Page 29 of Beautiful Scars: Unshakeable

…Oh, say can you seeeeee….

"Fuck!" Garrett's voice cuts through the haze, sharp with anger and something else. Fear? Hands grab me, dragging me up. My head spins.

"...leaving you..." Garrett's voice breaks apart. "...trust me... be back for..." The words scatter before they stick. "...never get away..."

I try to struggle, to make my body respond, but the drugs have turned my muscles to jelly. My vision is starting to go black around the edges. I fight to stay awake, but it's like trying to hold onto smoke.

And down again I fall.

…into the rabbit hole where she'll never be found…

CRASH.

Was that the door?

The light is too bright.

Blinking doesn't help. Nothing helps.

Wait. What was I...

Levi?

He looks like an angel.Mybeautiful, dark-haired avenging angel.

No. No, no, no.

I squeeze my eyes shut, but when I open them, he's still there.

And it's still impossible.

Don't you dare hope. Don't you fucking dare fall for it.

I've dreamed this before. I dream of him coming for me every time I fall asleep.

And every time I wake up, I'm still alone, still trapped.

It's a lie. A trick of the drugs.

It's been too long.

But his face... God, his face. It's carved with horror and something that looks like—

No. I won't let myself think it. Won't let myself believe it.

Because if this is real, if he's really here, and seeing me like this...

I want to reach for him, to call his name, to prove to myself he's real. But I can't.

If I'm wrong, if this is just another dream, it will destroy me.

The room fills with shadows—more people moving, voices shouting. But I can't look away from Levi's face, from the shock etched into every line. Even if this is just another dream, I want to tell him I'm alive. That I survived. That I always survive.

But the darkness is pulling me under again, and I'm powerless to fight it. The last thing I see is his lips forming words I can't hear as it all fades to black.

Voices drift through the darkness. I think they're meant for me. For me to hear them. Levi's broken whispers reach me first, the pain in his voice so clear.

"No, no, no, not again." The words shatter against my skin. I want to tell him this isn't like last time. That I'm just floating and it doesn't hurt and I’m here.

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