Dream for the Dead (Completed/Editing)

26

I had a terrible nightmare that night. Every scary situation taking place in my life was being pieced together in my brain, and I felt like I was about to lose my sanity.

"Seth! Seth, hold my hand. I'll bring you back." I could see Seth in the distance. The terrain I was stood in was black, but it bled into a beautiful forest scene, in the middle of which Seth stood; facing away from me. No matter how fast I ran, or for how long, I never moved forward. I never moved even an inch closer to the man I loved. He couldn't hear me. Or see me. He'd never know I loved him. "Seth!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.
"Who are you talking to?" Madison's voice made me spin around, and when I looked over my shoulder, Seth was gone. No goodbyes, just like the first time. And we'd never speak again.
"Seth." I whimpered.
"What's wrong with you? You're crazy." Madison snapped. "You're nothing."
"No!" I shouted.
"Crazy, crazy, crazy..." She repeated, over and over, like a broken record.
"Stop!" I screamed, falling to the floor and covering my ears. I squeezed my eyes shut, but was only met with the same darkness.
All of a sudden, Madison's voice stopped. There was silence. Sweet, sweet silence. A silence that was also a curse: leaving me with my own thoughts. I opened my eyes, and immediately regretted thinking the silence a curse. Sizzling. Frying.
"Just think, sweetheart, eight more of these to go." Kyle winked at me, and quickly thrashed out and me, pinning me to the ground and forcing my mouth open.
"Eat it." He demanded, pushing a fork towards my mouth. Whore meat. "It's delicious; really."
"Seth!" I screamed. "Make it stop!"
"You're going to be a great help to me."
Analetta's voice, but much more haunting, was the last sound I heard before jumping up in bed, screaming. Tears were rolling down my cheeks, and Mum came running into my room.
"Tabbi? Sweetie, what's wrong?!" She ran up to me and hugged me. "You haven't woke up screaming like that since you were about five years old."
"I'm scared." I sobbed into her chest, wrapping my arms around her tightly.
"Tell me what's wrong, baby."
"I can't!" I wailed. "I want to. I can't."
"Was it Analetta? What did she say to you?" I could sense the panic in her voice.
"It isn't her." I continued sobbing, and tightened my arms.
"Elias?"
"No."
"Why are you hurting so much?"
"I'm just scared. It was a stupid dream." I tried to calm myself down.
"No. A Mother knows her child inside out, and this isn't just fear from a nightmare. I've sensed it for days, but I didn't know if I was right. Now I know."
I thought quickly.
"Madison." I said. It wasn't entirely untrue. "Because of the party, she doesn't want to speak to me. I'll have nobody when I go back to school, and there will be rumours."
"Oh, that won't happen. I promise. There was a nice man outside after the party - very persuasive man - he calmed everyone down. He let everyone know it was an accident. Later on, he came back with that lady's arm, and took her to the hospital."
Kyle. The thought of Mum having met Kyle worried me.

"You're going back on your deal." I'd asked Elias to come to the café with me, a trip he'd been excited about. Clearly, he had thought I was apologising and forgiving him.
"I'm not sure I can do that." He looked disappointed and worried at the same time.
"You'll do whatever you can. I've got more worries now, Elias." I slammed my hands on the table, capturing the attention of the people around us for a few seconds. "Mum has met Kyle. Kyle. It's obvious he'll have ill intentions. I'm going crazy."
"That isn't true-"
"Yes. Yes, Elias, it is." I leaned back in my chair, waiting for him to say something stupid and make his situation worse.
"You did this to yourself."
"You're digging your own grave, Elias." I didn't think before saying: "your own watery grave. That your own Mother put you in."
"Don't speak to my boy like that."
Everything stopped for a moment. People stopped moving, time stopped in its tracks. I saw Elias' face take on a number of expressions: confusion; anger; upset; fury; joy; excitement. All of those emotions washed over his face in only a second.
Elias looked over my shoulder, and I turned to see the back of a woman sat at the table behind us. She turned to face me, and I could see Elias in her features.
"Mum." He breathed the word, but managed to raise his voice a little, "Mum!"
She ignored Elias completely. "You little bitch."
"Don't speak to her like that! I deserved it. I promise." Elias jumped up out of his seat, and threw his arms around his Mother. "Where have you been?"
His Mum was acting as though Elias wasn't there; she didn't hug him back, and she kept her gaze on me.
People started to turn and watch us.
"I think we should go somewhere else, don't you?" Elias' Mother kept her eyes fixed on me, and I saw hate in them. No, not just hate; I saw fury, and the type of hate I'd had for Elias for the past two days. I nodded.

I left Elias and his Mum to walk to the Meeting House, since it was quiet and they could catch up with each other there. When I got home, Mum was tottering around in some heels and a dress.
"What are you dressed up for?" I asked. "You look nice."
"I forgot to tell you. I have a date tonight! I need to get over your Father." She smiled, and I saw the child-like excitement in her face.
I was about to ask who, but there was a knock at the door.
"Oh, that'll be him. Get the door, will you? Tell him I'm just putting some perfume on."
Mum ran off upstairs, and I answered the door.
"Oh, sweetheart. Is your Mum ready?"
Kyle grinned.