Breathe

Chapter 26- Nightmare

I woke up in panic and my breathing rapid. I felt my body go cold as I remembered the horrid dream that had shot me awake so quickly. It all seemed so real, so real that my heart never calmed. I raised from the couch that I had fell asleep on, where Liam and I shared a passionate talk only a mere few hours ago. It was still dark so I couldn't have been sleeping for long. As I walked to the hall, the bus went over an endless amount bumps. When I reached Niall's bunk, my body was still shaking upon the memory of the dream refreshing again.

"Niall.." I whispered softly as I placed a hand on his sleeping arm. "Ni-"

"W-what?" He snapped up before I could finish his name, "Are you okay?" He said half asleep with worry as he took note that I had been out of bed.

"I had a nightmare.." I spoke, child-like with my eyes on the bed sheet. My eyes back up to his as he fell silent but when I looked back up, his eyes showed pain. He didn't say another word, but he turned on his side to face me, with his arms opening, signaling for me to cuddle which I couldn't deny.

I crawling next to him, tucking my head in the crock of his neck with his arms wrapping tightly around me. I felt his soft lips brush through my hair lightly, leaving a kiss.

"What happened?" He spoke in a hush, referring to the nightmare that had gotten me shaking.

"I was walking backstage," I began to explain every detail on my dream as it replayed through.

I had been walking down the long and empty halls backstage when I began to hear a piano echoing through the halls. I soon found myself walking onto the stage as Niall sat in front of the piano, gliding his hands along the keys making the beautiful music which I soon noticed was the beginning to They Don't Know About Us. He began to sing, his voice filling the empty arena. I walked closer to him with a smile. He started on the chorus, continuing on with the song, locking eyes with mine his lips grew into an uncontrollable smile. He carried on to the bridge of the song, putting full power into his voice, singing with so much passion. As he came to an end with the song, he raised himself from the bench, cupping my cheeks in his hands softly, "They don't know about us," He lightly sang to me. Before our lips had the honor to meet, I heard a bang then quickly followed by a sharp aching pain in my back shooting through to my stomach. My body soon grew weak and Niall caught me as I lost control. I stared up in his eyes as his scanned me, trying to figure out what happened. Then his eyes landed on my stomach, where the pain was the strongest. He brust into tears as his hand ran over the spot and he did, I heard faint footsteps. I shifted my eyes to my stomach, soon regretting that I had. I caught sight of blood soaking into my shirt knowing right then, right there, I've been shot. "Niall is mine." A voice came from off stage, getting our attention we saw a girl, maybe 15 or so, holding a gun and a smile pulling across her lips. "I love you." I spoke in a hurried struggle. "I-" His voice broke and shook, "I love you too.." He said before my sight began to fade along with my hearing.

After telling him of my dream, he held tears in his eyes, fighting them back I could tell. "This is when you tell me that it's only a dream.." I struggled to compose as I too had water edging in my eyes.

"I won't let anything happen to you," He held onto me tighter as his words came across as harsh, "I promise. Do you hear me?" He gripped harder. I didn't say anything but instead I nodded my head slightly as he loosen his hold on me. His breathing became heavy while his chest raised and fell at a faster pace as he seemed to replaying my dream as was I. He held me like how he was after I was shot, he spoke with the same meaning, everything seemed so real. He left another kiss in my hair as the bunk, along with the bus, fell silent other than Harry's soft snores.

"But what if-" I whispered as my mind wandered.

"No, no what if's because you are, for now on, going to be by my side before and after I go on stage." He hushed low.

Within the moments of silent that carried on, I drifted back into a deep sleep.

Upon waking up the next morning, the bunk was empty without Niall in sight. After dragging myself from the comfortable of the small mattress, I wobbled down the hall, noticing that the bus had been parked. Taking the chance with the bus to myself, I decided to take a quick shower. Stepping into the mist of the hot water pouring from the shower head, I soaked myself under the stream. It ran through my hair with ease as it spilled down my cooling body with it running over the goosebumps the cold air had left on my skin. At the end of washing my hair and body, I ran my fingers over my scars that remained on my upper thigh of my right leg. Feeling the scars under my finger tips, the sharp painful memory of why they were there refreshed in my mind, along with the shocking dream I had just hours ago. I fought the urge for as long as I could until my thoughts won. I grab the blade I hid and I stared at it for a while. This little thing, this thing helps me in ways some people don't approve of, like Niall. This thing, could kill me, it could damage me just as my thoughts can. But yet this tiny sharp blade, it is what keeps me sane. I pressed down deeply into my skin with the blade before drawing it along in a long line that soon turned into a bloody trail. Then another, again and again, over again until the blood mixed in with the water at my feet. The pain was shooting through my leg before I let out an unexpecting scream. I bit down on my bottom lip hard as I fought to hold back another shout. My vision began to get blurry and I became lightheaded. Muttering swear words like a sailor, I knew I had to get out of the shower. I stumbled out of the steam into the small space of the bathroom, wrapping a towel around me and putting pressure on my leg, my vision straighten out and I could regain my breath. Leaning again the wall, sitting on the floor, I slowly breathed in and out as I took in the moment of relief. I shook my head with a slight giggle of nervousness before take away the towel from my leg to look at the damage. The gashing that were open wide on my leg sting as I removed the cloth.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the bathroom door.

"Hello?" Harry called from the other side.

I couldn't form the words, seeing as I was still in shock. I wrapped the towel around me and slow began to lift myself from the floor before I quickly failed and landed back on the floor with a loud bang.

"Julia?!" Harry's voice raised in a worry, "Are you okay?" He asked still being unanswered. Soon making loud pounding against the locked door of the bathroom. "Niall!" He called out louder as I heard vague footsteps. My vision became weak once again and my head started to spin before everything went white, then black within a second.

*Okay, yay for chapter 26?! It was actually a pretty fun chapter to write, oops!

I am starting on a new fanfic, of Niall, it is called Printed! You can read it by going to my page. It's different from this kind of fanfic because I want to try something differently new. But I will be continuing to write this one along with that one so go check it out!

I really would like more feedback than what I've been getting because that's what really helps me to stay interested in writing the story, so yeah! COMMENT AND VOTE MY LOVES.

I love you!~Mara *