The Four Kings & Me

Chapter 6

New York City, May 15, 2022

Nvy's POV...

A bit of sadness still lingered around me when I opened my eyes. I don't know if it was due to the painting I was still holding in my arms or because of the dream I had just woken up from. I sat on the floor, recalling everything that happened to me between yesterday and last night.

By the time I was done reliving the past, I felt like I had been taken on a high chase, emotional roller-coaster ride. At first, I was happy about witnessing Becca achieving success for her amazing talent. The next minute, I was overcome with sadness every time I glanced at the man in the painting in my lap. Taking the painting, I placed it face down on the glass table, then wiped the Stray tears that slipped from behind my closed eyelids. I don't know what it is about this painting that was affecting me this way, but I do know that I didn't like it one bit. “Pull yourself together, Nvy it's only a painting.” I scolded myself when my heart began to ache all over again.

Looking at the clock on the wall hanging over the fireplace, I let out a deep sigh when I noticed that it was only two in the morning. I had three more hours before it was time for me to get ready for work. My bones ached like the dickens when I finally decided to get up off the floor. Stretching lazily, I walked to the bathroom beside the kitchen to pee. After doing my deed, I walked upstairs and grabbed my journal out of the nightstand to write down a dream that felt more real than me being awake right now. “Wait, could I still be dreaming?” I asked myself before pinching my left thigh hard. “Fuck, that hurt,” I grumbled, rubbing the spot I had just stupidly attacked.

Dream:

I was sitting in a large beautifully decorated dining room dressed in a gorgeous purple dress. The table was laden with dozens of tasty-looking food in uniquely embroidered dinnerware. Hanging on the wall above a state-of-the-art fireplace was a magnificent family portrait. In the portrait sat a handsome older gentleman with a crown on his head, beside him was a beautiful woman with a smile that didn't quite match the lonely look that was in her eyes. Behind them stood an equally beautiful young woman who wore a purple dress that looked exactly like the one I Am wearing.

Next to the young woman stood a tall gentleman wearing a black face mask that covered up half of his face. He wore a purple Polo shirt and black slacks. The smile on the young man's face gave off a sinister vibe that matched his emotionless eyes that were somewhat being shielded behind his mask. His cold demeanor was causing my anxiety to rise and making me feel like I was somewhere I didn't belong. While slowly backing away from the portrait, I bumped into something hard. My heart began to pound furiously inside my chest When a pair of hands gripped my shoulders just as I was about to turn around to see what I had bumped into.

I froze like a block of ice when I heard “Don't move, don't speak” being harshly spoken next to my right ear by a deep, masculine voice. “I've been looking for you for years, and now that I've found you, you'll be mine forever.” The moment I heard those words, I stomped on his feet and roughly shook myself out of his grasp and began to run in the direction that he came from.

“You'll never be able to escape from here. You belong to me," The man behind me blurts out in a frigid voice, just as two physically fit men block the exit. The man on my right forcefully grabbed me by the arm and turned me around to face the person I was trying to get away from. Standing mere inches away from me stood a tall man who had the same body build as the man in the portrait, and he wore a similar mask that covered up the upper portion of his face. His jet-black hair hung loosely down his back, and a sterling silver necklace was fastened around his neck. His hands were pulled behind his back and he had a wicked smirk on his face as he glared at me. “What such a rare beauty you are.” He taunted, capturing my chin in the palm of his hand. “I'm going to enjoy ruining you and making you my prize possession.” He whispered in my ear before pressing his lips up against my cheek.

“If I have anything to say about whom I date, and I do, I'll never be yours.” I sneered, then jerked my face out of his hand.

“We'll see about that, my darling.” was the last thing I heard before I woke up in a cold sweat.

I sat on my bed wondering why I was having these weird ass dreams. Not able to come up with a reason why, I walked out onto my balcony and just stared out into the quiet neighborhood. My already sad state was amplified by the dreadful appearance of the cloudy night sky, along with deadly silence looming over the whole neighborhood. The air outside felt thick and a bit suffocating. The usual streetlights that come on like clockwork at seven in the evening and turn off at six in the morning weren't on. Not even the front porch light that Mrs. Camilla Korvosky likes to keep on to ward off intruders was on. The whole community had a creepy, chilling aura to it.

Feeling a bit weirded out by the pitch-black darkness outside, I walked back into my room and locked the door. Just as I was about to close the dark gray sliding shades, out of the corner of my right eye, I caught a glimpse of a white figure moving behind the large oak tree in the yard of the empty house right next to mine. For a second there I thought that maybe I was seeing things or perhaps being paranoid until it emerged from behind the tree and just stood there facing my house. I couldn't make out a single detail of the mysterious object because of how dark it was outside.

I hurriedly closed the blind and walked downstairs when a spine-chilling vibe washed over me, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up. Picking up the painting off the coffee table, I placed it in the closet by the front door to keep myself from crying my eyes out again. I grabbed the remote off the coffee table and turned on the TV. I didn't want to watch anything on the TV. I  just needed it on for a bit of white noise to drown out my thoughts. I spread a lightweight orange and green blanket over my legs, then grabbed my iPad and began to read the new book that I've been hooked on for the last week called “Mutual Help” by Personasintro on Wattpad off the coffee table.

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