Family

"I came back for you"

Emily's pov

I drift off as Ali rubs my cheek, my head rests on her shoulder which is lined with a cotton hoodie. The weight of my eyelids forces them shut and my breath softens. My body goes weak and part of me shuts off as I fall into a deep sleep. My dream begins:

I feel a sharp coldness on my arms which instantly wakes me up. I open my eyes, I am in my old room. I look over to the window which I can feel is open. On my window seat a thin figure is sat shaking like a leaf. My room is dark and I can't see their face, all I can see is the shape of their thin feminine body.

'Hello?'

"Hey Em" she quietly replies

"How did you get in here?" I ask the figure on my window seat

"I came through the window" she says, waking towards my bed

"Why?"

"So your mom wouldn't see me" The figure becomes a face as she walks closer to me

"Alison"

"I wanted to see you again Emily"

"See me? Where did you go?"

As she sits down on the end of my bed I realise her head is bleeding, the blood drips down her face and lands on her dirt stained yellow tank top.

"I came back for you Emily"

The beautiful blonde grabs onto my hand, she moves closer to my face and her smooth lips coated in a lipstick of soil crash onto mine. I can feel her pushing against me but when I open my eyes she's gone. I run my finger along my lips staring in front of me where my true love just sat.

"Emily" I hear a voice whisper from my left, I slowly turn my head and see another familiar face walking towards me

"Thank you for killing Lyndon for me"

"Maya. I thought you were dead"

"Dead? If I was dead I wouldn't be here. Emily, I love you"

I pull my covers closer to my face as she walks toward me. She kneels on the left side of my bed and runs her hand down my cheek, her thumb rests on my chin. I close my eyes and feel my lips attracting to hers, just like magnets they stick together.

"Maya what happened to you?"

"It doesn't matter all that matters is we can be together again, run away with..." she doesn't finish her sentence and in stead stares deeply into my eyes, she begins to fade away until she is only a reflection of a ghost.

"Run away with me" a voice continues

"Paige"

"I love you Emily. I quit my new job and asked for my job at RHS again so we can be..."

"Together. I left my husband for you..."  

"Emily. I'll make some red velvet cake and you can make the coffee. I forgive you for..."

"Burning my hands. I love you"

Each of my ex-girlfriends kiss me passionately on the lips before vanishing. I squeeze my eyes tightly shut trying to awaken from my dream.

"I came back for you Emily" I hear the beautiful blonde whisper again, my eyes open desperate to see how Ali's bright yellow t-shirt compliments her hair and brings out her sparkling blue eyes.

The voices of my ex-girlfriends swarm around my ears, echoing in my head. Their words become high pitched squeals, growing increasingly higher until they come to a dead silence. Alison sits with her legs in a basket at the bottom of my bed; just below my feet, Maya kneels next to me holding onto my left hand, Paige stands on my right side her hand resting on my shoulder, Sara stands at the bottom of my bed leaning her gloved hands on my bed frame, Samara sits backwards on the chair at my desk resting her folded arms on the back of the seat and Talia sits on the edge of my stripped blue and green armchair. My eyes dart back and forth, they rest on my phone and I realise I have an unread message from A

Blocked
'Pick one and the rest die
-A'

I feel my grip tighten on the gun that just appeared in my hand

Blocked
'Shoot 5, Save 1.
Kisses -A'

I lift the gun up and point it at my first victim

*ping*

Blocked
'Shoot Ali. Save 5.
-A'

I look up from the text, my hands shake as I rectify the position of the gun. I move the gun to my right until it's pointing at Alison. I feel my index finger curl up and hear a gun shot, Alison let's out a scream and I lean in closer placing the gun to her head. Tugging on the trigger again a bullet embeds into Alison's head

Blocked
'You were always my
favourite. Thanks for
getting rid of her Em
-A'

Ali's pov

Emily has fallen asleep leaning on my shoulder, I watch my beautiful wife as she sleeps. Her eyes restlessly twitch and I can feel her getting warm and sweaty

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry" she mumbles

I can hear a quiver in her voice, she begins to wriggle around almost falling off the sofa and I can tell she's having a nightmare

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry" she continues over and over again

"Emily. Wake up. You're okay" I whisper, shaking her softly to try wake her up

"Emily" I say as I strengthen my shake

I call out to her trying to wake her up with every name I can think of until my lips come together to form a 'M'

"Mermaid, wake up you're safe"

Emily's eyes open and she stares at me in fear

"It's okay, it was only a dream" I comfort her; hugging her.

She gasps for air as if she was just drowning, her breathing shortens as she becomes more relaxed

"You wanna talk about it?" I whisper, nibbling on her ear

"All my exes came back and A made me shoot you" she says, sitting up on the sofa to face me

"Emily. Your exes aren't coming back and A is dead"

"I shot you to save everyone else" she says, getting breathless again

"It's just you and me baby. I'm alive unlike many of your ex-girlfriends"

I can tell her nightmare has really scared her

"My beautiful sweet mermaid. The only person I have truly loved. My protector" I murmur

"It was just a dream" I huskily whisper again, placing my hand onto her cheek I kiss her delicately running my tongue along her lips.

"I hope you know that I would choose you over all of them" she sniffs

"Of course I do Emily and I would shoot every one of my exes to save your life" I tell her, stroking her silky brown hair

She mirrors our kiss, caressing my cheek, kissing me delicately and tracing my lips with her tongue