Chapter 21: Chapter 21

Chapter 21 Nightmare

Dakota loves Netflix.

She also likes sugar.

But who am I to blame her?

I love them both, too.

And as we watch Netflix into the late night hours, Dakota has wrapped herself up in a Christmas themed blanket with snowmen and reindeer on it. We are both snuggled up on the couch, and my feet are reclined on an ottoman.

Dakota sits at the other end of the couch, as far as she can away from me., much to my inner dismay.

I watch as her eyes flutter open and closed. She drifts off, only to suddenly open her eyes again.

This process just repeats over and over again, and I just shrug while I shove popcorn into my mouth as I fight off the urge to touch her.

I continue to watch the movie, until suddenly, I feel the couch shake, and when I look over, Dakota's body has completely fallen and she's lying on her side on the couch. The top of her head nearly touches me, and her hair is sprawled around her head like a halo.

I chuckle, feeling a bit tired myself. It is late in the night, so I flick off the TV, and dim the light just enough so we can find our way to the bathroom if needed.

The couch isn't too comfortable to sleep on, so for a while I sit down on the recliner in the living room facing Dakota's sleeping form, contemplating whether I should leave her be on the couch or risk waking her up to carry her to her room.

But when I see Dakota stir in her sleep, and nearly roll off the side of the narrow couch, I make my decision.

I sigh, and carefully walk over to the sleeping girl.

Hooking one arm behind her knee and shoulders, I carefully bring her into my chest. Her head flops weakly against my shoulder and her hands rest in her lap. Her body is silent with sleep and her breathing is peaceful.

So I begin my journey through the house, up the stairs, and into her room.

It's almost like carrying a precious jewel that needs gentle care.

She doesn't stir once in her sleep, and I am relieved when I finally am able to pull back the covers of her bed and settle her down into it.

I breath a sigh of relief that she hadn't waken up while she was in my arms, and so I turn around to leave her room.

"Ace." Her soft voice causes me to halt in my tracks.

And now she's awake....

I turn around, and she beckons me closer to her.

I walk to the side of her bed, where she looks at me with hazy eyes. She then sits up, and sits Indian style on her bed.

And what she does next surprises me.

She pulls my face down closer to her, and her eyes flicker from my lips to my eyes repeatedly as she gently takes my face into her small, slightly calloused hands.

"Thank you." She whispers.

And then she presses her soft lips against my forehead in a gentle kiss.

When she pulls away, we look each other in the eyes. My heart is beating so fast, wanting to break free from the prison of ribs that holds it captive.

Her eyes are dilated and her emotions are on display for all to see.

Compassion and gentleness stir in her eyes, and I find myself getting lost in her simple beauty. Time stands still, and she sweetly smiles at me as she runs her fingers across the features of my face.

Her fingers find the small, thick scar above my eyebrow, and runs her thumb across the uneven, bumpy skin.

Her eyebrows furrow with thought, and she lands a soft kiss on the scar, causing a shiver to run down my spine.

And for the first time, her eyes mirror my own with desire.

No, not the desire for my money or sex.

But desire for my attention and care.

"Goodnight, Ace." She says smoothly.

And with that, she pulls away from me, and settles down into her covers.

And for a moment, I just stand their in shock about our encounter.

Did that really just happen? How am I supposed to go to sleep now when she makes my heart pound so fast?

And then I silently leave her room, making sure to close the door behind me softly.

A strange foreign feeling seems to grasp at my heart, wrapping its warm fingers in a tight embrace.

It's a strange, good feeling.

I could get used to this....

* * *

Dakota's POV:

I throw off the covers as the alarm clock screeches my demise.

My demise because I have to get to school.

And so, my day starts off like any other day.

I take the average shower and put on my average clothes where I then proceed to eat my average breakfast. Then, Katelin proceeds to drop my off at my average school.

Everything is flowing in place as usual.

The bustle of school, and the lectures of teachers.

It's a beautiful day. It is spring time, so all the grass is green and all the the trees are bright green, their leaves giving them a fluffy appearance. The flowers are budding, and are bright with a promising beautiful future ahead of them.

Birds flock the sky of all sorts, sizes, and colors.

Red breasted robins hop around in search for worms, red-headed acorn woodpeckers pound anxiously away at trees in order to store their acorns, and the screeching song of the hawks fill the air as they sore above me with large, feathered wings.

The air smells clean and fresh like flowers, and everything is blooming to life.

Life is being born, and the cautious deer lead their spotted fawns across the dewy soccer field of the school in the misty morning hours. Wild turkeys flock together with their chicks under the big oak trees of the parks, pecking away at the ground in search of seed.

Everything seems as if it is promising a fresh start.

But don't be fooled.

Because who knew the most beautiful and promising days can turn into a severe storm in the blink of an eye?

Being caught in the eye of a severe storm can rip all the birds from the sky. Being caught in the eye of the storm can pelt hail on the beautiful grass and trees, causing destruction and death. Being caught in the eye of the storm can push the lovely animals into hiding.

Being caught in the eye of the storm with nowhere to run to is terrorizing for the victim.

And of course, I'd be the one to be trapped in it all.

* * *

"Hello Dakota!" Mark greets happily as he walks up to me.

I am standing outside, basking in the warm sunlight. It is currently break time, so I munch on my goldfish crackers in peace.

"Wow, you're as bright as the sun itself today, Mark." I reply as I turn around and look at him.

He smirks. "Yeah, well it's not everyday everything falls into place." He says.

Okay....then.

I am confused, but just shrug it off.

"Hey, there's this cool flower I have to show you over there behind the school." Mark says in excitement.

I am thrown off by his odd mood change; he's normally on the dull side. He's also cold and standoffish.

"Mark, we're going to be late for class." I say.

"Oh, come on now. You'll love it." He coaxes as he grabs my hand.

"I....I....fine, whatever." I say as I tug my wrist free from his grip. I've seen flowers before, what makes this one so special?

When he takes me to the back of the school, I look around.

"Okay, now where's this flower I'm going to be late for?" I ask, looking around, examining the grass for this amazing flower.

No answer.

Instead, I'm met with a dark laughter that tickles my ears and sends chills down my spine. When I turn around, Mark is smirking at me.

And his eyes--oh his eyes.

They look terrifying.

"Uh...Mark?" I question as I start backing away.

"Silly girl." He says.

And then I run.

Something is wrong.

So I run, only to feel something sharp pierce the back of my leg behind my right knee. I curse out loud and wince as the pain worsens. I don't need to look down to know that it is bleeding, as I can already feel the warmth of my own life spewing from the wound.

Whatever is digging into my leg, has hit a nerve, sending pain all the way up and down my leg. I fall to the rough gravel below me, where I see the small, shiny handle of a blade sticking from my leg.

He threw a small knife into my leg.

I scream.

Loudly.

If that didn't alert the entire school, I don't know what would.

My screams are soon stopped by Mark.

An arm encircles my waist, and I am thrown against the cold red brick wall of my school.

I gasp for air as his other hand comes up and snakes around my throat. He pulls my neck from off the wall, and slams it harshly back down causing the back of my head to hit painfully on the wall. It feels as if my brain bounces back and forth in the confines of my skull.

A sharp headache jolts through my head.

"M-Mark what are you d-doing?" I say, stuttering.

"Don't try to run away from me, little bitch." He says, his voice low and full of venom.

My eyes grow wide.

He is either going to rape me, kidnap me, murder me, or all of the above.

Mark was simply another man wearing the mask of an innocent.

And I fell for his trap.

Everything slows around me as I look my captor in his devil like eyes. Our chests heave up and down in unison. My mouth is agape while a sinister smirk is painted across Mark's face. My heart drums loudly in my ears, and I hear my mind whisper.

Survive.

Live or die.

In a split second, I knee him in the crotch, and his legs buckle from underneath him. His grasp on me disappears like snow on a sunny day.

He groans, and I'm about to run when his thick fingers wrap around my ankle, and I fall to the ground.

"Oh no you don't." He hisses, his voice muffled.

I struggle on the ground as he crawls on top of me, pinning my arms to the dust below us. We both pant loudly. Mark prepares to hit me, when voice are heard in the distance.

My ears perk up as those voices get closer and closer.

The footsteps are getting louder, they must have heard me scream.

Mark practically shoves his hand in my mouth as he easily drags me behind a green trash bin as the approaching students near us.

But we are hidden behind the trash can.

It's then that I feel the cold barrel of a gun pressing against my temple.

"Say a word, and I will rape your body after I've blown your brains out." Mark says, his hot breath burning my nose.

A cold shiver runs down my spine.

Mark must be very twisted and sick.

That sounds horrible.

I also couldn't risk the lives of innocents. After all, it is better to have one person die than three.

"I heard someone scream." One of the students says as he looks around in confusion.

"I thought I heard something too." Another girl shrugs as she takes a bite from her red apple.

"Well, I have an idea," Says another guy, shoving his hands in his front pockets,"Maybe you two are just crazy?"

"Eh, whatever man." Replies the other student, rolling his eyes.

"Let's get to class then." The girl says, shrugging.

And before I know it, I'm left alone with a man who has a weapon pressed against my temple.

No come back, please.

"Lights out, Dakota." Mark says, snickering as he strikes me over the head with the end of the pistol.

I fall to the ground in a heap as everything spins around, making me feel nauseous. Pain is very prevalent on my body, and I feel blood leak down the side of my head as I fight to stay conscious.

But it's no use.

Mark squats down to my ear.

"Goodbye, Dakota." He whispers into my ear.

And then, everything fades away.

And then, there is nothing.