The nightmare I dream of

The broken vase

I'm still talking to Jack when I realize I haven't heard anything from Alexandra for a while. I glance behind me and see Alexandra staring into nothing, her gaze empty, as if she's in another world. "Alexandra?" I ask, concerned, but there's no response. She stands up without giving me a glance and walks back toward the dining room.

I want to stand up and follow her, but a hand on my shoulder keeps me seated. Confused, I turn around and see a man standing there, his face a mask of lifelessness. I try to pull away, but his grip tightens. "Come with me," he says. "Aesira," flashes through my mind at the strength I feel around my shoulder.

"Let her go," Jack says, his voice sharp and commanding. But I shake my head. "I'll go," I whisper, my eyes locked on Alexandra as she disappears into the dining room.

As we walk through the hallways, the man leading me remains silent. He takes a different route, a longer path to the room. Only now do I realize how large the house is; the hallways seem endless, and there are so many rooms that I have no idea what lies behind the closed doors. Every second, the sound of other people fades more and more. And with each step, I grow more uneasy, alone with this man, wandering through a maze of hallways. Hallways I don't know, hallways that swallow every sound. My heart races faster and faster as we stray further off course. I feel powerless, and it's been so long since I felt this way.

Just as I finally muster the courage to speak, we stop in front of the room's door. The door is opened for me, and the man gives me an unexpectedly kind smile. Stunned, I step inside, and the door closes softly behind me.

A few seconds pass before it dawns on me what just happened. He had shown me the house, a part of the maze that might lead to the exit. He had helped me, and my fear had caused me to miss half of it.

A few hours later, the door opens again, probably for lunch, and once more I'm escorted by someone I don't know, this time to the living room. Everything has been cleaned up, as if nothing ever happened. Everyone is there, every remaining person, but my eyes search for only one face: Alexandra's. Every second I don't see her, the net of fear tightens around my heart. Jack stands against a wall, but he doesn't see me. I look around until I finally see her, in a corner of the room, nervously rubbing her fingers together.

Why was she chosen to be here? What is her role in all this? My thoughts are abruptly interrupted by the sound of breaking glass. A boy barely twelve, vaguely recognizable from the first day, grabs a piece of the broken vase and begins to shout, his voice laced with despair and anger. "We are not toys for you to play with, you psychopaths! May your soul be trapped between the first in the skies and the forgotten underneath the earth!"

Before I can react, he rushes at Reagan, who stands with his back to him. Too bored to move, Reagan merely turns his head. The sharp piece of glass is driven into his back. Reagan stiffens, standing straight as the boy clings to the glass. Cealyn and Caiden stand in the corner, their eyes gleaming with horrifying amusement, as if something interesting is finally happening.

The boy pulls the glass out, blood pouring over Reagan's expensive suit. He turns, and looks him straight in the eyes, but Reagan shows no pain, no anger. He looks down at him, the difference in their sizes making the boy seem even smaller and more insignificant. His voice is calm, almost indignant as he speaks, "What kind of manners are those? Who stabs someone in the back?"

The boy steps back, and Reagan sighs wearily. "How foolish," he mutters, and at that moment, a sound fills the room, a sound that consumes everything and then leaves only emptiness behind. I see the boy fall, and before I know it, I see Alexandra running towards him. She kneels and takes him in her arms. Tears threaten to spill from her eyes as she looks at the boy. When one of the men that work here tries to pull her away, she whispers, "Let me go."

He pulls again, but Alexandra doesn't give up, even as he drags her further away. "Alexandra, let the boy go," Reagan's voice rings out, and his eyes turn into red plains, a unusual color I will never get used to. Her arms relax, and she lets him fall to the ground. She looks up at Reagan, and though she says nothing, there is something in his gaze that I can't describe.

Reagan extends his hand to help her up, but she just stares at it, and he lets it drop.  I step towards Alexandra and help her to her feet. I lead her away from Reagan, and as I glance back, I see Ragnar grinning as he whispers something in Reagan's ear, and his face darkens with anger.

"Everyone back to your rooms," he commands, his voice like a falling axe, and he strides out of the room. One of the men I don't know takes over Alexandra and escorts her out. She doesn't even respond, her eyes empty, her face wet with tears.