Oblivion

Chapter 54

Paxton Clark

~~~~~~~~~~~

Ivy, my darling,

It feels like I'm starting to fit in around here. The prisoners aren't as bad as I thought they would be. You're pretty popular around here now. Everyone knows about our love for each other, it's kinda funny to me, everywhere you go or don't go somehow everyone knows who you are. It's like you have this power where you can have everyone know your name without even actually being there. I remember the first time when your father told me and my uncle he had a daughter. I thought you'd be this annoying girl who was shy and always threw herself at guys but that day in your office when you walked through the doors all confident and cheering about how you killed that guy, I instantly fell for you. I know that probably sounds cringy and stupid but it's true. I fell for you so hard, the way you talked, the way you walked, laughed, smiled, everything about you. There's one thing I especially love about you, I love your confidence.

-the guy who fell too hard

I stared down at the concrete ground as all the other prisoners played basketball on the court, I just sat down on a bench off to the side. I felt terrible, I couldn't understand anything I was feeling. I just had this feeling after that dream that Ivy was here, alive. It felt good to know that but I was afraid to get my hopes so high.

"Hey kid!" I hear Victor call.

I look up and see him and his friends looking at me.

"Come play some ball." He tells me as he holds up the basketball in his hand.

I shake my head and look back down at my feet.

Suddenly I feel someone sit next to me so I look up to see Victor looking down at me.

"You okay?" He asks.

"No." I reply as I look at everyone playing basketball.

"Is it her again?" He questions.

"It's always her." I say.

It went silent and all I could hear was the sound of the basketball hitting the ground and people's feet moving around.

"What happened last night? I heard you screaming." He questions.

I don't say anything for a moment, trying to think of a way to tell him. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to tell him.

"I had a dream about her." I finally admit.

"What happened in it?"

"I saw her. She ran into my arms and told me she loved me. We were back at the cliff." I begin.

Victor doesn't say anything and lets me go on.

"I held her, I could smell her sweet vanilla scent. I could touch her soft black hair. But then my uncle..." I wasn't sure how to explain it.

"Your uncle what?" Victor asked.

"He shot her. He killed her right in front of my eyes." I answer. "She told me she hated me, she said it was my fault. I hurt her." I feel tears form in my eyes.

I couldn't take any of this right, I quickly stood up and ran back inside the building. I could feel my body start to shake and tears ran down my face.

"YOU DID THIS TO ME! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE!"

I heard her voice in my head again, I couldn't take it.

"I HATE YOU!"

STOP! PAXTON! NO! STOP LISTENING TO IT!

It's not real. It's not real. IT'S NOT REAL.

I love her. She loves me.

Suddenly I feel my body shut down and I hit the ground.