her version of some wonky death threat? My
mind continued to buzz with questions while I tried to decipher her
seemingly bipolar threats, until I eventually drifted off to
sleep.
My breath puffs around me like a thick fog. I’m
surrounded by bare-branched trees, which tower above me, and solid
darkness. My lungs burn from the cold night air as I struggle to
keep my breathing even, while attempting to figure out where I
am.
Twigs snap to my left in the distance and panic
flutters to life inside my chest. My eyes scan the woods closest to
me. Suddenly feeling like I’m being watched, the hair on the back
of my neck stands on end.
Jace steps from the shadows and relief fills me at
the sight of him. I bolt from where I stand, heading straight for
him. Running and running, it seems to last forever without me ever
getting any closer to Jace. I can never reach him; he continues to
be just beyond my grasp.
My eyes become fixated on his. There is such sadness
reflected in his amber-colored eyes that it breaks my heart.
“ I’m trying!” I shout. My voice
echoes loudly back to my ears as I push myself harder to run
faster.
I never get any closer.
Jace shoves his hands deep into his front pockets
and hangs his head. Confusion clouds my mind. Is he disappointed
that I can’t reach him?
“ I’m sorry, Tessa,” I hear him
whisper and just like my voice did, his echoes around me, vibrating
through my body.
I stop where I am, knowing it will get me nowhere,
and wondering what he could possibly be so sorry for. My shoulders
slump as I wipe away the sweat that has beaded across my brow.
“ It’s useless... I can’t get to
you...,” I say, my voice cracking and my legs trembling with
exhaustion.
Jace shakes his head and raises his eyes to meet
mine. “No. You’ve already gotten to me and for that I’m sorry.”
Warm tears slide down my cheeks. My knees buckle
beneath my weight and I crumble to the ground, wondering what he’s
talking about. “I don’t understand.”
“ Just know that I am sorry.” His
voice cracks with emotion matching mine.
Our eyes remain locked. I watch as he straightens
his back and removes his hands from his pockets. They curl into
tight fists at his sides. Letting out the most torturous scream
I’ve ever heard, Jace’s body begins to tremble and shake
violently.
I’m on my feet, running toward him again in an
instant. “Jace, what’s wrong?” I cry out.
Just when I feel again that it’s hopeless and I’ll
never reach him—I do.
My arms wrap around his neck and I try to hold him
as though that might help his quivering body to stop. A whimper
escapes him and I pull back to glance at his face. It’s beaded with
sweat and his eyes have taken on a strange glow.
I press my hands to either side of his face. “Tell
me what to do.”
He opens his mouth to speak, but his face begins to
change, becoming distorted. My hands fall to my sides and I take a
hesitant step back, watching with wide eyes as Jace’s face turns
into that of a beast.
In the blink of an eye, he lunges at me and bites
down onto my shoulder, hard, and then releases. I tumble to the
ground, gripping my wound and let out a blood-curdling scream. Jace
just stands there, gaping at me. Movement behind him catches my
attention. Shelby and the others slowly emerge from the darkened
woods, all with matching beast-like faces similar to Jace’s. I cry
out and scuffle across the ground to get away.
I woke to the annoying buzzing sound of my alarm and
jolted into a sitting position. My eyes darted around the dimly lit
room rapidly as my heart pounded away inside my chest. The
realization that it had been just a dream swarmed my mind, but I
still found it hard to calm myself down. It had felt real and the
fear from it still lingered in my veins.
Running my fingers through my hair, I let out a loud
sigh and clutched my chest for a long moment, willing my heartbeat
to slow. I slung my legs over the edge of the bed
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