Ethereal Love (Book 2 LS Series)

Chapter 45

Skipper's POV

Bad memories and knives. It's all I see, as I am caught in my own web of imagination, a part of my brain I could live without and never miss.

My imagination brings me back to that dreaded night I so desperately prayed would be wiped from existence, and it all seems so real. I can feel X's breath fan across my face, the silence of that night fills my ears, his face is burned onto the back of my eyelids. I am struggling and fighting for my life yet again.

"Skipper..." X purrs in my ear with a haunting laugh. "Skipper!" He is more urgent now. I pour all of my energy into screaming for help, I can feel the cold sweat pouring down my body, and the panic climbing up my spine. I can feel the helplessness, keeping me victim to X's desires. I screamed for help- yet the only sound is X in my ear. My voice has been stolen from me, just like my innocence.

Worst of all, I can feel X leeching away at my integrity as a female. "Skipper!"

I jump, and all of a sudden X's face is gone. It melts and morphs until I am staring into the eyes of my father, wide with worry. I shield my eyes from the blinding light in the room, and gather my senses.

X is not here... I am in my bedroom, and nobody is trying to rape me. My body is covered in sweat though, tears wet my cheeks. My hands clench the sheets tight, and my chest heaves up and down.

I had another nightmare... It was just a nightmare. That's all. My father stares at me, unsure what to say. "It happened again," My voice is pathetic. "Are you alright?" I just stare at him. He seems surprisingly neat for this time of night, his hair is still neatly piled in curls on his head. He wears a simple tank top and pants. "What were you doing?"

"I was just checking on you, I suspected this might happen." I take a few more moments to catch my breath. If Michael were here he would probably know how to quell the nightmares without waking me. A gentle kiss to my forehead, and his mere presence would help. That's what I did for him. I look at the empty side of the bed, as if that will make him magically appear. "I'm okay, I guess. You can go."

He eyeballs me with disbelief, and placed his hand over mine. "Are you sure? Are you going back to sleep?" The clock beside my bed reads four thirty am, and there's no way I'm going back to face X again. "No... I guess I'll get ready for school now." "You have two hours." I don't respond, slipping out of bed and leaving him there.

"This is the third time this has happened." Yeah, well maybe if you let Michael sleep with me, this wouldn't happen. "Go back to bed, it's fine." I sigh, and he finally leaves the room, stopping in the doorway to look back one single time.

****

"I just... I have to stay after school for something."

"The third time this week?" Michael complains. "Let her be involved in school, there's nothing wrong with that," My father defends me, as we walk up the quad toward our first class of the day. "You can go now." Michael rolls his eyes. "Yeah, sure Michael. Hey, Skip," I turn towards him, as Michael mocks him with his back turned to us.

"Have a good day, alright? If at any time it becomes too much..." He nods toward the paparazzi photographers across the street, snapping photos of me. Half of them want to know about my AIDS research, and the other half wants to know if I am the 'murderess' behind X's death. "I'll be fine," I turn my back to the cameras as I usually do. "I'll see you later." He gives my shoulder a quick squeeze, and walks in the other direction.