Page 13 of Their Darkest Needs

He quickly moves, holding me in place so I don’t fall off. I laugh awkwardly, like I always do when I’m embarrassed.

“Sorry, I had a strange dream, it all felt so real,” I mutter out while he brushes the side of my face. He moves closer and kisses my forehead. I love it when he does that.

“Don’t worry, you are safe here. I wo–what?” Ryan moves away from the bed and pulls up the sheets. There's dried mud and leaves at my feet, and my dress is dirty too, as if I have been walking in the forest at night. He gets up and pulls me off the bed, checking my legs for injuries.

“Babe? What the fuck?” Lost for words, I stare at the scene in front of me. What the fuck indeed. Was it not a dream? I can’t remember getting up and going into the forest.Does this mean it’s all real? Everything the man said, could it be true?

"Well? Are you hurt?” He keeps patting my body as if he’d find a random knife or something else sticking out of me. Though if he keeps petting me down like that, he might have to check himself soon too.

“No, I—I don’t know, I thought it was a dream. Can you stop that!” I slap his hands away from me, in an angrier way than intended. I’m frustrated, confused and a little bit pissed off—okay maybe more than a little bit, but what the actual hell just happened?

His eyes widen, and there is hurt in his expression, but he seems to mask it faster than it shows.Way to go, Taylor.

“I—I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened. I’m just going to take a shower and clean all of this up.” His mouth is in a tight line and he nods. He seems unsure of what to do or say about all of this and therefore isn’t saying anything. I’m relieved that he doesn’t push the matter and lets me take the time I need.

Sighing, I walk away. I can feel him staring at me, and I start to feel guilty for just leaving him there, but what else can I do? Go to him and say: Oh hey, I think I was sleepwalking in theforest where there is a cemetery that brings people back from the dead, and uh, I might be interested in trying it out.I don’t think that will go over well.

Turning on the hot water, I take some small breaths and start to peel off my nightdress. The lower part is crunchy from the dried dirt, and it seems I have some cuts on my feet from walking on the stones and branches. I didn’t even feel them being there.

Nothing about any of this makes sense, and I am trying to hold on to the small thread that is my sanity, but the more I think about all of this, the more I can feel it slipping through my hands.

What if I have a second chance to have Mara by my side again? What if this is a sign?

Tomorrow is her funeral. I don’t even know how I could bring her there.

All of this is madness. I am just mourning and it’s clouding my head.This can’t be real.

I step into the shower, letting the water pour over me. I move my head backwards so I can feel it sliding over my face, dripping down. There’s nothing that helps me more than a hot shower to burn away the darkness.

KNOCK KNOCK

“Babe? You there?” I almost jump out of my skin from the sudden noise and start laughing.

“Yeah, where else would I be?” I can hear the door opening to my left and I look to see Ryan standing in front of it. He seemsso worried and it makes my heart skip a beat.Did something happen?

“What is it?” His throat bobs and he slowly walks closer to me.

“Why don’t you turn the water off and come here, babe?” Frowning, I turn around and put it off before walking out to where he is standing.

“What’s going on?” He moves a towel over me, and the feeling of the fabric on my skin burns slightly , making me flinch away.

“You’ve been in the shower for almost two hours, babe. Not to mention your skin is all red. Why did you shower in too hot water? You could really hurt yourself that way.” What is he talking about? I just got in, it hasn't been that long, has it?

“But I just got in.” He signs and carefully dabs the towel over my skin. It feels very irritated, and when I lift my arms to look at them, a small gasp leaves me. How did I not notice this?

“I think you need to have an MRI done, babe.” I don’t answer him and just stare down at my arms in slight alarm. I don’t remember being that long in the shower.

“Earth to Taylor? Are you listening?” I raise my head until our eyes meet and slowly nod at him. I can feel something wet trail down my cheek, Ryan notices it too and softly grabs my head in his big hands, kissing the small tear away.

“You probably have bad side effects from the medicine they gave you for your concussion. Don’t worry, we’ll figure this out, okay?”

“Y—yeah, okay.” I don’t think it is actually this, but he’s already been doing so much for me. I just can’t let him down, and if I’m lucky, maybe they will find out what is going on and that I’m actually not losing my mind.

I’m exhausted.

The light that’s shining—well burning is more like it—through the room is blinding me, and everything aches.

All I want to do is just spend the rest of my days in this very soft and comfortable bed, but the grumbling of my stomach is trying to ruin those plans for me.The traitor.

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