The dream that i had that night was strange. I dreamt that i was walking through a corn field barefoot with a thin white nightgown on. It was pitch black and i could barely see two feet in front of me. I continued to walk around aimlessly, my body moving almost as if on it's own accord. My mind had no idea what i was doing, where i was, or even where i was going. But my body... My body knew.
My feet walked themselves over discarded shucks of corn, ignoring the pain when i stepped on anything unpleasant. My legs followed unquestioningly, ignoring the burning ache in my thighs. My hips swayed with every step, my arms followed suit at my sides. Even my hair blew around my face with every gust of wind.
I blinked my eyes rapidly, tying to will them to adjust to the darkness. But they didn't have to. Several feet ahead of me i saw a glowing red light that flickered and swayed in the wind.
Fire.
My heart was pounding and the panic started to sink in. I started to gradually pick up speed. At first i was just walking very quickly but then without even realizing it, i was running. Only i wasn't running away from the fire that was spreading throughout the corn field, i was running straight towards it, straight into it. I was running through the flames and it wasn't hot, i wasn't in pain or burning. 'Right, because this is just a dream.' i thought to myself.
When i ran through it and got to the other side of the fire, there was a field. A circular field right in the center of the cornfield, and the fire circled it like a ring. There in the center were three women standing with their backs to me, all dressed in black.
"Hear us, we the sisters three. Lost, you are inside this dream. You will not wake, yet dare you not sleep." The one on the right said, turning her head slightly to the side so that i could hear her voice clearly but not see her face. The one in the middle turned her head.
"Hear us, we the sisters three. Retreat, recover, and save thy sheet; of velvet skin where blood doth flow, sickly sweet with reddish glow."
Finally the one on the end turned her head. "Hear us, we the sisters three. It's up to you, to live or die. Leave, and blood will flow, stay and you shall fry."
They each reached out and grabbed hands and as if on cue it began to rain. I looked up at the sky as the rain hit my face hoping that if not wake me, it would at least refresh me, and some of it dripped into my mouth. The taste was metallic, almost like the way a penny smells. I looked down at my hands and they were stained red.
Blood. It was raining blood.
"Hear us, we the sisters three." They were talking together now and yelling at what must have been the top of their lungs. "Demons are lured, attracted by thee. Beware the one who rules the land, he rules but not by his own hand. Your life means nothing before the king, your child can save you, it is the only thing. Run and hide but do not feel love, remove his mask and your life, it will be the end of."
They started to dance, spinning in circles, their feet pounding against the ground and sending the blood rain splashing all about. They flailed their arms and shook their hips to music that only they seemed to hear. Or maybe it was the music of this rain, this evil blood rain.
"Beware." one of them shouted, and the others followed suit. "Beware!" "Beware!" "Beware!" "Beware!" They stopped dancing and with them, stopped the rain. They were looking towards me now and i could see that none of them had faces.
I gasped and took a small step back. "Hear us, we the sisters three. Our final warning we give to thee." They each lifted their left hand and pointed it at me, tilting their faceless heads to the right. "He does not see you, he never will. You are merely.....his next kill."
A lone bolt of lightning struck down in the space that separated the sisters and myself. When it hit the ground it sent a wave of smoke out of itself that put the fire out and somehow made the sisters vanish.
I was drenched in blood and my feet were aching. I dropped to my knees and put my head in my hands. 'Wake up.' i muttered to myself. 'Wake up, wake up, wake up!' A loud roll of thunder shakes the ground beneath me and the burnt space where the lightning struck opens up. I stare in shock as the ground cracks and busts apart. I stand to my feet and am just about to run in the opposite direction when the ground beneath me caves.
I'm falling.
It's even darker now than before and my stomach feels more and more queasy with every foot that i drop. I'm falling backwards, almost as if i had been laying down. I can see the sky above me come to life as the sun comes out. I scream and scream, begging to be saved, begging to be spared, begging to wake up. But no one comes, and nothing happens.
My voice finally tires out after i have been falling for what seems like forever. I dare sneak a glance over my shoulder just to see how close the ground is and to prepare myself for impact. My body flips over and now i am falling face first. I can finally see the ground come into focus and as i grow closer, i squeeze my eyes shut. But just as i am about to meet my end, i stop. I'm no longer falling but standing up on my own two feet at the bottom of the pit.
"Hello?" i call out, not that i expect anyone to answer. I can see just a little bit from the sun that blares down from the opening. I hear a strange gurgling sound coming from behind me and i spin around. I search with my eyes but am only met with darkness. "Nothing. There's nothing there." i mutter to myself. I hear it again from my left and i turn to face the noise. Again i see nothing, and again the sound comes. This time from my right, then my right again, then behind me, then my right, my left, behind me. Again and again this sound comes from the shadows.
"Stop it.." i whisper, the sound is slowly driving me crazy. It's coming from every side now and all at the same time and i am spinning in circles, getting dizzy. "Stop it!" I say again but this time instead of whispering like a coward i scream it, and it does stop. But not for the reason I'd like. From every corner of the pit comes a different kind of monster. Some with scales and tails and horns. Some with fangs and claws and spikes protruding from every inch of their body. But all of them have the same glowing red eyes. They stalk towards me, glaring at me, creating and trapping me within a circle.
"No, please....someone help me.." My voice is barely a whisper now. I know that no one will come. "This is a dream." i say mostly to myself, squeezing my eyes shut tight. "THIS IS A DREAM" and as i scream it this bright light explodes from my body and destroys the monsters, making them shriek as they explode. I open my eyes and find myself staring into Emerald green. I blink as i realize that they belong to Emanuel. "It really was a dream...." i whisper.
His eyebrows are furrowed in what i can only assume is confusion. His eyes are wide as he stares at me. "It was a dream." he whispers softly to me. "It was only a dream." But even as he reassures me, the look of concern doesn't leave his face.
"I'm sorry.." I whisper, although I'm not sure what I was apologizing for. Maybe I had been freaking out while I was sleeping because of the dream? "No, there's nothing to be sorry about. I'm the one who should apologize. I should've noticed that you were drinking a bit too much." He said, his eyes glancing down at my neck and then away from me completely. He rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. "And I'm sorry for that, I didn't mean to lose control."
I stared at him for a moment and then slowly brought my hand up to my neck. When I pulled it away my fingers were drenched in blood. It was only then that I realized I was covered in it. The beautiful gown that he had gotten for me was ruined. My eyes widen and my mouth opens and closes like a fish. I was at a loss. I looked up at him.
"You hit your head when you went to lay back down and there was just so much blood and it smelt so....and you tasted so..." his brows furrow in confusion. "Different. Your blood is so different. Like nothing I've ever had before."
As much as I'm sure that was supposed to be a compliment, all I can think about is that I've been here for one day and after all his talk about wanting companionship he bites me the second I'm unconscious. I stumble to my feet and back away from him. He stands with me and takes a step towards me, reaching out.
"Don't touch me.." I whisper softly and I know he heard me but he takes another step anyway. "DON'T FUCKING COME NEAR ME, DON'T YOU TOUCH ME YOU MONSTER."
The servants who were clearing the table and my unfinished food stopped. Everyone was still, everything was quiet. My eyes widened at what I had just done. Emanuel's head was bowed so I couldn't see his face yet. My heart sped up and a sinking feeling in my gut made me want to throw up. What the hell had I just done? What was he gonna do now?
He raised his head and I saw fire and hatred behind his eyes. "Cassandra!" He shouts. The woman I met earlier scurries to his side. "Yes master?"
"Prepare this slave a bath." He spit the word 'slave' out like it was tainting his mouth, like it was the dirtiest word he could think to call me. Like he wanted nothing more than to cause me further pain. And it worked. "After she has bathed I want her tied to my bed, and make sure the ropes are tight."
"Yes master." Cassandra bows obediently and runs off to do as she was told. Emanuel turns to me next. "Follow her. Bathe quickly and be prepared for me to ravish you when I come to bed."
Tears well up in my eyes. "Emanuel please, I-"
"You will call me master and you will do as you are told, slave." He spat with such venom my heart felt poisoned.
I closed my eyes and let alone tear streak down my face. "Yes master." I whisper.
"THEN FUCKING GO!" He screams at me. I run after Cassandra, stumbling up the steps and tripping as I go.