Sleep Keeper (12 page)

“That doesn’t make sense,” he muttered and shook his head.

He stood up from the couch and paced across the living room. I followed and took his hand. This seemed to calm him and he turned to face me.

“Listen, can we please just let it go? I stopped trying to figure Jeremy out years ago. There was always something not right about him. He’s back in jail where he belongs so let’s not let it ruin tonight,” I begged.

“I don’t like the idea of you being so vulnerable in your world. It doesn’t seem safe,” he stated. A frown creased his forehead.

I chuckled loudly, from a combination of his words and his adorable expression. Orion did not appear amused.

“I’m not vulnerable in my world. You’re just used to how things work in your world. It’s not the same where I come from,” I explained.

“That’s exactly what I’m talking about! You’d be safer here.”

“What about being attacked by Draco?” I reminded him.

“That was an isolated incident,” he stammered.

I could tell I made my point.

“It usually isn’t like that here… Besides, I would never let anything happen to you here. But when you’re away, which is most of the time, I have no way of knowing what’s happening to you or if I will ever see you again,” he stated.

His frown hardened and my heart sank at the idea of not seeing him again.

“Nothing’s going to happen to me,” I promised.

I didn’t respond to the second statement, but each day I too wondered if it was our last time together. I tried to fight it, but the more time I spent with Orion, the stronger connection I felt to him and his world. I think he felt it too. I was torn between my heart and my head. My heart was falling in love, but my head was telling me that I was already in love with Mitchell. My heart was telling me that this place was home, but my head was telling me that this was not even real.

Orion took a few steps closer and put his arms around me again. I laid my head against his chest and closed my eyes. I pulled my arms around his waist, running my fingers down the sculpted muscles of his back. His body was dense and he smelled amazing. He brushed his chin against my hair and kissed the top of my head. I felt his strong heart beating, even through the racing of my own. We held each other for a quick moment, and then he released me, pushing me back at arm’s distance.

There was an awkward pause.

“Let’s go to the beach,” he suggested and hurried out the door.

I sighed, and then naturally followed. We spent the next several hours on the beach talking and playing in the sand. I awoke to the sound of Mitchell snuggling up against me.

“Good morning beautiful,” he smiled and kissed my cheek. His scent was… different.

“Morning,” I muttered with a yawn.

“You look like you still need more sleep,” he said with a mock cringe.

“Gee, thanks… I’m fine.”

I sat up and wiggling away from his hold. Actually, I felt pretty awful even though exhaustion was becoming the norm for me. I swallowed and felt a lump in the middle of my aching throat. A burning sensation ached from my neck and I reached my hands up to a raw pain.

“Ouch!” I winced and pulled my hands back swiftly.

“Yikes, that’s going to take a while to heal,” Mitchell cringed with a wrinkled nose.

I shuffled into the bathroom to examine the source of the pain. A horizontal line was etched across the middle of my neck, a harsh reminder of Jeremy’s mysterious attack. The skin was infuriated with a deep red hue from ear to ear.

Great, that’ll spark up some interesting dialogue at work.

I hadn’t felt any pain when I was with Orion, nor did he mention the mark. More evidence that world was just a dream in my head?

Since I was already in the bathroom, I hopped in the shower to get ready for work before class. The pounding water made the wound angrier so I skipped the hair washing today. While in the shower, I heard the phone ring and Mitchell answer.

“Hello?... She’s in the shower, Mom… Yes, I’ll be sure she calls you back… Okay, bye.”

I was certain Jeremy called Mom last night after he was arrested.

Ugh!

I knew I would have to call her back soon.

It was a busy morning at work and, thankfully, no one had a clue about last night’s events. Fortunately, I found a beige blouse in my closet that covered enough of my neck to hide the wound. I needed to shop during lunch for a few more shirts to make it through the week though. I didn’t have many summer clothes that would do the trick.

After several endlessly boring classes, I checked my phone and had three messages from Mom. I took a walk around campus and called her back.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Alexis Marie, why didn’t you call me?!” she snapped.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I was stuck at work then had classes all morning,” I muttered and rolled my eyes at the phone.

“That is not what I meant and you know it! Why didn’t you call me last night?” Her tone was sharp and irritating.

“I didn’t want to worry you, Mom,” I answered snidely.

It was partially true. Mostly, I didn’t want to hear her spit out broken excuses for Jeremy’s atrocious behavior. That would inevitably send my blood boiling and cause another fight for sure.

“I have the right to know when something like this happens to you; to both of my children! How do you think I felt getting a call from the jailhouse operator and Jeremy coming on the line to tell me that something happened with you two?” she lectured.

“Sorry Mom, I didn’t think about that. I was going to call you today,” I apologized through my teeth.

“What did you do, Alexis? You know he’s on parole! Are you going to drop the charges?” she attacked.

“What?! What did
I
do?
I
didn’t do anything! And no, I’m not going to drop the charges! He tried to KILL me Mom!”

“Oh Alexis, stop being dramatic. You know your brother would never hurt you. He told me it was a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding?! Why don’t you tell that to the wound around my throat where he strangled me? Ugh! This is exactly why I didn’t call you last night! I’m the victim here, not Jeremy!” I shouted.

I was enraged and pacing furiously around the parking lot. I gripped the phone so hard my hand started to ache.

“Okay, calm down... I thought you two just got into an argument. Tell me what happened?” her voice changed from accusatory to slightly consoling.

“What’s the point? You’re just going to take his side anyway,” I shot back.

“Alexis Marie, stop with the attitude and tell me what happened,” she demanded.

I loosened my grip and took several deep breaths to calm down. Once again, I relived the events of last night, well, most of the events. I skipped the ones that took place
after
I fell asleep.

Mom was quiet for the remainder of the call. I ended the call as quickly as I could and promised to call her later. I felt vaguely sorry for her. Jeremy was her son too, but I wished she would see him the way that I had - unstable and disturbed.

I took a brisk walk to calm down before heading to the library. I spent the remainder of the afternoon doing schoolwork. After an hour at tennis practice, I went home to begin preparations for dinner. While in the kitchen, Mitchell came home and crept up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I gasped and jumped at his touch.

“Sorry honey,” he regretted, not realizing he had startled me.

He leaned his face around and kissed my cheek, giving me a welcoming squeeze. Normally I would have pounced at the opportunity to reciprocate his affection, but I felt different this time. My mind was consumed with Orion, and kissing Mitchell felt somehow… wrong.

I tried to block Orion’s face from my thoughts and forced myself to turn around and look at Mitchell. I leaned in for a quick peck, and then quickly turned back to finish chopping vegetables. Mitchell didn’t notice my strange behavior. He pulled out several spices from the pantry and began to help with dinner.

After dinner, we moved to the couch to watch a movie. Mitchell picked a comedy I had mentioned interest in a few months ago. I faked my enthusiasm when he presented it, wanting nothing more than sleep. I struggled to pay attention during the drudging hour and a half until the movie finally ended and we headed off to bed.

Once Mitchell was sound asleep beside me, I closed my eyes with a grin. Even though it had only been a day since the incident with my psychotic brother, I knew I wouldn’t have any problems falling asleep. The anticipation of seeing Orion was almost unbearable. After what seemed like an eternity tossing around in bed, the darkness finally faded to a dim light…

I was alone inside an ill-lit room. Faded voices argued nearby. There was a flickering light down the hall. I moved toward the voices, holding my breath to keep quiet. I drew closer down the hall.

“Tell me where and I’ll leave her be,” an unfamiliar voice negotiated. His deep sinister tone made my stomach turn.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

My stomach sank as I recognized Orion’s voice. It was his normal tone, smooth and calm - an unusual disposition given the tone of the conversation.

“I know who you are,
Orion
. Don’t play coy with me,” he growled.

I reached the end of the hallway and peeked through the crack in the doorway. Orion was bound to a chair, facing my direction. The owner of the previous voice lingered around him. His back was toward me, partially blocking my view of Orion as he trod back and forth. His stiff dark cloak held a hood that hid most of his face.

Orion’s eyes drifted over to someone who was hovering nearby in the corner staring intensely at Orion with untamed eyes. “Draco, I know his hold is deep but you’re stronger than him. You don’t have to do this,” Orion softly spoke.

Fresh panic flooded through me as I heard his name. The man in the cloak nodded his head and Draco swarmed in. In his hand was an intricate silver rod, about a foot in length. The stem was engraved with delicate vines that weaved together across the rod and joined at the end. Draco extended his arm and placed the rod on Orion’s chest. He shifted in front of him, now completely blocking my view. A loud snap echoed off the barren walls and the room filled with bellows of pain from Orion. Trying to catch a glimpse around Draco, I dropped to my knees and saw Orion’s legs twitching underneath him.

“No!” I cried out, realizing that was a bad idea.

I must have startled Draco because the rod clanked to the ground as Orion’s legs fell limp. Draco and the dark figure whipped around.

I covered my mouth and darted out of the entrance and down the hall. I slid through the first open door I saw. The dark room reeked with a stale bitterness that reminded me of the formaldehyde-soaked frog from my high school science class. I winced and covered my nose, stumbling my way across the room.

“Get her!” the deep voice growled from down the hall.

Draco’s footsteps were fierce as he approached the doorway. I hid behind the closest object I could find, a broken table. I tried to hold my breath but my heart was racing too fast and needed more oxygen. I opened my mouth and took shallow breaths, trying to remain still. He scoured the room, using the rod to smash everything in sight. I jumped each time something shattered on the ground. My heart was beating so hard I wondered if he could hear it.

He crossed the room and paused three feet in front of me. I stared up directly at him with my eyes frozen wide, hidden in the shadows. Panic-stricken, my entire body began to shake. I held my breath and waited.

Draco’s stare drifted right over mine and continued past. He hissed in frustration and exited through a door on the other side of the room.

Nausea rolled through my stomach and my legs nearly gave out. Luckily the rush of fear was still flowing strong enough to keep me going. I immediately bolted back through the first door and back down the hall, pausing outside the entrance where Orion was held.

I squinted through the crack. He was still bound to the chair. His eyes were closed, but he shifted his head several times, fighting to regain consciousness. He groaned and dragged his feet back and forth against the floor. I didn’t see anyone else around. I made my move and glided quietly across the room, constantly scanning my surroundings. I reached Orion and slid behind him, frantically wrestling with the ropes around his hands. Orion’s inebriated state vanished when he felt my touch.

“Alexis,” he gasped and turned his head. The color was returning to his face but his unfocused eyes were bloodshot. “You’ve got to get out of here, now!”

I ignored his warning and continued to work at the knot, which was starting to loosen. Before I could finish, Draco was next to me. He snatched a fistful of my hair and yanked me backwards. I reached both of my hands to my head, clawing at his. He grabbed each of my wrists and pulled my arms down behind my back. My arms felt like they were torn from their sockets. I let out a cry.

“Let her go!” Orion bellowed in rage. Droplets of blood scattered the ground as he struggled to free the ropes from his raw wrists.

I looked over my shoulder at Draco. Our eyes meet for the first time and I saw a hint of compassion behind that brutal mask he paraded around so freely. Even though my wrists were throbbing from his tight grip and my mind was flooding with fear, I felt a tinge of hope.

He changed his grip and held both of my wrists tightly with one of his hands, his free hand dangling effortlessly. I tried to struggle free but the disobedience made him pull hard downwards and I dropped to my knees with a thud. I was shocked by his effortless strength.

“Draco, you don’t have to do this! You don’t have to obey him…” Orion implored, still wrestling with the ropes.

“Silence!” he ordered as he placed a cloth bag over my head.

Draco pulled me to my feet again and dragged me backward by my wrists. I yelled and attempted to wrestle free, but we were moving too fast and I couldn’t get a grip with my feet. My shoulders twisted in pain the more I struggled, but I wasn’t about to give up so easily.

“Let her go!” demanded Orion.

Draco pushed me up against something hard and grabbed the back of my head.

“Bet you’ll tell us now,” Draco snickered.

With a violent shove, icy water engulfed my face. The shock of the cold caused me to exhale what little air remained in my lungs. I struggled to pull my head out of the water, but it didn’t budge. My lungs burned. I flailed my torso but it barely budged. The muscles in my neck burned in protest. I leaned my weight onto my stomach and kicked my legs in defense, but I only hit air.

Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!

But it was to no avail.

If I died, would I wake up in my bed or would my body disappear?

Suddenly, he released my head and I pulled it from the water, the cloth sack left floating. I gasped for air, but only managed to suck in a small breath before his hands tightened around the back of my head again as he forced it back under the water. My head submerged before my body was done begging for air, filling my lungs with a sharp pain as the water leaked inside. Sharp pains stabbed through my lungs as they convulsed in attempts to force the water out, which only led to more water and more pain.

My head throbbed with a near exploding pressure. Every muscle in my body trembled with exhaustion as I tried to escape, but just as with the previous attempt, it was no use. The panic intensified with every additional second I remained under. When I felt as if the pain couldn’t get any worse, the fear began to fade and I instantly flashed back to a nightmare lingering in the back of my mind many months ago…

Just then, Draco’s fingers entwined in my hair and he yanked me back up with a force that nearly snapped my neck. I sucked in mouthfuls of air while my lungs choked out the water. I fell to my knees, gasping in horror. My stomach twisting in a knot as vomit spilled across the wet concrete floor. I took another breath and choked on the puke. Through ringing ears I could hear Draco’s high-pitched laughter along with the shrill of Orion’s voice begging him to stop.

I finally stopped choking and resorted to sucked in shallow quick breaths of air to not overwhelm my lungs, but attempting to get enough oxygen in before the next session. Through blurry eyes, I stared down at the vomit smeared inches in front of my face. I heard a short commotion then Orion’s voice fell silent, followed by a thud.

Oh no!

“Orion!” I screamed and tried to look up.

Suddenly, something hard and cold slammed against my head. Darkness swirled my mind…

I woke up with a dull ache emanating from my skull. I touched the sore spot on the back of my head and felt warm, sticky blood in my otherwise dry hair. Wincing, I pulled back my hand from the stinging pain and pried open my eyes. I was encompassed in darkness. I blinked several times to make sure they were really open.

Standing up slowly, I reached my aching arms out in front of me, but felt nothing around. I turned in different directions feeling for something, uneasy about taking a step. The only sounds came from my heart thumping and my heavy breathing. Holding my breath, I stood motionless and focused on listening attentively. Somewhere in the distance, I heard a faint rustling noise. I unfocused my eyes to concentrate on the sound and my vision began to adjust to the darkness.