Chapter 4
Chapter four
“I only want you to understand!” shouted a girl in the shadows.
“There’s nothing to understand. You’re making this up just to annoy me.” said
Ricky, who was also in shadow. There was sweat dripping down his torso and
whenever he moved his lover body was kept in the shadows. Along with the rest of
the room.
Where we are I didn’t know but I was standing in the middle, feeling a gentle
breeze on my bare skin. Bare skin? Where had that come from?
“I can’t… They’re planning a battle, will you at least understand that?”
asked the girl.
“No! I’m not listening to this rubbish.” Said Ricky as he walked past me and
headed to the door.
The girl stepped in his way and held onto his shoulders tightly. “They want
me to join them and I am seriously tempted. In fact I will go over to them if
you don’t listen to me.”
“Then go Katherine! I can’t have you here when you’re making up nonsense like
this.”
“Fine. I love you Ricky, I really do but you’re to vane to realise what your
great-great grandfather has created.” Katherine said in a more quieter
voice.
She turned on her heels and stormed out of the room that filled with
lightening and echoed with thunder.
“Dreams, interesting aren’t they? But how do we know what dreams are real and
which are… dreams in dreams.” Said a voice close to me. The voice had spoken the
words with a strong admiration. “It’s time to wake up now my girl. At least from
this dream.”
I took a heavy breath and obediently opened my eyes. They snapped awake when
they saw a man sitting beside the bed. His pear-shaped face was all that I could
see. He seemed to be twice as old as Ricky (at least 80 or something like that).
A small hint of recognition took over me but I gently shook my head. I didn’t
know him, or did I?
“Sometimes dreams can be so real that we forget that we are even dreaming.
Get what I mean?” He asked
“No.” I said quietly.
He had something mysterious in his eyes that I found it hard to look away.
His eyes were a deep jade colour with almost a permanent twinkle in them. If it
were possible his head got nearer to mine and only stopped until our foreheads
met.
I could taste the sticky breath on my lips but I didn’t complain. I lost all
connection with myself and even when he kissed me, I didn’t pull away. His lips
were dray and tasted salty. His tongue prayed my lips open just enough to
breathe in. Something cool circulated my mouth and without words I was told to
swallow. I obeyed. He breathed in my mouth again and told me to swallow once
more. Two more times he did this before he moved away.
“Dreams, interesting aren’t they?” He said before disappearing.
My eyes opened sometime after that encounter and I couldn’t help but wonder
if I had actually dreamt him being here. But the feeling I had going through my
body was a small evidence that he was here as well as the salty taste from his
lips. Though the feeling inside me wasn’t a scary one. In fact it was almost
smoothing.
Pushing myself up with my elbows I begin to wonder why I had dreamt about
Ricky and this other Katherine. Other Katherine? There’s only one Katherine. I
made up this Katherine. But still, why would I dream about them?
“Sometimes dreams can tell a lot, even warn us.” Said the admiring voice of
the man who was here earlier.
“Thought you left.” I said quietl.
“I’m your shadow my girl. I can never truly leave you alone.”
“Great.” I moaned and fell back onto the bed, covering my eyes with my hands.
“Does this mean I don’t have any privacy while changing?”
“We’ll see.” He said and followed it with a long evil laugh.
“Just great.” I said to myself.
*****
I was summoned to see Ricky and Elpha led the way. The whole journey was like
a blur, I didn’t even feel my own feet tough the ground. It was really like I
was walking on air. It was a good thing Elpha didn’t speak for I wouldn’t listen
to him anyway. The surrounding sounds didn’t quite get to my ears, and even if
they did the words were small murmurs. I couldn’t get the details of this part
of the castle because my vision was a little blurry. But when we got into a room
where Ricky was seated opposite the door, I was reconnected to myself.
The room was large (if you divided a house between the top and bottom floors
and put them side by side, you’ll get a rough scale of this place). I would
guess this to be the ball room with the wooden floor and the chairs lined up
against the walls. A long table to my left would be for the food.
“Impressive wouldn’t you say.” Said Ricky “But I’ve been in grander ball
rooms. We’ve gone with a simple design since the last battle. This was one of
the rooms that saw fighting in them.”
“Sometimes those kind of events can help with the re-planning. A blank canvas
if you will.” I said sort of dreamily, not really hearing my own voice.
Ricky looked at me with a frown and said “Yes, I guess it helped us a
little.” His voice held uncertainty which changed when he said “Forget that.
Lemon told me you wanted to talk.”
“Uh?”
He smiled this time with a little chuckle. “The lady who tended to your
wrists, Lemon. She said you wanted to stay.”
“Ah…yes… well…” There were no sentences forming on my tongue and I felt a
little embarrassed. All I managed to say in the end was “Can we rain check? I
mean…” I trailed of.
He shook his head “This is the only time I have free. So if you want to talk
now is the time.”
“But-”
“No buts Katherine. I really don’t like time wasters and if you’re one, then
walk out of the door.” He said sternly.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. This was the only chance I had to be
able to stay here. I couldn’t swim anymore and I need solid ground. This was it.
Opening my eyes I began to tell my story. “I lived in poverty. My brother
turned on me, saying he was preparing me for the next stage. I was basically his
slave until I was 16. Then my dad took over, he was the worst out of the
two.”
I looked into the distance, not really noticing anything. Little clips of my
life clouded my mind and I could sense that Ricky could see them as well. See
the torture, the pain, the tears. But something else came in amongst the clips.
It showed me on the hospital bed unconscious. I was there only a few days ago,
but in the corner the date was the same as today’s. The clip moved quickly onto
the event that caused that to happen.
But before it went into anymore detail, Ricky said “That’s enough.” And
everything went silent. I was staring into the distance, not noticing anything
again.
“I see your case.” Ricky said in a business tone. “I’m sorry you had to live
through that, but I need to ask you something.” I nodded. “What about your
friends?”
“What about them?” I asked, confused.
He sighed heavily. “Don’t you care about them?”
“Of course I do. I’ll be able to still see them right?”
“No. Once you’ve been allowed to stay here you can’t leave. Not even to see
your friends.”
My body felt like it had the liquid inserted into it again. Though this time
it felt like my heart stopped with it.
“I… can’t… I can’t… see…” I couldn’t form the sentence I wanted to say. I was
in shock by the sudden news.
“I’m sorry, but that’s the way it is. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a
meeting to attend to.” Ricky said
I looked at him as he started to stand and chocked out “You haven’t told me
your answer.” I couldn’t believe how urgent that sounded.
He sighed deeply and said “I need to think it over. After all, I don’t think
you’re ready to leave your friends.”
Ricky left the ball room and I watched over him in disbelieve.
More to come...
“I only want you to understand!” shouted a girl in the shadows.
“There’s nothing to understand. You’re making this up just to annoy me.” said
Ricky, who was also in shadow. There was sweat dripping down his torso and
whenever he moved his lover body was kept in the shadows. Along with the rest of
the room.
Where we are I didn’t know but I was standing in the middle, feeling a gentle
breeze on my bare skin. Bare skin? Where had that come from?
“I can’t… They’re planning a battle, will you at least understand that?”
asked the girl.
“No! I’m not listening to this rubbish.” Said Ricky as he walked past me and
headed to the door.
The girl stepped in his way and held onto his shoulders tightly. “They want
me to join them and I am seriously tempted. In fact I will go over to them if
you don’t listen to me.”
“Then go Katherine! I can’t have you here when you’re making up nonsense like
this.”
“Fine. I love you Ricky, I really do but you’re to vane to realise what your
great-great grandfather has created.” Katherine said in a more quieter
voice.
She turned on her heels and stormed out of the room that filled with
lightening and echoed with thunder.
“Dreams, interesting aren’t they? But how do we know what dreams are real and
which are… dreams in dreams.” Said a voice close to me. The voice had spoken the
words with a strong admiration. “It’s time to wake up now my girl. At least from
this dream.”
I took a heavy breath and obediently opened my eyes. They snapped awake when
they saw a man sitting beside the bed. His pear-shaped face was all that I could
see. He seemed to be twice as old as Ricky (at least 80 or something like that).
A small hint of recognition took over me but I gently shook my head. I didn’t
know him, or did I?
“Sometimes dreams can be so real that we forget that we are even dreaming.
Get what I mean?” He asked
“No.” I said quietly.
He had something mysterious in his eyes that I found it hard to look away.
His eyes were a deep jade colour with almost a permanent twinkle in them. If it
were possible his head got nearer to mine and only stopped until our foreheads
met.
I could taste the sticky breath on my lips but I didn’t complain. I lost all
connection with myself and even when he kissed me, I didn’t pull away. His lips
were dray and tasted salty. His tongue prayed my lips open just enough to
breathe in. Something cool circulated my mouth and without words I was told to
swallow. I obeyed. He breathed in my mouth again and told me to swallow once
more. Two more times he did this before he moved away.
“Dreams, interesting aren’t they?” He said before disappearing.
My eyes opened sometime after that encounter and I couldn’t help but wonder
if I had actually dreamt him being here. But the feeling I had going through my
body was a small evidence that he was here as well as the salty taste from his
lips. Though the feeling inside me wasn’t a scary one. In fact it was almost
smoothing.
Pushing myself up with my elbows I begin to wonder why I had dreamt about
Ricky and this other Katherine. Other Katherine? There’s only one Katherine. I
made up this Katherine. But still, why would I dream about them?
“Sometimes dreams can tell a lot, even warn us.” Said the admiring voice of
the man who was here earlier.
“Thought you left.” I said quietl.
“I’m your shadow my girl. I can never truly leave you alone.”
“Great.” I moaned and fell back onto the bed, covering my eyes with my hands.
“Does this mean I don’t have any privacy while changing?”
“We’ll see.” He said and followed it with a long evil laugh.
“Just great.” I said to myself.
*****
I was summoned to see Ricky and Elpha led the way. The whole journey was like
a blur, I didn’t even feel my own feet tough the ground. It was really like I
was walking on air. It was a good thing Elpha didn’t speak for I wouldn’t listen
to him anyway. The surrounding sounds didn’t quite get to my ears, and even if
they did the words were small murmurs. I couldn’t get the details of this part
of the castle because my vision was a little blurry. But when we got into a room
where Ricky was seated opposite the door, I was reconnected to myself.
The room was large (if you divided a house between the top and bottom floors
and put them side by side, you’ll get a rough scale of this place). I would
guess this to be the ball room with the wooden floor and the chairs lined up
against the walls. A long table to my left would be for the food.
“Impressive wouldn’t you say.” Said Ricky “But I’ve been in grander ball
rooms. We’ve gone with a simple design since the last battle. This was one of
the rooms that saw fighting in them.”
“Sometimes those kind of events can help with the re-planning. A blank canvas
if you will.” I said sort of dreamily, not really hearing my own voice.
Ricky looked at me with a frown and said “Yes, I guess it helped us a
little.” His voice held uncertainty which changed when he said “Forget that.
Lemon told me you wanted to talk.”
“Uh?”
He smiled this time with a little chuckle. “The lady who tended to your
wrists, Lemon. She said you wanted to stay.”
“Ah…yes… well…” There were no sentences forming on my tongue and I felt a
little embarrassed. All I managed to say in the end was “Can we rain check? I
mean…” I trailed of.
He shook his head “This is the only time I have free. So if you want to talk
now is the time.”
“But-”
“No buts Katherine. I really don’t like time wasters and if you’re one, then
walk out of the door.” He said sternly.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. This was the only chance I had to be
able to stay here. I couldn’t swim anymore and I need solid ground. This was it.
Opening my eyes I began to tell my story. “I lived in poverty. My brother
turned on me, saying he was preparing me for the next stage. I was basically his
slave until I was 16. Then my dad took over, he was the worst out of the
two.”
I looked into the distance, not really noticing anything. Little clips of my
life clouded my mind and I could sense that Ricky could see them as well. See
the torture, the pain, the tears. But something else came in amongst the clips.
It showed me on the hospital bed unconscious. I was there only a few days ago,
but in the corner the date was the same as today’s. The clip moved quickly onto
the event that caused that to happen.
But before it went into anymore detail, Ricky said “That’s enough.” And
everything went silent. I was staring into the distance, not noticing anything
again.
“I see your case.” Ricky said in a business tone. “I’m sorry you had to live
through that, but I need to ask you something.” I nodded. “What about your
friends?”
“What about them?” I asked, confused.
He sighed heavily. “Don’t you care about them?”
“Of course I do. I’ll be able to still see them right?”
“No. Once you’ve been allowed to stay here you can’t leave. Not even to see
your friends.”
My body felt like it had the liquid inserted into it again. Though this time
it felt like my heart stopped with it.
“I… can’t… I can’t… see…” I couldn’t form the sentence I wanted to say. I was
in shock by the sudden news.
“I’m sorry, but that’s the way it is. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a
meeting to attend to.” Ricky said
I looked at him as he started to stand and chocked out “You haven’t told me
your answer.” I couldn’t believe how urgent that sounded.
He sighed deeply and said “I need to think it over. After all, I don’t think
you’re ready to leave your friends.”
Ricky left the ball room and I watched over him in disbelieve.
More to come...