Only a dream

Chapter 19

"James?" I whisper softly, my voice quivering. He doesn't look up. His sons bounce off the trees and rustle the grass. "What does this have to do with me?"

He continues to cry, his body wrecked with his monstrous sobs. He's on his hands and knees, ripping out fistfuls if dead, yellow grass. I watch as he lets it all out. I don't know what to say. After all, I only just met him awhile ago.

"James?" I say quitly, taking a cautious step towards him. He doesn't react. I bite my lip and kneel in front of him, being careful not to get to close. "Why...why me?"

He stops abruptly, his shoulders jut forward and his back arches. His fingers dig into the soft earth and his head hangs down, wispy brown-grey hair shrouding his grief stricken face. His deep breathing fills my ears. Slowly, so painfully slowly, he looks up at me. His eyes glow bright green. Brighter than I've ever seem them. They illuminate in the semi-darkness, like a cat almost, but brighter. I almost have to squint my eyes.

"Samantha." He says softly.

I look into those deafening eyes and see hate, anger, sadness, despair and sorrow. I watch as James's lips shiver and his nose twitches. He drags his tongue over his teeth, causing blood to drip down his chin and puddle in the grass. I gasp as I see his teeth, each and every one sharper then a butchers knife.

He scowls at my face, but I can tell its not meant for me. His eyes cloud over, but not enough to staunch the glow. He starts to sway and shake and I think he's going to pass out or die or something. But he just continues to scowl through me before he whispers in a hushed tone.

"Melanie," he hisses, "I picked you because of Melanie."

I stare in confusion. What is he talking about? I voice my thoughts, "What'dya mean?"

He takes a shuddering breath. "You reminded me of my sister, Samantha. So young, so quite, so...so wonderful. I warned you about the eyes and...and Valerie must have found out because she targeted you. Just like she targeted Mel. And muffin, I hate to say this but you may not survive. She killed Mel...I don't want her to...I can't let it happen again...but..."

He clenches his sharp, pointy teeth and his eyes flash blue. He lets out a snarl and lurches forward, teeth bared and anger drawn in his features. I barely move in time, staggering to my feet and wobbling backwards until a bump into the rock. James leaps again, his finger nails look also unrealistically sharp.

"James!" I shriek, "what are you-"

His hand latches around my ankle like a dead weight. "Your eyes!" He hisses, digging his nails into my leg. I feel him break the skin and I scream.

"Stop! James stop!"

I kick at him, trying to make him let go, but he doesn't budge. Infact, he grabs my leg harder. I wince, my leg stiffening.

"It's not possible! Your eyes! Muffin, she's got you! No! I won't let her! Not like Me-" he's cut off by a brief flash of blue. The butterfly flutters by, right in front of us. It lands on my arm, tickling my skin. I stare at the creature, then at James.

"My eyes?" I whisper.

James looks at me with confusion and anger. "They're bluer then that retched butterfly." He says softly, peering at my face. The butterfly flutters into the woods.

I blink. Once. Twice. Three times. No, they can't be blue. Not like Valerie. He's lying. James is lying. He must be. My eyes are green, like his sometimes. Not blue. I stare at him and shake my head. "My eyes aren't blue," I say numbly, "They're green."

James runs his tongue over his teeth and shakes his head. "Uh-uh, muffin. Bluer then blue."

I stand up suddenly, ripping my leg from his loose grasp. "Prove it!" I declare.