Serene's Land

Nightmare...

“I am running through the woods and the monster is behind me...I don't know where I am going and how i will escape this time. It's complete darkness ..."Princess...enough of this hide and seek, I am bored. Let's have some action now." There he was standing in front of me staring at me as if I am a piece of meat. How did he reach me so fast...How is it that he is standing in front of me when before he was running behind me. 

In a blink of an eye he was standing so close to me that i forgot to breath. I wanted to scream but all that came out of my mouth was a small cry. Now I could see his fangs protruding out of his mouth. God...Please.. Save me....He had an evil grin on his face which made me shudder. 

"No.. No... Please...Don't..." I keep repeating.

"No mercy in the land of devil, princess.." He laughs echoes through the woods.

 He pulls me close and all i can feel is pain...Immense pain...He bit me...tears roll down my cheek....I feel disgusted, dirty and hurt.. My body is burning...I.. I can't breathe...Please...make it stop... Make it stop...with all that is left in me i scream...i scream until my lungs are out of breath. I scream until my body couldn't take it anymore..."

"Nooooo....." Shouting i wake up drenched in my sweat and tears.

I inhale and exhale trying to relax my mind and body. I am shivering with fear and am not able to stop my tears. Everything seems real though it was a dream. Why am i feeling dirty and tired after a dream?

I had to cool myself and decided to take a shower. I get up from my bed but had to hold on to my bedside table for steadying myself. How can a dream have this effect on a person? I often have bad dreams nowadays but never had this intense effect before. Might be it's all because of last night's happenings. I don't know and after all from past some days nothing makes sense in my life anymore.

I slowly walk inside the washroom and get rid of the cloths. I turn on the faucet of the shower with trembling hands and let the cool water flow through my body. I stand under the running water for about 15 minutes trying to get rid of all the bad thoughts and fear from me. "Hmm...Water really has a healing power in it". I close the faucet and walk out of the washroom wrapping my fluffy towel around me towards my closet, feeling really relaxed. I change into  a lose T-shirt and a shorts . Drying my hair i walk towards the bedside table and pick up my phone.

Ohh.. It's already 6:30 AM. Thank god I didn't wake up from a nightmare at midnight. I really didn't want my sleep to be spoiled. I sigh..." Today and tomorrow is holiday, means I have "me time"...All that I want to do is cuddle in my bed the whole day reading a book.. How peaceful that will be and moreover I will also have time to understand about the things happening in my life. Anyways, as of now let me go down and have some coffee."  Thinking thus i walk out of my room to find Luis walking towards me.

"Good morning Sere..."He wishes me grinning at me. "I was coming to wake you up..." He continues.

"Good morning my sweet little brother....and yeah I didn't wanted to be annoyed by you this early morning and that too on a holiday, so thought of waking up by myself.." I wink at him and he sticks his tongue out at me in return. Laughing I walk towards him and ruffle his hairs.

"Don't do that Serene.." He slaps my hand away and mock glares at me. I chuckle and walk downstairs followed by Luis.

Entering the kitchen I find my mom busy in making coffee and dad sitting on chair reading newspaper.

"Good Morning...Mom, dad.." I wish them.

"Good morning from me too..." Luis joins me now in the Kitchen.

Mom turns around beaming at us and dad looks up from his newspaper wishing in chorus "Good morning sweeties..."

"How was your sleep, Serene?" Dad looks at me concerned. He is worried about my dreams from the day i had those wolves’ dreams. 

"I had a good sleep, dad" I reply smiling at him and dad nods. Luis is already sitting on the table scoffing down his cereal.

I walk towards the table and pulling out a chair i sit down facing dad. Mom walks towards us with two cups of coffee in her hand. She passes me one cup and the other to dad. She pours herself a cup and sits on the chair next to dad. We drink our coffee in a peaceful silence when suddenly Luis jumps down from the table with a thud. He looks at us sheepishly

 "I have to go for the practice..." He announces. Luis loves playing Basketball and all Saturdays and Sundays he has practice classes. At present he is not an expert but he is just 10 years old now, and is sure once he reaches his high school he will be a great basketball player and for sure will be a heartthrob in school. God knows how many hearts he is going to break.

"Fine, but come back home directly after the practice class" mom warns him mock glaring at him.

"Sure mom.. see ya." He waves at us and rushes upstairs to change.

"Serene.." I turn to see my parents staring at me.

"Yes..?" I answer looking doubtfully. 

"Is everything fine, sweetie?" Mom intrigues. I knew that yesterday when dad said 'We will talk tomorrow" he really meant it but didn't expect it this soon and moreover he have bought mom into the scene. I decide not to hide anything anymore.

“Everything becomes complicated when we try to hide it. Yeah, we may find excuses for hiding things like 'I don’t want them to get tensed', 'I can handle it' ' I don't want to put them in trouble' etc.. Etc... But let me say you something, its utter stupidity. You will hurt people by hiding things, you put them in tension when you don't share things and' No.. We cannot handle everything alone.. Sometimes we do need someone to hear us, support us and pull us out of situations that we doesn't belong in. So simple as that sharing things eases out tension rather than hiding it " I was so engrossed talking to myself mentally when i hear my dad clearing his throat. I look up to see two worried faces staring at me. God, how I hate to see this look on their face?

"Sorry, I just zoned out.. And I.. I don't know if everything is right." I state looking at them blankly.

"What do you mean Serene?"  Dad queries

I sigh confused from where to start. Finally I start from meeting Michael for the first time, telling them everything that happened in between and ending it with yesterday's happening. I breathe in realizing that i was running out of breath. I look towards my parents and could see many emotions passing on their face. From shocked to confusion to sadness and finally i could say they had composed themselves hiding all the emotions. But why aren't my parents scared? Why aren't they questioning me about seeing a vampire? I feel my parents know more than i expect from them and i know that whatever i am going to hear is not going to be good.

"Mom, Dad?? I call them and both look at me as if they just came out of a trance. 

Please tell me what you are hiding from me? I look at them pleadingly.

Mom gets up from her seat coming and standing next to me she pulls me close to her chest. “We are sorry baby girl, you had to go through all this alone...we were not even there to protect you...We are really sorry Serene.. Please forgive your parents.." Mom sobs holding me tight.

'Why are you crying mom? Please don't cry and for what are you asking me forgiveness? It’s not like you guys can be there always with me or I will stay completely locked inside this house. It's not your fault and please don't blame yourself.." I pull myself from mom's hold and wipe the tears running down my mom's cheek. Mom sniffs and moves back to her seat composing herself. I could see the guilty look on Dad's face as well. I move my hands across the table and squeeze my dad's hand gently. Dad, mom I love you both and you know that. Please don't be guilty for what is not your mistake.

"Serene, might be not being there around to protect you was not a mistake but hiding things from you in the name of protecting you and keeping you in dark was really our mistake. Though our intension was to protect you still you had rights to know things. Today we promise tell you all that we know." Dad finishes his speech which leaves me in confusion.

 "What did they hide and what is he speaking about" Anyways, this is not the time to mentally question myself but now is the time to find answers...