Stuck (Venturiantale)

Nightmares and Cocoa

We figured out the sleeping arrangements fairly easily. The girls would be sleeping in Bethany and Cierra's room while the boys would sleep in Jordan and Isaac's room. I myself would be sleeping in the living room as there wasn't enough room in Bethany and Cierra's room for me as well. I was perfectly fine with this arrangement. I had always been a light sleeper and woke up earlier than most.

Everyone headed off to bed and I curled up on the couch with my blanket and pillow. Thankfully their couch was extremely comfortable and I drifted off to sleep.

I was a lot less happy about sleeping than I was about the couch though. I've always had vivid nightmares that would make even Stephen King shriek in terror, but they'd gotten even worse after my parents had deserted me. Tonight was no different.

This dream was different though. It was even more lifelike than the others. In it I was lost in the middle of a vast ocean at night. I was floating on my back in the middle of the dark watery hell. In the distance I could see what looked like floating torches lighting a path to what I hoped was land. I began to swim towards the torches but when I reached out to grab one it turned into a emerald green cobra and bit my hand.

I was teleported somewhere else. I couldn't tell where I was because I was completely surrounded by a dark purple mist. I was walking on what appeared to be completely flat dark rock which I assumed was obsidian.

In the distance I saw, instead of torches, golden glowing circles that swirled and darted in their spots. I found myself beginning to walk towards them. I reached for them and one of them flew forwards and burned my fingers.

This time I was transported to a cage hanging from the ceiling of a huge cavern. Below me was a pit of spikes. I looked around to find, to my horror, all of my friends hanging from cages as well. The Acachallas, Spencer, Maddy Friend, Ghost, Toast, and the Fryes were all stuck in cages sobbing and screaming.

Suddenly a deep raspy voice rang out through the cavern, "This is what awaits you and your friends little girl. I shall break you and I shall finally have my revenge."

"Who are you? What do you want?" I shouted in anger and fear but the only response I got was laughter.

As I began to wake up I heard the voice call out, "Pay your debts and make right your wrongs. You shall meet me soon child, and you shall not survive."

I shot forward as I awoke and bumped foreheads with the person shaking me awake.

"Ow!" Exclaimed the figure.

I wiped the tears that had formed in my sleep from my eyes and realized that Jordan had shaken me awake.

"Are you alright Rowan? I heard you crying out in your sleep from upstairs and when I came down you were crying." Jordan explained.

"What were you doing awake?" I pulled my blanket up around me as I sat up.

"I couldn't sleep. Papa Acachalla snores like a dying whale." A grin flicked across his face but was replaced by an expression of concern, "You didn't answer my question, are you ok?"

I decided I liked it when he smiled, "I'm okay. It was just a nightmare."

"I guessed as much. It must have been a pretty bad nightmare."

"It's ok. I'm used to it. I get nightmares a lot."

"Do you want some hot chocolate? My mom always used to give me hot chocolate when I had nightmares."

"Did you have nightmares a lot?" For some reason I didn't like the thought of Jordan having nightmares at all.

"Only when I was younger. I'll take that as a yes that you want some cocoa?"

I nodded in agreement and followed him out to the kitchen. I sat down at the table as he grabbed two mugs and heated up the milk.

"Do you want any mints in it? I always have cinnamon and mint in mine." Jordan asked as he pulled the cinnamon and a package of mints from the cupboards.

"That's how I always make mine too." I smiled and he smiled back. It made me feel good when he smiled.

"Great minds think alike." Jordan joked as he pulled the steaming hot milk out of the microwave and poured half in each mug. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" I asked.

"Your nightmare. It's alright if you don't want to." Jordan stirred in a Starbucks hot cocoa mix into both of the mugs.

"Oh. That." Somehow being near Jordan had already made me forget my nightmare, "I think I'll tell you."

"Great." Jordan mixed in the mint and the cinnamon and brought both mugs over to the table.

"This nightmare was different." I took a sip from my cocoa.

"How so?" Jordan took a sip as well.

"It felt real. My nightmares are always very lifelike but this time it felt like it WAS real life. I was floating on my back in water and I started to swim towards these floating torches. I reached out to grab one and it turned into a snake and bit me." I absentmindedly touched knuckle it had bitten. "Then I was in the middle of this purple fog and I saw these golden lights. I began to walk towards them and when I reached out to grab one it burnt my hand."

Jordan nodded to show that he was listening as he took another sip of hot chocolate.

"Then I was trapped in a cage and everyone was trapped in cages around me crying out in fear and pain. The Acachalla's were stuck, Johnny Ghost and Johnny Toast were stuck, your siblings were stuck, even you were stuck. And then this voice said, 'This is what awaits you and your friends little girl. I shall break you and I will finally have my revenge.' I asked him what he wanted and who he was and he only laughed at me. Then you started to shake me awake and he called out to me and said, 'Pay your debts and make right your wrongs. You shall meet me soon child, and you shall not survive.' And then I woke up." I took another sip of cocoa to help settle my nerves.

"That's terrible. But you're ok now. You're all right. And no one is going to kidnap you on my watch." Jordan promised.

I smiled at him and as we sat and drank our hot chocolate I finally felt safe.

Author's Note:

You guys are awesome. Seriously. But none of you have guessed who the figure is. I'll give you a hint, it's not Maxwell. Think a much lesser used character than that.

And the scaly pet is indeed Prince Fang.

You guys do not understand how tempted I was to make the villain MiniChalla. The amount of self control it took not to nearly broke me. I can't even think about it without bursting out in laughter. Imagining MiniChalla on a revenge spree makes me happy. It's not MiniChalla though.

Who do you guys ship Rowan with? Do you ship her with anyone?

Hope you enjoy this chapter!