LILYANNA'S POV
I opened my eyes from what felt like the best and the worst sleep I've had in my entire life. I sat up and looked around my room.
~How did I get here?~
I looked down at my clothes and touched my shirt. It felt cold and a little damp. I recognized that these were the same clothes I put on last night. I examined my ankle, it was a little sore but other than that it didn't hurt.
~Okay... what happened last night? It couldn't have been a dream, right?~
I tried recalling what happened. I remembered waking up from that dream… I didn't want to think about it. Then I smelt something coming from outside; burning wood and vanilla. I remembered finding a bear-sized wolf that had the softest black fur. I chuckled at the memory of the giant wolf, or should I say dog. I recalled being pushed into the lake and the wolf helped me out and cuddled with me until I fell asleep. Yet I was still confused about how I could have gotten home.
~Is there something I missed? The last thing I can recall is falling asleep against the wolf's warm fur.~
A gentle breeze came into my room softly brushing my cheek. I looked in the direction of the draft and found my window still wide open. I got out of bed, my blankets were also cold. I changed into a fresh pair of... well everything. I removed the blankets and sheets from my bed and replaced them with clean ones. Throwing the dirty ones outside my door to bring to the laundry mat later.
~My bed sheets needed to be changed anyway.~
I took my phone out of my old pants pocket and tried to turn it on. Not to my surprise, it didn't.
~Great, my phone's dead. I guess it's too late to put it in rice now.~
I closed my bedroom window and walked into the kitchen, my stomach growling and rumbling in distress. After I grabbed something from the fridge to eat I glanced up at the microwave.
~What! This can't be right! How could I have slept in till 2:35 pm!? I already missed two of my classes, fuck! there's no way I'll be able to make it to Composition 101 on time!~
I sat on the couch and groaned as I leaned into the cushion.
~Well, I might as well take my time and eat. I'll email my professors later and check for today's class lessons online.~
The sound of keys jingling came from the apartment door. As the door swung open Una was standing on the threshold. Bags were underneath her eyes, she slouched as she let out a deep sigh.
"Una? Are you okay? "
"Holy shit you're finally awake!" Una ran up and sat next to me on the couch. Her eyes were wide and she let out a soft gasp.
"Woah Una! I'm fine what's wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with me? I'm not the one who was dead asleep this morning! I tried to wake you up for a whole hour and nothing! I was late to my first class because of you!"
"I'm sorry. I just had a very strange night and I didn't get good sleep. What are you doing here? Don't you have classes?"
"I have about an hour before my next class. I thought I'd come here and relax, and check up on you."
"Thanks, Una. I'm sorry I worried you."
"No problem, bestie. So what happened? Why didn't you get any sleep?"
"Ummm… it's kind of hard to explain."
"Hmmm… were you by chance up all night thinking about a tall, dark-haired, handsome man?"
"What! No. I didn't… I wasn't awake all night thinking about him!"
"Oh, so you dreamed about him, got it."
"No, I didn't! Shut up, Una!"
"No fucking way! You did dream about him!"
"And what if I did?"
"You don't have to get so defensive. Unless… it was a wet dream."
I felt my cheeks burn as my hearing flooded with the rapid beating of my heart. My body stiffened I scooted away from Una as I felt uncomfortable.
"I… I don't have wet dreams."
Una's eyes light up like a kid on Christmas. She squealed and shook her hands rapidly.
"You did have a wet dream about him!"
"I did not!"
"Yes, you did! Your body is saying everything I need to know."
"Shut up!"
"Was dream Indigo that good in bed?"
"I'm not talking about it!"
"Holy shit, he was that good, huh?"
"You are making a bigger deal out of this than it needs to be." I groaned as I threw my head back.
"Do you know what this means, Lily?"
"What?"
"That destiny is telling you to indulge yourself. Have fun once in a while." She winked, "When was the last time you had sex anyway?"
"About a year ago. That was when Jason became more physically abusive. Sex was the last thing on my mind and his other girls kept him satisfied."
"I'm sorry, Lily. But you're safe now, Jason can't hurt you anymore. Why don't you do something you want to do? Don't lie either because if you didn't want to get down and dirty with Indigo, you wouldn't've had that dream."
"Una…"
"Don't 'Una' me."
"I'm sorry. I'm just not ready right now."
"I understand. I just hate the idea of you letting Jason affect your life like this."
"Really? What would you do if you were in my shoes?"
"Well… I would live my best life. I'd definitely meet other guys and have fun. Because if I'm happy and living my best life then he'll know I don't need him. I would live my life as a giant fuck you."
"I'm not as brave as you, Una."
"You are, Lily. You just lost your confidence." Una glanced over at my bedroom door and stared at the pile I threw on the floor. "Why are your bed sheets in front of your door?"
"They were cold and wet." Una raised an eyebrow at me.
"Not because of the dream! Don't look at me like that!"
"Why are they damp then?"
"Ugh. It's hard to explain."
"Well, try."
"Okay. After I had…that dream… I woke up. I smelt what I thought was a campfire and vanilla coming from the forest. I tried to ignore it and return to sleep but curiosity got the best of me. I ended up following the scent down one of the Northcaster tails. It led me to a bear-sized wolf…"
"I'm sorry, did you just say 'bear-sized wolf'?"
"Yes! And it had pure black fur. I wouldn't have seen it against the night sky if it wasn't for its bright indigo blue eyes…"
"Bright indigo eyes?" She stared at me perplexed and concerned.
"Yes… why are you looking at me like that?"
"You do know that wolves that big don't exist right?"
"Look, I know it sounds like a load of shit, but I'm telling you the truth!"
"Are you sure you weren't dreaming? You said you had a dream about Indigo and now you're describing a wolf with his eyes."
"I'm telling you that the wolf is real. It was like a big dog. We played fetch and we cuddled after I fell into the lake."
"You fell into the lake?"
"Yeah, the wolf snuggled with me to keep me warm. That was the last thing I remembered before I fell asleep and woke up here."
Una sat silently on the couch, she looked at me with an increasingly concerned gaze stained in her eyes.
"I swear to you, Una, the wolf exists. I know what I saw!"
"Are you sure? If you did fall asleep at the lake, how did you get home?"
"I… I don't know."
"Lily…you've been through a lot. With Jason and being drugged… your mind might be dealing with too much."
"It was real!"
Una grabbed my hands and caressed them, staring right into my eyes.
"I think you should lie back down. I got to go back to school but promise me you'll get some rest."
I scowled as I looked down. I felt her eyes on me as I remained silent.
"Lily, please. Promise me that you'll get some rest."
"Fine," I glanced back up, "I'll get some rest, promise."
"Thank you," Una welcomed me in an embrace before standing up from the couch. "I'll see you when I get home okay?"
"Ah huh, see you when you get home."
Una left, locking the door behind her. I sighed as I bowed my head. I became more and more confused as I rubbed my temples.
~Was what happened really a dream? It felt so real, yet so did the dream with Indigo. Wait… what about my jacket? I took it off at the lake and I didn't wake up in it.~
I rushed to my bedroom and searched through everything. When I didn't find it there I checked the whole apartment. Anywhere I thought I could've placed it.
~It's not here. If it's not here then it must be at the lake. And if it is at the lake then I know for certain what I saw last night was not a dream.~
I dashed to my shoes and grabbed my keys as I headed out the door. I ran up to the edge of the forest and studied the tree line. I took a deep breath before I found the trail and sprinted down the dirt path. Spots of sunlight glittered on the ground as I felt a gentle cool breeze against my skin. I felt drawn back to the lake; I wanted answers and I was determined to find them. When I made it to the lake I gandered at my surroundings. There was barely anyone around as I began my search for any evidence of the wolf's existence. I eventually found the spot where the wolf laid down, its imprint still in the dirt. My jacket was found close by covered in dirt and leaves.
~It wasn't a dream. The wolf was real.~
Chills ran down my spine causing my body to quake in pleasure. I felt a looming presence approach closer until their breath was on my neck. Their breath was heavy and warm against my skin.
"Hello, waterlily,"