Torn between Dreams and Reality

Chapter 15

I came inside my house, rubbing my eyes with exhaustion. Upon entering, I saw Conrad, his steel eyes all hazed as he stared at the ceiling. His gaze snapped towards hers.

He quickly got up as he walked towards her. "Are you okay now?"

I offered him a soft smile. "I'm fine. I didn't feel anything to begin with."

"I—" His phone started to ring, interrupting whatever he was about to say.

He picked up the call murmuring something to the other end. His conversation went on for a few minutes until he said his good bye and turned towards me. "Uh, Claire. I have to go now. The match is starting in a couple of minutes and I need to be there. It's okay if you don't wanna come, you're probably tired."

But I realised that he looked more tired and stressed out than me. "It's okay, I'll be there. Just let me go and change my clothes and I'll be back in a second. Besides, I think I could use some fresh air."

"Okay" he replied. "I'm waiting for you outside."

I nodded my head and made my way upstairs to get changed quickly.

֍

The basketball court was close to the community park so the locals were already gathered there, some old, some young.

Upon arriving, I saw the team Conrad was playing with since it had a few of our classmates in it. They were huddled in a group close to the basket, planning their strategies. Conrad seemed in a better mood than before since I spent the entire car ride trying to distract him from what had happened a little while ago.

After whispering a goodbye to him with a slight wave, I made my way to the stands, sitting down somewhere farther behind so nobody would stare at me. Many of the people from my school had already recognised me, startled to see me here because I was known for keeping myself locked up in my house.

I shook my head, trying to distract myself from the prying eyes of everyone who surrounded me as I focused on the referee who whistled, signaling both the teams to stand in a circle in the center of the court.

The ball was swung into the air and then was struck by the opponent's team who took the lead in passing the ball to one of the team members. I watched as the ball was exchanged through several people, and then snatched by Conrad's team member who dribbled the ball towards their basket.

I watched the ball go back and forth, snatched from one team to another and then passed through the hoop. I watched cautiously because, even though I had no interest in the game, I was here to support a friend.

Every once in a while, he would look up at me and pass me a reassuring smile and then head back to his game. I'd give him a thumbs up every time we made an eye-contact.

All of a sudden, something happened and my vision felt hazed. The movement of the players seemed slower and the colours seemed to keep changing. I felt heavy, like gravity was affecting me more the it should. My eyes trained towards the boy holding the scores: three all.

But that wasn't what I was looking at. No, I was looking at something behind it. I knew it seemed unusual so I kept staring at it countless times during the game. But now, as my breaths became heavy and my thoughts ran scattered, I saw the butterfly I needed to see.

A tiny grey butterfly that wouldn't looked unusual to the people around. But it was just my unusual seventh sense that gave me this ability. It floated ever-so slowly in the air, taking its time as it circled around, flying here and there.

Every flap of its wings was an increase in my heart beat, every inch it covered towards me was causing me a splitting headache.

I didn't know why it was grey or why it was something that I was related to but it was there, growing larger with every second, with every flap of its grey wings. It didn't take long till its size covered the sky.

I noticed that the people around me stared at it, stared into the sky. Did they see it too?

Before I could question any further, an announcement bounced through my ears.

"Dear spectators, the match will not be continued further due to the expectant ran. The match has ended as a tie with three all."

The teams hooted for each other as people in front of me stood to exit. I heard some murmuring about the clouds taking all the sunlight away, their eyes fixated on the sky above.

I moved my gaze too, lookin up. But I could never see what they saw for there weren't any clouds or any rain on its way—it was a butterfly that was horrifying me.

I stood up, trying to move away from it, forgetting that I was still on the stands. My balance felt out and I tripped over, falling on my back.

Then everything glitched.
Like when you change the channel of an old television, that was what I felt my eyes do.

The colour around me now seemed faded as I stood up to find the butterfly gone. I stood up, the back of my head throbbing with pain. And then I stilled for the butterfly hadn't disappeared, it just shrunk into its normal size only to sit on my head.

I screamed, not caring about what anybody thought about it. I screamed as if some one held a dagger at my throat. I let the tears stream down my face as I shook my head hard, waving my hands over my head.

When it was gone, I let my knees weaken, sinking down on the ground, cradling myself between the stand's benches.

I was tired.
So, so tired of all of this. I couldn't even breathe freely.

I hadn't realized when Conrad had jumped over the benches towards me and scooped me in his arms. "Claire, you alright? What happened, what's wrong? Say something, Claire."

I wanted to say something but every time I tried only miserable whimpers wouldn't escape my mouth.

Conrad's grip on me tightened, his stiffening very obvious. "Claire, your eyes. . . their electric blue again."

I wanted to know why. I had so many questions that didn't seem to be wanted to get answered. Before I could put a single thought into it, my breath seized and my eyeballs dilated more than I ever expected them to.

To others it may have looked like I was staring at him and even if I was, I wasn't looking at him. He was there, I could sense it but my vision said otherwise.

For it was then that I saw something truly and utterly more horrifying. Something that might drive me more insane than I already am.

I saw it. All of it.