Page 11 (1/2)

"Walk with me"

I looked up suddenly to the other version of myself; she watched on to the scene before us, her eyes hollow, distant, like she wasn’t aware she was beside me But when she turned her head and looked directly into my eyes, I felt her presence, her sentience I shuddered inside

"Who are you?" I asked

She turned away, hugging her ar softly around her knees, not blown by the wind that swept her hair "Walk with h the field, feeling the long grass betweenevery rock, every rise of soil touch the balls ofto steal the chill radiating frohostly presence, like an icy cloth

"Tell "

"Understanding? For what, who?"

"Jason"

"Jason? Why?"

"You need to see" Her voice had a distant, resonating echo to it--like she wasn’t real, or the part of her that once had been, no longer was

"What do I need to see?"

"How you loved hi dark, quiet all around me "That love was never real It was the spirit bind"

When she stopped also, I felt the eerie weight of her y of her impatience made the air thick and heavy "That is the lie you tell yourself"

"No It’s the truth"

She smiled conceitedly "Then why do you wish he never died?"

My "

"Liar"

"No" I started walking away again "We’re all better off now he’s dead"

"If you believe that, then perhaps you’re ine," she called out through the darkness

"Perhaps I am"

"Then you, like David, are no better than Drake"

I stopped again "David is nothing like Drake How can you say that?"

"You saw his past You saw the hate in his heart"

"I saw a boy--one who bullied his brother He is nothing like Drake"

"Then you looked, but you did not see"

I shook my head "Even if David was evil once, people are capable of change"

"Then why do you not feel that way for Jason?"

"Because he has done unspeakable things to my life!" I stomped my foot "He hurt David--killed him And maybe he isn’t dead, but Jason never knew about immunity He ive that I just can’t"

"But you forgive David?"

"David never hurt irl appeared in front of me, teeth clenched, eyes suddenly black "But where was he when I was in the dark--when I was being hurt by Jason? Where was he when I was alone, where was he when Jason was bindingbad to us--but he never did anything right by us, either"

"It doesn’t matter" I shook her icy, bony touch off s for Jason--not after what he did to his own brother So stop haunting me with his memories I don’t want to see theain as I turned away "He never wanted anything in this world so bad as he wanted to hurt David, Ara You sahat he suffered in his human life Where is your compassion?"

"I don’t have coed that when he came to me in my dream and had sex with h his kindness, protection, and love for you" She stood with her ar from the sudden rain that came down in her world, but not mine "He protected you He hurt himself, hurt his own soul, then died for what he did to you in that roo for me then It was all lies"

"No" She stepped forward "He fell to the floor each tied him to stop But if he had--if he stopped, if he had not killed his brother, if he had not hurt you, they would have taken him away--they would have handed you over to someone else, and he would never have been able to stop them from what they wanted to do to you"

"What would you know?" I screamed "You’re just a dream You’re me--a part of me You don’t knohat Jason felt You can’t know"

"If that is true, then this is what you wish he felt This is what you want to believe"

"Of course I do It’s human nature to find a reason--a connection" I turned away "It’s called Stockholhed loudly as I walked faster and faster, trying to detach ht on my soul

"Don’t you walk away fro the memories until you see," she called afterto see"

"There is always the truth"

"I know the truth"

"And the truth is--" her voice becaained "The real truth is, you’re just afraid to love hirieve hi she said This was just a nightmare--words Arthur spoke, fear of as to co tortured by Jason--all rolling into one horrible dream I had to wake up

Wake up, Ara Wake up!

"Time to wake up, Princess Aarlic filling istry of consciousness

"I trust you slept well," said a very unfamiliar voice; a tray appeared on s and bacon, then sat up a little htmare," I said before I could stop myself

"May I enquire what it was about?" The rey hair Hurabbed the fork and broke the yolk over my toast