Challenged Love

Chapter 19

Kasper's POV:
It was pitch black all around. I had begun to believe I was merely an empty void with a remaining concious. There were sounds- several sounds surrounding me, voices burning into my skull. Yet, I could not make out a single one of them no matter how much I strained my ears. Fury was boiling inside of me so intense that I thought I might break. I could not explain what angered me or why I was feeling this way, but all I knew was that time was thining. All I desired to do was break free from this place of nothingness. I forced my eyes open, but immediately regretted my decision. I found myself in the abandoned house where me and Holly's parents received the Dark Mark. Except this time, I saw myself in their place, laughing maniacally while the ink seeped into my skin. You-Know-Who stood over the version of me with the Dark Mark, then made intense eye contact with me from across the room as if he could see all of my secrets and weaknesses. Although, unlike the memory I have of him from when I was ten, he was now tall with purple, veiny skin. He also bore a long, black cloak and possessed eyes like those of a snake. His most prominient feature, however, was his missing nose.

I knew I was feeling his emotions. His levels of anger were within me. In some way, we were connected. Then, the version of me which lay in the floor beside You-Know-Who went silent and became motionless. I shut my eyes.

I shot up in bed, head pounding and ears ringing. I rubbed my eyes as sweat beaded on my brow. Holly was already sitting up in bed, peering at me with a concerned gaze.

"Did you just have sleep paralysis?" Holly asked, eyes widened.

I sat for a second with my head in my hands, trying to piece together my nightmare while also coming back to reality. I remembered when Holly had a dream about You-Know-Who at the same abandoned house. I had done my best to brush it off, thinking I would be helping Holly. The truth, however, was that I was too afraid to face the dangers at hand.

Holly's POV:
"You were right. I'm sorry for disregarding your concerns. The nightmare I had- the one you had-"

"Just breathe, Kas."

I gave Kasper time to calm down, letting him remember who he was and that his nightmare was all fake.

"It was so vivid though," Kasper commented. "It felt way too real."

"What did you see?"

"I saw myself at the abandoned house. He had given me the Dark Mark. After that it went black."

I realized that this could be serious. The dream I had had about You-Know-Who several months ago was suddenly fresh in my mind. Perhaps this wasn't just coincidental, but I hated to even think about the possibility of our dreams being tampered with by dark magic.

"Perhaps we should tell someone," I suggested.

"Exactly who? And what could they possibly do?"

I thought about it. It did not seem like anything could be done for two horrifying nightmares. However, being quiet about the situation with our parents is what hindered us for a long time. Imagine where we would be at now if we kept that same mindset.

As Kasper explained his dream in more detail, a knot formed in the pit of my stomach, a gut–wrenching feeling which I could not shake. Kasper receiving the mark had once been my biggest fear, and it is an event I pray never takes place. I had to take a moment to remind myself that they were not real... just nightmares.

"Did you receive the mark in your dream?" Kasper inquired.

"No," I answered, "I just saw my parents. I remember they were smiling, but it seemed like they wanted to cry for help. Not that it meant anything."