Scarlet's Mate

Part Thirty

~Dream~

Music is playing in the background although it sounds very distorted and far away, almost like it's playing from a different location rather than the room I'm in. Everyone is wearing semi-formal attire as they dance around the gymnasium in slow motion. Something is wrong. I shouldn't be here.

I try to move but my body won't respond. My hands are dead weight at my sides and my feet feel like cement bricks. I try to call out for someone, anyone, to help me but no words come out. My heart starts to race as I try desperately to unlock myself from this frozen stance. My eyes search the gym frantically until they fall onto someone who looks just as out of place as I do.

I recognize him, but for some reason I can't think of his name. His eyes search mine, like he's trying to tell me something. But then his expression changes, from just slight concern to genuine fear. It looks like he's shaking as his eyes grow wide with fear. Then I realize he isn't looking at me anymore, instead his gaze is fixated behind me.

Curiously I try to move my head to see what's happening, and to my surprise my entire body moves with me. I feel relief start to wash over me but it's short lived when a blinding pain clouds my thoughts. I look down to see the handle of a knife sticking out from my chest. Blood starts dripping to the floor and my vision becomes blurry.

Everything starts becoming very fast paced, like someone was skipping forward in a movie. I can hear screaming and fighting but all I could focus on was the knife. I know I should look up and search for whoever just impaled me but I can't. My legs give out first, causing me to fall straight to the floor. I brace myself for the contact but before it comes I feel someone's arms wrap protectively around me.

"No no no no, Scarlet please," a broken voice cried as I felt myself start to drift in and out of consciousness.

"Look at me please," the voice pleaded.

I use what's left of my strength to open my eyes. I watch as tears fall down the man's face. He's saying something but I can't hear him, I can't hear anything anymore. Everything starts drifting away, the light and the people surrounding us. All I can do is stare at his face. I know everything is about to end, but all I feel is peace. I'm about to close my eyes when suddenly I remembered him, but it was too late, I was surrounded by nothingness.

My eyes shoot open and I try to sit up, but something heavy is draped over my stomach. I feel myself start to panic but almost immediately I realize it's just Derek's arm. I can feel myself calming down as I snuggle closer to him. Vivian pures in my head as Derek reflexively tightens his grip around me.

I think back to the dream, and how weird it was. I know sometimes your subconscious will throw random people you've met in your dreams, but something about seeing Kyle, who I thought hated me, cry over me as I die, was very unsettling. There was something so familiar about his eyes, I don't remember ever paying close attention to them at school.

Oh my god, school. I had completely forgotten about school with everything that had been going on. I turn my head slowly to check the clock hanging on the wall, 6am. I should probably get up and start getting ready if I'm going to convince everyone that I hadn't just gone through hell these past couple days.

I slowly untangle myself from Derek, but before I could fully get away he grabs me and pulls me right back into place next to him, "where are you going?"

"I need to get ready for school," I whispered back to him.

"No school," he sighed as he snuggled his face in my neck, "more sleep."