Amelia Merlin

Part Seventy Eight: Shhhh!

A desert plain stretched out in front of her. The moon was high and full in the sky and it cast the world beneath into a blueish light. There was nothing to be seen for miles.

She was wearing a white dress that hugged her torso before rippling down her legs in a non existent wind. Her hair blew lightly in the breeze and all she could hear was the breaths escaping from her lips and the blood pumping through her body.

He stood before her. A boy of maybe five years old. With dark hair and a surprisingly strong jawline, he made a striking figure. His eyes were darker than his hair and they looked interestingly at Amelia. He gave a small wave which she returned.

This is a dream. She knew that. But she wanted to figure out who the boy was so Amelia decided to let it play out.

"Who are you?"

The boy didn't answer. He just smiled at her and shook his head before pressing a finger to his lips. "Shhhh!"

"Is someone going to hear us?" She whispered and took a step towards him.

The boy's smile grew and he shook his head again. "Shhhh!"

"I don't see why I have to be quiet if there's no one around to hear us!" Amelia was starting to get impatient with this precocious little creature.

"Shhh!"

"Really? You're just going to repeat yourself?" She rolled her eyes and walked right up to him, kneeling down so they were at eye level she said, "Tell me who you are."

"Shhh!" Spit flew from the child's mouth right into her eyes.

"That's disgusting!" Amelia cried out wiping saliva off her face. "You are one gross child!"

"Shhh!"

She'd had enough of this. Amelia opened her mouth wide and screamed just to spite him. Her voice, rather than dissipating into the void of the desert plain, filled every corner for miles, reaching into every crack and crevice.

The boy's face screwed up in anger. Next thing she knew he had slapped her across the cheek. He was surprisingly strong and Amelia felt a bright red mark appear.

Her eyes widened in shock. "It is not nice to hit people!" She reprimanded and then screamed again. She decided if the child got angry enough maybe he would do something other than shush her.

The boy jumped on her. Scratching and hitting and biting. Amelia tried to throw him off but he was much stronger than he should have been and she was unable to do anything. Somehow his finger nails raked the side of her leg leaving slashes through her skin which bled promptly.

Amelia's screams were of pain now and the boy kept saying "Shhh! Shhhh! Shhh!"as he destroyed her body.

Next thing she knew, a gold wolf appeared above her and ripped the dark haired boy off, throwing him ten feet away.

"Don't hurt him!" She cried out. It didn't matter what he had done to her, he was still a child. "Please leave him alone."

The wolf snarled but backed away. Amelia ran over to where the beast had tossed the boy. Her leg was still injured so she limped as quickly as she could.

But when Amelia reached the body, it wasn't the dark haired boy staring up at her. It was a little girl. With blonde hair and blue eyes wearing a white dress.

Blood was covering most of her stomach area and she choked, producing a frothy red mess from her lips.

"Oh no, oh god please." Amelia whimpered. The girls eyes stared up at her, terrified and a small pink hand reached up to touch Amelia's face. She hadn't realized tears were soaking the skin there. "You're going to be fine! You'll be okay." She whispered.

The girl gave one last choke before sputtering away to death. Amelia wept and held the dying child, not for the first time, in her arms as she rocked back and forth.

This was a pain beyond anything she had felt before. It was too intense. It was took much.

Please let the dream be over. Let it be done with. I don't want this anymore. Please god. Let it be over.

For what felt like hours, Amelia sat in the blue desert plain, clutching a lifeless, blood soaked child in her arms.

"Amelia!" A voice roused her from the unconscious. "Amelia dear wake up!"

She rolled over and opened her eyes to see Jeremy, with his dirty blonde hair covering most of his face, peering down at her.

"It's almost noon. You've slept for like thirteen hours. What happened?"

As soon as she tried to speak a cough formed in her throat. When she let it out, blood spattered across the bed sheets. With trembling hands she reached to her lips to find they were of course the source of the blood.

"Jeremy-" she choked out.

He pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry. I know. You're going to be fine. You'll be okay." Amelia sobbed into his chest. "Firsts nights the hardest."

After a cup of tea and a smoke for Jeremy, she told him everything that happened. He listened intensely and nodded in all the proper places.

"I don't understand what it means." She said.

Jeremy shook his head "me neither. I wish I did, Amelia, fuck I wish I could help you with this." He ran his hands through his hair. Not in the way Oliver did it, but in an aggressive, pulling kind of way.

"You've done lots!" She comforted him. "I wouldn't know anything if it wasn't for you. I'd be a scared little girl crying in a corner with no idea of anything."

"Maybe it would be better that way. You know how the saying goes, "his voice was raw and stressed. "The best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool."

"Don't talk like that. I can handle myself." She said fiercely. Jeremy looked at her and smiled fondly.

"Yeah I know you can. You're my sister." He put his arm around her and they fell back into the soft couch behind them. Jeremy smoked and told her stories from work and Amelia just sat there, taking in the moment. There was nothing trying to kill her right now. No one who wanted her harmed in any way. And that was something to be grateful for.