Letters To Harry

22 - Who We Become

*Flashback to earlier that night*

Alia's POV

The water was getting darker as I sunk further. My skin turned blue but I felt warmer...The soft liquid ran over my body, tugging at my clothes and pulling me deeper. My hair floated above my head and my mouth opened slightly, bubbles rising from it towards the surface which became further away every moment. My limbs grew heavy and my arms flopped to my sides, useless. I saw the sunlight disappear as black spots clouded my vision. My eyes closed, senses dulling. I felt something hard hit my foot, but no pain followed. The thoughts running through my head slowed enough for me to focus on one. The name. I held onto that thought as I let go of everything else, drifting into the darkness.

"No!" 

I sat up, wide awake and trembling. Sweat glistened on my arms which I held in front of me. I wiped a tear away impatiently, reaching for my phone. I scrolled through the contacts, my search ending in the H section. It beeped three times before she picked up.

"Hey sweetie, did you have the dream again?" I relaxed at the sound of her voice. "Talk to me when you're ready."

I sat in my bed, the covers tangled around my legs, clutching the phone to my ear, breathing heavily. I heard rustling on the other end of the phone. No doubt I had woken her up again. I really needed to stop calling her at...3am?

"No you don't." I sighed as I realized I had spoken out loud. "I'm always here for you."

"Thanks Hally." I managed to squeak out. 

"Was it the same one?" She asked, her voice comforting. "With the water?"

"Yeah." I answered. 

"How long did it last?"

I checked the clock on my nightstand. Frowning, I spoke into the mouthpiece on my phone.

"Two hours."

I heard the skarp intake of breath on the other end of the line.

"It's getting longer?" She sounded worried, the exact emotion I was feeling right now.

"Apparently." The dreams had started lasting only for five minutes, gradually strecthing out to become longer and longer over the last few months. They hadn't been so bad until I went to Toronto, then came to England. If they happened while I was at home, Hally would come and stay with me until it passed and I was able to sleep again. I was by myself now.

"Have you told him?"

I shook my head before realizing she couldn't see me.

"No."

"Are you going to?"

I sighed, fiddling with the bottom of my teeshirt.

"He's with someone else, you've read the articles."

Hally scoffed.

"Clearly he's not. Come on, really? I know the pictures, I saw the Twitcam, but he doesn't look at him that way! Remember I also saw the pictures of the two of you together and that video of you two kissing outside of Starbucks."

"There's a video?!" I gasped, almost falling out of the bed. She laughed a little.

"Yep. And let me tell you, that is real. What I saw between those two, nope. Although I think the other boy may have a bit of a crush on him..."

I frowned.

"Louis? I doubt it. I mean, they're best friends and I know they um, have a history...you know what never mind."