The Reincarnated

Chapter 28: Real or not Real?

He fastened the beautiful pendant with his own handiwork - a gold necklace - on my neck. I can see his smile in his eyes more than it existed on his lips. It made my heart swell.

"A token of my love for the one who holds my heart," he kissed each of my fingers slowly, with a magnetic gaze that could melt ice. He was smiling at me, muttering words too fond to my ears.

But some things never last.

Suddenly, my heart thumped in dread.

"I'm not so sure about tonight," I whispered, frightened by my own visions. Pain. Anguish. Death.

My intuition was warning me about a deadly affliction that will scorn me. But all I have are my instincts; nothing more to prove them.

His eyes flashed with worry. "I will never let anything bad happen to you." He held my cold trembling hands and instantly warmed them. "Tonight, I'll be by your side with your parents. I'll make sure everything is heavily guarded. No Phantom nightmare of yours will ever materialize. Not when I'm around."

I let myself smile, pushing away all kinds of delusions. Patience. That's all I need to get through this night. And also maybe, his constant reassurance.

"Thank you," I clasped the pendant, feeling its details and smooth edges. "And also for the rose this morning. You're too sweet." I gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"Rose?" He threw me a confused look. "This rose?" He saw the rose that I placed on my drawer and eyed it skeptically. "It wasn't me."

My brows flew up in bewilderment. "I saw it this morning. I thought it came from you." I took the crimson flower from his hand, and unspeakably scratched my thumb on one of its thorns. I winced at the sudden prick and the rose fell from my hold.

"Easy." He carefully took my folded white cloth and wrapped my finger. "I always shed the thorns of the roses I give you. Remember?"

I nodded in agreement, but I could barely hear his voice. If not from him then who did it come from?

And then a girl's scream erupted on the walls.

Jasmine...

I sat up, dazed and disoriented. Looking at the open bags and jam-packed luggage, reality settled in: my room. My bed. Leopold's ranch.

I must have passed out in the middle of packing.

Great.

Even on the day after the prison break, I felt that my luck was running out. The sore sentiment wasn't entirely physical when I thought about how very little sleep I have earned in the previous nights.

My dreams were becoming more frequent and unsettling. It felt so thick and...real. They clung to me like moss, leaving me disoriented and weirdly out of control. A strange man would visit my nightmares, but in there - in my mind he was familiar; someone I could always trust... and something more. His touch would leave a warm feeling on my skin when I wake up.

Too bad I can't remember his face every time.

The minutes and distraction I spent packing everything in my bag didn't really help much in my anxiety; probably due to the fact that all along I knew that these were mere effects to the nightmares and visions that keep taunting my mind with precautions. Like some chain reaction, it had started the night Gale interrogated the prisoner. The mention of my family in jeopardy had bothered me no matter how Gabriel assured that the Branstone mansion was safely guarded with Leopold's personally hired men.

Finally arranging the last of my sweaters in the first compact of my black luggage, I sighed and collapsed on my bed, staring on the peach ceiling and the white light source that was emanating like the sunshine the weather prevented from showing up.