(REWRITING) The Skylar Experiment : Coveting

Chapter Forty - Truce

RILEY

I TRIED TO BOUND DOWN the staircase but my knees were weak and it felt like running through quicksand. The air was dense and thick against my lungs. Moonbeams weaved through the school windows, splitting the empty corridor into shadows and bleached walls. Rain slammed the façade outside and thrummed along the glass.

The voice creaked like a stray branch that scratched the window.

"Riiiiley..."

Metal clinked overhead as I looked up, followed by the clatter of chains as he walked down the steps. I hurried to get away, but my limbs weighed a ton and I barely made any progress. The railing blurred in my vision.

My legs managed to move to the lower landing, and I came across bodies sprawled to the floor. I stepped aside, discovering Luc, Devin and Ben's faces paralyzed and white-washed, blood seeping from their eyes. Stifling a scream, I backed against the wall when a motion caught my sight. I stared beyond the third-floor doors.

Through their windows, Miles whipped a chain wrapped around his wrist with a devious smile. Emma stood at his side, but she had her mouth taped and she was crying, shaking her head.

"Riiiiley..."

The voice was closer than ever now. I glanced behind me to see Spencer eyeing me and the bodies, a hungry mirth on his lips. His mercury chain streamed down the stairs in his trail. I was cornered.

My forearm started to glow as immeasurable anger fired through me. I yelled and—

"Sunshine."

I wiggled and clutched the comforter, then threw my head back on the pillow. My eyes closed and I took a second to steady my breath. The tingling sensation continued to course through my forearm as I glanced down. Luc ran two fingers from my palm to my elbow, and my veins glowed just like in the dream. His face was smooth, not bloodied, and he wasn't dead.

Light shied through my curtain, and I checked my phone. Almost seven a.m.

"You weren't sleeping?" I asked Luc after calming down.

"I was until you started tossing and turning for the last hour. You have nightmares?"

I pressed my other hand to my forehead. Though I knew it hadn't been real, my heart raced and sweat gathered in my back.

"Sometimes." I stared at the sliding of Luc's ultra light-touch, thinking it was odd, but it felt... good and I didn't remove my hand. My laptop lay half-closed by the footboard. Pillows were scattered everywhere.

My memory was of him still watching while I wound my side of the blanket around, then I must have passed out first. He hadn't stirred much since.

The bed smelled of pine with hints of citrus and soap, that scent he carried everywhere like he always returned from a hike or a shower. His presence overwhelmed me inside out, gripping me back to reality. 

His voice was groggy, deep and slow. "What was it about?"

"Hunters chased me through the school and you guys were dead."

The bed was too warm. I pushed off the covers completely and stood up to open my window. A soft breeze cooled me down, and I returned to my spot. It was too early to wake up on a Sunday.

Luc rose on an elbow and perused over my face, impassive. I kind of wanted to smack him for stumbling into my room drunk hours ago, but he was quiet now, back to his more predictable self.