After experiencing a life-altering tragedy, Emersyn feels as if her world has collapsed. Attempting to accept her new reality, Emersyn wonders how she can possibly keep going when it feels like her life ended months ago. Until she meets Haven, and s...
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When I return home that night, I cannot sleep.
I toss and turn into the early hours of the morning, my soul unable to find rest. The feeling in my gut that has been bothering me whenever I am around Haven lately has intensified to the point of real physical pain. I almost begin to wonder if my appendix has ruptured, or something along that caliber. What else could possibly be the reasoning behind this awful throbbing? I clutch my side as I lay on my back, shortly falling in and out of a restless slumber.
Dreams haunt my mind as I lay stiffly once I finally drift off into unconsciousness. I see my father standing behind my closed eyelids, the image filling me with both comfort and dread. Visions flicker before my eyes of memories once shared before being brutally stolen. The memories soon fade to oblivion, and I shortly find myself standing outside in the twilight hours. I glance upwards and face a night sky, the darkness above littered with millions of tiny, dazzling stars–specks of fiercely bright white lights.
I find solace as a picture of Haven fills my mind. Her blurry reflection smiles at me. Golden, soft, warm, and pure. Just the thought of her presence shifts the scenery around me from dusk to the most breathtaking of sunrises. I find myself staring toward the sky in awe, watching as the pitch blackness gives way to vivid shades of orange and pink.
Glancing away from the sun, I turn to find Haven standing before me. She smiles at me over her shoulder before taking off in a run down a field of sunflowers. I do not hesitate to chase after her. As I quickly follow, I am aware of the scenery changing around me once more. The flowers that had just been full and blooming begin to wilt at my sides, the field rapidly fading before my eyes. The greenery turns dull and dark, as if dying. The clear sky above slowly filters with gray clouds, seeming to signal an oncoming storm.
Despite the world unraveling around us, Haven does not stop running, so I do not stop following. The sound of roaring thunder makes me flinch. Rain then pours out of nowhere, sticking to my skin and leaving me drenched. I can hardly see through the downpour, but I keep running. I don't dare lose sight of Haven up above.
That is, until Haven suddenly stops short, shifting her stance as if she is going to face me. I reach for her. Just as my touch is about to make contact with hers, the image of her disperses. She blows away like nothing more than dust, leaving me alone in the darkness and chaotic weather.
I wake with a start, coated in sweat. Breathing heavily, I blink until I am aware of my surroundings. My heart is racing and my chest is pinched and the pain in my side has only increased. I only manage to calm down when I realize that I am merely in my bed, and the series of events I just witnessed had been nothing more than a bad dream.
Laying back down, I wince as my side throbs.
·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙
I cannot shake the odd feeling that lingers within my soul after the awful night I had.
The dark feeling sits with me the entire ride to school, front and center on my mind. When Mom questions what is wrong, I cannot put into words what is bothering me. I have nothing to be worried about, yet the feeling that something is wrong continues to eat at me. Besides, it's not as though I can easily blame my demeanor on my fitful sleep without describing the strange dreams I had, and that's the last thing I want to share at the moment. So I lie and say that I am fine and spend the rest of the ride sitting in silence, mulling over my thoughts as I stare aimlessly out of the window.
