Jackie found herself sprinting down a long, bright corridor. Her feet made faint clicking noises as she scampered across a tiled floor of intricate designs. Her fists were clenched so tightly that the pale skin of her hands almost blended with the white incandescence that engulfed the edges of the halls.
“Jackie,” a soft, familiar voice gently reached her ears and she was thrust to an unwilling halt. “Jackie there’s nothing we can do right now, you have to let the council handle it–”
“Screw the Council, Will!” she shouted with anger as she looked up at the boy, whose hair was a halo of gold atop his head. “If the Council wants to be of help then I’m all for it, but I am not going to sit back and watch other people do my job! He’s my best friend and I am supposed to be protecting him!”
“No one told you that you had to protect everyone all the time, Jackie,” said Will in an irritating calm. “Besides; isn’t he the one who’s saved you? Maybe he felt he had to protect you, maybe he wanted his chance to save your life for all the times he’s said you saved his.”
Jackie blinked as a rush of emotion caused the ground to sway beneath her. She couldn’t bear the pressure that was now pushing down on her shoulders, pulling her to her knees. As if sensing Jackie’s fall, Will ran to her side and held her above the ground gently, careful not to upset the girl whose face was already streaked with tears.
“This is my fault,” she whimpered. “All my fault.”
“No it’s not; it’s not,” Will repeated.
She thought about shoving him away, running with a speed and direction that even he wouldn’t be able to catch up with, but her limbs had failed her and her mind only truly thought of one thing: her best friend, Danny.
“Danny, I’m going to save you,” she whispered softly. “No one will tell me otherwise.”
“Jackie,”
Her head perked up at the sound of this voice – the voice of the very person she was worried over. She pulled away from Will and scrambled to her feet, searching the brightness of the area for any sign of the messy haired boy she cared so much about.
“Danny!” she yelled out in exasperation when she saw nothing.
“Calm down, Jackie. I’m right here.”
“Where?” She turned in a wide circle, gripping her hair between her fingers in a sense of panic.
“Wake up, Jackie. Wake up. I’m alright.”
Will took Jackie’s wrist in her state of frenzy and gazed into her green eyes with a sense of assurance that nearly calmed her. “We’re going to save him. It’s going to be alright.”
Jackie bolted upright, gasping and panting for air that was reluctant to fill into her lungs. Her hair was plastered against her skin, sweat holding it in place like hardened glue. She felt something wrapped around her hand, squeezing tighter with every long breath she took in. A sigh of relief escaped her lips when she realized it was Danny.
It was only a dream, she thought.
“Shh, it’s okay, Jackie, I’m right here.”
Jackie flung her arms over his shoulders, feeling a sense of comfort wash over her. It always felt safe being with Danny, familiar and welcoming. He tightened his grip around her as her breathing began to return to normal.
YOU ARE READING
Chosen To Lead
Teen FictionJacklyn Monroe has always welcomed a good challenge - and anyone who knows the general's daughter can attest to that. But when the royal family is suddenly assassinated, everything in Jackie's life is about to change. She's found herself, and her qu...
