Amy & Penny

Chapter Nine

Penny pov:
  "I own you now. You will do what I say!" Said a deep voice as he held me in his meaty fist. He looked familiar.

  "No. Let me go!" I yelled to him and squirmed. All that did was make him tighten his grip on me. "Amy!!" I cried.
 
"Amy is not here. She doesn't care about you, so now you are mine to torture." He said.

"You're a liar! Put me down!" I yelled at him. I spit on his face.

  "As you wish." He said.  He then carried me to the counter where he had a mason jar. He carelessly dropped me in, letting me fall to the bottom. He put the lid on the jar and gave me an angry look.

   "This should provide you with an attitude adjustment." He said.

  "Let me out!! Let me out right now!" I shouted as I banged the glass. I was so weak. I couldn't even tip a jar. "Let me out, let me out, let me out!!"

   "Penny, wake up!" Amy gently said as she carefully poked me. She scared me awake. I sat up, hyperventilating and sweating.

  "Amy." I said between breaths. It was just a dream. A horrible nightmare.

  "You're okay, Penny. I promise." Amy said as she comforted me with her warm hand around me. "Sorry for waking you up. You were having a bad dream and you were yelling."
  
"I'm sorry." I said.
 
  "Don't be. It's not your fault. Do you want to talk about it?"

  "I was being trapped in a jar. I think it was that creepy cleaner guy from work, James." I explained.

"Oh he is creepy. Even Ryan in accounting thinks he's weird." Amy said.

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry you had a nightmare about him. And I'm sorry you feel trapped. I don't mean to make you feel that way." Amy said apologetically.

"It's not you, it's just the way my life is right now. I hate it." I said. I could tell she felt responsible even though it's not her fault. She stroked my back with her finger.

"We should try to get some rest. We have an early morning." Amy said.

"No, please don't leave me!" I panicked.

"Penny, it's okay. Nothing is going to happen." Amy assured me, but I was not convinced.
  
I still had my panicked expression and Amy's face softened. She carefully picked up the whole t-shirt bed, with me still in it, and carried me over to her bedside table. She then carefully placed the bed on the table so that it's beside her bed.

"Is that better?" Amy asked me. I nodded and she climbed into her bed. "I'm right here, okay? If you need anything, just wake me up." She reached over me to turn out the light, leaving me in complete darkness.

A few hours later, I scared myself awake again from a nightmare. I sat up, again, hyperventilating in my own sweat.
 
"Amy." I said. She was sound asleep. The streetlights from outside leaked through the curtains, just enough to see around me. Feeling scared, I stood up in my bed and walked to the edge of Amy's nightstand. I was just able to leap from the edge of the table, to the edge of Amy's bed. I crawled, and then stood up, struggling to keep my balance on the cushiony mattress. I looked at Amy's sleeping frame, so peacefully lying on her back. I approached her, then she started to roll over towards me. I stepped back to avoid getting squished, and fell on my butt. I sat there and saw that Amy was now laying on her side, facing me. I stood up and carefully approached her again, putting my hands on her arm to try to shake her.

  "Amy?" I said. There was no response. I tried again a little harder. "Amy?" I called a little louder. Her eyes slowly fluttered open.

  "Hmm? Penny? What's wrong?" Amy asked in her sleepy voice as she reached over to turn the light on. She looked down at me and saw that I looked like hell. "Did you have another nightmare?"

  "Yes. I don't know what to do about it, but I'm scared. Why is this happening to me?"

"I don't know, honey. Sounds like maybe it could be PTSD."

"Oh, god. I hope not." I said. She gave me a sympathetic look, and then scooped me up into her palm.

"You will be okay, I promise." Amy said. She rolled onto her back and hugged me against her chest. Feeling the warmth from her hand and chest as she rubbed my back with her thumb made me feel safe and at ease. Listening to her heartbeat was very soothing and it lulled me to sleep.