Page 81 of Forbidden Dark Vows

My dad!

Panic fills my chest making it hard to breathe. I need to find him, I need to get him away from this place before I lose him forever. But there’s no oxygen, and I feel my lungs bursting like when I used to try holding my breath at the bottom of the pool when I was younger, trying to beat an imaginary world record.

Then suddenly, I’m bursting through the water’s surface, mouth open, sucking in deep gulps of air. My heart is pounding as blood starts pumping around my veins again. My head is reeling.

I don’t move, waiting for my brain cells to settle, trying to get my bearings with my eyes closed. Starting with my toes, I wriggle them, noting that they’re bare. My legs are covered by a sheet. I’m warm. I tap my fingers and feel a scratchy blanket beneath them.

Wait. Sharp pain in the back of my hand. Something is stuck in it; I can feel it moving against my skin when I flex my fingers.

“You know I can’t…” A woman’s voice, clearer now, closer. A whisper. She’s trying not to wake me up.

“What’s changed?” A man speaks now. “I don’t understand.”

Pause.

“You know what’s changed. It’s just not the right time.”

“It never will be, will it?” The man is speaking in low tones, but I can still hear the despair like an undercurrent running through his words.

The pain is coming back. “Oh no, please no, not now.”

I’m afraid that I’m going to lose them, that they’ll get swept away on the tidal wave of agony wracking my stomach. I’m afraid that, when it’s done, I’ll open my eyes and I’ll be alone in the white maze again, that I’ll never find my way out.

It leaves me panting and utterly drained, my heartbeat fluttering like a baby bird. I listen to the silence ringing in my ears and fresh tears spill from my eyes. I’ve lost them. I’ve lost them, and they didn’t even know that I was here.

“I never planned for it to happen this way.”

They’re back.

I open my eyes and wait for them to adjust to the muted colors surrounding me. It’s dark. There’s a soft glow coming from somewhere overhead allowing me to see the room in twilight tones and eerie shadows.

Beep… Beep… Beep…

It’s a hospital room. I’m here with Harry and Ronnie; we’re snowed in, and Ronnie bought a pack of cards, and he keeps cheating.

I glance towards the bed to see if Harry is awake, but instead, I find two people talking in front of the window, heads together, their backs to me. I swallow, clear my throat, try to get their attention.

“Where’s Harry?” I need to know where they’ve taken him, only they don’t look around, and when I try to reach them, I realize that I’m in the bed.

Not Harry.

Me.

“Thirteen years I’ve been waiting.” The man’s voice is gruff. He isn’t happy. I recognize it, but I can’t remember where from. “Thirteen fucking years. How much longer do you think I can wait?”

“Keep your voice down. I don’t want to wake Ruby up.”

Mom?I stare at her, waiting for her to turn around and notice that I’m awake. She half-turns, enough for me to see her profile, but she only has eyes for the man.

“It isn’t going to work this time.” The man shoots a glance my way, and my breath hitches in my throat. Even though his face is shadowed, I know who he is.

Karl Weiss.

“What are you talking about?” Mom looks around at me too, but she must not see that my eyes are open, because she turns her attention straight back to Karl.

“You can’t keep stringing me along with your fake promises. I’m done waiting around, Celia.”

“Please, Karl. Just give me a little longer.”

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