Torn between Dreams and Reality

Chapter 14

"You're in too deep that it's hardly fair
You enjoy the world that's hard to bear
Your feet will never touch the ground
For dreams are there with no bounds
They don't have a start nor an end
And shall cross all extents
To make you a part of the world we defend
For the visions you see in dreams modify
Into a reality that will make you cry."

I woke up with my head-ache worsening. My head was throbbing harder than usual, letting me turn to see the time.
4:43 am.

I huffed and fell on my bed again. I closed my eyes so I could go back to sleep only to feel something clawing at my throat. I gasped and sat up straight again, trying to pant for breath but it seemed like something was choking me. I tried to figure out what was holding my throat, what was stopping the air from going into my lungs but there was nothing.
Absolutely nothing.

But I couldn't release the breath I was holding as my face felt hot from the burning of my lungs that radiated throughout my body. Rolling off of my bed I smacked the side table with my hand, my chest feeling tighter by every minute.

"Come to us."

My clothes were like a second skin, puncturing me as I started seeing black dots in
my vision and then all went black.

"Did you come here to get something?"

I gasped and stood up, seeing nothing but endless white all around me.

"Over here, Eclair's. you look like you're lost."

I turned around to see Leo, quite older than now, sitting on the bench in front of me. His left leg was crossed over his right one as he flipped the page of the book he was reading. He shifted his gaze towards me, passing me a formal smile while patting the empty space beside him.

His hair was side swept unlike his usual tousled hair that imitated flames. He wore a Brown long coat matched with his black button up shirt and grey jeans. "Don't be shy, it's not the first time you're sitting with me."

The smile he passed after might have drowned me as I started making my way towards him cautiously. I sat down slowly, keeping a safe distance from him.

"Why am I here?" I asked, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. It wasn't that this was the first time I saw him in my dreams, in fact, I saw him almost every other day. But not like this. Those were usually memories of the past that I used to relive; this was something different.

Leo closed his book, shifting himself to be facing me. "You seemed to love this place, didn't you? I thought treasured being here; safe and cherished. Do you not?"

"I—no. I love this place. It's my Haven from the world outside but. . . what's happening to me? This isn't how it used to be. I felt safe here before but now, this place is scaring me, Leo."

I turned to see him frown at me. "But this place protects you, Éclair's. How can you blame this place for protecting someone who is the reason it exists?"

"It's not like that, Leo. It protects me when life becomes hard and I need something to relax me. Life's easy here but you don't know what It's been doing outside."

He smiled softly at me. standing up and putting the book in his pocket, he stretched out his hand towards me. "Let me show you what this World really means. You seem to have forgotten."

I took his has, confirmed by a tightened grasp as he helped me stand up. He took a step forward as he stomped his feet on the ground. Colours exploded from underneath his foot, spreading like cracks formed from an earthquake in different directions. In different places played different scenes of the past.

From the day I fell off the swing and broke my first tooth, to my first kiss. They were all being played here. These memories were what kept me happy and going, I could live with just them rather than make new, bitter ones.

They played like fireworks in different colours, one changing after the other, like paint splattered all over the area. The air changed around us adjusted accordingly as I enjoyed every scene. Black butterflies swarmed over the colourful memories but they didn't haunt me this time. They actually looked beautiful as they flattered their wings and flew around.

Then, I was running hand-in-hand with Leo through a meadow that I once ran in before I moved to this neighbourhood. The grass reaching my knees, swaying softly with the wind.

Then Leo brought me to a stop in front of a cliff. Below it were valleys upon valleys of my hopes and dreams and memories and . . . . . . Everything here was pretty and peaceful.

"My Haven," I murmured unconsciously, letting myself relax in the tension-free environment.

"Yes, Eclairs'. Your Haven. Do you remember, now, why you came to this place for happiness? Because this place is full of joy. Here, you can have everything, it's all in your grasp—even me. I'll always be your best friend here."

He let me walk closer to the Cliff. "I won't ever lose you."

"We won't ever let you go."

"Claire!"

"Claire!"

"Claire!"

My name was chanted over and over again, like a promise, like a song—a hymn.

"Claire! No, Claire stop."

And then I fell.

The scream barely came through my throat when I suddenly hit a soft landing. It was rather cushion-y.

I looked up; everything was blur in front of me. I heard the faint chants of my name in the back of mind. I could see the outline of the people that surrounded me but they looked as if someone tried to rub a drawing made with crayons.

Are those flashing lights a siren? Rescue Team?

Some tried to ask me questions but I couldn't see anything more than their lips moving.

I panted for breath, my chest moving up and down heavily. That was until the hair that fell on my face were swept back, revealing no other than Conrad.

His eyes were full of horror, shock, confusing me more.

"Claire. . ." he whispered, leading me to look him in the eyes. But I didn't have enough time when he engulfed me into a hug. "Never, never do that again."

"Do what again?" I whispered lazily.

He looked at me for a moment, trying to find something on my face. "Did—did something happen? Did you see something?"

"Yeah," I replied sluggishly. "And it was amazing. Why are you asking."

"You... you jumped off your roof, Claire. You were standing there when I came. People thought you were going to commit suicide. Hell, even I thought that you were going to do that 'cause your eyes were wide open. But then your eyes—they kind of glowed and turned electric blue that even I could see while I stood here and you were on the roof. When the rescue team came, the moment they came close to you to hold you and bring you down, you jumped and I—" his voice cracked a little, but he covered it up by clearing his throat. "I saw you fall. I thought you were a goner. I thought we lost you."

I put my hand on his cheek to make him look at me rather than the way his eyes were moving frantically. It was shocking that I didn't remember jumping but watching someone jump off their roof while thinking that they were going to can shake your core. "Look at me. I'm right here, I'm okay. Calm down."

"Excuse me," a man who was wearing a uniform interrupted. "But I need to check up on miss."

I nodded hazily and looked back at Conrad who had a worried look on his face. "I'll be fine. It's just a check-up. You can wait for me inside."

He nodded reluctantly and got up, dismissing the crowd that had gathered around.