The nightmare came again.
Ariana ran through the endless void, her breath ragged, the cold air slicing against her skin.
But this time, she wasn’t running from something. She was running toward something.
A voice.
Deep, steady. Calling her name.
"Aria."
It wasn’t Luca.
It wasn’t Kendric.
But it was familiar.
Then....light.
Warm, golden, breaking through the darkness. And for the first time, she escaped.
Her eyes snapped open.
Her breath was shaky, her body still tense, but the crushing weight that nightmares usually left on her chest was missing. She lay in bed for a moment, staring at the ceiling, her mind replaying the voice.
𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵?
The remnants of the dream clung to her, the voice echoing in her mind. It felt like a memory she couldn’t quite grasp, slipping through her fingers like sand.
She exhaled slowly, grounding herself in the present. The soft weight of the blanket, the faint hum of morning activity downstairs.
She had school today. The thought alone made her body tense. Her muscles coiled, ready for something, anything, to go wrong.
Another day of navigating hallways filled with whispers, stares, and the quiet war she fought every time she stepped through those doors.
Ariana pushed herself out of bed and got ready, pulling on a navy-blue sweater and jeans. She tied her hair back just as a knock sounded at her door. She knew who it was before he spoke.
“I’m coming in.”
Luca’s voice came through, soft but familiar.
She turned just as he stepped inside.
“All set?”
He asked.
Ariana nodded.
Luca hesitated for a moment before saying,
“I want to talk with you.”
She waited.
“Everything is alright at school, right?”
His eyes searched hers.
She looked at him, then gave a small nod.
“You looked so tired yesterday.”
He admitted.
“I was worried.”
Ariana blinked. No one had ever worried about her before.
The concern in his voice was foreign, and she didn’t quite know how to process it.
She reached for her notepad and quickly wrote:
"I was tense yesterday since it was the first day, but I’m really alright."
Luca read it and let out a small breath, relief flickering in his expression. Then, without warning, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her.
It was warm.
Safe.
She felt safe.
For a moment, the exhaustion, the loneliness, it all melted away.
YOU ARE READING
Silent Scars
Teen FictionAfter enduring years of neglect and cruelty from her mother and stepfather, Ariana's life changes drastically when tragedy brings her under the guardianship of five brothers she's never met and they never even knew they had a sister. For her brother...
