Awake, My Sleeping Beauty

Chapter 35

A familiar feeling of desperation and fear filled her heart the moment she opened her eyes. The sound of crashing waves surrounded her in a suffocating circle. She tried to focus her eyes to see through the blur of the dark blues that clouded her vision. As her eyes slowly came into focused, she realized she was back on the same yacht she was in two and a half years ago.

Right before everything started.

Heaven looked around confusedly, desperately searching for Sebastian. However, much to her dismay, he was nowhere to be seen.

How'd I get back here? No, tell me this isn't so! I can't be back here!

"Sebastian!" Heaven cried as she struggled to her feet. She moved towards the railings, trying not to slip on the wet floor. The storm grew more intense. The wild waves moved the boat up and down with such ferocity she was sure it was going to capsize any second. She reached for the rails of the yacht and peered down at the dark waters of the wild sea. "Sebastian! Where are you?"

A big wave pushed up against the tip of the yacht and lifted it up so high Heaven's body fell hard against the railings until she went over and fell in the ocean. The waves pushed her around like a ragged doll. Heaven felt her muscles ache as she fought hard to keep her head above the water.

"Heaven?"

Heaven turned her head back quickly upon hearing the familiar voice but all she saw was the yacht quickly falling back down towards her. Heaven lifted her arms and let out a blood-curdling scream. Before the yacht came crashing down onto her, Heaven suddenly felt her scream sizzle as everything became nothing but a blur again. She felt her body softly fall against a bed. Before she knew it, she felt herself shaking her head.

"Heaven?" said Sebastian's voice again. The voice was quiet and full of concern. Heaven opened her eyes and squinted from the bright lights.

"Oh thank heavens she's awake," She heard her mother say.

"What ... huh?" Heaven blinked, feeling utterly confused and disoriented. The ceiling came into focus first and when she looked down she saw that she was in a hospital room. She saw her mother and father there standing in front of her along with Sebastian, who was in a wheel chair but sitting right beside her bed. His eyes were full of worry. He grabbed a hold of her hand and kissed it lovingly.

"Welcome back, sleeping beauty," Sebastian smiled at her.

"Welcome ... back?" Heaven asked confusingly.

"Yeah, you suffered a hard blow to your head," Sebastian answered.

Heaven stared at his face and suddenly remembered the boating accident. She swallowed hard, wondering if everything she'd gone through the past two and a half years had been real. "Was it all ... was it all dream?" she asked him, "Every... single... thing?"

"Arthur should we worry?" Heaven heard her mother ask her dad, "she seems out of it."

"Of course she is, honey," he answered, "Goes to show how hard Esther hit her."

Heaven snapped her head to look at her parents.

"Esther, where is she?"

"She fled," Sebastian answered for them in a bitter tone.

"So, everything did happen," Heaven said with relief in her voice. For a second she thought all the previous events had been nothing but a dream. She winced at the thought of having to wake up back as her eighteen-year-old self; back to the time when her parents were still opposed of her relationship with Sebastian and had full control of her, back to the time when she'd been completely clueless of Esther's pain. Heaven suddenly looked at Sebastian again, remembering his wound. "Oh my, you're fine! How do you feel?"