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The song for this chapter is Sweet Dreams by Emily Browning -- OST of Sucker Punch. Really liked that movie  :D Banner by You4Real.

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Chapter 4 *Dream*

~ Sophia

Darkness.  That's all I see around me. Actually, I don't see anything. Even if my eyes are closed, there's no change. Where am I?

Trying to find my way, I walk blindly forward with my hands outstretch before me.

The saying, "I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, than alone in the light" fills my mind. The one who wrote that haven't walked in complete darkness. I'd rather walk in the daylight alone, if this is the situation. But maybe if I have someone with me, that's another matter.

Far ahead, I see a glow of light. I walk to that direction, hoping someone is there.

Sure enough, a stranger is standing below the light. Glancing up, I can't think of a logical explanation where that light comes from.

Black feathered wings are sprouting from the stranger's back which I just notice now because of so much fascination in the light. His hair is as radiant as the sun.

"Drake?" I ask without thinking.

I don't even know why he comes to my mind. I haven't seen the face of the stranger and I'm already giving him a name. Good work Sophia.

The guy turns around at the sound of my voice. A startle gasps escapes from my lips as I stare at his face. His sapphire eyes became darker if that's even possible.

"Come with me?" He asks.

When I don't respond, he extends his right hand towards me.

Looking around, I don't see anyone else besides us. My instinct says I have to get out of here. Taking a step back, I try to not give away my next move, which is to run. Is running good? If he has wings, he can fly. But what if they're not real? My heart thuds painfully in my chest. Why am I afraid of him?

"I won't hurt you," he says, as if reading my mind.

"What happened to you?" I ask. Staring at him hurts my eyes.

"Trust me."

And then, he's in front of me, his arms encircling my waist.

"What are you doing?" I protest, trying to get his hands off me.

Just like that, our feet are not touching the ground anymore. Afraid of falling, I put my arms around him.

"Put me down!" I order, forcing myself not to look below. I'm afraid of heights. Truth is, I'm afraid of falling, knowing there's no one to catch me when I fall.

"Draky!" I snap.

He just continues to go up, his wings fluttering in the wind, ignoring my protests. Trying to pinch him to get his attention, his body moves so fast he lets go of me, suddenly making me fall. My arms try to grab something to stop and slow the fall, but there's nothing. My lung thuds painfully in my throat. Gravity pulls me down so fast. Looking up, I scream for Draky to save me. He has a horrible expression on his face and his eyes says he's clearly in pain. But he doesn't do anything to save me.

This is my death.

"No!" I scream, and sit upright. Nausea fills me. I'm so dizzy, my head throbs painfully.

"It's just a dream, it's just a dream," I reassure my self again and again.

Glancing beside me, I see in the alarm clock that it's just passed three in the morning. Sweat pours down my face as I wait for my breathing to return to normal. Taking a deep breath, I get up from my bed and head for the bathroom. Splashing water to my face seems a good idea to clear my thoughts. Looking at the mirror, I see that there are dark circles forming under my eyes.

"Stupid nightmare," I mutter darkly. It's my first time to dream about Drake, and then it's a nightmare. Figures.

Going back to my bed, I know sleep won't come easily so I get Clockwork Angel from my bookshelf.

There are times when I wish I am someone else. What would it be like, living other people's life? Tessa is wrong. Her gift is not a curse. She's pretty lucky; she can be anyone she wants to be. But what's the point of living if you're living the life of others, and not your own? Does that even count as living?

I cannot focus on reading because of these thoughts. Furthermore, the face of Drake in my dream corrupts my mind.  Really, even in my dream, he's still himself. I can't even imagine him having white wings like an angel.

The soft murmurs coming from the hallway wakes me up. I don't even know when I fell asleep.  Suddenly, I'm worried. I'm used to their yelling, and now it's gone. Is that even possible? What's happening?

Curiosity urges me to listen to know what my parents are talking about. I walk to their bedroom as quietly as I can and put my right ear beside the door to hear them clearly. If I'm going to eavesdrop, which I am, I might as well do it thoroughly.

"What are we going to do?" My father asks in a calming tone I haven't heard since the misfortune.

"She's going to stay at my friend's place," My mother says.

I'm amazed though, that they're speaking with each other civilly.

In my mind, I can see my dad shaking his head. "She's still a minor."

She? Are they talking about me? Staying at my friend's place? What does that mean? Are we moving out?

 ".. the best for her," my mom says. I have to shut up my mind. I didn't hear the first part of that sentence.

"Can she just stay here until things get better?"

"No," my mom says firmly. I can imagine her mouth set in a thin line. "Staying here will make her more miserable."

My father replies something in a low voice.

"Our daughter's smart, she knows what's good for her."

"When will she come back?" My dad asks grimly.

"After we sort things out."

How can they talk about me like that? Why would I move out? Did I do something?

"She's a close friend of mine when we were in college," my mom answers the question of my dad I haven't hear. "We still keep in touch."

"Is it okay for her? How about her family?"

"I talked to her last night, and she told me it's alright."

"Okay then."

I hear scrambling inside and their footsteps coming closer. My feet are frozen in place, they can't move. The door opens to my horror, and soon enough, my parents are both standing in front of me with a surprised expression on their faces.

"Honey," my mom says, moving towards me. "Don't cry, everything's under control." She wipes my cheek and that's when I realize that I'm crying. Tears flows freely from my eyes without consent.

"You heard everything?" My dad asks, his brown eyes full of concern.

"I heard enough," I whisper.

"You can come back as soon as we fix it," my mom assures me, looking at my dad who nods in agreement.

It. Meaning our family? But why am I the one who's suffering?

"Do I have a choice?" I ask them, albeit I already know the answer.

My father looks at me sadly and shakes his head.

I grit my teeth to control myself from sobbing. As I walk away, my mother asks me, "Where are you going?"

"In my room," I answer without turning around.

"Aren't you going to school?"

Glancing at the wall clock, I see it's already eight in the morning. I'm already late. Besides, I'm not in the mood. "I'm going to pack!"

"I'll help you," my mom offers, and starts to follow me but my dad stops her and whispers, "She needs to be alone."

I leave them and go to my room, shutting the door tightly behind me.

I know I wanted to runaway before, but not like this. Besides, I'm used to their fighting, so what's the point? Why are they fixing our family again? Not that I want a broken family . . Why am I even asking these questions to myself? Yeah, I know, I'm just dreading the worst question of all . .

Where am I going to live?