Cursed

Chapter Three

I was floating.

Or at least, I thought I was. My eyes fluttered as I fell in and out of consciousness. It took forever for me to realize Erik was carrying me. The moon, which wasn't quite full, shone down on Erik's blonde hair. It made me smile, but I don't think my mouth reflected that. He wasn't looking at me, but I could see how worried he appeared. His eyebrows were drawn and his lips were pursed.

It was so dark.

Then, I was out again.

~~

I'm not sure how much time passed. The next time my eyes opened, I was laying in my bed. I couldn't move my arms as much as I tried. My curtains were shut, but that didn't stop the sun rays from spilling into the room. My eyes fluttered shut again. It was too much effort to keep them open.

Then, I heard a noise. It sounded faint, like in the distance. Slowly, the sound grew louder and louder. It was footsteps, and they were coming up the stairs. I strained harder, wanting desperately to open my eyes. They didn't budge and I fell back asleep.

This time, I dreamt. It was the first time in weeks that I actually dreamed. It wasn't some weird vision or in a different time. It was a normal dream. I was so thankful I didn't realize what I was dreaming until I was fully submerged.

In the dream, I'm back in my bedroom. Except now, it's dark and I'm not alone. Daniel is with me. He's shutting the door behind me, grinning coyly at me. My heart skips a beat at the sight of him. I have missed him so much. His flock of dark hair is longer than I remembered, falling past his ears in soft curls.

"Daniel," I breathe out. "I missed you," I confess. My feet glide forward, without warning I wrap my arms around him. He reciprocates and then his arms are around me, holding me close. I feel his heartbeat against mine. He smells just like I remember: dark and musky.

He chuckles low.

"We just saw each other in class," his voice is like a song. "But I missed you too." He jokes with me. I pull away, raising an eyebrow at him. I'm already shaking my head by the time he finishes.

"No, you weren't. Daniel, you left. I went to your house and you weren't there." I'm not embarrassed to admit this. It's Daniel he'll understand. He knows what we are. He knows what he means to me. He knows everything about me, even that I am a Witch. He will understand. As I continue to look into his chocolate covered eyes, I know he feels the same way about me.

"I never really left, Cornelia, you know that." He pushes a strand of my hair behind my ear. It's the comfort I need and yearn for. This isn't real, I try to tell myself. This is a dream. You need to wake up.

Except, I don't want to leave this dream. In this world, Daniel didn't leave me. We're still dating and he knows I am a Witch and I know he is Cursed. In this version, we don't break up. I hug him again, nearly squeezing him.

"What's wrong?" He asks after I don't let go. I feel the tears fall down my cheeks, soaking into Daniel's t-shirt. I don't want to leave, but I know I have to. This isn't real. Eventually, I pull away, looking up at Daniel one last time.

"This isn't real." My words sound like water droplets and the dream ripples until it's completely gone.

~~

I smell lavender and I know I'm back to reality.

Gran.

She's close by.

I can't open my eyes, but I feel her next to me. She's sitting in a chair next to my bed. I hear her sigh, then she takes my hand in hers.

"Little Bird, you need to wake up. You have too much to do, to live for." I want to scream, tell her I am trying to wake up, but I can't even do that. I am utterly useless. I picture her in my mind, full of sadness.