History of Fictitious: Volume Three

Chapter 6

During the night, I have another dream, or, as the spirits would call it, a memory. In it, I sit in the castle library reading. It looks far more pleasing than it does now. The books are neatly sorted instead of scattered everywhere, and warm light bathes the room.

I turn a page in the book I'm reading, thinking about what happened in the last dream. How could he keep me here when I purposely attempted not to get his attention? Perhaps this is the reason my sisters subconsciously dislike me so much. I took their chance at being a queen.

Then, someone snatches my book away from me. I look up and see that it is him, Beast Shane. He smiles as he flips through the book's pages.

"Fascinating taste. Learning about the human mind, are you? You realize today is your day to spend time with me, right? You can observe me all you want. A book can only tell you so much," he says.

I stand and seize the book. "I certainly know the agenda, but that doesn't mean I want to follow it. And I've observed you enough to be sickened by your behavior. Sure, you tricked me for a while there, but look what you did to poor Grace Anne! You strung her and other girls along until you got what you wanted. Once Grace Anne introduced you to her father, and he sold you a piece of land, you dropped her in an instant."

He smirks, "Or perhaps I dismissed her because someone finally showed interest." He stares at me contently as he sits upon the edge of a chair's armrest. "Do you think you could love me?" he asks, placing a loose strand of hair behind my ear while letting his hand linger on my cheek.

I am shocked by my response, "Perhaps, but I do not think—"

He pulls me to him, hugging me tightly, "Please don't finish that sentence. I can't bear to hear any of it. You see, I think I might be in love with you. These past few weeks have been the best of my life, and that's because of you."

I gasp, "But I've avoided you like the plague."

He laughs, and I note how joyful and warm the sound is. It is not a degrading laugh but a genuine one. "We both know that's not true."

He nudges me away from the embrace and stares at my lips. Before I know it, he takes the leap and kisses me. I want to pull away, but my dream self lets him continue until satisfied. She's like a whole other person while I yell at her to slap him. Then I feel it; emotions that are not mine stir in my gut. She wants to kiss him back. I desperately knock the feelings away, confident this dream is an illusion.

Finally, I take a step back, uncertainty on my face. "Though your feelings may be true, it doesn't change who you are and how you treat people. So, I still stand by what I was going to say. I could love you if you stayed as Shane at all hours, night or day. But I know you are unwilling to give up your schemes, so I cannot love you."

"Wait! Arabelle!" he shouts.

I shake my head as tears fly to the ground. In my mind, I'm completely dumbfounded by the heartbreak I feel. I slam the psychology book into his hands and kiss his cheek before running away.

"I'm going back to my family," I say to him as I open the door to leave.

He runs forward, banging it shut. "No, you'll wait until I've chosen my bride. You can't leave!"

"You're being possessive," I whisper, holding my ground but clearly frightened, "This is what I meant. This is why I can't love you."

The dream fades when I hear echoes off in the present. I get out of my bed and walk over to the double doors. I twist the knob, thinking it would be locked, but instead find that it is open. Slowly, I step out of the room. It's still dark out.