Fairytales

Chapter 13

I gasped and opened my eyes, catching Kelly Clarkson mid-sentence in My Life Would Suck Without You.

Numbly, I reached for my alarm, batting at it until I succeeded in hitting the button hard enough to turn it off.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying my best to ignore the sunlight already filling my tiny bedroom.

How long had my alarm been going off?

Outside my window, the sun was peaking over the horizon, casting little bits of sunlight along my white speckled carpet and reflecting against the mirror on the wall above my nightstand.

I took a deep breath and held it. I had to slow my breathing or, at the very least, my racing heart.

Another night, another nightmare. I considered myself lucky that I couldn't seem to remember this one.

I turned to look at my bed side clock but couldn't see it behind the gallon of ice cream dripping brown chocolate syrup onto my nightstand. Forget the nightmares. This was the real tragedy here. I'd forgotten to put away the last of my ice cream last night.

Before I could consider the pros and cons of refreezing the sloppy mess of syrup and marshmallows, I heard footsteps pound down the hallway, loud enough to send my heart racing all over again.

The door flew open half a second later, revealing all five foot two of my Aunt clad in nothing but a fuzzy purple robe. "What happened?" She panted, looking around the room like she expected to see a masked man jump out from behind the curtains. Her hair was sticking up in all directions, like he'd just rolled out of bed. Actually, judging by her heavy looking eye lids, she probably had. "Are you okay?"

I stared at her like she was nuts. "Yes?" I said, sitting up a little straighter in the bed. "Are you?"

After one last furtive look around, she sighed, her whole body seeming to collapse in on itself. "I heard you yell." She said slowly. "I thought something was wrong."

I stared at her some more, wondering if she'd hit her head rolling out of bed again. What was she talking about? "Yell...?"

Looking flustered, she dropped herself on my desk chair and stared at the ceiling with a huff. "Just a second ago. You scared me half to death, Damia. I thought..."

I thought of the dream, the one I couldn't remember, and my stomach dropped. "W-what exactly did I yell?"

Rita looked at me then, the look in her pale green eyes suddenly curious. "You yelled...well, you yelled for Chase, Damia."

It took a second for that to sink in. I'd yelled...for Chase? I felt my cheeks warm inexplicably. That I was talking in my sleep, yelling even, a fact that was sure to give away my recurring nightmares if it kept happening, sent a shiver down my spine. That I'd been talking, yelling, about Chase—for Chase—was just...

I gulped, looking away from my Aunt's probing stare. "I-I guess I just had a nightmare." I said, hoping she wouldn't push it any further.

For once, she met my hopes. She didn't push, she just looked at me, questioning.

When I didn't answer, biting my lips so that I wouldn't even be able to if I wanted, she looked away, looking instead at the clock on my nightstand. "Shouldn't you be getting ready?" She blinked, realization hitting. "Shouldn't I be getting ready?"

"What?" I asked, turning to push the sticky ice cream carton out of the way.

"Seven thirty!" I squeaked, jumping from bed and hurrying past her to the bathroom. "I'm late!"