Dominion

Chapter 16

I shoot up from my bed panting and sweating.
"It was just a dream, just a dream." I tell myself repeatedly then I remember something and rush to the bathroom.
I stand in front of the mirror and raise my dress up and check my abdomen where I had been jabbed. True to it, the mark is there to show that wasn't just a mere dream, that's what happened.
I begin to hyperventilate, slowly collapsing to the door when I catch a glimpse of the same dark terrifying figure behind me in the mirror. I scream and dash out the bathroom, out my room door.
Ben appears in front of me as I run out of my room. He must have heard my scream cause his door is still ajar and he is shirtless without bothering to wear his slippers before running out to check on me.
"Clara, calm down, calm down" he holds me to his chest firmly. I bury my face in his chest and allow the tears flowing freely.
He is still trying to calm me down when I hear Leslie's voice. Judging by the footsteps, I know she isn't coming alone.
"What happened Ben?" Leslie's worried voice sounds in my ear.
"I don't know, I heard her scream and I ran out of my room to check what happened. When I did, I saw her running out of her room as if something was chasing her." he explains over my head.
I am sure, I must have gathered a crowd due to the murmuring around me.
Leslie rubs my back, "Calm down, it's okay. You are going to be fine Clara, it's okay."
"No it's not!" I snap pulling away from Ben and she looks taken aback.
"It's not going to be okay! It's after me! Me, Leslie and I don't know why, but it's after me!" I yell.
"Clara I know how you feel but you need to calm down." She reaches out to me but I remove my hand from her's.
"No you don't. You don't have a single idea how I feel."
I can't even count the number of people trying to calm me down. Why can't they get it! I can't calm down when I know that thing is still after me. When the possibility is clear that my life is in danger.
"Aaaarrggghhh!!!!" I scream pulling at my hair, relieving in my mixed emotions, panic, anger, pain, frustration!
I feel hands hold me down and I try to get of their grip.
"Let me go, let me go!! It's after me! It's after me!" I am a broken mess right now, I don't even know what to do.
My cries subsides after a while and I stop trying to fight them.
Daniel comes to my line of vision. Though I can't see him clearly due to my watery eyes, I know it's him.
"Clara, Clara look at me." I slowly lift my head to look at him.
"We got you okay. You need to calm down and tell us what happened so we can help you."
I shake my head, "You can't help me." I sob.
"You can't know for sure" Ben counters.
"I know okay! I know." I whimper.
Ben sighs pulling me into a hug once more. He doesn't say anything neither does anyone, they just allow me to cry.
I cry my balls out till there is no single tear left to shed in my eyes. I wipe my face with my hands finally pulling away from Ben.
"Feel better now?" Leslie comes beside me to ask.
I shake my head at her barely managing to croak out a "no" before I begin to cough.
"I think it's best we involve one of the trainers." Daniel suggests, I don't have the strength to argue.
"You are right." Leslie says in agreement.
Ben places his hands over my shoulder pulling me to his side as we follow Dan and Leslie out of the camper's block, while others disperse to their various rooms
"Wait up!" someone shouts and we all turn to see James running towards us. He has a shirt flung over his shoulder and a slipper in hand.
"Here you go, I noticed you weren't putting on any shirt or slipper so I decided to be a good buddy and run to your room to get this for you while you guys got going." he explains stretching out the shirt and slippers to Ben.
I didn't even pay much attention to how Ben was dressed and from the look of others, no-one did.
"You went to my room in my absence!?" Ben frowns at him.
"And I locked it so no one will after me." he smiles pulling out Ben's key from his pocket.
Ben snatches his key from him. "A simple thank you will do." James taunts.
"No." Ben replies stubbornly, if I was in the right state of mind I would have found the situation amusing but I am not so I just sigh.
"Ben, stop being a child and slip on the shirt and slippers so we can get going, Clara is tired."
Ben unwillingly collects the shirt and slippers from James and slips them on.
"Thank you." he mumbles refusing to look at James.
"Didn't get you" James says earning a glare from Ben.
"Let's go." Leslie takes my hand and we walk to the office building with the guys behind occasionally bickering about one thing or the other.
The receptionist looks up from her desk as soon as we enter.
"How can I help you?"
"Please can we see any of the trainers or Mathew himself?" Leslie speaks up.
"I am sorry, none of the trainers are on seat as we speak and Mathew is in a meeting." She explains.
"Please, is there a way we can see him, it's urgent." Leslie pulls me forward. Immediately she takes in my appearance her express softens. Do I look that bad? I am sure I have red puffy eyes which shouldn't be too bad right?
"I will inform him of your presence, please have a seat.
She places a call as we take our seats on the not so comfy iron chairs.
"His secretary has informed me the meeting will soon be over after that you will be called up." She informs us after the call.
We must have waited for about five minutes with me growing restless by the minute when the entrance door opens and Mary walks in.
Her eyes wonders around before finally landing on us sitter in a corner.
She walks up to us, worry dancing in her eyes.
"I just heard what happened and was told you guys were here so I decided to come." She explains
"You guys can go up now, Mathew is ready to receive you." the receptionist says before anyone can say anything to Mary.
We thank her and walk to the elevator. Ben pushes the button and it opens, we step in and the last thing I see is the receptionist smiling at me assuringly before the elevator closes.