The Blood King

2: Dreams Come True

I WOKE up with a start the following morning. I literally screamed my head off and sat up on my bed, breathing like I sprinted a mile. Sweat glistened on my forehead and my heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. I flinched as the sun rays beamed in my translucent bedroom curtains and caught me in the eyes. I shaded my face from the sun as I shuffled off my bed and took a deep breath. I dreamed of that man again. I didn't know him but he haunted me in my dreams all the time. Sometimes the dreams were innocent that they didn't take much of my brain gray matter throughout the day but other times they were violent and I was terrified every time I woke up from them.

I didn't understand why I was able to have dreams about the same person. Though his face was always blurred and I didn't quite catch his features, I was sure it was the same person because he propelled a certain feeling within me that I couldn't explain. I always felt I was safe and protected with him yet in great danger at the same time. Never once had this man try to harm me but he always fought with the darkness that surrounded me and clawed my skin into ribbons. Sometimes the darkness burnt my skin into a black mess and other times, it poisoned my skin that it changed into an ugly green color.

But I always looked forward to those few nights when we met by the lake. We were never on the same side on this blue-black oval mass. He was always on the other side, looking over to me. He would wave to me, while standing under the Crescent of the Moon and I would do the same. After that, we would sit on the banks and just stare at each other without saying a word. 

Though we always sat in silence, we spoke volumes to each other through our body language. He would laugh at times and I would give a little shrug. Whenever I smiled, he would clutch his left breast muscle as if to warn his heart to behave. There was something between us...something developing or something that was already written in the stars. Either way, I longed for the day that I actually saw the man standing in front of me in real life.

I stood under my shower and let the warm water wash away all the dread I felt in my dreams. This dream that I had was a little different and my heart was not at ease with it. My protector was injured by the darkness this time. I always thought he was invincible because he always fought effortlessly until I was safe and unafraid but this time around I feared for him. I tried to tell myself that it was just a stupid dream but deep down inside, the feeling of trepidation mounted until it swallowed all the hope in its greedy mouth. Claws gutted him and he lost so much blood in front of me.

All he did was to look up at me with pain and sorrow etched on his blurred face and commanded me with one word that I knew I had to adhere to; Run...

His strange cobalt eyes shined towards me and they were the only thing I could recognize from him if he were to pass me in the streets. They were a vivid and an unforgettable color. 

I shampooed my hair, afraid to close my eyes and be drawn back to that place that smelled of blood, burning flesh and sweat. I scrubbed my skin because I could still feel the filthy claws trying to capture me and pull me into the unfathomable pit of darkness as I ran like I was instructed to. 

There was no end to that dark tunnel and when all hope was gone, I plunged into a dark hole that appeared suddenly in front of me and was prompted to wake up in the real world. 

I wrapped my body in a towel after I rinsed away the soap and shampoo, my eyes red because I refused to close them and some of the shampoo got in. I wiped away the fog on my mirror and looked at myself. Anyone who saw me in the streets or at work would think I was okay but ever since I had the accident six months ago, nothing was the same inside me. I felt as if that animal had taken away a piece of my soul and replaced it with its own. 

I was never a violent person and everyone knew that. They usually teased me that if a fly attacked me, it would win but of late, I had been having bursts of scalding hot fits of rage where I wanted to drive my fist through the wall for no good reason. Whenever I saw someone being bullied or someone not being nice, I always thought to hurt them as much as possible. It was very animalistic and it scared me a lot.

My eyes were bright that morning, my face a little to the slim side. My black hair was slick, framing my face and falling down my shoulders. I took a deep breath again, trying to get rid of the uneasy feeling that clouded my thoughts. The sun was high up and shining which meant it was going to be a beautiful day.

Activities were going to be planned out for the tourists in the town and they were going to need to eat after all the vigorous activities. I needed to be in my right mind to serve these people. I gave myself one last sweep of the eyes down my face and body before I went to change into a black pair of jeans, a white t-shirt inside my baby blue sweatshirt and added my jacket after drying my hair. As I went to get my boots, I saw the name-tag on my coffee table and hummed softly before picking it up and placing it in my pockets. 

Who was that woman and how come she knew me? Somehow, I felt she wasn't there by accident. She stood out in such a place because it was not her scene but she needed to be there. I also felt that she must have seen me standing out in the dark by myself through the large windows of the eatery and she came out to keep me company until I got a cab. I needed to find out who she was.

"KENNY NEEDS you at the back." Amber spoke as she scratched something in her order pad. She didn't look too good with baggy eyes and a drawn pale face.

"Good morning to you too." I murmured softly to her as I made my way to the kitchen were Kenny and Boris were preparing breakfast. 

The morning wasn't as busy as it were last night because I knew many of the people were still nursing their hangovers in bed and others had gone for the various morning activities staged by the town. Lunchtime was busy as well as Dinner and after hours.

"Good morning!" I greeted everyone cheerfully as I shed my jacket and placed it on the racks. 

"Finally, the princess graces us with her presence." Kenny scowled sarcastically.

I looked down at my phone and I was right on time. "Come on, Kenny, I am right on time."

Kenny grunted like a horse and said. "Get your ass in the cold room and help the newbie get the sausages." Then raised his voice for whoever was close-by to hear. "He has been in there for the past ten hours!"

I rolled my eyes as I made my way to the cold room. Kenny was always dramatic because he had a philosophy that food had its time of creation and once you don't take that into account, it ruined the taste and quality of the food. 

"I heard that!" A head popped out from the cold room and my face lit up.

"Damon!" I squealed as I ran to him and hugged him tightly. "Oh goodness! You are here."

"I am." Damon grinned at me as he ruffled my hair. "It's good to see you again. How have you been?"

I took a step back and chuckled softly. "I have been well."

A series expression appeared on his face. "I heard about Christopher, I am sorry. I am the one who introduced you to him."

"Well, I am not sorry. I felt bad about it in the beginning but I am okay now because I believe everything happens for a reason and him and I had our time but that's it." I tried to comfort myself with those words but every time I uttered them, it was like a razor-blade passing in my throat about to choke me in my own lies. 

Damon ran his hand through his hair and said. "I never thought Sarah would do such a thing. I mean they were friends since college and they separated after she moved to Australia two years ago. I never thought they were still in contact with each other. If I had known, I wouldn't--"

"Damon! It's not your fault. I don't blame you for anything so please stop feeling guilty about it. I am not the first person get dumped for a childhood sweetheart and I will never be the last. I am fine!"

"And so she says." Kenny scoffed then bellowed. "Where are those sausages, newbie!"

Damon held the bag of sausages up and waved them at Kenny. "Right here, Dad." He rolled his eyes as he went and placed them at the counter near his father.

Damon was my childhood friend, a brother figure to me. I knew him because we went to high-school together and he helped me with fitting in although I was the worst when it came to that. I used to have a huge crush on him back then and so did everyone in high-school but I never got around to tell him because after high-school he moved away for college while I remained in Blackstone Creek. I met Vela in college and we became inseparable! 

One summer, Damon returned to Blackstone Creek with Christopher, my ex-boyfriend, and we clicked almost instantly. Since he and Damon were two years ahead, they finished college before I and Christopher returned to Blackstone for me while Damon stayed in the city. Christopher and I dated for a while and I thought he was sent to me from above...boy was I wrong. He rekindled his relationship with his ex and they got married shortly after telling me; 'This is not going anywhere and I don't want to waste your time but I feel you will be much happier with someone else that is not me.'

I recalled laughing out loudly before I just walked out of his apartment and aimlessly found myself wondering all the way to Vela's place where I cried until my throat closed up. 

Happy thoughts...think only of happy thoughts. I told myself.

"By the way, Dad told me what happened." His eyes darkened in sorrow. "I am very sorry about your friend, Vela. I know I met her only once, that summer I came with Christopher, but talking to her through the years when I called you assured me that she was an amazing person."

I shrugged my shoulders and did a piss-poor attempt to smile but tears burnt at the backs of my eyes. Every time Vela's name was mentioned out loud reminded me that she was gone and I was spirited away back to that terrible night when I lost her forever. 

Kenny smacked Damon's back non-too-gently. "Don't remind her."

Damon covered the space between us and hugged me again. I felt my body shudder as a whimper escaped my lips and tears down my cheeks. I allowed him to hold me tightly because that was what I needed at that time. I just needed comfort and to be surrounded by warmth that assured me that I would be okay.

I could hear Boris, Kip and Kenny muttering in the background but I didn't care. Damon held me until he was sure I was okay before he stepped back and studied me. 

"I am sorry I reminded you of that." He said with regret.

I wiped away the remainder of my tears and sniffed softly. "I must look like a raccoon right now."

"Yeah, you do." Damon grinned and my heart heaved. 

I still had a special spot for him even though he was now married and was expecting his first child in a few months. To me he was still that same guy who came to where I was sitting and placed a container of pudding on my tray in High-school then started talking to me as if he had known me for years and he had everyone surprised at why such a guy would talk to someone like me. We became very close to the point I had sleep overs at his place where he would create a tent at their backyard and we would spend the whole night watching movies and sharing stories. To Kenny, I was like the daughter he never had. Unfortunately, Damon's mother died a few months after he was born so he never really knew her and Kenny didn't remarry. It was no wonder he was always grumpy!

The day Damon left for college, he made me promise to keep an eye on Kenny and vice versa. I started working at Kenny's on part time basis through college and worked full time after graduating. Kenny hated it because he believed I could get a better paying job somewhere else because of my qualifications but I always thought about the promise I made to Damon about watching out for him. I assured him that once I was convinced he could live without me I would go out into the world and get a proper job.

In college I had changed a lot and most of my classmates were amazed by my transformation. Some of them were still in that town while others moved to greener pastures. I never bothered with those who I was invisible to in High-school because come College, I had an amazing experience and people wanted to know me but I kept my circle small and tight. My circle only had Vela and later on, Christopher. 

"Let me go and fix my face." I smiled and quickly made my way to the locker room. I found Amber fixing her makeup as well and when she saw me in the mirror she quickly darted her eyes away from me. 

"What happened?" She asked as she applied her lip-gloss.

"Damon happened." I sighed as I opened my locker and took out my makeup. "By the way, I wanted to ask you about the customers at table twelve last night."

"What about them?" Amber turned to me in surprise.

"Just...did they seem weird to you?" I asked her as I wiped away the smudged mascara from under my eyes.

Amber thought for a moment then shook her head. "Nah, just that they ended up packing the food and left a few minutes after you did. Last night was crazy." She laughed suddenly. "Boris had to break up a fight. I heard him and Kenny talking about hiring a bouncer. This year's crowd is a rowdy one." She sighed as she fixed her hair and closed her locker. "I will see you tomorrow."

"See yah!" I replied as I cleaned my face and reapplied my makeup. 

After I was done, I went back to the kitchen and Kenny berated me for wasting time chatting to Damon instead of taking orders. The business was doing well to the point that Kenny was getting a bigger place and hiring new staff. I was proud of him because he was making a good life for himself.

"I was talking to Friar the other day about moving back here and she is open about it." Damon escorted me out of the kitchen. "I don't want to raise my daughter in the city. I prefer a small town surrounded by family."

"You are having a daughter!" I exclaimed giddily. "That is a great idea. That way I can get away from Kenny for a while. He and I have been trapped together for years!" 

Damon chuckled. "I am sorry I gave you such a hard promise but look at you..." He leaned back and looked at me thoroughly with his eyes twinkling with mischief. "You are all grown up now, not that awkward High-schooler who didn't know how to make friends." 

"I can make friends." I said begrudgingly. 

"Sure." Damon didn't look too convinced as the doors opened and we both exclaimed.

"Welcome to Kenny's!" We looked at each other and laughed.

Old habits died hard.

I went to the couple that entered and guided them to a table while Damon took his position behind the counter at the till where Amber was that morning. I could tell that Damon missed home and fell back into place so easily. I felt happy that him and his wife were planning to move back to Blackstone and couldn't wait to meet their daughter!

As I took their order a strange sensation went through my body and a strong urge forced me to look through the window across the street from where Kenny's Eatery was. I saw the two slick black cars that suddenly parked by the curb. For a moment, time seemed to have stopped because the first head that I saw stepping out of the second car had my balance tilt for a little a bit. The blonde haired man looked around cautiously then stepped to the side and let the other man out.

I gasped for air as if someone invisible was suddenly choking the breath from me. Vivid cobalt eyes slashed across from the street and somehow snared with mine for what felt like eternity. Him looking at me was as if he was trying to see deep within my soul. A feeling of overwhelm washed over me. 

I knew these men! 

I was sure I knew them yet I couldn't place them anywhere in my mind. For one, those were the same eyes I saw night after night in my dreams. My protector, my injured protector had the same eyes. They were the eyes I knew I would recognize the moment I saw them and now, they were right in front of me and behind them stood a man with a face that was unforgettable.

His black locks came around his face and down his forehead like a halo. He had a perfectly chiseled face, good skin and a body that towered the men who stood around him suddenly. I had not noticed them or seen where they came from because I felt like I was in a trance looking at the man with the strange eyes. 

When he blinked, I snapped back to reality.

"--and the Spanish omelette." from a distance I heard someone say and I looked their direction only to discover I was taking an order.

I cleared my throat softly, embarrassed that I wasn't paying attention and said. "I'm so sorry but I was a little distracted. Can you please repeat your order?"

The man smiled warmly as he repeated the order again and I was able to write it down quickly.

I managed to steal another look out the window but the men were gone though their cars were still parked at the curb. Relief saturated in my gut as a small smile appeared on my face. My protector was not harmed. He was okay and that kind of gave me back my hope. Suddenly my day was brighter than usual and I hummed softly to myself as I made my way to the kitchen to place the new order with Damon looking at me as if I was going mad...