Night of the Alphas

Chapter 16

When my mom got over the initial joy of having me home, she grounded me. I wasn't even mad. If my daughter ran away and came back two weeks later with bloodstained clothes, four Alphas, and a gun, I would ground her, too. My friends got accepted into the family pretty quick. Amanda took care of Charity and Zane, and my mom looked after Miranda, Zaria, and I. All was well and we lived happily ever after.

Oh, wait, no we didn't. Put your seatbelt back on, fam. We've still got a long way to go.

I knew my problems weren't over the second I got home. But the first night back at home just confirmed everything I was already thinking.

That night, I don't remember what I dreamed. I just know that I felt nothing but pure, raw fear. I squeezed my eyes a bit tighter. Wake up. Wake up. Please wake up. Nothing. Terror began rising up in me. Just wake up already! You're dreaming! I still couldn't get out of this nightmare. I could almost feel physical pain as I slowly grew more and more terrified. Suddenly, I heard Zane scream, which was cut off by a gunshot. In the complete darkness of my dreamworld, I saw blood begin dripping onto the rubber toes of my shoes. I slowly looked up towards the source of the blood. When I saw what was above me, I was startled awake.

I opened my eyes. I didn't scream; no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't force one out. When my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I was in my bed. Mom was lying next to me, and Amanda was on a cot across the room. I sat up and pulled my legs up to my chest. It's not real. You're home. You're safe. I couldn't be sure of my own thoughts. I felt like I was being watched. I got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. I'll just get a drink of water. I'll feel better after that.

When I got to the bathroom, I locked the door just to be safe. I looked in the mirror at my white face and took a sip of water, trying to ignore the pit in my stomach. My whole body was covered in a cold sweat. When I was finished gulping down water, I curled up on the ground and started crying. I was so scared, and I had no idea why. Without thinking, I got in the shower and turned on

steaming hot water. I didn't even care that I still had my pajamas on. It felt right in the moment. All the while, I couldn't stop sobbing. Eventually, the 9,000-degree water started to burn my skin, so I got out and wrung the water out of my clothes. I trudged down to Zane and Charity's room. I just wanted to make sure Zane was okay, and that my dream wasn't real. Maybe then I could go back to sleep.

I creaked open the door. They were both lying asleep in their bed. I sighed. He's okay. Before I could leave, Zane stirred. He yawned. "Adrian? Why are you up this late?"

"I..." Before I could say anything, I started sobbing. "I had a dream... And it-" I couldn't even finish my sentence.

He got up and came towards me. "Do you want to talk about it?" I nodded. He put his arm around me as we walked downstairs. "Why are you wet?"

"It's complicated."

We sat down on the living room couch. "Now, tell me about your dream. Take your time."

I told him everything I could remember, although it wasn't much. I had to stop several times because I was sobbing too hard. He didn't seem impatient or pushy. He mostly just nodded and listened to what I was saying. When I was finished, he sat for a moment to process everything. "That sounds pretty intense. I'm sorry you had to go through that."

I wiped my tears on my sleeve. "Thanks. I'm glad you're alive."

He patted my head, which was something my brother and cousins did to annoy me. But it was oddly comforting when he did it. "Is there anything I can do?"

I rested my head on his shoulder, something I had become very comfortable with doing. "This is gonna sound kinda weird, but can you do it anyway?"

"How weird? Because I have limits," He said.