The Mark of a Fallen Angel

20: Past, Present, and No Future

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I ended up talking to Ian for another hour and a half. It was past four o'clock in the morning when I finally flopped into bed. Even then I didn't get a decent night sleep.

Nightmares.

I spun around in the pitch black room wondering where I was. I looked down at my hands only to see the rash had disappeared and I was wearing clothes I was pretty sure I didn't own.

Everything slowly started to become lighter. I lifted my feet and started walking when I heard a slapping sound; like water. I stopped and looked down at my feet. I was in water but I was walking on top of it. Weird.

I was in a forest. But everything was orange and a blur. Like... It was on fire. I squinted my eyes as everything began to get clearer.

I gasped and backtracked.

Everything was on fire. I was surrounded. The water I was in was the only thing that wasn't on fire. I saw something moving in fiery trees and I gasped.

"Oh, my..."

Gabriel came out of the fire with a smile on his face. He lifted his open hand toward me. I started running toward him but I wasn't moving; at all. I heard the slap of my feet against the water but I still wasn't moving.

I started to panic when he disappeared.

"Gabriel?" I yelled.

Nothing.

The fires became worse. It started getting closer.

Suddenly there was this horrible burning feeling inside me, real or not I don't know but it felt excruciating. My insides were burning, my head was burning, but I knew for a fact the fire was nowhere near me.

I dropped to my knees and let the fire consume me.

**

"Lexie," Someone whispered harshly.

I sat up quickly and touched my chest, my arms and legs. Gabriel stopped my panicky hands and stared at me.

My eyes shifted to my left hand. The rash was still there; worse than before even.

I felt hot in my shorts and t-shirt. I felt sticky from the heat. Gabe stared at me with worry as his eyes searched mine.

"Lex, I felt your pain. What happened?" He said in a rush.

I sighed and took my hands back. I ran a hand through my slightly damp hair. "It was a dream. That's all."

He shook his head. "That was more than a dream. You were in physical pain. When I came in you were in holding your chest. I went to wake you up and... your skin was burning."

"I'm fine," I replied shaking my head. But was I fine? All of that felt too real. 

He released a tense breath and sat next to me pulling me into his side. "What was your dream about?"

I touched his hand and showed him. His arm tightened around me. "I see."

We stayed silent for a moment.

"Why didn't you tell me when you got home?" He said changing the subject.

I cleared my throat and stood up walking into my closet. "Well... I erm..." I pulled out a clean t-shirt and shorts and turned around bumping straight into Gabe's naked chest.

"What do you mean, 'Well I, erm...'?" He questioned.

"Can you turn around for a minute please?"

He did as I said.