Lost Shadows

C5: Dreaming?

My head spins and my stomach churns. Light blinds me and I feel as if I've just been zapped off the face of the earth. And then it stops. I can feel James' arms wrapped around my body, but it's hardly comforting after what just happened. Slowly, I get my bearings back. My eyes and fuzzy brain clear as I regain my balance. I push against James' chest, letting him know I can stand again. He lets me go, slowly just in case my legs decide to give out, which, knowing me would probably happen. Finally, I fully straighten and take in our surroundings. To be honest, I was expecting to be in some magical land or some strange garden full of pixies or something. But to my surprise, we're standing in the middle of a motel room, horrible floral wallpaper, an old television box in the corner and two beds pushed against the wall. Yep, a motel room.

I whip my head back around to James who is cautiously leaning against a doorframe, the shadow of the bathroom looming behind him. He's watching me intently, like I might break or lash out any second. Though he seems relaxed leaning against the doorframe, his body is rigid, ready to react to anything. I open my mouth to say something, but quickly close it again. What the hell am I supposed to say? I open my mouth again, attempting to form some form of coherent sentence, only to be left staring at him with my mouth wide open.

"Are you alright, Miss?" James finally breaks the silence, curing me of my incapability to speak.

"What do you mean am I alright? What the hell is happening? And don't you dare start rambling about angels and demons and the door between worlds or whatever, because I don't want to hear it! Who was that creepy lady? Where did she come from? She was covered in blood! And she... She floated! Why... What... I..." I run my hands through my hair, tugging at the roots as I try to make sense of everything. "Is she like you? Was she a ghost or a demon or something? I know, maybe she was a freaking evil Tinkerbel or a... a something? I don't even know."

I look up from the ground and stop the pacing that I had unknowingly started. I stare back at James questioningly. He is still standing there calmly, arms folded behind his back. "Why am I Miss?" I huff, finally. The corner of his mouth lifts, smiling at my last question.

"She was a ghost, but we won't be seeing her anytime soon," James says. "But we can't hide from everyone, we need to find your sister."

"What?" I begin hyperventilating again.

"Calm down, Apryl. We need to find Sophie, she can help us and help you learn to control your powers." He somehow remains calm, I on the other hand, not so much. As soon as he sees my terrified expression - supposedly even more terrified than before - he strides towards me, pulling gently on my arm and lowering me down into a sitting position on the bed behind me. He kneels down in front of me and looks into my eyes. I wonder what he sees in them, perhaps to him I'm simply a scared girl who has no idea what is going to happen to her, maybe I'm broken, or dying, I still haven't given up on the dreaming theory yet either.

I wait for him to say something, but he just gazes into my eyes, searching for something. Finally I let out a breath I didn't even realise I was holding.

His gaze lightens and he sighs, "you should get some sleep." I nod absentmindedly, staring into my lap, "you've had a long day."

I'm too tired to bother arguing with him, I'm sure if your house was invaded by a crazy ghost you would understand just how tiring and terrifying that is too. I instead crawl to the head of the bed and pull myself under the blankets. I reach over to turn off the lamp beside my bed before laying on my back, staring at the ceiling. The room is silent, aside from my breathing. James makes absolutely no noise, I can't even hear his breath. Do ghosts even breathe? I ponder this question for a while, waiting for sleep to take over.

It's cold. Freezing. Icy. The wind whips through my hair and I can barely see though the snow and mist surrounding me. There's a light ahead of me, red and flickering with warmth. I begin trekking through the snow towards it, shivering and numb.

"Apryl," someone whispers, "run!"

I wake with a start, my eyes snapping open as I try to control my breathing, being as quiet as possible as not to disturb James. I quickly check the time, debating whether it's too late to go back to sleep. When the small alarm clock blinks 2:30am at me I frown and roll over. I glance over at the bed next to mine, checking to make sure I hadn't disturbed James in my mini freakout, only to find him hunched over, sitting on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands, his back to me. I open my mouth to say something, but he suddenly stands, causing me to snap my mouth closed and shut my eyes, pretending to be asleep. I can feel him watching me and I hear the soft sound of his footsteps, then it goes silent. I open my eyes to see him gone, I sit up and look around the room, glancing at the dark and empty bathroom. I'm alone.