75.
I thought he would never hear me, down here, deep down in the icy water. The strength of the entity who took over my body crushed me. It had no name. But I called her, DARKNESS. The mother of all darkness. She wasn't evil and she wasn't good either. She just IS! Something that was born from the void of space. Harsh. Unforgiving. Mindless. Raw.
"I can hear you." I gasped at the familiarity of his sensual voice. His words felt like a caress. But all I could say was ushering his name like a mantra. Like a rope linking me back to reality. Cause down here, I wasn't sure what was true anymore.
"Renesme? Did you hear what I just said? Daydreaming again?" I blinked and found myself in the passenger seat of the rabbit. The shock was so extreme that I had to run my fingers over the rusty door to make sure it was solid. I reluctantly turned to the driver, my breath caught in my throat.
"Don't make that face," said a younger version of Jacob. My Jacob. The one with the baby face and long hair. Exactly how I remembered him on my lonely nights. "I know you hate it at your new school. But I can still pick you up after and we can hang out, right Nesi?" For a second, my memory blurred, and I didn't know what was a lie and what was real. Those illusions were slowly fraying my mind. Unwrapping me layer by layer until nothing was left but an empty shell. "You're doing it again." He brushed his fingertips over my cheek. My vision blurred. A tear tumbled down. Down. Always pushing me down, until, I didn't know who I was. "Nesi!" He straightened in his seat, startled by my reaction. "Come here." Jacob pulled me in a warm embrace. His hand caressed my hair. Why are you doing this to me? But DARKNESS doesn't answer. She doesn't know how. I can feel her curious gaze around me. Studying me. Mocking me. Playing. Poking. Reading into my every hesitation.
"I just want to go home," I sobbed. He kissed the top of my head.
"I know. Everything will be OK. I promised." And I let myself melt into his arms. I smell the comforting scent of tree bark and sunshine invading my senses. It's going to be ok. Everything will be OK.
Under the heavy weight of dark power...I sleep. Dreaming of his arms. Holding the red threat of our love.
"Jacob!"