Weird Dreams
Odette didn’t want to spoil the moment with Keaton. I was fairly certain that was going to happen tomorrow anyway. My insecurities were flying in. This was crazy. I needed to protect myself. Keaton would crush me if he abandoned me.
The song in my head was sadly humming. Yeah well, the both of us would be depressed when he left us behind. Keaton thought Lisa would leave me alone. I knew he was wrong, but as long as we were together I could handle her.
Which was probably the least sane thought I’d had lately. Great, Odette. This is great. You have such crazy thoughts all the time you’ve got a scale of the crazy they belong on. UGH! The song turned happy when Keaton declared he’d never leave.
This man seemed to think he’d find me if my mom turned up and took me away.
I’d fight her or run away, to stay with Keaton.
I decided to worry about these things later.
None of these feelings were normal. I was rushing in too fast in this relationship.
I was too young to feel this way, and I hadn’t even known Keaton very long.
My feelings for Luke didn’t hold a candle to Keaton.
Tonight, I was going to give into the feelings that felt like I could conquer everything with Keaton by my side. This is totally normal, I am totally fine. I kissed my man because if this was it, I wanted to remember how his lips felt on mine.
Plus, the mob was probably coming after me. I definitely needed to live every moment to the fullest. They could knock on the door at any second. We finally made it to second base. I could even feel his length against my inner thigh.
Dang. Keaton was much bigger than Luke. We were talking and I just wanted to lay my head on his shoulder. His smell enveloped me, and the sense of safety crashed into me. I was just so tired. I could close my eyes for just one second.
I heard the sound of waves crashing and startled awake. I was on my back in the ocean. Which was odd considering I’d never been allowed to go into the ocean. I looked around calling, “Hello? Keaton?” I heard a song that felt comforting.
I yelled, “Hey, is anyone out there?” The song just grew louder. I decided to swim over towards it, but when I reached where it should be there was nothing out here but me. Then my ankle was pulled from below the water. I screamed, then shut my mouth trying not to breathe in the water.
Then I realized I wasn’t coughing or drowning. I was being pulled farther and farther down. I sighed, “My dreams are getting weird.” Then I screamed because I was talking out loud under water. I entered through some massive doorway and was on dry land again.
I asked, “What the hell?” No one seemed to realize I was there. They were just walking and talking all around me. I walked to someone and asked, “Excuse me, can you tell me what’s going on?” They walked on without saying anything.
I called, “Uh Rude.” I tried someone else, but no one would tell me anything. I looked around this strange town. I gasped when I saw Lux Vennox and Beatrice. I hid behind a large archway then sighed. I chastised myself, “No one can see you, Odette. Just follow them and stop talking to yourself.”
I quickly followed them as they went into a mansion. I paused when I saw a giant portrait of my mother with a handsome man. He had brown hair, brown eyes, and a beard. They were a striking couple. Regal almost.
They were dressed in the prettiest clothes I’d ever seen on my mom. They were staring into each other’s eyes with more love than I’d known my mom was capable of. I heard a shoe squeak, and a whistle then took off again after Lux Vennox and Beatrice.
I got lost after staring at the painting. I ended up following the sound of voices and found myself on the floor above Lux and Beatrice. They were walking up to a man on a giant chair type thing. It was as if the chair was made of seashells. That was intense.
The man sitting on his chair was something. My song huffed a tune at me. Ok fine, it was a throne. The man was sitting on a throne like he was from a different century. He looked quite a bit like the man my mom had been posed with in that picture, just younger. Their beards even looked the same.
Everyone was quiet. The man on the throne spoke first, “We haven’t been able to find her.” Beatrice sighed, “We haven’t either. We found the bus ticket, but where she came from is unattainable. There’s something blocking it, like magic.”
I snorted. Was she serious? Magic? Jarchi must be in the technology business. The man from the picture with my mom stepped forward saying, “It’s not like magic.” Thank you. At least he wasn’t crazy, just in organized crime or something.
Beatrice whispered, “Noxus, I’m so sorry about all this news we keep bringing.
I can’t imagine your pain. I can’t believe Morgana would do this after leaving the way she did.
” I gasped in shock. My mom left that guy?
Was Beatrice serious? Wait. If that was Noxus then I knew the other guy on the throne.
I looked back at him and whispered, “He’s Caspian then. That has to be it. Why would a mob boss have a throne made of seashells? That’s weird. They know that’s weird, right? Ugh. Get it together, man. This isn’t real.”
“Caspian doesn’t have a throne of seashells. A mob boss would have a darker chair, mahogany probably. Your subconscious thinks he has a throne of seashells for some reason. My brain is so far past normal it’s getting ridiculous.”
Six pairs of brown male eyes jerked towards me. I squeaked in fright. How did they hear me? Who were the other five guys? One pair of eyes was Caspian. To be fair, the others looked like Caspian. Was I making up siblings for this guy now?
Caspian broke the silence, “Odette, that has to be you.” Why did it have to be me? Everyone gasped. Oh, crap on a cracker. Caspian continued, “Please don’t go, just say something else. Please little sister, talk to us.”
I snorted, “He can’t be serious. Is he serious? Who are you talking to, Odette?! This is the strangest dream ever. What I do know is I’m not talking to a mob boss. That’s how you get whacked, I think. Well, I’m pretty sure it is. He doesn’t know it’s me. It could be anyone, that’s a thing.”
One of the men came and stood beside me. I gasped, “How are next to me? Can you see me? Everyone outside ignored me. Oh god, was that to lull me into a false sense of security? I’m so getting whacked by the dang mob.” Someone tried to cover their laugh as a cough.
Caspian said, “No, we can’t see you and no one here lulled you into a false sense of security. We probably don’t have much time to talk about the things that need to be discussed. I need to know where you are.”
I rolled my eyes, “I’m not telling the mob boss I probably pissed off where I am.
That’s a terrible idea, even in a dream.
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen that movie, and it ends badly for me.
” Caspian groaned, “I’m not a mob boss, and this is not a dream.
You need to tell me where you are so I can protect you. ”
I countered, “A mob boss would say it’s for your protection. I’m pretty sure the mob is big into the protection scene, according to my books anyway. Can you really not see me?” The guy beside me answered, “No, but we can hear you.”
I sighed, “That’s weird. My subconscious is so weird. I have GOT to figure out how to be normal. Any chance any of you have advice on that? I doubt it, since you sit on a throne made of seashells but stranger things have happened in my life.” Now, someone was definitely laughing.
Before they could say anything Noxus spoke, “Odette, who is your ex-boyfriend you mentioned in your emails? The one your mom wants you to marry.” I snorted, “Luke Merrick.” Caspian hissed, “LUKE MERRICK?!” Did they know him?
Noxus yelled, “She said Luke’s name? Odette, stay away from him!
Someone, tell me she said she would stay away.
” Someone else whispered, “This is war.” WAR?
Oh god. Was Luke in the mob too? Why was this my life?
Did I date a mob boss’s son? Oh lord. Of course mom hooked me up with the shitty, evil mob Prince.
I asked, “Why can’t Noxus hear me, but you guys said you could?” The guy beside me answered, “Because he’s not related to you. How did you know that was his name?” I ignored the last question and asked him, “So are you my cousin or something? Is that why you can hear me?”
The man snorted, “No, I’m your half-brother.” I groaned, “Sure, this is just great. I’m so lonely I’m making up long lost brothers in a weird place under the ocean.” I paused then conceded, “I guess that would make it the bottom of the ocean.”
I rubbed my temples, “Man, I am tired. I’m at the bottom of the ocean where there’s a whole society on land. Because that makes total sense. People just walk around just breathing and talking. I need therapy. So much therapy.”
Caspian argued, “No, you don’t need therapy.
You do need to stay away from Luke like my dad said.
DO NOT trust that whelp. When you find out who he really is, you’re going to be mad.
That’s a discussion to have in person though.
You don’t want to be anything with him. If you won’t tell me where you are, just know that. ”
I sighed, “Well, at least my subconscious and my thoughts align there. I don’t trust Luke. I do have to comment on the fact that you say the word trust a lot. It’s really lining up for me that you’re a mob boss with a weird chair.”
“Don’t worry about Luke though. I’m not going to be with an abusive jerk who keeps trying to teach me lessons I don’t want to learn. OH MY GOD! HE IS TOTALLY IN THE MOB TOO! I’m going to get whacked, aren’t I?”
“You know what? You all better watch out! I have a gun, and I know how to use it. I took to it really well too. Crap! I’m so related to the mob. I got too good at shooting a gun too fast. It’s definitely in my blood.” Connie had learned quickly from Liam too in their book.