TBATE-ONESHOTS

A Promise to Keep 4

Cynthia's office was large and elegant, well put together, with no clutter in sight. It spoke to her character about liking things neat. Paintings of different Dicathen landscapes hung on the yellow-painted walls, and a red carpet laid before Cythina's mahogany desk, covering the shiny brown wooden floors. Sitting in the large black leather chair behind the desk was Cynthia, who was smiling warmly at Tessia. Tessia sat in one of the two chairs in front of Cynthia's desk, her left leg resting over her right, while she had her arms crossed and her eyes were downcast, seeming to be deep in thought.

"Tessia, dear," Cythina began, and Tessia's eyes flicked up and met her gaze. "Is something bothering you?"

"No," Tessia huffed.

Cynthia chuckled, seeing something was definitely bothering her. "Why don't you tell me what is wrong?"

Tessia looked at Cynthia for a heartbeat or two, contemplating whether to talk to her about her recent thoughts. Cynthia was someone she trusted and considered family; she even called her a grandmother. However, these thoughts she was having were related to her dreams, and she had only ever told her grandfather about these dreams. She didn't want people to think she was going crazy, but she thought that maybe Cynthia's insight could help her.

Tessia sighed, coming to a decision, "It's about Arthur."

"Arthur?" Cynthia said with genuine surprise, her brows raising. "What about him?" Her surprise vanished as she looked at Tessia jestfully, "Or is it just the fact that he is late to our first meeting."

"Well, there is that," Tessia said flatly and looked to the side. "Talk about poor time management," Tessia whispered, earning a chuckle from Cynthia. Tessia's brows furrowed, and she looked at Cynthia, "Have you ever dreamt of something, and later it happened in real life?"

Cynthia's smile faded, and she looked at Tessia curiously, "I can't say I have. Why do you ask?"

Tessia's eyes fell, staring at Cynthia's desk but not truly looking at it. Her mind was racing with thoughts of Arthur. She could barely sleep last night after seeing him outside the cafeteria. Then, there was the fact that she called him 'Art.' Where that came from, she had no idea. It just slipped from her lips, yet it felt so natural for her to say it.

"I dreamt about him, Arthur," Tessia whispered softly.

Cynthia's lips curved into a smile, and she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her desk as she interlaced her fingers. She looked at Tessia with interest, "Oh? Did he leave that good of an impression on you that you're dreaming of him now?" Tessia's eyes flicked up, seeing Cynthia's grin. Cynthia chuckled, "You're getting older, and your body is going through changes, Tessia. It's normal to have these types of dreams."

Tessia looked at Cynthia, confused, until she realized what she was talking about. Tessia's checks and the tips of her ears turned bright red with embarrassment, and she went wide-eyed. "T-That's not what I meant!" Tessia squealed. She quickly cleared her throat, composing herself, and looked at Cynthia with a relaxed expression. "I meant I've been having dreams about him. Even before school."

Cynthia's smile slowly faded, looking at Tessia more seriously, "What do you mean?"

Tessia leaned back into her chair, nervously scratching her arm. "I mean what I said. I've had these dreams with him. Well, the dreams were never clear. They were always blurry." Tessia's eyes narrowed, remembering the dreams she would have. "But, his voice... and those eyes of his... I would never mistake those. They're the same as the ones in my dream."

Tessia sat there in silence, remembering the dreams she had, when she noticed Cynthia's lack of response. Tessia looked up and was a little surprised to see Cynthia staring directly at her with a contemplating expression.