THE INN

Chapter:9 When Someone Knocks (part 2)

'Why so?'

'Because clearly there is something that's bothering you, and you need to let it out. Come on, we're practically strangers. There's a hundred percent chance that we do not see other again. You can tell me everything that you want! Perhaps I can be of some help to you.'

Stiles didn't panic at the thoughts of sharing something with a perfect stranger. All he knew about Skye was her name. For the first time in months, he didn't feel like running away. Although he was not ready to share everything with her yet, he could always begin telling at least a small part of his problem.

'You know...' he begin to speak. 'Sometimes when we are asleep, we see a dream, it could be about anything. And, we are in a dream, you know when we are dreaming, we know that it's a dream. You got that?'

'I want to say yes, but honestly, I did not understand a word you just said.'

Stiles leaned towards Skye, closing the gap between him and Skye's bag. 'I'm going to try to make it simpler, okay?'

She nodded slightly.

Listen to me very carefully now. Imagine yourself sleeping and you are dreaming while you're asleep. Now when you are dreaming, you know that it's a dream. You try to control your dream, hoping to turn it into a happy ending, but you can't, you just can't because there is something or someone stopping you from doing so. You know something is wrong, someone you know might be in danger, and you can't do anything to help them or for the matter; yourself. You have to wait to for the dream to end. You wait and wait, watching what has been happening right in front of your eyes, but you cannot do anything about it. You sit there, watching that horrible scenario. You want to do something, you want to go, and you want to warn your loved ones to look out for themselves. In the end, you can't do anything to end their misery. Waiting becomes harder second by second,' Suddenly Stiles took a pause. He looked at Skye and moved his face closer to hers. She could smell his cologne. 'What would you do to stop it?'

'Stop what?'

'The nightmare.'

Skye could feel her heart racing. She could picture the things Stiles was saying, dark images popping up in her mind. It all seemed so real, she forgot that Stiles was only talking about dreams.

'Has it happened with you before?' she inquired.

'It's nothing unusual. It's common among people. It's called, 'Lucid Dreaming,'

'I have heard about it, as well. It felt like you were in the dream while you were explaining it to me. It was like I was entrapped in a nightmare, and I could never find a way. Is this what's been bothering you?'

'There is more.'

'I'm all ears.'

Stiles found it hard to explain what was going in his mind through words. Words used to be his friends.

'I saw someone. I think I did. I saw somebody drowning in the lake,' he continued. 'I think it was a girl.'

Skye made a face that disapproved of what Stiles said. 'You saw a girl drowning in the lake. Where is she now? Is she dead?'

'I don't know. When I saw her hand, I immediately backed away and fell. When I got up she was gone and yesterday in my room, I heard someone.'

'Okay?'

'First, I saw someone unlocking my door from outside, and then I heard a knock. It was coming from outside the window. I opened the window, the knock was coming from a tree. I leaned closer, then I- I heard a voice it said, 'Knock, knock, knock.'

Stiles told Skye each and everything that has happened with him in the past few days. Skye didn't ask or interrupt him in between. Stiles was proved wrong when Skye neither laugh nor made any sarcastic comment. The idea of what might be going in her mind alarmed him. Stiles only got to look at Skye once while he told her about the hand emerging from the lake in detail. Her face was covered with her hair.

'Now talking about the last thing.' Stiles continued.

'Oh, my God! There's more? Are you for real.' Skye held her camera bag to her chin and stared at him.

'I promise this is the last one.'

Stiles took Skye's silence as a yes.

'The locket that I saw in the pictures looks exactly like the one you're wearing.'

Skye abruptly stood up. 'It's been two hours, I need to go now.'

'Do you really have to go 'NOW'?'

Skye placed her camera back into her bag. 'I have to be somewhere.'

'Are you okay? I know it's a lot to take in, but you don't have to believe me. I could be wrong.'

'It's not that,' she said. 'Can you meet me tonight at Berry's?'

'Sure.'

'Is 9 okay with you?'

Keeping a plain face, Stiles replied. 'Yes.'