Drag me through hell - Sebastian Sallow fanfiction

Chapter 7

POV Audra

The scraping of a claw against wood breaks the silence of the night, jolting me groggily out of my slumber. Little by little I open my eyes. The fire in the small stove in the middle of our room is dancing vigorously, drawing flickering silhouettes on the walls. I sit up carefully in bed, my limbs heavy from sleep. Rubbing my eyes drowsily, I try to locate the source of the noise. My eyes catch sight of a small owl sitting calmly on a bar next to my bed, its claw scratching at the wood.
For a fleeting moment I scan the room; Imelda and Agnes, my other roommate, are still in their beds, deeply asleep. Then my attention is drawn to the large grandfather clock, its hands pointing to the ungodly time of 5 a.m.
Great, on a Sunday of all days.

A sigh escapes me as I mentally prepare to get out of the warm cocoon of my bed and greet the day that seems to have started earlier than I would have liked. But since I'm already awake, I decide to check what urgent letter the owl has brought me at this early hour. My feet touch the cold floor of the room as I drag myself out of my comfortable bed. With tired movements, I approach my bedside table and take out a bag of food to thank the owl for delivering the letter.
"Thank you," I murmur to the animal as it lightly flaps its wings and delicately pecks the food out of my hand.

I quickly slip into my ankle boots and throw my robe over my pyjamas before tiptoeing out of the room as quietly as possible. The metal gate clanks underneath my feet as I make my way towards the common room. At this quiet hour of the morning, the room radiates an incomparable calm. The soft blue light of the lake shimmers through the windows and conjures up calming wave patterns on the floor.
Only the faint crackling of the flames in the fireplace penetrates the silence and lends the room a cosy touch of warmth. Here, in this undisturbed peace, I find the perfect place to organise my thoughts and calm my mind. The night was very restless and pervaded by an eerie feeling of trepidation.
Again and again I found myself in life-threatening situations in an endless succession of nightmares, while a dark, large creature pursued me mercilessly. Eventually the creature managed to catch me, but before I could be fully pulled into the darkness of the abyss, I suddenly felt a hand holding me and pulling me back. A saving hand, whose source unfortunately remained confined to my dream.

With a deep breath, I let myself sink onto one of the comfortable sofas, my attention drifting inevitably to the couch where Sebastian and I had fallen asleep the night before. A painful ache in my chest accompanies the memory of that moment, and I feel an oppressive weight settle within me. As for Sebastian, I am still a bit confused and overwhelmed. With trembling fingers I begin to open the letter and let my eyes run over the lines:

Dear Audra,

I am truly sorry for what happened between us today. My choice of words was inappropriate and hurtful. It was wrong of me to interfere in matters that don't concern me, and I deeply regret that I hurt you in this way. I hope my words haven't left a lasting wound. I may have overreacted and said things that weren't meant, which I shouldn't have done.

I hope that you can forgive me and that we can remain friends despite everything.

Sincerely,
Garreth

As I read his words, a warm feeling of relief washes over me. It's reassuring to know that Garreth is willing to take responsibility for what he has said and to apologise for it. With a happy smile on my lips, I gently fold up the letter and slip it into the pocket of my robe.
Suddenly, I hear soft footsteps approaching the common room. My heart skips a beat and I turn to look in the direction of the sound.
To my relief, it's Olivia. She looks at me with surprise as she sees me sitting here all alone.
"Oh, Audra, what are you doing up so early in the morning?" her voice is as warm and friendly as ever and I can feel the initial tension slowly dissipating. I explain to her that the owl woke me up and I couldn't fall asleep again.