Figment of Dreams
Raina (1)

Lux

I was still in a bad mood from all the worry Oak had installed within me the other day. I had not seen Sebastian or Ash in the last two days and it had been a challenge. My mind twirled with every scenario and my heart actually hurt from not being near them.

They, of course, knew something was up but after insistent stalking and my insistent blocking of their attempts, the message had been received. I needed some space.

So I was frustrated already when I entered Oak’s office. I was not having any of his passive-aggressive shit today. He has been wishy-washy with me, one week we were hella close, reading books together in his cabin, and in the other one, he would call me Miss Elmrose as if we hadn't bonded at all.

I slammed myself down on his couch next to him, not bothering with hellos. His eyebrow raised as he closed his tablet.

‘Well… what are you so pissed about miss Elmrose?’

I just grabbed his hands and didn’t answer. Let's just paramirage and get this over with.

It stayed silent for a few heartbeats but then he went on with it without further questions.

I put my fences up, as he had thought me, hardly, forcefully. Finally, it worked.

I could feel him probing me with his mind. Trying to make me see whatever it is that he had conjured up. Which usually was the same snowy peak, because Mr. Perfect was as original as a toothpick.

I fought back. I found a white light in the buzzing darkness which was his mind and I reached for it. I was engulfed in warmth and red light. I woke up in bedroom. I was staring at Oak, half-naked beside me. His hair was in disarray and the craziest, happiest look was on his face. He kissed me tenderly and chuckled.

What was happening?

‘Rania, have you thought about yesterday?’ he asked while playing with my hair.

I felt myself smile and say. ‘Off course… the mark might not have emerged yet but we could still marry and be done with all the bullshit from our families.’ He kissed me again.

The scene shifted. I was looking on from the sidelines this time. Rania was a beautiful girl, with reddish wavy hair and big green eyes. She kind of resembled me in a strange way. Like she could be my long-lost niece or something.

‘I’m sorry Oak.’ she cried. ‘I had no control over it. It just appeared.’ Oak was ripping at his hair in fury and grief. ‘Don’t walk away, please! Rania, don’t walk away from me! You and I are meant to be together and you know it!’

The scene shifted and he was standing over a grave. As I was gazing down at the name - Rania, oh my God, - I was plucked so hard from that Paramirage, that I woke up next to the couch, Oak standing above me and panting. Tears were in his eyes, his fists were clenching.

‘Get out!’ he bellowed. I just blinked up at him. Tears now brimming too. I had no idea what I had just done. He was taken so much offense to it, it scared me.

‘Oak, I didn’t kn-’

‘Get the fuck out of here, Lux!’ he ran to the window. Placing his hands on the windowsill. I could see his jaw clenching from the need to yell at me some more.

With shaking legs I opened his door and ran smack against his twin brother's chest. The other brooding one I was trying to avoid.

He could instantly spot the worry and hurt on my features.

‘Sweetheart what’s wrong?’ he held me back and studied my face. A few tears leaked out. I angrily wiped them off.

‘It’s fine.’ I was shaking from being Rania, it was as if I was feeling every emotion she had felt in those moments. I had no idea how this was even possible. Oak was supposed to guide me and he had let me leave with all these bottled-up emotions.

Wrecking me.

I saw Ash glare behind my shoulder at his brother who was now walking toward his desk.

‘Oak, what the fuck is this?’ he still had his hands on my shoulders.

‘Drop it, Asher.’ He hissed while wiping away some stray tears of his own.

‘The fuck I am!’ He growled. He pushed the door closed, turned me sideways in a hug, and spat at his brother.

‘What did you do to her?’ I was holding onto him silently, obviously still in shock.

I looked at Oak and saw he was in complete disarray. He was even sweating and tears were still brimming. He slammed back a tumbler of fae whiskey like it wasn’t just a mere Wednesday afternoon.

’She Paramiraged… me…’ he whispered. He sat down on his desk. The entire thing creaked from the impact like it wasn’t Mahogany wood.

Ash glanced down at me. Worry laced his eyebrows.

Oak continued.

’Not only that but,' he gave me a dark look full of sorrow. 'She… saw my memories. With Rania.’