The Dreaming Soul (Complete)

Chapter 1

Standing outside the Bureau, I gazed at the bright blue sky as blood dripped down my face and soaked through my shirt from a bad slash. The team urged me to seek treatment in the infirmary, but I declined, not being critically injured. "Alright, where's Shelbie? We need to treat her immediately!" My eyes widened, and I silently gulped, tiptoeing away from the building to avoid drawing attention. "Maybe we should call her phone?" A bead of sweat rolled down my face as I quickly retrieved my phone, relieved to find it on silent. Smiling, I pocketed my phone and walked away from the building, unaware that I had inadvertently turned up the volume. "Call her now!" Jack nodded, dialing my number, while the team listened for my ringtone. As I stretched my sore body, a ringing sound made me freeze. I frantically searched for the source. "The sound is coming from outside!" In a panic, I grabbed my phone from my pocket, cursing my mistake. I had to escape. "Listen up, we'll split into teams and comb the area. Block every corner and bring her back safely, but if she resists, handcuff her. We can't risk her getting hurt."

My eyes widened when Chief Ripley spoke, instilling further fear in me. I was quietly making my way down the road when suddenly, my phone began to ring. As I pulled it out, footsteps approached, prompting me to pocket the phone and run towards town, determined not to be caught. "Shelbie, please come back; we just want to help you!" they called. Ignoring the pleas, I continued running until, once in town, I skidded to a stop, gasping for air and dropping to my knees. "Excuse me, Ma'am, are you alright?" a young girl asked, kneeling before me with concern in her eyes. "Y-Yes, I'm fine, just out of breath," I replied. She reached into her backpack, handed me a bottle of water, and said, "Here you go!" Gratefully, I accepted the water and thanked her. She smiled, waved goodbye, and headed home. I opened the bottle and took a long drink, feeling better, yet the blood loss had weakened me. (I need to find a place to rest.) But before I could, footsteps and shouts of my name signaled their approach. "Shelbie, there you are!" I looked around; the team had caught up. I began to back away, searching for an escape, but it was futile. "There's nowhere else to run, Shelbie... and if you try to escape, we'll have to handcuff you," they warned.

I continued to back away until I was cornered by the wall, my heart racing ever faster. "It's time to go back," they said. I shook my head, desperately searching for an escape, and by sheer luck, a ladder was beside me. Seizing the opportunity, I began to climb, but the team was quick to react, rushing toward me, seizing my legs and ankles, and pulling me down. My head struck the concrete sidewalk, my vision blurring. "You need to stay awake for us, alright?" I could only shake my head as handcuffs were clasped around my wrists. "We need to hurry; she's losing too much blood." Lifted onto a sheet, I was hurried back to the Bureau, and as consciousness slipped away, a hand gripped my arm. "We're almost there," they assured. I nodded faintly, succumbing to a deep sleep.

Hours later, I began to regain consciousness, my head throbbing intensely. As my gaze drifted downwards, shock set in upon realizing I was shirtless, with gauze wrapped around my right shoulder and torso. (What happened? Where am I?) Attempting to sit up, the cold metal of handcuffs around my wrists caught my attention. I was chained to the bed. "Why am I handcuffed to the bed?!" I struggled in vain to free myself. The sound of the door creaking open caused me to look up sharply, only to see Marina in the doorway, her eyes filled with a blend of worry and sorrow. "Marina, why am I handcuffed?" There was no answer; she merely shut the door behind her.

I observed her approach the bed, and as she drew near, what she did next took me by surprise. She gently leaned forward, pressing her lips to my forehead, causing a faint blush to spread across both our cheeks. After a moment, she slowly withdrew, her gaze locking with mine. "The team wants to see you," she said. I averted my eyes. "They're worried about you. You were asleep... Why didn't you tell us you had been running yourself ragged for a week?" My eyes widened in shock as I turned back to Marina. "How did you know?!"

She reached into her pocket and pulled out my phone. "There was a video there showing you were training, but you didn't quit. In fact, you kept pushing yourself until your body couldn't handle it anymore. Just answer me this: why did you do this to yourself?!" Before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face as I gripped the sheets tightly. "I did it so when I faced El Rey, I could protect you guys. I wasn't able to save Michelle from being killed; it should have been me instead of her, damn it!" I began tugging at the handcuffs, trying to break free, but it only made things worse. Marina could only watch as I struggled. After a few minutes, I stopped struggling. Marina walked over, helped me lay back down, and kissed my forehead before leaving.

As she walked down the hall, a sudden thought struck her. Chief Ripley had said, "Bring her back safely, but if she tries to escape, handcuff her. We don't want her to hurt herself." That's when Marina had an idea and quickly rushed off to the meeting room. A few hours later, I woke up, still handcuffed to the bed. (Of course... still handcuffed... what else is new?) I sighed, realizing it was futile. Soon after, I heard footsteps approaching. Turning my head to the side, I heard, "Shelbie, please look at me." As I slowly turned my head, I saw Grace standing beside the bed. She unlocked the handcuffs and helped me sit up. "Do you want anything to drink?" she asked. I shook my head, looking down into my lap. Grace leaned in, placing a kiss on my temple, causing a small blush to appear on my cheeks as she left the room. I rubbed my face, hoping to recover soon, but one question lingered in my mind: Will I be able to stop El Rey and restore the peace we once knew?

Hello everyone! Here's the first chapter; it's quite lengthy, but I hope you enjoy it. There are many more chapters on the way. To all you amazing readers, I'd love to hear what you'd like to see next and which couples you're interested in. Catch you in the next chapter, goodbye!