I jerked upward, gasping for air. My hands cupped my throat as I coughed, trying to ease the burning sensation from within me that I had felt only moments before. I looked frantically around, and even though I could see that I was in my bedroom, I worried deeply that the horror had followed me here. As I came to my senses I realized that was not the case. I was safe, just simply caught up in a recurring nightmare that I had just recently faced.
I heard a knock on my door, and I moved into a sitting position, still inhaling as much air as I could handle. After a moment to calm my breathing, I croaked, "come in."
The door opened to reveal a concerned looking Noah, his brows furrowed and his eyes looking tired. "Are you okay? I heard a lot of noise."
"I'm fine," I turned my body, sitting on the edge of my bed. "I just had a nightmare again."
"Oh no," he murmured, coming over to sit beside me. He put a arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"It's pretty much just me drowning in Lake Lynn..." I told him, and I realized that I probably sounded stupid saying it. "But there's something yanking me under the water. I don't know who or what it is, though."
"You're sure it's Lake Lynn?" He asked, and I looked up at him. "It could be any lake and just a nightmare inspired by your inability to swim."
I watched as a smile formed on his face and I laughed, shaking my head. "I know how to swim, thank you very much," I said playfully. I thought about it, taking Noah's hand in my own as I looked away. "I just... have a feeling that something bad is going to happen."
"Well, you're here. Nothing bad can happen to you here." He reassured me, hugging me a little tighter. "We'll all make sure of it."
"I appreciate that, Noah. Thank you," I responded. "What time is it?"
"Two. They haven't left yet, they're all training right now." He told me, and I nodded, "I think they're leaving around seven."
"None of them heard, right?" I asked, feeling a warm sensation rush to my cheeks.
"None of them came running, so I'd assume not," Noah said calmly, pulling back. He put a few strands of my hair between his fingers, just touching it gently. "We should get you out of here, take your mind off of things."
"What do you have in mind?" I asked, tilting my head. He seemed to think for a moment, but in an attempt to stay away from the idea of training with the guys again, I offered up a suggestion. "We could see if they want to watch a movie or something."
"I think they'd like that," Noah told me, holding onto me a little tighter. "You going to be okay?"
"Yeah, I will be," I looked up into his eyes, smiling slightly. "Okay, you go grab them. I'll be there in a bit."
He kissed me gently on my forehead before getting up and leaving me in my room. I was hit with the overwhelming silence that I had felt before in my dream, forced beneath the surface of the quiet but violent lake. I shut my eyes for a brief moment, sucking in a breath, and then I got up and went into the bathroom to make myself presentable.
When I finished washing my face and cleaning myself up, I walked out into my room to see Noah standing beside the doorway. "Hey Clary," He said.
"Hey," I smiled back at him, feeling a giddiness settle in my chest.
"You look beautiful," he said softly, tilting his head at me. "Come on, everyone's in the TV room."
"The TV room?" I inquired, furrowing my brows playfully. "You call it that?"
"It has an 80-inch TV, what else would we call it?" He held out his hand, inviting me to take it.
"We probably shouldn't. Sebastian could be out there," I reminded him. I watched as he shifted his gaze to the floor, letting out a sigh and dropping his hand. "But for the record, I'd totally be open to holding your hand otherwise."
We made our way through the hall with him leading the way to the "TV room." When we arrived, it looked like a home-theater with a wrap-around black leather couch lining one of the walls and a few recliners in the open space. Behind the recliners is a popcorn machine with several shelves of movies next to it which Dylan was in front of. Sebastian and Liam were seated on the far end of the couch talking. When Sebastian saw me he fell silent, giving a small smile.
"Hey, we just decided we're going to watch the hunger games. You joining us?" He asked, and I gave a quick nod. "Come on and sit."
Noah moved in front of me, sitting down on the couch a slight distance away from Sebastian and motioned for me to sit next to him. I quickly did, glad that Noah was separating us at least. I understood that Sebastian might have had good intentions, but it would take me time before I was comfortable around him.
Dylan sat in the space between Sebastian and Noah, balancing two big bowls of popcorn as he did so, "alright guys, movies starting and here's the popcorn." He handed us a bowl and left the other bowl to Sebastian. From his pocket he pulled out a remote control, hitting a button that made the lights dim. "Liam start the movie you're taking forever."
In the darkness of the room I felt something brush against my hand. Looking down, I watched Noah gently take my hand into his. We made eye contact for a brief moment after that before looking away and turning our attention to the movie.
——————
The lights become bright again and Noah lets go of my hand. Most of the popcorn is gone, and the credits are rolling across the screen, "That was pretty good." I say with a yawn. I stand up and stretch, and everyone else does the same.
"Confusing," Dylan states, "But pretty good."
I laugh, "Maybe if you weren't talking to Sebastian the entire time, you wouldn't be as confused." I roll my eyes.
"Yeah, Dylan, come on." Sebastian turns towards him, "You can find out how she keeps her hair so perfect during the games if you read the books."
"You read the books?" I ask, looking at Sebastian.
"Unfortunately." He looks at me as he says this, a smile creeping onto his face, "They were a waste of time."
"They weren't that bad." I say, rolling my eyes.
"You're right," he says, "The last one was. Anyway, we should probably get ready. I'll see you guys in a little bit." He leaves and I look at the time, 4:47 PM.
I let out a small sigh, "I'll be in my room." I say. I walk out quickly without giving a chance for anyone to reply. I walk while looking down at the floor as I make my way back to my room.
I walk into a hard surface, and at first I think it's the wall until I hear a laugh. I bounce backwards, but I regain my balance, looking up, "Sorry Sebastian." I apologize, my eyes slightly wide.
"It's fine, sister." He laughs, "I was waiting to see if you would actually run into me."
"And I did." I respond, nodding somewhat awkwardly.
"Yeah," he sighs, "So you don't want to come to Illusion tonight?"
"Nah... Clubs aren't really my thing." I shrug.
"Ah." He looks down at me, "Alright then. We're leaving at five."
"Why so early?" I ask, tilting my head.
"We just need to... Pick up a few things." He grins, "I'll see you later." He turns around, still grinning, and walks into his room.
I bite my lip, "Pick up a few things?" I ask. I shake my head, walking into my room. I bite my lip, sitting on my bed. I go on my phone, staring at the time as it slowly goes by, "Twenty more minutes," I say, letting out a small sigh.
---
Ugh! I feel like it's getting really boring... Please tell me what you guys think!
The photo is Clary's outfit, by the way.
(Edited: November 10, 2017)
(Edited at three something)
Xoxo