By My Side - Sam/Aomaris Fanfiction

26) He's Back

It wasn't long before we heard Matthew shout up the stairs that dinner was done. As I took my usual seat in the corner, chatting somewhat cheerfully with Mika and Erik, Sam wandered into the dining room and smiled when he saw me. He sat down next to me and instantly pressed a kiss to my forehead and then to my cheek, making me blush.

"What did-" He began, but I shook my head subtly, uncomfortably aware of everyone else in the room. Sam took the hint, mouthing 'later' at me. I nodded.
Dinner was an odd affair; it was unnaturally quiet. Even Sam wasn't talking much, and he was very vocal at dinnertime. Matthew didn't utter a word and it was only Mika and Erik who kept up conversation, obviously confused and apprehensive about the lack of communication. I personally couldn't stand the awkwardness and stuck an earphone in and ate whilst silently nodding along to my music. Soon enough, Sam grabbed the free earphone and put it in his own ear, making me giggle quietly.

It was nice to spend some somewhat normal time with Sam after what had just been revealed to me. It didn't last long but it was nice nonetheless. I was a slow eater, so Sam finished his food way before I finished mine, as usual. I could tell he was antsy as he waited for me to finish. I was almost tempted to deliberately drag it out just to avoid the pain of the inevitable conversation that was drawing closer and closer. Sure enough, as soon as I swallowed the last mouthful of my food, Sam took hold of my hand and stood, ready to drag me off to somewhere private and demand to know what was going on. Then, to my utmost gratitude, Damien spoke.
"Sam? Could I have a word with you?" Confusion plastered his face, but I gently let go of his hand.
"It's okay, I'll wait upstairs." I sent a silent thank-you to Damien and headed up the stairs, then paused.

It was eerily quiet. I heard no sound. Not the sound of crockery and cutlery downstairs, nor the sound of conversation echoing from the dining room. All I could hear was a constant, almost silent ringing in my ears. It was nothing new, it often happened when my ears weren't perceiving any noise, but the odd thing was the lack of noise itself. I whipped around to face the window. Nothing there. My skin began to crawl as I gazed out into the blackness of the night. I could've sworn I heard something tap against the glass, but we had no ivy on the walls nor trees tall enough to reach these windows. I glanced over my shoulder, then back to the window. This time I knew I wasn't insane. A glimmer of yellow vanished the millisecond I set eyes on it. I felt both my heart rate and my breathing speed up as I froze in place, unsure of what to do. I wanted to call for Sam, but I couldn't help the nagging feeling that my mind was playing tricks on me, torturing me after what Damien had told me today. Eventually, my body forced me to make a decision. I let out an involuntary, tiny whimper and fled into my bedroom. I grabbed my headphones off my desk and dove under the bed, into my little fairy-lights-illuminated den and hunched into myself. My headphones were on, my calm playlist playing, and I was under the softest blanket I had to hand. But I still couldn't rid my mind of his face. It seeped into my mind's eye like blood. Thick, warm blood that stained my body everywhere he'd touched it. Horrible, dark blood that was impossible to wash away. I could still feel his hands on me. I could still feel the cold metal cuffs that bound me at his mercy. I could still feel his intentions, his fingers that crept their way into places that no one was meant to be.

Click. My heart stopped, and so did my breathing. I felt tears begin to slip down my face as I willed myself to stay silent. I kept my headphones on in a silent prayer that I was imagining things. I didn't want to face him. In less than five hours, my world had been thrown into disarray. I'd thought he was gone. My mind was meant to be healing. I barely had time for one last prayer before a shadow cast itself across the sheet.
A strangled scream escaped my throat as he lifted the sheet to finally come face to face with me. I buried my face in my knees, refusing to accept that it was him. I felt his hands on me and I fought desperately, calling out my saviour's name once again.
"AOMARIS!"