Chapter 4; The nightmare

"Wake up, child."

The voice was faint, distant, but clear nonetheless.

"Arise from your slumber."

Alora opened her eyes, not to see the bedroom she'd fallen asleep in, but a dark, empty void.

"Huh..?" She whispered, looking around the void and getting to her feet.

Everywhere she looked, it was darkness.

"Follow me, child." The same indistinguishable voice said again. A hand appeared from the shadows, shrouded in black silk, beckoning her.

Strangely without fear, Alora took the hand and suddenly felt a strong pull on her body, an urge to follow the hand.

"You are much less resistant than the others before you." The voice commented, as the hand started to guide her through the void.

Alora said nothing, only following, walking....on water?

Looking down, she saw her feet leaving circular ripple marks on the floor, like the ripples when you touch a lake.

"Where am I? And what are you?" Alora said curiously.

The voice said nothing, but the hand stopped pulling her and instead beckoned towards a singular black rose, studded into the lake like floor.

Again, without much thought, Alora reached down to snap the rose.

However, the moment her fingers touched the stem, the sharp thorns cut into her skin, drawing blood.

"Ow-!" She said, stepping back and clutching her hand to her chest, staring at the rose.

Her blood dripped down it's stem and flowed up into it's petals, seemingly absorbing it into the roots.

Wary, she looked at her palm and felt her heart stop for a brief moment.

The small cuts from the thorns had lengthened and widened, turning into large bleeding gashes on her hand.

"Wha-!?" Alora yelped, as a stabbing pain pulsated through her when she saw the wounds. Her blood started dropping into the water below, staining it red.

She started to lose consciousness from the amount of blood she'd lost, her breathing getting slower.

The previously obsidian black waters and skies turned into the rich red of her blood, and she stayed awake just long enough to see a crack forming around the rose before her vision blurred and her head started spinning....

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"Alora. Alora!"

The girl herself woke up with a jolt to see Uruake's dark blue eyes boring into her own bright blue ones.

"Uruake?" She said faintly, getting up.

"You were murmuring in your sleep. Something about a rose, or around those lines." A familiar, snarky voice said.

Turning around, Alora's eyes found Kemu, bright red hair down and looking concerned.

"You alright?" He asked, looking her up and down.

"I-i think so." Alora answered, before remembering the gashes on her palm.

She looked at her hand, palm up, and saw... nothing. It was perfectly fine, without any trace of scarring whatsoever.

"Weird..." She muttered, letting her hand fall. "What time is it?"

Alora asked, looking outside to see the sky, which was the color of pale amethyst.

"Uhm.." Uruake said, checking her phone. "It's about a quarter to five in the morning..."

She asked.

Alora shook her head. "How did you guys know I was muttering something?"

Kemu and Uruake exchanged glances.

"You screamed." Kemu said finally. "You know I have a habit of waking up early, so I heard you first. I guess you woke up Uruake because she came running downstairs too."

Alora cradled her head in her hands; it was starting to hurt really badly. "Does anyone have aspirin handy?" She said, grimacing.

"I do." Uruake replied, stalking out of her room. A few seconds later the telltale signs of her running upstairs was heard throughout the entire dorm.

Kemu gave her a withering look.

"Okay, Alora, what happened? You screamed, murmuring something about some 'Black Rose' or whatever, there's blood on the sheets, and your head is hurting. What's the deal?" He asked, dead serious for once.

Alora looked up at him from her perch on her bed, shaking her head slowly.

"I'm not sure either..." She answered, lowering her head as another sharp stab of pain radiated inside her skull.

十

"Can I just…rest for now?" She asked weakly.

Kemu looked at her for a while, before nodding. "Sure... I'm off to make your daily dose of chocolate milk when your done." He stated, before turning around and walking out of the room.

Alora stared after the door when he left, just before Uruake burst into her room carrying an aspirin tablet and a glass of water.

"Here," she said, giving both to Alora.

"Thanks." Alora said, swallowing the aspirin and felt her headache beginning to lessen.

Uruake observed her before saying, "I'm leaving you to sleep again, okay?" Alora nodded and watched as Uruake left the room. After she was gone, Alora fell back down against the pillows, sighing. She was afraid to go back to sleep for fear that she would see that same damn dream again, but at the same time, she was so tired....

"Ah, screw it. Sleep is more important..." She muttered, turning over on her side and shutting her eyes.

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WARNING!

Next section may contain spoilers for following chapters!

Proceed with caution!

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Asheki, learning how to drive: What happens if i press the gas and the brake at the same time?

Rei: The car takes a screenshot.

Raikou: Both of you fuckers, get out of the fucking front seats, I'm driving.