Key To My Heart

24. "Ah right. So special."

(1513 words)

I woke up in the middle of the night, sleepily looking to my side, expecting Ethan to be sleeping there soundly but the space next to me was empty. I immediately sat up in bed, looking around the room for Ethan, my sleepiness vanishing. Maybe he's in the bathroom. I pushed the warm covers off of me, getting out of bed and walking to the bathroom. The bathroom door was unlocked and I found the bathroom empty. I felt an unsettling feeling in my gut.

I left our room to go downstairs. I went into the kitchen downstairs, hoping to find him there but no such luck. I was about to leave the kitchen when I saw a silhouette at the far end of the dark kitchen. I stilled, widening my eyes, trying to make out whom it was.

"Ethan?" I called, hoping it to be him.

The silhouette made its way towards me slowly and as he did so, I realised from his body shape that it wasn't Ethan. He raised his hand, revealing a shiny sharp object: a dagger. My lips parted in fear, my eyes widening even more as I took a few steps back before fully turning and dashing upstairs. I glanced back to see the silhouette rushing towards me at an amazing speed. I screamed and ran forward, tears running down the sides of my face. Suddenly I collided with something hard. I looked up fearfully but most of my fear alleviated when I saw that it was Ethan.

"Ethan! There's someone here! He had a dagger!" I exclaimed in an alarmed tone. He grabbed my shoulders before saying, "Anastasia, what're you saying? There's no one here." I opened my mouth to tell him that I really saw someone but then I saw his mouth widen and my gaze dropped down. My mouth hung open as I saw the dagger plunged into his stomach and blood oozing out.

"AAAAH" I screamed.

"Anastasia, what's wrong?"

I looked to my side. Ethan was right there, completely okay. I looked to my surroundings. I was in our room, in our bed. I looked back at Ethan, astonished.

"Hey, come here, what happened?" He said, pulling my shaking body towards his warm one and kissing my head.

"I-I had a nightmare." I stuttered, shaking and panting.

He rubbed my arms soothingly. "Relax. It was only a dream. It has nothing to do with reality." Then he poured me some water and after drinking it, I snuggled up to him as he ran his hand up and down my back while holding me close. "Sweet dreams, beautiful Anastasia." He whispered, kissing my forehead but I remained awake for a while until I was finally able to fall asleep.

———

"Good morning, Ahira." I greeted Ethan's sister and my now really good friend. She wrapped her arms around me in an embrace. "Good morning, Ana. Slept well?" She said and I fell silent for a moment as the nightmare from last night flooded my mind again. "I slept well." I answered, forcing a smile, trying to hide my distressed state of mind.

She smiled back brightly at me and ushered me to sit on the dining table before telling me that her parents were away. "I'm heading to work." I heard Ethan's voice coming from the stairs and then his footsteps approached me as he bent down to kiss my head. "Feeling Good, Anastasia?" He asked, putting his hands on my shoulders. I turned my head to look at him and nodded my head before giving him a smile. He smiled back and kissed my cheek.

"I can give you guys privacy if you want." Ahira spoke, a hint of tease in her voice, making me blush.

Ethan chuckled. "Nah, thanks, sis. I'll see you later, babe. Take care of yourself."

"Yeah, you too." I said to him. I didn't want him to go anywhere. After the nightmare, I wanted him to remain in my sights at all times. Of course that wasn't possible.