In Your Dreams

Chapter 2

Violins and the sound of a piano filled my ears, the crescendo matching my heartbeat. I realized I was standing among a crowd of people in fancy clothes and dresses in a ballroom fit for a King. The women had curls piled on top of their heads and draped around their shoulders, while the men had neatly kept hair and fancy suits with pea coats.

Looking around, a man and a woman sitting on thrones behind the feast caught my eye.

The man sported a crown on top of his shaved head. He had an icy stare as he peered at his subjects, but when he glanced over at the woman next to him, it was as if the ice in his eyes melted. She too wore a crown on top of her curly, brown hair. His hand lightly touched her tawny skin, and he shared a small smile with her before looking back at the people dancing. The woman's attention also turned to the crowd and she locked her eyes with mine. They were blue like the boy I see in my visions, but instead of happiness and love, hers held a different emotion that I couldn't decipher.

Her gaze left mine as a slower, elegant song played. Upon something touching my shoulder, I turned around to meet those aqua-colored eyes I see in my dreams. He looked over my shoulder at the sad woman, giving her a meaningful glance before he set his sights back on me. As he dipped into a bow, his bright eyes never left mine. A small smirk played on his lips before he dragged me to the dance floor. A laugh escaped me as I was spun around and pulled back into his arms.  The embrace was electric and like nothing I had ever felt before. When our eyes met again, it looked like he was about to speak, but everything began to fade out before words left his lips.

Light blinded me as my eyes adjusted to my surroundings.  Everything began to sharpen the more I blinked. When my vision cleared, I staring up at the white, rectangular tiles on the ceiling. I tried to move my arms to rub my eyes, but they were strapped down, along with my feet. When I went to call out, my throat tickled and an unpleasant, dry feeling wouldn't go away; I must have been out for while.

I ran my tongue along my chapped lips and attempted to move my fingers. My hand he was holding in my vision tingled as if his fingers were still entwined with mine.

A clicking sound, followed by the door opening behind me stole my attention from my hand.

I already knew who it was before she spoke, "I see you're finally awake."

I didn't look at her. Instead, I forced my head under the strap to look the opposite direction, rubbing the leather against my forehead. This annoyed the nurse, prompting her to grab my jaw to force me to look at her.

"Don't be like this Claire. We are trying to help you," she scolded, bringing her face close to mine before letting go. "Well, if you're not going to talk to me, then you have to talk to Dr. Carson."

The blonde nurse removed the straps and forced me onto my feet by squeezing my arm.  She made me walk in front of her on the way to the doctor's office, pushing me whenever I slowed to a pace she disliked. We continued on like this until we reached a door. After knocking a couple times, the nurse ushered me into the large office and sat me down on the chair across from Dr. Carson's.

"Thank you, Elise. I'll call you when I need you," Dr. Carson addressed her with a formal tone.

With a nod, the nurse left me with the doctor. After all these years, I still haven't gotten used to his office. It is always cold, dark, and too quiet. I feel like someone is watching me even though there is only one small window behind his desk. You would think that his office would represent the hospital stereotype of looking bright, clean, and sterile. Instead, the office had dark-green walls with ebony, wood flooring, giving off an dark vibe.