In the Middle

Chapter Two

     The nightmares that haunted my sleep kept getting worse. Tonight I saw the camp burning to the ground. I watched as all the familiar faces disappeared into the flames. I couldn't do anything about it. I then saw myself forced to kill everyone I remotely cared about, starting with Lance. I awoke with a start. Lance was there with me in my cabin, holding me in his arms. I wept into his shoulder as he brushed my hair back, never speaking. After I had stopped crying, I lay my head against his chest. I knew I wouldn't be able to find sleep again but I pretended for Lance. In the morning, Lance told me he had heard my screams. I didn't know how to reply to this, so I pulled him into a hug, not wanting to let him go. Lance eventually pulled away due to the schedule that still loomed over the both of us. I returned to my cabin, not caring if I was ignoring the said schedule. I curled up on my bed, staring at a fixed point on the other side of the room. I remained in this position for the rest of the day and into the night. What was wrong with me? I didn't want to move or speak. Was I going insane? Though the thought had occurred to me before, it hadn't seemed practical until recently. The next moment, Lance was there. He sat on the bed, leaning against the wall for the remainder of the night, as if to guard me of bad dreams. Despite his attempt, they still came. The nightmares were different from last night's but not any better. In this nightmare I was in a cold room. Strange people appeared with their knifes. They tore me apart slowly, limb by limb. The people were about to finish me off when I awoke. Lance had fallen asleep which reassured me that I hadn't woken up half the remaining campers with my screams. I didn't know what to do with myself, so I laid there. I discovered that blocking out the world isn't as easy as I'd like it to be. It is instead, very painful, because when you start to think that you can forget about things, they become sharper in your mind. I didn't want to remember. But, memories ebbed their way into my mind where they were not welcome. I remembered leading my sister through a tangle of dark woods, searching for our father. We eventually found him only to be forced to watch him be slaughtered. Luna was sobbing through it all, desperately trying to bury her face in her hands. The men had to bind her hands behind her back to keep her from attempting to claw out her eyes. Luna couldn't have been any older than 10. I was screaming for my father. Never ceasing to call out to him, my voice quickly deteriorating. After losing my voice, I let out choked noises somewhere between sobs and half-hearted screams. I was pulled out of thought when Lance shifted, trying to get comfortable in his sitting position. I moved so he could lie down. He wrapped his arms around me before I could move to the floor. I sighed, trying to gather my thoughts but failing. I gave up and listened to the occasional howls of the wind. The rustling of the leaves coaxed me into an uncomfortable sleep, but it was undisturbed by horrible dreams so it was better than nothing.