Incubus

Chapter 18

Bear and endure: This sorrow will one day prove to be for your good

~Ovid

The dreams were back. They were back. 

And the stone angel had had Hayden's face. But did that mean anything? I wasn't a person who always tried to understand what my dreams symbolized, but this particular dream seemed too specific to be overlooked. 

It hadn't been one of my recurring dreams, the one where I was submerged in darkness on a street at midnight with an unknown figure behind me; reaching out a hand and placing it on my shoulder...

I started hyperventilating and threw the covers off of me, jumping out of bed and racing down to the kitchen. I looked at the bottle of pills that I had been taking for two weeks now and slammed them off the countertop. I was frustrated; not with the pills, but with myself. It must be some psychological problem, something that wasn't functioning correctly in my head. I was afraid.

What if there was something wrong with me? What would happen if I tried to seek help from someone? What would they tell me to do? Therapy? Operations? Or was I crazy?

I was tempted to pick up the phone and call someone. But who? I hadn't ever told anyone about my nightmares except for my mother and Doctor Praxton; not even Emmalyn knew, and she was fundamentally my other half. 

Sliding down against the wall, I pulled my knees to my chest and started crying. I didn't know what to do anymore. Why did so many things have to be wrong with me? Aside from the nightmares, I had emotional instability from a family I didn't stay in contact with, anxiety, and panic attacks. And all four of these problems seemed to have decided that hitting me now, during this moment in my lifetime, was the best idea. They had all come back. 

I only wanted to know why. 

Wiping my tears, I was glad that no one was here to see me like this. I despised the thought of someone seeing me as vulnerable. Grasping my wits once more, or what I had left of them, I went on with my day.

The coffee shop was busy as usual on a Friday afternoon. I sighed as I slammed the cash register closed and moved hair out of my face, tucking it under the cap I had to wear along with my uniform. Looking up, I almost choked when I saw Hayden standing in front of me, a cocky smile on his face.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed.

He shrugged his shoulders and glanced around the cafe. His attire was very unusual for visiting a coffee shop. Dressed in all black, he seemed to be going for more of a James Bond look than anything else.

"Thought I'd visit my friend while she was working."

I couldn't meet his eyes on the word 'friend' and looked off sideways. "Are you going to order, or are you going to continue holding up the line?"

"We're feeling sassy today, aren't we? What's wrong, didn't sleep well?"

I drew back a few paces. "Are you ordering or not?"