Black Iris

The Nightmares.

Rose

My nightmares came back with a vengeance that week.

I would wake in the middle of the night to pure terror coursing through my veins. Each night, it was a different dream, a new cursed scenario, but each with the same fears and doubts.

In one, I was standing inside a courtroom, except it was only Blake and Gwen and I in there. Blake was the judge, taunting and chastising me for attempting to take him down. Then, he came around from behind the bench, and stood in front of me, pulling Gwen across and wrapping his hands around her throat. When I tried to lunge at him to stop him, I couldn't move, and as she gasped and screamed, and I cried, and cried, until I was woken up by one of the other girls in my cabin, Emily.

"Are you okay?" She had asked. And I had nodded, trembling, before rolling over to go back to sleep.

In another, I was back in the mansion's basement, tied to the bed in the basement. It was the scene with the fire all over again, except this time it was me tied down not Gwen, and I was completely sealed in wax, unable to move or do anything as the room around me was engulfed in flames.

I was woken up in a similar way.

The third night, I was in the target carpark where they took me, and everyone I knew was standing around in a huge crowd, watching on in silence as Blake slowly wrapped me from head to toe in duct tape. When he was done, he gave me an evil grin, then pushed me over, but then I hit the floor I fell into water, and I was sinking, drowning, reliving that pool all over again.

That night, I woke up on my own, gulping in air, and it took me a second to realise that there were people talking. After a few moments of confusion, I found that it was my roommates, talking quietly outside.

"I get that she's going through something but it's happening every freaking night. Even my five-year-old sister sleeps better than this."

I recognised the voice as Portia, one of the roommates I didn't get on with very well.

"Don't be cruel Portia," A softer voice said, one I didn't immediately place.

"Portia's right, though, Mrs O. None of us have gotten a full nights sleep since the weekend. When it was just happening once a week it was fine, but now we're all feeling it. I'm pretty sure I bombed my physics quiz yesterday because I just couldn't focus."

That was Emily, one of the kinder, more reasonable girls. And the unidentifiable voice must be one of the teachers, Mrs O'Reilly. I had her for my ancient history class.

She let out a quiet sigh. "Look, girls, I empathise with you, I really do, but I'm not sure what you want me to do here."

"Send her home! Kick her out! I just want a decent nights sleep," Portia grumbled.

"Portia!" Another voice hissed. Callie, the girl I usually sat with at lunch. "Don't be a dick."

Portia made a noise to imply she was offended. "Mrs O'Reilly, are you going to let her say that?"

"I'm going to do more than let her say it, I'm going to second that notion," She muttered. I couldn't help but smile. "Now, listen. I'm not going to kick anyone out of camp for having nightmares. Phil has been through the wringer and back, and it's a wonder she is doing as well as she is, and I don't think ostracising her for something she can't control is any help."