In Between Times (Complete Novel, Mastered May 12th, 2022)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

— Evil is Lurking, love is me

Surreal – Big Murf ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬

AMELIA:

The night terrors are back. I don't know if they're going to be as bad as they were when I first moved to Vegas. When the emptiness of my mother sank in, I could hardly walk on my own two feet. I did nothing but lay in bed for about a month. I started getting night terrors the day of the move. It was a series of my mother's death. She died a different way every night.

The night terrors didn't start fading away until I let Callie Stevie in my life. Callie helped me through it all. She became my post to lean on — and I became hers.

But the night terror I experienced the past two nights was vivid. It was different. Almost like it was real.

The start of it began with my mother lying in a meadow. She looked genuinely happy. She was smiling. There was a faceless man there next to her, embracing her as they lie there in this beautiful meadow. Bright green grass and colorful flowers surrounded them.

But the man somehow disappeared. I couldn't make out his face. His face was just this blur and that was all I saw. He evaporated in thin air — leaving my mother lost, sad, and confused. The environment changed. It became ugly, and unnatural. The clear blue sky erupted with lightning, as a darkened red filled the air in an instant. My mother became frightened. She was unaware of what to do next — not without the faceless man. He made her happy. He made her world visibly beautiful, and lively.

That's when a knife appeared upon the grass lying in front of my mother. As she racked her eyes over her lonely surroundings, hope reflected in her hazel-green eyes. She picked up the knife—

That's when I wake up in a cold sweat, panting wildly. Tears are already running down my face as I hug my knees to my heaving chest.

I'm not taking the news about my mom well. This night terror makes me think about the possibilities. I hate it, because I can't stop them from coursing through my mind.

I sigh as I see the figure of Robert coming through my bedroom door. I toss my blanket aside as he sits on the edge of my bed.

"I'm so sorry your nightmares are back, Amelia. It kills me," he shakes his head as he makes eye contact with me.

That is the worst part of these night terrors. Robert and Chaise hearing me scream. No one can wake me from my night terrors. Callie can't either, no one can. That's what makes them so terrible.

I fake a smile. "I don't need sympathy, Robbie. What I need... or should I say who," I raise my eyebrows as he grimaces. "Is Callie," I whisper. He squeezes his eyes closed for a moment. He's agitated about me mentioning her name.

"I am here, though, Amelia," he says dryly, as if he's holding back actual tears. He then opens his eyes. "I want to be here. I want to make it better."

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say something like that," I exasperate, as I rest my head on his shoulder briefly.

I sit up to look him in the eyes.

"But you're going to have to leave the house today. Go have some fun with Kirk," I try to speak in a calm voice. I don't need him to catch on to how pitiful I feel on the inside.

He sighs. "I'm not leaving you. Not today. I'm going to quit drinking so much, okay? Chaise is okay, but I love you, Amelia. I won't let anything happen to you, you hear me?" he speaks in the most determined voice he can muster, but I can't let myself trust Robert again the way I once did. Not after everything that has happened in the past here in Vegas.