Secret Torture (Student/Teacher) - COMPLETED

Chapter Twenty Nine: Dreaming

I dreamt I was running through a thick forest of black trees. I wasn't wearing any shoes, and I didn't know what or who I was running from - but I knew whoever it was was extremely dangerous, and I knew I had to keep running. No matter what. 

There was a sudden pain in my foot and I fell, tumbling to the ground below. I pulled my aching foot towards me to find a deep black shard of glass protruding from my sole. I grabbed it and tried to pull it free, but couldn't. It was stuck, embedded in my skin.

The fear began to build as I knew whatever had been chasing me was very quickly catching up with me. I desperately tried to pull the shard free, knowing that I could never continue running as long as it was trapped inside of me. Left with no choice, I began to crawl, dragging my body over the forest floor - only the earth began disappearing and morphing into an endless pile of black shards, all digging into my skin. 

My fingers pricked against the glass, and blood trickled down over my palms. I scrambled through them, desperately trying to find solid ground, when an unseen force grabbed a handful of my hair and dragged me below, underneath the black sea of shards. I screamed in howling pain, then-

My eyes opened, and I sat up in my bed, panting and sweating. My hand was clutching the black onyx stone pendant that hung around my neck - James' birthday present to me. I let go of it instantly, letting it fall back down, hanging over my heart.

Following my nightmare, I found it difficult to fall back asleep. The remainder of the night was restless and long. I couldn't stop thinking about it - about my dream - about who had been chasing me. 

For some reason, I couldn't get it out of my head that it had been James.

It was only one time, I told myself. I provoked him. He was stressed out, and I brought up an uncomfortable subject, and, yes, he reacted in a violent manner - but it was only one time. He apologized. He said sorry. He told me he loved me. He promised to never hurt me again. It was only one time. 

If only I could believe that.

*

I headed over to James' house that Saturday. He told me he was making dinner for us both. For every step of the way there, all I could think of was how scared I was that something was going to go wrong. Yet, the second I was in the door, and he was smiling down at me, every fear I had was wiped away.

"We're going out," he told me, with a proud grin.

"What?"

"Out. Out to a restaurant. I'm taking you on a real date, Miss Rousseau."

I felt a smile tease at my lips. "Is that so, Mr. Halter?"

He took me by the waist. "Yes. Yes, it is."

"Where to, sir?"

"That is a secret," James said, his dark eyes creasing with his smile. His hand suddenly reached up, taking the dark black stone of my necklace into his hand, turning it over. "I love you, and you deserve to know that. You deserve a real date."

"Isn't that a little risky?" I couldn't help but ask. 

"It's a very small place - very secluded, very private. It's also a pretty long drive away. Is that okay?"

I nodded my head. "Yes. That's okay."

We left the house, and got into his car. I was so happy I was almost delirious. I was so happy, I had to pinch myself to be sure it wasn't all a dream. I only wished I had dressed up more for the occasion.

James had dropped little Leo off at his friend Michael's house beforehand, so it was just us two.

We drove out of the city, away from everyone, to somewhere where we would be completely safe and fully alone. We talked the whole way there. We talked and we laughed and everything was perfect, just how it used to be.

After an hour and thirty minutes of driving, we arrived at a small and very beautiful restaurant. It was a surprisingly warm Spring night, so we took a table on the outdoor balcony. 

"Can I get you something to drink?" the waiter asked.

James looked over at me. "A bottle of red wine?" he asked.

I nodded my head in agreement. Some alcohol sounded great right about now.

We were given our bottle of wine, then ordered our food. It took me a while to get used to the bitter taste of red wine, but I drank it eagerly regardless, letting its warmth fill my stomach and lighten my head.

"This is really nice," I said. "Thank you for doing this."

"It's my pleasure. I owe it to you, anyways," he said, with a gentle, almost apologetic, smile. "I figured you were getting pretty sick of my house."

I laughed. "No, not at all."

He suddenly grinned at me. "You look very beautiful tonight. I don't think I've told you that yet."

"Thank you," I said, reaching for another sip of wine.

"You know, when I first saw you, I thought to myself - she is the most beautiful girl alive. You are, Allison. And more - you have the most beautiful heart, too. That's not easy to find. I'm extremely lucky to have you."

I smiled. "Thank you, sir," I said without thinking - and immediately regretted my choice of words.

He chuckled at that, leaning further across the table towards me. "That's a bad habit of yours," he smirked.

"Is it really, sir?" I asked, feeling the wine begin to sink into my blood. 

He watched me for a few moments, his hand scratching against his jaw, his eyes searching.

"Maybe not," he laughed.

Our food was brought to the table and laid out in front of us. Even though my meal was delicious, I found myself neglecting my food in favour of talking to James. I couldn't stop smiling. I never wanted this night to end.

By the end of it, I was happier than ever… And also pretty drunk. As I stood up to leave, I felt the ground sway from underneath me. I had lost count at how many glasses of wine I had - but I knew it was a lot. Too much. My sense of balance was now paying the price for it.

"Come here, you drunk mess," James laughed, tugging at my arm, bringing me close. I laughed into his chest and hung onto him, yet still feeling my body sway against his, threatening to fall.

James led me out of the restaurant and back out onto the street. Once outside, he took me in his arms and smiled down at me.

"Allison Rousseau, how did I let this happen?" he asked, laughing at my drunken state. 

I frowned at him. "You're drunk too," I sighed sleepily. 

He smiled. "Only a little."

"Only a lot!" I argued.

He held my face in his hands, brushing my hair gently behind my ears.

"I can't drive," he said. "And… we're too far to get a taxi. And… we're too late to get a bus… or a train… or an anything."

I giggled, escaping from his grasp. "We're stranded!" I exclaimed. 

"It appears so," James said.

"What are we going to do, sir?" I asked, finding it increasingly difficult to keep my eyes open.

James slipped his hand into mine. 

"It's very, very late, Allison. Let's find somewhere to stay the night, and I'll have you home by morning."

I nodded my head. "Okay," I mumbled, falling sleepily against his body. 

We found a small hotel relatively nearby. We checked into our room and began to settle down for bed. I had no spare clothes with me, and neither did he. Faced with such a crisis, we were forced to go to bed wearing… well, nothing.

As soon as we were in bed, under the sheets, I pulled my body over his.

James laughed, his arms holding me against him. 

"This is a comfy way to sleep," he remarked. "I could get used to this."

I kissed him. Within seconds, he was kissing me back.

We didn't get much sleep that night, but when I did fall asleep, my mind was filled with dreams of flying.