What You Are (SLOWLY REWRITING)

Chapter 4: Inception

Chapter 4: Inception

When I finally woke, I found myself being cradled in a soft embrace. A wrinkled hand was stoking my hair and soothing words curled around me like a blanket. I opened my eyes to find myself cocooned under my nana's arm. She smiled down at me, her eyes briefly flashing with relief.

" Welcome back to the land of the living sweetheart." She whispered, brushing a kiss against my forehead. I let her familiar lavender and blossom scent wash over me, calming me. I opened my mouth to speak but all that came out was a hoarse croak. My throat felt like sandpaper and burned me. It felt like an inferno was stuck there, waiting for something to quench it. Seconds later, I felt glass pressing against my lips and cold water slipping down my throat.

A gasp of relief left my lips and I smiled at nana gratefully. "Wh - what happened?"

"Well, you've been bruised and beaten by that sorry excuse of a father of yours and have been drifting in and out of consciousness for the last month sweetie. He would beat you and cut you until you blacked out and then start again when you woke up. You were nearly dead when I found you. He, he was about to end you when I walked in. But I don't think he'll be using his hands for quite a while now - I made sure of that. "

"Woah - thanks nana, I think..... I - I cant remember any of it... Please don't tell me you gave me that tea again - I want to know exactly what happened; what he did to me. And how come I cant feel anything? Did u give me some sort of healing balm or something?"

"Yes, I did give you that tea and I had good reason to. You need to forget what happened and i'll do everything in my power to do so - even if it means having to drug your tea. As for not feeling anything, I made that healing balm you told me about last year. It works wonders dear but i'm afraid that the pain will come back eventually and then you'll be left to let nature work its course. Now here, drink this tea, it will help with the healing process."

I had no choice but to gulp down the sickly - sweet tea. Before long, I felt my eyelids growing heavy and blackness shrouding me. I let the blackness take me, closing my eyes and falling asleep.

*****

"Killed in the night by the ones you think you love; they will come for you." He whispered into my ear, pressing a dagger into my hand. And just like that, he vanished.....

My eyes snapped open, my heart thudding against my chest, as I shook away the strange dream. A sharp, cold wind bit at me as I glanced around. I was in the heart of a forest. It was midnight. An owl hooted to my left.

This wasn't right. I wasn't supposed to be in the forest. Not ever. I don't know how I knew but I just did - it was engraved into my mind somehow. Slowly, I reached up to rub my face, smearing something over my face. I looked down to find my hands dripping scarlet rivers. At my feet lay a dagger. The same dagger from my dream - only it was covered in blood.

Timidly, I reached out towards it, my hand brushing against something cold. I quickly drew my hand back and turned towards it. A gasp left my mouth. I shook my head in disbelief, backing away until my body hit something hard.

A shiver ran up my spine as I glanced around. The destruction around me was horrifying. Tears streamed down my face, as steady as a waterfall.

"Who would do this?" I whispered, my voice breaking.

"You would, my love." His haunting voice rasped from behind me, startling me. Two strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind, imprisoning me. I tried twisting out of his grip but he had me like a vice.

"Let me go." I spat icily.

"Shh. Shh. There there love. I'm not going to hurt you." He replied patronizingly.

"Let me go then."

"All in good time. All I'm here to do is ask you a question my sweet."

"Spit it out then."

"Whats a little betrayal in the face of love and loyalty?" He asked. And with that, he was gone - a whisper in the wind.

I shivered uncontrollably, not sure whether the fact that he was gone was more comforting than the fact that I was alone. In a forest. With corpses scattered around me. Limbs dotting the ground.

My breathing grew erratic, my heart pounding against my heart so hard I thought it would fall out of my chest. A twig snapped to my left. I whipped around, tripping over a severed arm. My body fell to the ground, sinking into the rotting leaves that lined the forest floor, drenched in blood. The dagger fell from my hand, slicing into my arm as it did. I winced and looked down, finding my arms glowing - symbols covering them.

I looked away abruptly, my mind filling with images of my dad cutting into my skin. As I turned my head, my eyes locked onto another pair of glossy coconut brown eyes. Dani's corpse lay beside me, staring at me lifelessly. The earth around me began to quake and I found myself sat in the backseat of a car, Dani and Linda were turned towards me, smiling at me. A lorry - the same lorry from the crash - came barreling towards them as I watched, powerless. I opened my mouth in warning but nothing came out and the truck crushed into us, taking linda's life instantly.

My eyes locked onto Dani' again as the life drained from them and I found myself reliving her death. As soon as she died, I felt yet another tremble and I was in the backseat with my bezzies facing me again. Once more, the lorry barreled into our car. I sat in the backseat - watching them die again and again as the scene repeated itself - screaming in my mind, trying to wake myself up from this twisted version of reality.

Tears cascaded down my cheeks, drenching my top. The runes on my arms still glowed. Sorrow, grief and anger struck me repeatedly, reopening my fresh wounds. My body began to tremble, shaking from side to side. A voice screamed my name over and over and my trembling increased by about 10 notches.

A bucketful of cold water saturated me, making me gasp for air. Abruptly, I sat up, opening my eyes. I was awake - really awake. Nana sat beside me, an empty bucket hanging from her hands. I slowly looked around me and found myself in her bedroom, laying on her bed. I sagged back onto the mattress in relief. Melancholy and bereavement still pounded through me, shaking me to the bone.

"Are you alright dear?" Nana asked in a tired voice. "You were screaming and crying. You looked so vulnerable and scared - it was horrible sweety."

'I - I think I remember everything nan." I whispered, a sob leaving my mouth.

"Oh darling, come here." She crooned, sitting next to me and placing my head on her lap. "Shhh, shhhh, its ok. Don't cry. It will all get better soon." She soothed, stroking my hair.

Then, she began to hum a lullaby, rocking me back and forth gently. I took my shaking hands and crossed them over each other, taking deep breaths in and out. Nan shifted slightly and I moved my hands to steady myself. As they passed before my eyes, I nearly let out a scream. Blood and dirt were trapped beneath my fingernails. Shards of glass poked out of my skin. My scabs and scars from the cuts dad gave me seemed to writhe with life, spinning around the pieces of glass.

Nana looked down at my hand and widened her eyes in horror, drawing in a sharp breath. She began to shake her head and mumbled: "No - NO! This cannot be happening. She's not ready yet. How did he even manage to do this? I must have underestimated him. My lord, if he carries on I'm going to have to send her away. No, please - no."

"Nana?" I asked uncertainly, turning my body around to face her. As I did, something dug into my hip, I turned around and reached down towards the object. As soon as I saw it, I dropped it back onto the bed, cursing out loud. There lay the dagger from my dreams. And it was covered in blood...

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