Ｓｅｒｅｎｄｉｐｉｔｙ

FIVE

🅓🅐🅝🅘🅔🅛🅐

In my sleep, the dream wrapped around me like a dark fog, pulling me back to a memory I wished I could forget. I was eight again, my small body trembling as I woke up to the familiar sound of screaming. I knew what was happening before I even opened my eyes, the tension in the house thick like smoke.

I turned around, and there it was—my dad, his hands wrapped around my mom's neck, pinning her against the wall. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat like a hammer inside me. The fear, the helplessness, it all rushed back so vividly.

“Stop!” I screamed, my voice barely more than a child’s desperate plea. But he didn’t listen. He never did.

Without thinking, I jumped out of bed and ran toward them, my small hands pushing against my dad’s chest, trying to force him away from her. Somehow, I wedged myself between them, standing in front of my mom, my arms outstretched as if my tiny frame could protect her from the monster in front of us.

I stayed there for what felt like hours. My legs ached, my heart raced, but I didn’t move. I couldn’t. I knew that if I left, he would hurt her again. So I stood my ground, terrified but determined. Young as I was, I understood that I had to protect her, even if no one was protecting me.

In the dream, the weight of that moment was unbearable, the fear suffocating. But I stayed there, standing between them, frozen in that terrible, endless moment.

I wanted to wake up, to pull myself out of the nightmare, but I was trapped, just like I had been back then.

Suddenly, the darkness of the dream shifted. The tense air, the heavy weight of fear—it all started to fade, and I heard a whisper. “Wake up.”

I blinked, confused, still caught between the dream and reality. Something hit me lightly on the arm, and I glanced down to see... pieces of French fries? My mind struggled to catch up. This didn’t happen that day. This wasn’t part of the nightmare.

When I looked up, expecting my dad’s furious face, I was startled to see... Gio. He was smiling, lying in the hospital bed, tossing another fry my way. His grin was mischievous, playful even.

“Stop it!” I muttered, dodging the fry and brushing it off my lap, feeling a flicker of irritation at his little game. I was still shaking off the remnants of the nightmare, and the abrupt shift to reality had me feeling off balance. But seeing Gio awake, and with that stupid grin, filled me with a strange sense of relief.

“You looked like you were having a bad dream,” he said, his voice drenched in a mocking tone now, eyes watching me closely, almost as if he was waiting for me to say something.

I rolled my eyes, trying to shake the lingering unease from the dream. “Yeah, well, I wasn’t dreaming about getting pelted with fries,” I shot back, a little annoyed but more relieved to see him up, alert, and being his usual teasing self.

Gio just chuckled, tossing another fry my way, clearly enjoying himself. Despite my annoyance, I couldn’t help but feel a small, grateful smile tug at the corner of my lips. He was okay.

I shook my head, still brushing the crumbs of French fries off my lap. "You know," I said, smirking, "I should’ve just left you for dead. Would’ve saved me from being assaulted by your bad aim."

Gio rolled his eyes, though the grin on his face didn’t falter. "Please, you wouldn't have left me. Specially after seeing such a charming face in desperate need of help." he shot back, voice dripping with sarcasm.

I scoffed, leaning back in the chair, trying to hide the relief that had settled deep in my chest now that I knew he was okay. "Your charming face? I think I’d be just fine without the fries, thanks."