Tell The Difference

CHAPTER 12

~Aliah

I jolted out of bed gasping and shaking. I started panting and felt warm liquid on my face. Tears.

It was just a dream

But as soon as I remembered Amanda’s bloody dead body, I felt my chest tighten and a loud sob escape my mouth. I covered it with my hand but my whole body was shaking and I couldn't hold back my cry.

I looked at Amanda who was still laying beside me fast asleep. Peaceful. I couldn’t do this to her. I carried myself out of bed and rushed to the bathroom quietly. As soon as I closed the door, a loud cry muffled with my hand on my mouth, poured out of me. My body slid on the floor weakly. Every time I remembered the deaths of everyone in my dream, my chest hardened and my cry became uncontrollably loud.

I was going to wake her. God, I was gonna wake Amanda.

I pulled myself together and sniffed back hard to hold my next release. I got up and wiped my face. I then listened through the door, it was silent. I opened it but Amanda was still sound asleep. The only thing she did was turn and keep on. I thanked everything I had that we slept late yesterday and she was probably tired from all that talking. I was also tired but I just didn’t know how I was supposed to go back to sleep after that dream.

The dream.

I felt tears roll down my cheeks again and I rushed outside the room silently. As soon as I closed the door, a loud sob escaped again. I held my mouth, crying and I noticed the corridors being too loud, it was making an echo. I ran towards the basement and sat, crouched under the stairs. Pulling my knees to my chest hugging them, face buried in my knees, I just released myself and cried.

“Aliah…” I was crying too loud, I didn’t notice someone walk into the basement. “…God, Aliah…” Callum knelt on the floor next to me, holding my sides. “…what’s wrong…what happened?”

I couldn’t even tell him what I saw in my dream. No, nightmare. The crying couldn’t make me say a word. He rushes up the stairs again and I heard the door close and then lock. He came back downstairs and took me in his arms. I cried to him for a very long time and he didn’t say anything. Every time my cries lowered and I remembered the dream again, my chest burned and my voice became louder again.

After a long while, my cries turned to sobs and I remained there resting on him. He placed another kiss from the many he had, on my head again. I remembered his body falling on that floor and I held on to him tightly. We stayed in silence and he didn’t force any questions on me. He kept placing multiple calming kisses on my head until I realized my reality was here with him and not in that nightmare where he had fallen on the floor, dead. Until I realized Amanda and Brenda were still asleep in their rooms. Until I realize that Apollo was not here.

“How’d you…” I started after I was able to form words in my mouth. My throat was dry and hoarse.

“I could hear you from my room. I thought I did, so I came to check it out.” He placed another kiss on my head.

“Amanda…?” I asked.

“I don’t think she’s awake. I don’t think anyone is. I wasn’t asleep when I heard you.” He kissed me again and pulled away to look at me. “I had just finished up some work on my computer.” His dark eyes studied me and his voice went feather soft in my bones when he asked, “Aliah, what’s wrong?”

I held him again, hugging him tightly. “I’ve been having nightmares. Ever since we saw that man.” He didn’t say anything. He listened. “The man who kidnapped me would show up here and kill me.” He tightened his hold on me. “It didn’t bother me that much since they were just nightmares. And today…” Tears started pouring down my face again. “…tonight he…” I didn’t want to remember it.