What is this, really?

Memories

I heard noises coming from the kitchen and I shot up from the couch. "What the-", I was cut off as Billie jumped up onto me licking my face. "Billie girl, your ok, it was just a dream, a really fucked up dream." I looked to my left at the fire roaring in the fireplace. "Well, that was smart, Alyra. Light a fire and go to sleep. Nice."

"What's nice, babe?" I gripped Billie's neck tight, causing her to yelp and jerk away from me, some of her hair caught in my fingers.  I stood up and immediately sat back down, as I yelped in pain, looking down seeing my left ankle purple, swollen badly. "Babe,?" Josh came around the corner, face full of worry, "What's wrong?"

All the air left my lungs. I couldn't breathe, my hands started to shake and I began to sweat. I couldn't speak, I couldn't move, all I could do was stare. I could feel the tears burning my eyes as I shut them and clenched​ my jaw and Billie barked at me. I shuddered out a breathe I didn't know I was holding. I looked up at him, "Joshua?," he gave me a 'duh' look and said,"Uh, yeah babe." I just let the tears fall freely at the sound of his voice and shook my head. I looked around the room at random things, wiping the tears from my eyes, when they landed on the mantle, on the picture of him I had put there from our last trip together to Cozumel. The one I put there just days after his funeral so I could never forget his smile. Never forget what happiness was.

I turned back to the 'Josh' before me and stuck my hand up the side of my shorts and felt the scar tissue on the side of my leg. "What are you?" I said staring at 'Josh'. He snorted and came towards me, "Babe, it's me. What's going on with you? Are you feeling ok?". He sat down next to me on the couch, I could feel the hot tears pooling in my eyes again. "Babe, wha-"

That's all he got out. I punched him square in the jaw and he stood. "Alyra, what the hell is wrong with you?," he said as he threw his hands up in the air.  I jumped up and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, steadying myself on my good foot. "What are you? What do you want?" I cried out angrily. "Babe what's the matter with you it's me." His voiced cracked a little as I gripped tighter. This isn't right, I know it. I glared into his eyes, pulling him down towards me. "What are you?!" He sighed, "Babe, it's fine. It's me okay. Everything is fine. You're safe. Its-"

I spit into his face and watched as his jaw clenched and his honey brown eyes shut. When he opened then again, they were blue, and cold as steel. He shoved me down onto the couch hard, making it slide a few inches. He opened his mouth and as it spoke, it's voice changed to that of the creature. "Now, why did you have to go and do that love?" I watched as 'Josh' began to glow and turned into that man from the pond, still dressed in that dark green bodysuit. I let the tears flow not being able to hold them back anymore, knowing it wasn't a dream or another of my delusions and my heart and I weren't being reunited.

"What are you," I said through clenched teeth, "What do you want from me?" The creature pounced on me, landing on my torso holding my arms down. "I will be your lord and master, you midgardian peasant. You, that animal, your dwelling. This is all mine now." Seething with anger, I tired to headbutt him again and he growled at me and waved his arm, flinging me up to the ceiling holding me there, facing him. "And this, violence, will no longer be tolerated from you." I glared at him, "Put me down, damn it," he huffed and flicked his fingers and I could feel pressure against my body, pushing me harder against the ceiling. "Hmm, what's that phrase you all use? Ah, yes," he smirked at me. "You didn't say the magic word." I glowered down at him, willing him to death with my stare, "Fuck you." He tsks at me and shakes his head "Darling, I didn't think we were at that stage of our relationship yet." He growls out the last bit as I feel more pressure pushing me into the ceiling causing me to grunt and close my eyes in pain. "Fuck you!" He cocks his head to the side and thrusts his hand into the air putting so much pressure against me that I can hear the ceiling crack and taste the dust from it in the air. My chest so tight, I can barely take in air as I clench my fists and scowl down at him. "I'm waiting." He knows I'm defeated as he looks deeply into my eyes and I can't stand it when the word finally crosses my lips, "Please," I whisper out.

Suddenly all the pressure is gone and as he lowers his hand, my toes finally touch the ground, unsteadily, right in front of him. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me flush against his chest. "Now, was that so hard?" I refuse to look up at him and he sighs and walks away back to the kitchen. I sit back down on the couch and Billie comes over as I prop my left foot up on the coffee table inspecting my ankle. 'It's in my house. It's in my house. It's in my house,' is all that runs through my head as I sit there balling my fists. I have to get out.