Demons in my Dreams

Chapter 2

              November, 22nd five years later....

    Emily Hart was startled awake by a loud thud coming from the opposite end of her condo. "Damian, Lucas what the hell are you doing" she screeches out towards their bedroom. "Nothing mom" Lucas calls back in his most innocent tone. "Nothing don't make noise" Emily shouts from down the hall. "Something fell" Damian shoots back quickly, hoping Emily doesn't come to the door. Emily swings open the door to her sons bedroom demanding they tell her the truth. Damian trying to hide a bloody nose, Lucas looking at the broken lamp laying in the floor they both stutter out "it wasn't my fault" pointing their finger at the other.
    "What have I told you boys about fighting! ?" Emily sneers. "Mom Damian hit me because I wouldn't change the t.v. channel" Lucas states, Peering into his mother's eyes. "Damian!" Emily says looking at him with her disappointed mom look. "But mom, Lucas kept taunting me, I told him to stop" Damian mutters hanging his head. "It doesn't matter, both of you boys stop fighting, clean up this mess and Damian go clean your face. "We have to be ready and out the door in one hour for our famous family reunion, this year being held at Evelyn's house." "Where is your sister?" Emily calls back leaving the scene. 
     Dakota was sitting at the kitchen table lost in the magical land of her social media as usual. "Dakota! Go get ready!" Emily says trying to keep her voice steady. "Mom, why do we have to go? You know I don't even like Evelyn." Dakota whines. "Dakota, I don't care. It helps my siblings to cope with nana's death so we will be attending. Now go!" Emily and Dakota both go in opposite directions of the house hurrying to their rooms to get ready for what they consider none other than a nightmare. Every year one of the Hart siblings host a family reunion on the day of their mother's death so none of them are dealing with their emotions alone. Emily was always more of a suffer in silence kind of gal. Feeling sharing was physically painful for her.
    Emily goes through her closet 4 times looking for the perfect outfit to throw on but her minds wondering to a different place once more. She remembers her mother and what a wonderful person she'd always been. Emily was taken all the way back to the first time she had left her children's father. Sixteen and pregnant, she had very few options to being on her own. Moving out of her mother's home and into the arms of a monster was solely her decision over a sibling rivalry spat with her brother Eric. Eric being the oldest and Emily being the youngest the two never really did see eye to eye or could even meet in the middle. Eric had a son a couple months older than Emily and without Emily having a father around, he tried to take on that role. Emily was not having any part of that.
     Emily closes her eyes and suddenly she's taken back to that very day. She can see her mother sitting in her chair rocking back and forth slowly as if she's real. Emily felt her hand reach out in an effort to touch her mother's frail little hands. She hears Erika's voice in the background calling out, "Mom Emily's fat!" That was the day her mother learned of her pregnancy with Dakota. Emily swore her sister to secrecy, pleading with her whatever you do don't tell mom. No sooner was Erika shouting out, "Mom! Emily's fat." Emily's mother was outraged not because of her pregnancy but for the fact her unborn grandchild had been in danger. Her mother then forbid her to go back to the man that mangled her daughter's poor pretty face. Emily shuttered at the memory of her mother's disgust. "If you want to hurt yourself, that's fine but my grandchild does not deserve that." Her mother said to her harshly.
    "Mom! Why aren't you ready? Dakota's high pitch voice rang in Emily's ears. "You are the one making all of us go and endure this family torture, now we'll be late because you're day dreaming again." Dakota sneers. "Shut up Dakota" Emily screeches back. "I'll be ready in a second and I don't appreciate your tone child." Get your brothers so we can just run out the door" Emily says to her demanding daughter.
    The hour long ride was made in silence. Nobody spoke but every one felt the growing tension as they neared Emily's sister's house. Emily thought of her three children uncomfortable in the back seat of her little Chevy elantra. They all three detested these family reunions. Emily hated them as well because they brought her back to a time when she felt as if all was right in the world. Since her mother's passing her nightmares had surfaced again but this time they felt as though she was living them. Waking up in the morning gave her very little relief from the man in the shadows chasing her. The man coming into her bedroom every night getting inside her mind. The nightmares that she use to bear right after moving back in with her mother at just 17 years old. That was the period of time Emily Hart became a bookworm. Laying in bed night after night trying to avoid sleep and going into the dark. "Turn out the lights before you fall asleep Emily's mother told her. I don't want to wait up every night to turn out your bedroom light the little old lady said to her daughter. Emily hadn't wanted to admit to her mother or anyone for that matter, she was actually afraid of the dark. She started reading every night until she drifted into slumber. Emily's mother couldn't possibly fault her for falling asleep reading with the light on.
     The Hart reunion went as usual, all of the Hart siblings laughing reminiscing, and being slightly argumentative. Emily stayed close to her sister Elizabeth's eldest son Blake. The two of them grew up more like brother and sister than anything else. Emily's mother raised Blake for a good portion of his childhood. Elizabeth left him in Florida with their mother in order to straighten some things out in her own life when he was only three years old. Emily was only almost a year older than Blake was. The kids all huddled in the corner waiting for the event to end. Emily's kids were only close to erika's daughter cloe yet they still tried their best to not let on how uncomfortable they all really were there. Evelyn was extremely strict about the children's activities in her home. She wanted nothing out of place making everyones nerves just a little more on edge.
    Hours past as the family all put on their best performance for the others, while Emily worked harder than anyone trying to cover up the fact that her traumatizing nightmares had resurfaced. Blake knew there was something not right with Emily but the both of them chose to ignore it and catch up on the things they'd missed out on with each other, both having such busy lives. Blake decided if Emily had wanted to talk about anything she knew he was there for her.