Glass

Chapter Ten: Seeds of Doubt (Part II)

A dark shadow lurked ahead, filling my stomach with dread. Every time it moved, even slightly, I shuddered, yet I could not move. 

"Andres," I heard Cinderella's voice from beside me. She sounded frightened, "if anything happens, I love you."

Those words alone made me momentarily light. But quickly, the dread sank back in, as I realised the weight of what she had said; the possibility that we may not be alive to say such things ever again.

The shadow moved, silhouetted against the night, warping into a long, snake-like appearance, larger than a tower. It bared its teeth and widened its giant wings as though it was about to strike, but instead it just hissed, drinking in the fear of its prey. 

"The feathered serpent." 

My voice was barely a whisper. I looked down at my hand, to find a sword fixed to it, so hard that blood was squeezing out of my palm. Cinderella, seeped in mist and shadow, had a shining sword of her own, and whacked it wildly in the serpent's direction. The serpent was unphased. Instead, it stared at me, eyes glowing. 

I closed my eyes and waited for my father. The sword was too heavy, and only worsened with every passing moment. It sunk me into the ground, until my feet were submerged in thick black mud. 

Panicked, I opened my eyes again, knowing that my father would not come to save me. Cinderella kept trying, but somehow, she could never get a hit. The serpent kept its gaze, deep into my soul. I held my breath. Perhaps if I did not move, then Cinderella could make it out alive. I tried to yell at her to run, but drawing any attention might have destroyed her. 

The mud had come to my waist. There wasn't much time. The smell of blood filled my nose and made it hard to breathe as I tried desperately to let go of the sword. The serpent remained on me. It only cared about my downfall.

I looked at the blur of Cinderella once more, wondering if she was saving me, or if I was saving her. The serpent's breath was hot enough to make me sweat, and I tried and tried to lift myself from the earth to no avail. 

"Revenge…." The feathered serpent growled, sending a chill through my veins. He sounded exactly like my father, "...that is all I need."

***

I was shocked awake. I could breathe, but my heartbeat slowed with the taste of mole de olla still on my tongue somehow. The nightmare had felt so real. For a dazed moment, I stared at the ceiling and wondered if I really had died, and that this was really the dream. Or perhaps I had been reincarnated back in time.

Still clutching my chest, I sat myself up and realised I was still wearing yesterday's clothes. I got dressed, and saw that the creases of my shirt and trousers had dug their way into my skin during the night. 

Judging by the silence outside, I figured that it was still early morning; which was daytime enough for me to leave my room in peace. I had at least an hour to kill before I was called for breakfast, so I returned to the library, where 'Rapunzel' was still sitting waiting for me.

I was tempted to give it another read. After the first chapter, I had been so enthralled that I had forgotten to stop and truly analyse anything that could point me in the right direction. But Emiliano came in, fully dressed with a mug of tea in his hands, and bid me good morning.

"Good morning, Emiliano."

"I trust you slept well?"

I nodded, but something caused me to shudder. Even as terrifying as my dream had been, dreaming about Cinderella in such a heroic, tragically romantic way felt somehow wrong; as though I had taken her character and imprinted it into a fantasy; the kind that would only exist in the realms of Rapunzel''s story. The truth was, love didn't always make me feel giddy and light. In moments like that, where I thought too hard, I lost sleep and my appetite as though I was ill.