Good Things Never Last

Chapter 70

"Will she be okay?"

"You're really questioning a god.....
It's only anaesthetic she'll wake up soon"

"Are you going to do what we planned"

"Of course I will, it's for the best"

"She can't know about it, I can't loose her too"

"I understand"

"What will she remember?"

"Nothing"

My head was pounding.
I'd been sitting in the dark for what seemed like an eternity, unable to think or move from my upright stance.
"He's dead"
I used every ounce of strength I had left to attempt to find the mystery voice, but I just ended up slipping further away from control.
"What?"
"Your dirty little crime boy met his demise at the hands of his own father, pathetic isn't it?"
I stiffened in response to their comments, furrowing my eyebrows while the cogs turned in my head.
"Who?"

I jolted upright, my breathing heavy as I quickly scanned the unfamiliar room I found myself sitting in. It was a good-sized room with an oak door in the right corner. The wall opposite me had a wide window that looked out over a lovely garden full of greenery and life, with the sun's early rays shining on it. I was lying on top of a silk duvet that sat on a king-sized four-poster bed. My head was propped up on a pair of comfortable pillows, and a jug of water sat next to a lump of what appeared to be woollen material on the bedside table.

But it was the mirror on a neighbouring wall, which featured a H/C haired girl with dazzling E/C eyes, that drew my attention. Her eyes looked tired, as if she hadn't gotten enough sleep for far too long. Her locks were matted and knotted, as if she hadn't brushed them in months. She sat in a chainmail garment that clung to her like it was on life support. She looked like a warrior just back from war. I raised my right arm to reach for the girl, only to watch her do the same.
She was me.
Yet I didn't have a clue who I was looking at.

My eyes snapped towards the door as the handle slowly twisted and the door creaked open. A tall man, maybe six foot three and with good posture, strolled in. He was dressed in worn jeans and a baggy green hoodie. He looked as if he belonged but he didn't all at the same time. What surprised me was the worn bone mask that covered each of his facial features, leaving him masked to the rest of the world. It had a deranged smiley face painted on it, and its eyes seemed to be staring deep into my soul. Its smile was psychotic, spreading right across the face of the mask as it glared down at my smaller figure.

I sat with my eyes focused on his painted ones as he carefully stepped forward into the centre of the room.
"Oi, don't come any closer you pussy ass masked blob"
It didn't seem like the kind of circumstance to be scared or seem weak in, so I decided to fake it until I made it. He simply made a strange wheezing noise, gasping for air as he did so.
"Well that certainly was unexpected. Jeez some things never change. And how am I the pussy here, might I ask? You're literally clueless about everything. Or you're supposed to be"

I figured I wasn't supposed to hear the final part of the sentence because it was more of a hushed whisper, and I wasn't in the right place to be asking questions.
"Well Mr green man"
I swivelled around on my bed before rising to my feet and approaching the man.
"You're a pussy because you're hiding behind a mask. You're scared that people will see how you really are, so you cover it up with a big, scary, malicious looking thing and act all tough and shit. But deep down, you're probably broken and alone, waiting for someone to put all your pieces back together and love you. You're not difficult to read, and I've never even seen you before you walked through that door"

The man seemed to lose his cool, shifting his head away from my stare as he looked about the room before returning his eyes to my smaller, fatigued form.
"You know you're hot when you act confident princess"
"I'm not no man's princess, I'm a fucking queen, get it right dickhead. Now tell me where I am or I'll stab it out of you bitch boy"
The tall male approached me, forcing me to take a step back until colliding with the wall, leaving us only a metre apart when he took another step forward.

"You really don't remember, do you?"
For the first time, my phoney confidence crumbled, leaving me a confused girl that didn't have a clue what was going on.
"Do you at least remember your name?"
I tried to form words but they just caught in my throat as I furrowed my eyebrows in thought, eventually shaking my head.
"You go by Nightmare. It's a nickname you got when we were kids when we went around causing mischief. I was always wearing bright clothing while you were always hiding in the shadows wearing black, earning you the nickname while I got Dream. Your real name is Y/N though, but I don't think many people know that"

My breathing started to quicken as I realised I had no recollection of what he was saying to me.
"So how'd I end up here Dream?"
The dead eyes of the mask glared down on me as I nibbled on my bottom lip, slightly afraid as I waited for the answer
"I was heading out to explore some new lands when I stumbled across you unconscious on the forest floor so I brought you here"

I started trembling as I frantically looked around.
"Why can't I-"
Two strong arms quickly wrapped around my torso, making me feel secure and safe.
"Shhh, it's okay, we'll work it out together okay?"
I merely nodded against his chest, inhaling the oh-so-familiar peppermint scent. Being in his warm embrace felt good, like it was something I hadn't felt in a long time.

He slowly backed away from me, never letting go of my hands. His were warm and soft, which surprised me for some reason.
"Everything's going to be okay alright? I'll be by your side for all of this"
I just nodded, still not able to form words as my eyes locked with the mask's once again.

"Now come on, we gotta go"