Bitten

Realm of Dreams

It had been almost a week since Draco and Riley were admitted into the Infirmary. Draco was up and walking around, but was still not able to go to his classes. The teachers were worried about the aftermath. Word of Draco's Dark Mark disappearing would have spread, had anyone known about it. Draco was never exactly sure how to handle the new responsibility. So his Dark Mark had come and gone, with no one knowing about it. Well, no one except Riley.

Draco looked up from his Ancient Runes homework at the bed next to his. Riley laid there, still as a statue. She had not regained consciousness since Dumbledore had expelled the curse from her body. Apparently, something had messed with her brain. Nothing was wrong with her body. She seemed to be suspended in time.

Draco put his pen down. He set his notebook and textbook next to him, making the pillow-top sink. He swung his legs over the side of the bed. His eyes lazily wondered the length of Riley's body. Her skin had become pale and similar to porcelain. Her hair was silky and shone in the incandescent light. Draco reached up to touch her hair, but stopped. His hand was halfway extended towards her. Very slowly, he brought it back to his side.

Draco stood up, suddenly needing to be anywhere else. He was still for a moment, then sat back on the edge of the bed. Sighing, he moved his homework to the table next to him. He laid down on top of the covers.

Draco glanced back over at Riley again. Her position had not changed. His eyes took in not only her body, but the flowers and get well cards next to her bed. There was nothing but homework in various stages of completion near his. He huffed with a sort of annoyance and flopped onto his side, his back to Riley. He closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

Draco was in a field. He was all by himself. Wondering around, his feet crunched in the charred dirt. The soil was dry and cracked; desolate and barren. As he walked, he noticed a change in the ground. There seemed to be small plants and grasses beginning to grow in the middle. It was a circular area of light green. As he walked, he noticed someone laying in the thickest part of the circle. The second he stepped both feet onto the grass, flames engulfed the area around him. The heat was immense and Draco quickly hurried closer to the center of the untouched grass.

The person, he soon realized, was Riley once again. She seemed to be popping up in his dreams recently. He walked over to her. She was in a simple, white sundress that made her skin seem even more pale than it already was. She had thick, iron cuffs on her wrists, bruising around them, with a few links of chain before there was a broken link at the end. However, a single opal in each cuff, giving them an animalistic beauty. Around her crown was a thin, silver band that came down to a point between her eyes on her forehead. Where the lines curved down, set in the silver, was a square-cut ruby. A long, silver chain ran down to her bosom with a black stone that Draco couldn't identify.

Reaching out, Draco brushed the back of his hand across her cheek. She was warm and breathing. He let out a breath and sat down, crossing his legs under him. He frowned. Why was he relieved? Suddenly, the ground began to rumble. Cracks cut through the ground around Riley. A gasping breath, shook her body as her eyes sprang open. She had no pupils and the eerily blue irises had become a light, spooky grey. Her body trembled with shivers as tears streamed down her face. With shaky breaths, she turned her face and looked at Draco.

Riley smiled at him.

"You found me." She whispered. She started to sit up and became dizzy. Draco steadied her as she held her hand to her temples.

"Sorry," she murmured, "I'm still a bit weak." Draco nodded.

"You did it." He said simply. She smiled again.

"But it's not gone yet." Draco frowned. He looked down at his left forearm. It was still bare. She chuckled.

"Physically, yes. It's gone. But now..." Her voice trailed off. He looked at her and something seemed to possess him. He reached out and gently wrapped her small hand between his.

"Can I," he paused as he searched for the word, "help?" His eyes came up and looked in to hers. Her mouth was open slightly in surprise. Then, very slowly, she shook her head.

"There's nothing you can do." She pulled her hand from his grasp, holding it curled to her chest. Her face turned away and Draco felt the ground shake again. He looked around them and saw that the flames had begun to lick at the green grass.

"You must go," Riley whispered shakily. He looked at her again and flinched. Thin vines with thorns were beginning to crawl up her legs.

"Riley you're-"

"Trapped here." She laughed solemnly, "In this world that which I control best, I cannot escape." Her eyes turned back to him. "It's sad really." She reached up and cupped his face in her hands, vines slowly wrapping around her arms.

"You can't stay here. It's not a place for you." The flames roared around them. Draco shook his head.

"I can't just leave you!" He hissed. She smiled again.

"You have to. I'm dealing with your curse. If you stay, you'll be susceptible to it again." Draco frowned. She continued, "The field you walked through, that is my waking self. I am slowly healing, the grass you can see. But sometimes," she motioned to the angry fires surrounding them, "it comes back." She leaned forward, placing her forehead on his. He felt her shaking. The ruby on the crown across her forehead cut into his skin. He stared at her, seeing that it cut into her skin too, causing delicate strings of ruby red blood to fall down her skin.

"Trust me, okay?" She whispered. Her breath smelled sweet, like honey.

"Riley," he said equally soft. She frowned, her eyes closing shut tightly.

"Now go, you can't stay here any longer!" Her voice was shaking. She pulled away just as the vines encircled her face. She was pulled back to the ground, laying on the ground.

Riley's eyes drooped half closed. The opals on her cuffs began to glow.

"This realm," she said dreamily, "it needs me." The blood dripped from her face, through her hair, and onto the ground. Seals formed where the blood hit the ground. Red lines began to connect around her body. They shot out in jagged bolts into the fire. The flames turned an angry purple and forest green. Demented faces were recognizable within the fire. Draco looked back to Riley. Her eyes had closed and she looked just like she did in the waking world. What she was doing, was fighting. She was a soldier for both sides. The light from the opals surrounded Draco and Riley, forcing him to shield his eyes. The seals underneath her glowed blue. The orb of light burst like a bubble and screams came from the raging inferno as it vanished. Smoke was left behind and field smoldered like a doused fire. Draco looked around, then back at Riley. She was motionless once again.