Beau

Chapter 2

Beau wrenched herself awake and out from the dark tendrils of sleep. Her eyes slammed open to the glaring twilight. Her arms flew out to ward off the cloying shadows. Her chest heaved in shallow pants and her fingers curled around the empty air. Her eyes took long to adjust to the darkness that shone bright in the room.

Bile on her tongue mixed with the metallic tint of iron. She reached her cold, shaking fingers to her lip. They came away wet. She eyed the contrast of the dark blood on her pale fingertips, and then glanced up at her surroundings.

Nothing looked familiar.

Where was she?

She took a deep breath, but her tight chest protested, only allowing one tiny puff of air at a time through its constricted channels. It left her dizzy as the four walls crushed in on her with the ever-growing darkness.

This was wrong, her mind whispered. Her restless legs tingled; eager to get up and run. Her churning stomach insisted she wasn’t supposed to be here in this place; this cold, dark place.

A hand snaked out to grab at her. She wrenched away from it, skittering to the far side of the bed.

Bed? She was in a bed?

“Beau?” A deep voice, muffled with sleep, called out into the night. “Baby, it’s me.”

Who?

The voice sounded irritated, annoyed. Beau wasn’t certain she wanted to get any closer to the owner of the voice. She peered down into the darkness until the face attached to the voice came into view. She couldn’t make out the man’s features. His face was shrouded in the shadows that surrounded them both. But there was something familiar about him.

He reached out again. This time he caught her. His fingertips left cold spots on the underside of her wrist, causing her pulse to jump. She stared down at the cold spots as her pulse kicked at his thumb.

She balled her hand into a fist, meeting another cold shock. It was a piece of metal. A band; a thin golden band. Her thumb snaked between her middle and fourth finger and met the sharp point of a stone.

“It’s okay, baby.” The words came as though from a record player that had worn out this particular song. “You had the nightmare again.”

Nightmare? Had she had a nightmare? She didn’t remember any pictures in her mind, only darkness. She’d been lost inside of darkness. Darkness from all around her; in her head, and now in reality.

She’d been looking for something? Or maybe for someone? She wasn’t sure? It had been so dark. She shivered at the memory of it. Opening her eyes, she shivered again at the reality of it.

“You’re home, baby,” he said.

Beau looked around the dark room. This was her room, in her home. But why would she have a room so dark if she hated the darkness? Even with her eyes open, she felt the dense shadows crushing her still.

“You’re with me,” he said.

That sounded right. She moved closer to the voice, to him.

She knew this man, had known him for much of her life. She’d known him back during the time when sleep came quietly and peacefully to her. When dreams had whispered secrets to her. When waking had been a delight. Before nightmares of darkness kept her from her dreams and stole a little piece of her soul every time she closed her eyes.

“Everything’s fine.” The man with the familiar voice sighed heavily. The bed creaked as he turned over onto his other side. “Go back to sleep.” He settled into the sheets. Within a minute, he was softly snoring.

Beau took another deep breath. Her chest now calm enough to allow clear passage for enough air to fill her lungs. Her heart slowed. Her stomach settled.

She closed her eyes, but the darkness waiting beneath her lashes crawled over her eyelids. It taunted her like a schoolyard bully, goading her to try and escape its wrath. She opened her eyes, but the shadows rang loud from their place in the corners of the room. She swore she heard them mocking her.

She slid closer to the man on the far side of the bed, seeking out his warmth. She ran her hands over his strong bicep.

He jerked away from her. “Babe, I’ve got a busy day tomorrow.”

He turned to her, and gave her a quick kiss at the corner of her mouth. Then he turned away, scooting to the edge of his side of the bed. He gave her his back again.

Beau scooted away from him, back to her side of the mattress, which was colder, darker. She shoved the fear down. She pushed away thoughts of being in the wrong place. This was exactly where she was supposed to be. Lying beside the man of her dreams, in the house of her dreams, with the life of her dreams.

She had everything she’d ever dreamed of, and when she woke in the morning it would all be here to greet her. She pulled the covers up to her chin, then over her eyes.

She willed herself to sleep. But the darkness hovered, waiting to make its next attack.

Beau decided to stop fighting. She tossed off the covers and got up to greet the day, even though it was still the dead of the night.