Rebellion

I walked to the room Jamison and I shared, pulling at my hair and trying to keep from yelling in frustration.

“That human needs to learn manners,” I hissed and Jamison frowned. I stopped pulling at my hair and grabbed a glass flower vase to throw, but before I could, it was plucked from between my hands. I turned to Jamison, my eyes jet black. “Give it back! I need to get rid of this anger!!” I screeched, unable to keep it down. I hated being talked down to, especially by humans.

“No, Olivia. Just breathe; you don’t need to throw stuff.” He was always so rational. How was he always so calm?!

“Don’t you just want to yell sometimes?! Or smash something?! How are you always so damn calm, Jamison?!” I couldn’t help but scream at him. He frowned and walked over to me and gently held my arms.

“Olivia… Breathe…” His voice was so soft… So soothing… No! I was mad! I was allowed to be mad sometimes!!

“J, stop, stop trying to calm me down.” I was trying to stay mad, I really was, but he was so relaxing… I sighed and gave up. I stopped fighting his grip on my arms and sunk into his chest instead. “Why can’t I be as calm and collected like you…?” I whispered and closed my eyes. though I couldn’t see his face, I knew his expression was as collected as always. He never showed emotion, besides worry when I got too intense; how was he so good at keeping his rage inside?

“You have been through too much; your anger is your only way to keep people out.” I frowned and looked up at him. He was right, as always.

“But I always scream at you, and you never leave. Why?” I searched his face for something, anything, that would prove he had other emotions. Instead I found… nothing.

“I stay to help keep you balanced, Olivia. Without me, that human girl would already be dead. You would most likely also be dead.” Same monotonous voice, this time not even tinged with worry… I sighed and pulled away from him. I always found myself holding out a little hope that maybe, something I would say would somehow manage to spark something different in his chocolatey eyes, something like happiness, or sadness, or anger, or… never mind.

I shook out my hair and breathed a few times (in and out, in and out, in and out) before sitting on the edge of my bottom bunk and putting my head in my hands.

“I should have gone with her… Hunter’s strong, but not strong enough if Annabelle wants that human. I don’t know what will happen, and I hate it. I hate not knowing.” I rubbed my eyes and felt a gentle hand on my head. I looked up, meeting J’s stare.

“They’ll be okay. Breathe.” I thought I saw a flicker of a smile on his lips, but I was possibly just imagining things… I nodded quietly and pulled him down next to me before laying my head on his lap. As he ran his long fingers through my hair, I closed my eyes and fell into a dream.

Screams. Burning. Laughter…

Where was I? I opened my eyes, and realized I was standing before the ocean, except… That definitely wasn’t water. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the liquid staining the sand before my feet a dark crimson color. Blood.

Gasping, I stumbled back, and heard the crunch of something beneath my feet. Looking down, I saw a familiar hand, like the one that calmed me down, that held my head when I slept… I followed the hand with my eyes until I reached the mutilated face of a man.

And then I screamed.

I woke up, still screaming, being held tightly by the same pair of arms I just saw bloodied on the sand in my dream. I blindly grabbed him, anywhere I could grab ahold of, and pressed my ear to his chest. He didn’t have a heartbeat, but the calm pattern of his breathing was enough to calm my own, and eventually, I was breathing normally again. It wasn’t real, it wasn’t real…

Yet.