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Ten

"Lily! Lily!" Someone screams. I flicker my eyes open, looking for the source of the voice. I push myself up, brushing my hair back. I stand from where I laid on cold ground, and not my bed.

Mesmerized, I lay eyes on a woman with soft brown skin, and dark brown eyes. She dresses in black, her short hair falling on her shoulders, in curls.

"Mom?" I ask, my voice cracking. "Mom?"

I attempt to run to her, but I stop abruptly, fearful. Like I had been when I was a child.

I begin to shake, confused. A faceless man stands behind my mother, and his arms extend out as if to push her.

He was to push her off.

"Mom!" I scream, eyes watering as my mother's figure stumbles forward until it disappears over the side. "Mom!" I yell out again, hearing the sound of a body splashing in the water.

The faceless man is gone now, and all I hear is the sound of rushing water.

I pull back into the corridor, my breathing choppy as I wipe at my cheeks and lean my head to rest on the wall.

"Lian..." Someone calls out. Their voice is light and airy, like mist.

I look up, slowly following the voice.

"Lian!" The voice calls more urgently than the first time. I see a shimmer of strawberry blonde hair.

"Hurry up, Lian! We don't have enough time!" The feminine voice cried out, and I continued to run after it.

I stop when I see the pale faced woman stop by the edge of the Chasm. Her red hair flutters in the wind, the sound of rushing water below us.

She wears a tight black dress, towering over me. She turns to face me, smiling softly.

"Who are you?" I question.

"Emery." She beams.

"Why are you here?" I ask, wrapping my arms around myself, shaking.

"To see you." She replies casually, as if were old friends.

"How?!" I ask. "Y-you're dead!"

"That's not important!" She chastises. "I'm here for you. To tell you not to be afraid, and to live. To live your life. Don't hold yourself back. Just be free."

"What? You're not making any sense!"

"He's not going to hurt you. He didn't hurt me. I died, but not by or because of him, Lillian. Just know that."

"But... wait!" I yell, but she climbs onto the railing, stands on her feet, extends her arms, and then, she lets herself fall into the cold depths of the Chasm.

I scream, covering my mouth with my hands.

"-ian! Lian!" Someone shouts, and my eyes shoot open.  I sit up abruptly in my bed, palms shaking as I shudder.

Mason rests a hand on my shoulder, and I pant for breath. I look at him, quivering.

"I'm going to get Zee." He tells me, and turns, but a gentle voice speaks.

"No need," Zella says, before walking to my bedside. Her blonde hair is in a braid, as she wears a black sundress. She raises a brow, eyes filled with worry. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I pant, trying to calm myself down. I slow my breathing, silently counting to three. I slip out of bed, and stand to my feet. "Just a bad dream."