The Hidden Gemstone

Chapter: 18

The nightmares found her yet again.

River jolted awake and bit her tongue to prevent any screams from escaping her mouth. Her heart was pounding wildly against her chest as she struggled to get enough air inside her lungs. Her hair was sticking to the back of her neck from the sweat that beaded on her forehead as well.

Images of her father flashed before her eyes and the darkness that surrounded her supported them. Every single shattered bottle of wine, every shard that spilled her blood, and every time he screamed at her rang in her mind constantly. The harder she tried to get rid of it, the louder and more prominent it got.

She slowly extended a shaking hand toward the nightlight, fumbling for the switch. Her fingers found it and she clicked it desperately. The light that illuminated the room wasn't bright but it was enough to dim the images inside her head.

It wasn't until she heard her own sob that she realized just how tight her throat had gotten. Tears flooded out of her eyes before she could stop them. She didn't know whether she was still grieving Hannah or missing her brother. Or maybe the seemingly endless nightmares were the ones causing them.

"Or maybe," said a voice inside her head. "It's because that's all you deserve. A river of tears."

No. It wasn't just inside her head. She could hear it and feel it. She could hear just how raspy it sounded, how every word that the voice spoke seemed to echo endlessly.

"Did you ever think that it might just be you, River?" the voice spoke again, louder this time. River's gaze traveled around the room in panic, trying to locate the source of the voice. "Your mistakes are what lead you here. Think about it. If you'd just kept your mouth shut and sat like a good girl, Hannah would still be here."

The words forced a louder sob out of her mouth. Her breathing hitched just as the shadows around her seemed to form a figure. Her figure. Before she knew it, a reflection of herself stood before, barely two feet away. The only difference between the two of them was that the reflection was paler and in the place where her eyes were supposed to be, black, hollow sockets existed. That's when River realized that it wasn't just her reflection

She was facing her demon.

Alex's POV:

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't place the past back where it belonged.

When I saw that scene play in front of me like a movie, it was like she died all over again. The grief felt as fresh as it did thirteen years ago, the wound free of any scab that might've formed over it. As I saw the life leave her eyes through the haze, I felt it slipping away from me too. I couldn't help but feel that all my purpose had been wrenched out of me, leaving me hollow aside from the grief that took over every part of my body.

It wasn't until I'd finally started to feel the warmth of Cody's arms around me that I began to regain my sanity. Although the images from half an hour ago were still imprinted in my mind as vividly as they could be, I knew I had priorities just as important as that revelation.

It had been barely thirty minutes since we left the woods, but I could already hear the change in Zoe and Elijah's breathing in the backseat, which indicated that they were already asleep. Beside me, Cody was driving, his blue eyes fixed on the road. I could feel them shift to me frequently, even though I wasn't looking. His concern was evident on his face from the tension between his eyebrows.

Neither of us had said anything since we left the woods but now, he spoke up, "I know it doesn't matter but... my mother is the reason I haven't been myself today." I looked at him intently, waiting for him to continue. I didn't care about the circumstances; I'd been anxious to know what happened to him all day and the recent events didn't take away my concern for him. "Turns out, I wasn't fooling anyone. She knew all along what I was and... she tried to remove it from me. Only at the beginning, I wasn't strong enough, and later on, the cells became too permanent to be removed."