Hooked

Chapter 18

The night hours passed, pulling Victoria into a deep sleep. The emotions of the day's events, and the roller coaster ride of her life in the last few months had manifested themselves in a way she did not expect.

Victoria had a dream.

She found herself back at the promenade where she had met Mateo for the first time. The sky, however, was grey, awash with dark clouds in contrast to the beautiful sunset sky she remembered. She stood on the breakwater looking out into the ocean, its waves rolling hard into the barrier below, smashing it aggressively over and over.

Then there was complete silence. She turned around and saw Mateo, his loose shirt blowing in the wind. He was a vision her mind had never forgotten. Slowly, he walked over to her and extended a hand to bring her down from the breakwater.

She looked at his eyes and studied them closely. They bore an enigmatic aura which drew her to reach out and take his hand, longing for even the faintest touch of his rugged skin.

As their hands contacted, darkness fell before her eyes and she felt the sensation of falling. Victoria looked around and found she had landed on an old motorcycle, racing through the night, Mateo at the controls. She clutched his body tightly, never wanting to let it go. It was too dark to see anything around her, except for momentary wisps of foliage passing her as the bike charged dangerously down a mysterious path.

Victoria heard not a sound, but felt the buffeting wind tear over Mateo's body and across her face. She was filled with fear, not knowing what would happen next, clinging for her life behind a strong silent madman at the controls of a two wheeler rocketing into the darkness.

Eyes now closed, she tucked her head close into the driver's back and said a prayer, hoping to stir some fragment of understanding to this bizarre event.

Finally, her ears began to register sound and her senses slowly began to take in its surroundings. She could hear the decelerating rumble of the motorbike as it was losing power. Her body felt the subtle bumps and jars of the rocky terrain through the bike's tires as it slowed down. Victoria opened her eyes and for a moment, saw only complete darkness.

Then she beheld a singular soft white light high up in the sky. It was the moon, but so distant, its detailed surface was not clear. She looked forward and eventually saw a wall of fog retreating in front of them, yielding some sort of vast meadow. Victoria's heart beat slowed, as she felt the wind, now soft, gingerly caressing her face and toying with her hair. The bike stopped and as she dismounted she slowly looked up.

Victoria was now alone. She looked around frantically and found herself surrounded by the meadow. Its volumes of tall grass blowing gently against her body. She felt compelled to take a few steps, searching for some sign of Mateo. Finally, she noticed the moonlight's glow upon the meadow, except for one lonely spot far away.

A dark form stood in the grass. For moments, it remained motionless under the night sky. Victoria blinked, then suddenly it had reappeared several feet away. Feeling the need to scream, the instinctive yell was inaudible. The only sounds she heard were that of the steps taken slowly through the grass as the dark form advanced towards her.

Her heart beat wildly. Except it was not out of fear, but lust, as the warm moonlight illuminated Mateo now standing before her. He raised his head slightly, enough to soak up the surrounding light and throw a sensation of mystery at her. She looked deep into his eyes, now bristling with passion, and immediately felt charged with a ghostly transfer of knowledge.

She vividly remembered their conversations and outlooks. She saw their laughter and their arguments. She felt the pain that Mateo felt, and sensed the longing he had for her all this time. As soon as her mind was transcended with this intuitive knowledge, it drew a blank. Victoria's only perception was that of the striking power of Mateo's stare. The ever deepening gaze of his expressive pupils flooded her inhibitions.