The Fallen Goddess

The Dream

... "I don't need you; I've never needed you!" Koreena shrieks at me.

There is a sinking feeling in my stomach, and I'm about to respond when suddenly she is in my arms, bloody and clearly dead; all life has been stolen from her hazel eyes.

Jordeal, Koreena's brother, is standing next to me. He is saying words that are inaudible, but from what I can see of his expression, most of them are accusatory.

The rest of her family is cackling in the background, and the sound is like a ringing my ears: low, soft, but loud enough that it's the only thing that I can hear.

I run my fingers through Koreena's long, ginger hair, which is mostly matted down due to blood.

Amazing how goddesses are supposed to be immortal, but this one clearly isn't...

I startle awake from my dream, breathing hard.

"You okay, Blake?" Koreena asks, kind of groggily.

I think I woke her up; I must have been speaking or thrashing around, and now I feel kind of bad.

"Yeah, fine," I lie.

She scoffs, seeing right through me. I sit up in my bed to see her laying on the sofa with a pillow and sheet from her bed.

"Did you sleep on the sofa?" I question, and she nods. "Why? You were in your bed when I fell asleep last night."

She shrugs.

"Why, was I annoying you all night?" I joke, standing up.

"No," she assures, standing up as well.

We both get ready for the day quickly and fairly silently. By the time we're ready to check out, we've barely said anything to each other.

I don't understand why, but the silence seems almost... frosty. But I don't recall arguing, and now I'm just freaking confused.

We leave the hotel to begin the day.

As we exit the parking lot, I ask, "So what city are we in? How much further until California?"

There is a small pause in which not a sound is uttered, and finally Koreena answers, "Lancaster, Missouri."

"Okay, so how far do you think we can travel today?"

Another pause.

"Maybe a few states," she responds with a noticeable coldness in her voice that wasn't there before.

"A few states?" I question, choosing to pretend not to notice the change. "Like states states? I think we can finish off a few cities at best."

"No. We can hit a few states."

"And how exactly do you plan to pull that off?"

She scowls at me, as I have now put on a cold touch to my voice as well. She reaches out to touch my arm, evidently trying to teleport, and I jerk away but at the same time she jerks away too.

"Are you okay?" I ask, now slightly concerned.

"Fine," she snarls, physically stepping away from me.

"Koreena, what's your problem?" I say, moving in to fill the gap that she just made.

"Nothing! You can't help me; I don't need your help!"

I stand in silence for a moment. It was such a weird outburst and I honestly don't know what to say to it. I reach out to hold her hand, to at least brush it, but she pulls away.