Make Your Move Katherine

Do you like your dreams

Kat screamed as she ran into the darkness filled with terror. It had been hours she felt when finally, she saw a light. Making her way in that direction, she felt something clawing at her left hand. Looking down she saw something biting her. She could feel the wet, warm stickiness of her blood dripping down her fingers.

Slightly slowing her steps, she tried to pull away as she ran from the dark creature, whose eyes alone were visible although she couldn’t exactly see the color but she knew it was watching her.

She heard the wet mud beneath her sneakers as- wait, why was she dressed in this- this- Cinderella dress? Kat paused her running and tried to think- was her hand really in pain? Why wasn’t she feeling any pain?

Fear ran through her blood as she made the mistake of looking down again and saw long claw-like teeth sinking into her flesh once again. She felt the piercing pain then as the sharp-edged teeth sank into her soft skin and she stumbled over her own legs. The creature did not let go when she fell over though and it seemed to her that its body was weightless as well as faceless for, she saw only darkness beside the gleaming teeth and the feeling of eyes watching her still. Her temples pulsed and her chest threatened to spit out her heart but she could not scream.

‘Oh God- it’s a dream. A nightmare! Wake up Kat, wake up!’

Kat got up and ran again but the agony had her looking down again. She screamed again as she felt someone’s sharp nails doing a walk up to her spine and the blooded teeth on her hand exposed themselves more as the lips over them stretched widely.

‘Vampire. ‘

Kat felt the person or creature latching onto her recognizing her thoughts. She could feel how he felt…this was definitely a dream. But that didn’t stop her pulses from their race against each other.

She felt its invisible stare as the dark shadow rose above her, exposing only its bloodied elongated teeth in a horrifying sneer as it loomed from above.

“Your Majesty!”

Kat’s eyes flew open as she gasped in the air as if someone just released her from a chokehold. Seeing she was in her own chamber, she blinked slowly as she scanned the room for any dark mythical creature. Seeing the maid Julie, she sighed and closed her eyes as she tried to catch up on her breathing, her heart still beating like a-

“Are you okay? What happened?”

Kat looked up and saw Julie’s concerned face but it was not her voice she had heard. Anthony was standing next to her with a slight frown on his forehead. “I’m fine,” she whispered for her throat was raw.

“What happened? What did you dream? I tried to wake you but- I saw Anthony-” Julie sputtered out wringing her hands.

Kat lifted a hand to her chest and felt her heart rate going back down to normal. “Go- get me water,” she croaked out and Julie stepped forward, reaching the glass from the stand next to her bed and held it up to her mouth. Kat took two swallows and turned her head away. Julie replaced it where she got it.

“I’ll just get a cold compress,” the maid muttered as she stepped away from Kat giving her a worried look. Kat nodded and straightened her back as Anthony adjusted the pillows behind her.

“Are you sure? I don’t think you are- for Julie was in a state of panic. Even I tried to wake you but-”

“Can you adjust the temperature?” she asked him fanning her face for she was still sweating. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she saw it was 5 am.

By the time he had finished the task on the other side of the room, Julie had returned with a basin of water. She wiped away the sweat from Kat’s face and neck while she protested that she was going to take a shower. Her protests stopped when she heard Julie’s gasp and felt the burning on her hand then for the wet cloth had passed over it.

Pulling away from the maid’s grasp, Kat looked at her hand. Just below her elbow on the inner side of her forearm were scrapings. Raw, bloodied scrapes. Kat’s eyes widened as she stared, then at the fingers of her other hand when she saw the nails were bloodied underneath. She had done it to herself while she slept.

Anthony was silent as he stood his ground a few feet away from her bed and looked on as Julie fussed over the wound before cleaning it up.

“Are you stressed by anything?” Anthony asked her and then looked away for he knew she was. Turning his attention to Julie he asked, “Did she have alcohol, caffeine-”

“Of course, I do but that’s not the reason why I had-” she interrupted him but didn’t finish her sentence for she felt ashamed to even say that she dreamt her husband had bitten her. Or the fact that this wasn’t the first time she had that dream since she had been here.

“When you’re done Julie, go back to your duties and meet me after. We have much to discuss about Her Majesty’s diet,” Anthony’s calm voice was almost silent as he spoke before walking out of the room.

Almost ten days later

Another week later, Kat had a reality check- well another reality check for she was so not living a dreamy life- so she was already checked…and if you counted her nightmares…and her sham of a marriage…

‘Wait, so that’s check, check- a triple check?’

It was her second interview and guest appearance in under three days and both with the same celebrity chef of a popular cooking show. Kat was delighted and even clapped her hands with glee from time as they prepped and cooked the food, which indeed came as a shock to her. See, she had been expecting his assistants or maybe an actual cook to prepare the meal or even the castle servants but no-no.

The male chef actually cooked. But no, that was not the reality check.

For the interview part, they had used the garden with the caste as part of their background just because the chef had wanted ‘the feel of outdoors’…typical male. “Welcome to, Cooking with Mike,” he said in a pleasant but exaggerated tone and smiled at the camera.

Kat did not fold her legs as she’d been itching to which became an even harder task to follow for the chef did fold his. Instead, she behaved just as she had been taught was expected of a Queen. Her ankles together, with her knees together and her legs a bit back in the ‘womanlike fashion’, with her hands on her lap lightly clasped. Her back ached by the time she was through, for she had to keep it straight with her neck up. She was also taught that arches were a mortal sin- a.k.a. a big no-no for royalty to slouch.

She liked the cook and agreed to guest star again with Oscar when they had free time, on his show and even took photos with his staff that he brought along. Yep, he was a big deal and Kat had been granted permission for the air kisses.

The two castle guards and Anthony were the only other persons in the room with them and while Kat walked her guests to the door- not the actual front door but to the elevator of that which would take her back to her quarters. Anthony ensured that she did not follow them out as he pressed the amber lit button and the doors closed behind them. He would have already assigned guards to see the male chef and his team out she supposed as he left her with the other two guards, in the sitting area.

This is the reality check.

Less than a minute later, hearing the door but not looking up for she figured it must be Oni, Kat stretched and rotated her shoulders continuing on her way to the coffee table to have her tea. Oni had been standing outside waiting for her guests to leave before she rejoined her in the room. Kat had also convinced her to allow her to pour and mix her own tea now- a task which was difficult to achieve.

“Do you like your dreams?”

Startled by the strange voice, Kat looked up and saw a familiar face. Her husband’s lover. Dropping her hands slowly to her side, Kat forgot all about hiding her emotions well. Her face grew a crimson shade as she remembered the time, she had seen the woman- naked and draped in her husband silk sheets.

“Why are you here?” she inquired, willing her face color to settle as the woman crossed her arms in front of her chest. She was immaculate. Her slim elbow sleeved; the pants-like dress was something Kat would love to wear with its moss-like green shade with a nude color flat sandal. Her toenails were painted a similar shade to her clothing but darker, Kat noted as her eyes did a semi scrutiny. The woman’s wrists were adorned with a jade bracelet in each and a silver-maybe opal while her ears wore a similar charm style pair of earrings. With her long black hair now in a tight bun, it exposed her graceful neck which was bare and swan-like. Her thick eyebrows, slanted eyes, perky nose with the pixie-like chin just added to her perfection. From where she stood Kat could tell the woman wore little to no make-up.

She was the perfect description of beautiful. Okay, so what if Kat did a full scan.

“To ask about your dreams. Should I say nightmares?” the swan woman returned.

“What dreams?” Kat gulped, uneasiness kicking in.

“About Oscar,” the swan rolled her eyes.

“I don’t know what you mean-”

“Oh, come off it! He will kill you. I hope you know this.”

“I-”

“Your debt? He’s already cleared it so he owes you nothing!”

‘He already cleared my father’s debt? This is a good thing.’

Kat smiled for she was happy. Oscar gave her his promise and he fulfilled it. So now she will stay here for another year before she leaves. She had made up her mind, for she figured that was enough time to run away from here and hide until she was twenty-five, to gather her mother’s money that she left her. She would use the first set to keep her under everyone’s radar, for that wouldn’t be enough to get away and in the clear from him. She would have to assume a new identity- she was thinking Onika.

Plus, she had another lump sum to receive at thirty- which she hoped would keep her and her family far away from Oscar’s radar. A new country obviously too.

She doubted she would even search for her but a king being rejected? He’s won’t let that go. Plus, she had a sunken feeling about prom- for she did embarrass him on that night and he had vowed to get revenge on her- again. She had forgotten about it until he popped up out of the blue. And he saved her from debt...which meant he probably had big plans for her. Plans that suggested she could not refuse him and that thought terrified her.

But her father was in the clear. So maybe she should run for it now.

“I tell you Oscar will kill you and you smile?”

"What transpires between my husband and me, has nothing to do-”

"Shut it. He will never be yours!" The woman turned around and left then, stunning Kat more than ever with her absence. Just how much influence did she have in the castle that she raised her voice at the Queen and even cut her off while she spoke?

The fact that she had to audacity to say Oscar would kill her did not frighten Kat. But what shocked her the most was the two guards had walked back in when the angry woman had stormed out.

It was the fact that she, the Queen, was left alone with no guards in the room. And then the impact of the woman’s words fully sank in- her nightmares!