Chapter Eighteen

Edited like a boss

Chapter Eighteen

The events that have happened in the past hour were still coming back to me. I didn’t know what exactly happened, but I knew what did happen really shaken Jesse up. He hasn’t looked me in the eye since I woke up from my trance.

But I know, whatever had happen, had gave me one big freakin headache. All I remember was taking my anti-depressants and then the rest was a blur.

It was kind of weird waking up to Jesse on top of me, pinning me to the ground, shirtless. I couldn’t help but stare at his bare torso. It was so muscular and toned. It was like a sculpture. I was ashamed of myself for thinking about Jesse shirtless. Damn teenage girl hormones.

Now, Jesse and I were sitting in the group circle at Adler. We got here on time, surprisingly. Even after everything that just had happen.

Mike explained that we would be running some test. We would be paired in threes to run the experiment.

I got paired with Cindy and Jesse, ironically. We were told to that based on our answers to our questions that we answered Tuesday; we got the partners that had the same problem.

A young male, which I guess was a college student taking the course that requires this testing, came over and explains the test. “Okay, first we are going to hook up some of these electro stickers to your head. They are to monitor your brain waves as you sleep.” The young man explains. Sleep? How is he going to make us sleep?

“To get the results fast enough we’re going to have to give each of you anesthesia. Not a lot, just enough to knock you out for about thirty to sixty minutes. This test is just to monitor your brain activity as you dream. Nothing harmful or dangerous.” I look over to Jesse who was looking at me. I knew we were thinking the same thing. We’ve both had a history of very bad dreams every night. I nod at him to let him know that we should go through with this. We need to find answers and quick.

“So who wants to go first?” The young man asks.

“I’ll go first!” Cindy says enthusiastically. She moves over to the hospital bed and lies down. The young man puts some kind of cream on her various places around her head and then two on her chest. The man peals the plastic off the stickers and put them on the places where he put the cream.

“So just lay back and relax as I get the mean machine ready.” The young man tries to make a joke and fails miserably. Cindy lies down as the man turns on the machine and closes her eyes as the man gets the anesthesia ready.

The man places the clear mask over her head and straps it in. Cindy takes a deep breath once the mask was situated on her mouth. After a few moments she was peacefully asleep. No nightmares or harmful thoughts get in her way probably. Why can’t I be like that? Why do I have to be like this? I close my eyes and calm myself down. There was no need for another mental breakdown in a public place.

I was so wrap up in my thoughts; I didn’t even realize that Jesse was holding my hand. I open my eyes and look at our intertwined fingers. I look up to see Jesse smiling, and I do the most surprising thing ever—I smile back. Well, I guess it wasn’t that crazy since I smile regularly; but it was a smile that met my eyes. A smile that hasn’t really happen since my dad was stilling living with us. This boy can make me smile. Imagine that.

“It’s okay. I’ll be here when it’s your turn.” He says squeezing my hand a little tighter.

“And I’ll be here when it’s yours.” I say back. We have to help each other no matter what. Were the unspoken words between us. It wasn’t just words, it was a promise. A promise that I was there for him and he is there for me.

The man was gone when Jesse and I sat down to fill out the brain-wave chart that was on a brown clipboard. As the time went by, we recorded the chart until Cindy woke up. She yawns and made a comment about getting some beauty sleep.

The man came back over to set me up for my test. The gel substance was real cold and wet. The electro-stickers stuck to my skin like an octopus. I knew it was going to be hard to get the stickers off without much pain.

The anesthesia mask is strap around my face as a lie down. A part of me didn’t want to breathe because I was afraid of falling asleep and having a horrible nightmare like I did every night. Soon I felt my eyelids get heavy and my breathing slow down. Then darkness, now I know I’m asleep.

***

For the first five minutes of my dream was darkness like it always is. Just complete, silent darkness. This was the limbo of the nightmare. And then came the actual dream. The part that was most agonizing and scary.

I was lying on the ground. A ground that looks like it hasn’t seen rain in a thousand years. It was so dry that there was a big long crack that went through the center of where I was lying. I stood up hastily and patted the bag of rags that I was wearing. My eyes went up and I saw that the color of the sky had a reddish tint to it. It looks like the sky is angry.

I look around my surroundings and found basically nothing, just a wasteland. I try to walk forward, but as I did I fell straight into the ground.

It felt like I was falling for hours. All was saw was darkness that seems to be sucking me in, trying to swallow me whole. Finally I fell. The landing was hard; if this had been real then I was sure I would have broken every bone in my body. I struggle to sit upright, but just fail in the process.

“Hello Athena.” A deep sensual voice spoke from behind me. I manage to turn and lay on my back. The man before me was darkly beautiful—almost deadly beautiful. He had blonde hair that sat on his head like a halo. He was really tall; I’d guess about 6’11. He was dress in all black and nothing else. He had a devilish smirk that plays on his mouth. The most beautifying thing about him was the dark wings that took up at least thirty feet around him, unflure on his back. He scares and hypnotizes me at the same time.

I felt like I was being pull towards him. Like he was tempting me to come closer.

“Who are you?” My voice came out in a whisper. I was so daze by his dark, pulsing aurora that I couldn’t even for words correctly.

His smirk turns into a grin and a spark reaches his eyes. “Some people over the years have called me Light Giver; but I don’t think that name applies to me anymore since I switched job,” He pauses for a moment. “I guess you can put it that.” He looks away and grins wider like there is some inside joke and I’m not in on it. Before I could ask any more questions he continues on. “Some people like to call me master or highness or lord, maybe even father. But for you Athena,” He pauses and then meets my eyes. “You can call me whatever your heart desires.”

I couldn’t speak; he was just so captivation and perfect. No functional or rational thought came to my head at that time. Nope, I just sat there with my mouth agape staring at the beautiful man before me. “Here Athena,” He holds out his perfectly sculpted hand towards me. “Let me help you up; that looked like a pretty nasty fall you had there.” I blush at his words, and I NEVER blush. I grab his hand that was warm and comforting, and let him help me up.

“Come I must talk to you.” He orders never letting go of my hand. We start to walk on the desert landscape that never seems to end. I wonder where we’re going.

“Now, my beautiful girl, we must talk about my you’ve had an unexpected visit to my kingdom.” He starts and I blush again. “It is my understanding that you’re having some tough times in your life at the moment. I understand what you are going through; for I have been through the same thing when I was you age.

“No need or time for me to explain how I know, that is just a waste of breath. But I would like to put away that pain and worrying that troubles you now and help you through it. With just one snap of a finger I can get rid of all this pressure. All you have to do is a favor for me.” He finishes. What? He can make me stop seeing ghost, stop having nightmares, stop my insanity from building up!? He can make all this disappear, with just one favor?

“What would that one favor be?” I ask unsurely. I was sure that there had to be a catch—a big catch at that. He smiles and looks me dead in the eyes.

“That one favor would be, my Athena, is that you let me make you my wife.” He answers. Be his wife! I’m only sixteen! I’m not old enough to be married!

“No, no. I’m only sixteen and I barely know you, actually I don’t know you at all. I can’t be your wife!” I exclaim. He just keeps calm.

“Relax Athena,” He stokes my cheek. “It was only an offer. But I am afraid that if you don’t except my offer then I cannot take away these problems that trouble you.” He says in his smooth voice. Then that ground starts to shake violently causing me to almost fall. His face contorts into disgust. “Ugh, that pesky boy.” I hear him mutter.

“Til next time my beautiful Athena.” He says. Then the whole world turns black again.

Til next time freaks...