perhaps it would have been fair, but as soon as you left me in here, you lost it. And you know it!"
She stood still, not moving, and I waited. But finally she turned around and returned to the side of the bed.
"I want to know why you did it."
"Because you asked me to," I spat. "You and Aubree asked me to."
"That doesn't make sense."
I took several breaths, trying to calm down. "In a dream," I said finally. "Well, a series of dreams. I know some of them were a metaphor. The bodies -- I didn't think they were real. I didn't understand them. But the bodies said the end of the world was coming, and that I had to come here to stop it. And then I dreamed that you asked me to help you save everything. I didn't understand. Aubree asked, too. But the dreams were all a mix."
I closed my eyes. "They weren't real dreams. I thought they were real. They were mixed with real dreams, or at least they felt like real dreams." I opened my eyes. "Do you understand?" I didn't wait for her to answer. "Why would my dreams do this?" I paused. "You should have talked to me. You screamed I ruined everything. I didn't. You did."
She said nothing for a while, looking down at me.
"What is to become of me?" I asked in a quiet voice.
"For now, you need to rest. You're past worn out. When we talk next, we'll discuss your freedom."
"You're going to let me go?"
"We'll discuss it."
"What does that mean?"
"You need to rest."
"I want to know what you mean!"
"You may not agree to the terms I place upon your release."
"What terms?"
"Sidney..." She paused. "We'll talk about that when you wake up."
"What if I don't agree?"
"I'll give you a day or three to reconsider."
"And after that?"
She glanced down at the I.V. "I'll give you a choice of going back or as peaceful of an ending as I can manage." She looked up. "This is your fault, Sidney. Not mine. What else would you have me do?"
I looked away. "You should have talked to me. This is your fault. You should have told me, and you know it. You had no right to play with my life, and that's what you were doing. And you know that, too. You ruined my life and you don't even care."
"You need to sleep," she said after a moment. "You need to be stronger."
"Will you untie me?"
"I'm sorry. No."
I turned back to face her. "You expect me to sleep after telling me tomorrow you're going to kill me?"
"I sincerely hope it doesn't come to that, Sidney. But yes, you'll sleep. I'll give you a choice. If you stare into my eyes, I can help you sleep. You will rest, entirely untroubled, probably until someone intentionally wakes you. Or I can get the nurse to give you something. Those are your two choices. I would rather do the first."
"It doesn't matter," I said petulantly. I looked away, and she shifted, perhaps about to fetch the nurse. "Wait."
We stared at each other before I said, "I answered your questions." She shifted slightly, but didn't otherwise respond. "You're a monster. I don't say that because you're a vampire. Only a monster would do what you've done to me. You're no better than the people in the next room."
Her lips narrowed.
"This wasn't my fault; it was yours. You should have talked to me. What you should do right now is release me. What you should do right now is beg my forgiveness. But go ahead. Make me sleep. Then open that valve and bleed me dry."
She stared at me, and emotion flickered across her face. "Sidney," she said. Her voice cracked. "We'll talk when you wake up."
"I don't want to wake up to this nightmare. I don't want to wake up and remember what my former lover did to me. Put me to sleep then open the damned valve and leave it open."
But I didn't look away as she caught my gaze in hers. I did have one final thought before I slept.
"Pretty."
Freedom?
Solange had been right. I didn't have a single dream. When I woke, I was in the same bed in the same room, and I was alone and still restrained, arms and legs both. I lay there dully for a few minutes before calling
She stood still, not moving, and I waited. But finally she turned around and returned to the side of the bed.
"I want to know why you did it."
"Because you asked me to," I spat. "You and Aubree asked me to."
"That doesn't make sense."
I took several breaths, trying to calm down. "In a dream," I said finally. "Well, a series of dreams. I know some of them were a metaphor. The bodies -- I didn't think they were real. I didn't understand them. But the bodies said the end of the world was coming, and that I had to come here to stop it. And then I dreamed that you asked me to help you save everything. I didn't understand. Aubree asked, too. But the dreams were all a mix."
I closed my eyes. "They weren't real dreams. I thought they were real. They were mixed with real dreams, or at least they felt like real dreams." I opened my eyes. "Do you understand?" I didn't wait for her to answer. "Why would my dreams do this?" I paused. "You should have talked to me. You screamed I ruined everything. I didn't. You did."
She said nothing for a while, looking down at me.
"What is to become of me?" I asked in a quiet voice.
"For now, you need to rest. You're past worn out. When we talk next, we'll discuss your freedom."
"You're going to let me go?"
"We'll discuss it."
"What does that mean?"
"You need to rest."
"I want to know what you mean!"
"You may not agree to the terms I place upon your release."
"What terms?"
"Sidney..." She paused. "We'll talk about that when you wake up."
"What if I don't agree?"
"I'll give you a day or three to reconsider."
"And after that?"
She glanced down at the I.V. "I'll give you a choice of going back or as peaceful of an ending as I can manage." She looked up. "This is your fault, Sidney. Not mine. What else would you have me do?"
I looked away. "You should have talked to me. This is your fault. You should have told me, and you know it. You had no right to play with my life, and that's what you were doing. And you know that, too. You ruined my life and you don't even care."
"You need to sleep," she said after a moment. "You need to be stronger."
"Will you untie me?"
"I'm sorry. No."
I turned back to face her. "You expect me to sleep after telling me tomorrow you're going to kill me?"
"I sincerely hope it doesn't come to that, Sidney. But yes, you'll sleep. I'll give you a choice. If you stare into my eyes, I can help you sleep. You will rest, entirely untroubled, probably until someone intentionally wakes you. Or I can get the nurse to give you something. Those are your two choices. I would rather do the first."
"It doesn't matter," I said petulantly. I looked away, and she shifted, perhaps about to fetch the nurse. "Wait."
We stared at each other before I said, "I answered your questions." She shifted slightly, but didn't otherwise respond. "You're a monster. I don't say that because you're a vampire. Only a monster would do what you've done to me. You're no better than the people in the next room."
Her lips narrowed.
"This wasn't my fault; it was yours. You should have talked to me. What you should do right now is release me. What you should do right now is beg my forgiveness. But go ahead. Make me sleep. Then open that valve and bleed me dry."
She stared at me, and emotion flickered across her face. "Sidney," she said. Her voice cracked. "We'll talk when you wake up."
"I don't want to wake up to this nightmare. I don't want to wake up and remember what my former lover did to me. Put me to sleep then open the damned valve and leave it open."
But I didn't look away as she caught my gaze in hers. I did have one final thought before I slept.
"Pretty."
Freedom?
Solange had been right. I didn't have a single dream. When I woke, I was in the same bed in the same room, and I was alone and still restrained, arms and legs both. I lay there dully for a few minutes before calling
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