Sweet Dreams (HIATUS)

A Journey Begins...in it's Own Way

I didn't know how long it had been since I was knocked out when I was shaken awake by Lilly. My body ached as I lifted myself from the rubble I was laying on. My mind was still fuzzy upon viewing my surroundings. What was once the Preparation Room was nothing more than a pile of crumbled marble, and the smoke from the explosion still lingered, hovering above the dirt like a thinly veiled warning.

I shivered.

I grabbed Lilly's shoulder and she gave me an understanding nod. I coughed as I called out for my companions, with the throbbing in my head getting worse from the migraine that was beginning to form.

"Hey! Can anyone hear me? Where are you?" I cautiously walked through the smoke, Lilly trailing behind me.

"Ava where are you?" Lilly called out for her friend, and I could hear footsteps drawing closer to us.

"I'm over here!" Ava came into view with only a few scratches, having been the farthest from the explosion. Lilly ran up to her and hugged her tightly, and Ava held her head close. My face softened a little only to be taken off guard when something grabbed onto my ankle. I automatically reacted, stepping on the hand and preparing myself for a fight, but a familiar red creature flew in front of my face, causing me to fall backwards. Phoenix landed in front of me while the hand was revealed to be Vincent's.

I sighed as I dusted myself off and helped Vincent up. I gave him an apologetic gaze, "I'm sorry about your hand. Dmitri will look at it." Vincent just looked at his hand and shrugged before walking away to join Ava and Lilly. Well that was kind of rude. Excuse me for offering my apologies. I ran up and joined them.

We continued for a little longer before I saw Dmitri run through the fog, looking like he took quite a beating. "Bren! I found Genevieve, and she was hurt pretty badly. We have to get her out of here. I have a feeling that bomb has friends." His voice was calm and urgent, but his fearful eyes told a different story. We rushed after him, and when I saw Genevieve, fear entered mine as well.

Genevieve was closest to the wall when the bomb hit, which left her with burns all over her and scratches covering her face and right hand, which oddly were the only places where large pieces of skin were exposed. By some miraculous event her dress had not been destroyed. Poor child. She must be in so much pain. We must be careful moving her.

I knelt down beside the shivering girl. I hesitated before pushing some of her sticky strands of hair out of her face. She opened her eyes and did something I never expected.

She smiled.

Genevieve tried to move, but instantly winced. Dmitri rushed to her side and gently picked her up. She groaned in protest, but Dmitri ignored her pleas, turning to a still surprised me and the rest of the group. Before he could speak we heard another bomb go off not too far from the outside of the room where we stood. Dmitri glanced in the direction of the sound. His eyes narrowed and I couldn't help but believe that he knew something about this. He swiftly made his way over the destroyed castle and down the hall.

What does he know? I knew that I couldn't dwell on that question and turned back to the group to give them orders.

"We need to get out of here, and fast. In case we get separated, get as far away from here as possible and meet at the gates to the city." Another bomb went off, this time close enough to shatter what was left of the windows and sending glass flying. I ducked and covered my head. "What the Hell is going on?" I muttered to myself before hastily running to the collapsed archway signaling the exit. I happened to see my gun laying on the ground next to the remnants of a broken mirror and reached down to sweep it up.

Glancing behind me, I saw Ava holding Lilly's hand and leading her out of the rubble while Phoenix flew ahead of them to try and find a clear path out of the castle.

We made it to the end of the long hallway when an extremely close explosion knocked us off of our feet. I pushed my body back up to see that my companions were no were in sight.

My mind filled with confusion, but it didn't last long for I was suddenly hit with a powerful migraine. My hands gripped my hair tight enough to turn my knuckles white as I was forced to my knees by the pain. I could hear faint whispers, but I could not make out what they were saying. Then, as quickly as it came, the pain was gone, and I breathed slowly until I could see clearly once more.

I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand and crawled to a chair that was still intact, using its arm to push myself up. I began to run and eventually made it out of the building.

God, I hope the others made it out alright. Two more bombs had went off while I was in the hall, but I hadn't see anyone else. Who could have done this? The sounds of screams and sirens brought me back to the current situation, and I turned and headed for the outer walls of Lillith, my head pounding with thoughts and pain.

When I had finally made it to the outskirts of the city, I found Ava tending to Lilly's cuts and Vincent sitting up and leaning against a tree with Phoenix in his human form sprawled out on the floor next to him. The two people who I didn't see were the ones that I was worried about the most. Everyone is here except for Dmitri and Genevieve. Where could they be? God, I hope they're okay. I am a failure of a leader! Wait, Bren, this is not what you need to be thinking right now. I shook my head, which only made it pound more, and leaned on a tree opposite Vincent.

"These bombs keep coming. Who would do so much damage like this?" I heard Vincent say between heavy breaths.

"It has to be Alile and her Ohanzee. Ah!" Lilly winced as Ava tried to clean her wounds. Ava apologized, but Lilly just nodded and mumbled under her breath, just loud enough for me to hear, "Those filthy bastards. They destroy everything."

Her Ohanzee? From what I've learned, those are the people that Alile has put into sleep paralysis and has under her control. It would make sense that anyone from The Nightmare would have something to do with this. We are after all in a war.

I shifted my stare from Lilly's unusually emotional face to the ground. I shut my eyes and took a few deep breaths. When I looked back up, I found the eyes of everyone on me, waiting for my next commands. I studied their eyes. I saw in them fear and confusion and pain.

But I also saw trust...and faith.

Trust and faith in what, me? That can't be possible. I'm a horrible leader! Yet, they listen to me and have so far treated me with respect. Whatever the case, I can worry about that later. Right now, I need to be strong and lead them to safety. We will come back and look for Dmitri and Genevieve once things have calmed down. We'll need supplies as well.

As another bomb sounded far away, my companions and I left the city and moved towards the vast forest ahead, filled with the unknown. I looked up at the evening sky and sighed. This was going to be a long and difficult journey, but a part of me felt like everything was going to be alright.

"The bombs were successful, my lady. The girl and her companions have finally left the city. Your plan is going smoothly."

"Of course it is. Now, I think some meddling is needed don't you? Why don't you go play with them for a bit."

"As you wish, my lady."

A/N Yet another chapter to this kind of really bad story. I hope you still liked it though!Thank you for the 100+ views! I'm really glad that people are reading and enjoying this story! School's drawing to a close, and for those who have already gotten out, congratulations! Have a fun and safe summer!