Dare to Dream

Chapter 5

I truly felt like a human lab rat. I felt as if there was always someone watching me, testing me, seeing how long it took before I broke.

Why did things have to be so difficult? Was it too much to ask for what was going on around here? I didn't know who to turn to. Nobody seemed trustworthy enough, and I felt like an outcast among everyone. Is this what Seth wanted? Did he know what happened? Will I ever see him again?

All of my questions kept pouring in and blending into one another, ripping me apart with dread as their ally. Secrets are everywhere, and the answers I seek are hidden. It is my job to find them, every single one of them.

I entered a room that contrasted greatly from the rest of the house that I've been in so far. Unlike the others, it was bright and flashy, the room an explosion of colors radiating off the walls and every single object inside it. There were many crystal-made items that caught the lights bouncing from each angle in the space around me.

Rainbow hues danced precariously to and fro, their dazzling display projecting into my eyes. I crossed the distance from the doorway to the back, staring at my reflection in the glass mirror. My green eyes glittered like shiny emeralds, their color more exquisite amid the mass of colors.

I froze in place, my body going rigid when I saw Asher standing behind me in the mirror right outside the open door. Immobilized by fear, my heart stopped in that instant. I held my breath.

"May I come in?" His voice traveled across the room and into my ears. I spun on the heel of my foot, my eyes wide and bulbous.

"It's your place. You don't have to ask."

"Actually, it's not mine. It's Silith's." He flashed me a grin, stepping inside. He stopped just a few feet in front of me, our gazes locked.

"So," I prompted, prowling around to the other side of the room, my eyes still on him. "What did he need to keep you back for?"

He watched me from the mirror, meeting my eyes in my reflection. He shifted his weight to the other side before answering me, his lips curling into a smile. "He said to join him for a secret tea party in the park. Just the two of us. He wants to propose and confess his undying love for me."

I shook my head, holding back a laugh at the thought of it. A smile crept its way over my lips, but it vanished as soon as it started to reveal itself. "So once again you're leaving me in the dark?" My eyes narrowed.

His teasing expression left his face, replaced by one more serious. "I'm sorry, Eryn. I just can't tell you."

With a roll of my eyes, I headed out of the room, leaving the door ajar as his footsteps followed close behind. They grew closer, and as they did, I picked up pace to a near sprint. My eyes quickly skimmed the vicinity for a way out of here, finding none to my dismay. I sighed heavily, earlier's agitation coming back to me.

Just before Asher reached me, I ducked into one of the open rooms, locking it behind me. My heart hammered hard against my chest, blood pulsating through my veins. The door held my weight as I leaned up against it, listening for Asher.

"Eryn, get out of there!" His voice conveyed a fear that was familiar to me, one that Seth would carry. A prickle of coldness raised the hairs on the back of my neck, causing a shiver to run down the length of my spine. Slowly I backed away from the door.

I blindly reached my arms out slightly to feel around me, feeling nothing but open space. Darkness compressed on me, closing in to the point where it was almost suffocating. My breaths came out fast and shallow, almost inaudible until a scream left my mouth when I finally backed into something.