'No ' I thought as my mind filled with sadness.
It was just a dream... I never thought that being back at Liam's house would be so comforting.
Once again I was staring back into the Cold Lands, into the chilly and frightening darkness that could be hardly pierced by the moonlight that never left the sky.
The dream I had wasn't one of my best memories but it was so much better than the horrors I witnessed in the Cold Lands.
The dream I just had was a reflection of my past. I could then remember that moment so vividly. It didn't turn out the way I had expected with the way Paula fell sick. That was the first time that the fact that I was the third wheel was super pronounced more than ever.
Even more than me the one that I pitied the most was Nancy. We were both outcasts In that house at that time.
A few moments after waking up, I could recall the dream I had just experienced as if I had lived it only moments before. But as I looked around at my surroundings, the events faded into the background of my mind, becoming hidden and unclear, like distant memories from the past.
With the traces of sleep in my eyes, I searched for my companions in the Cold Lands.
A short distance away, I saw Sky sleeping peacefully. Her eyes were shut, and she lay on her side with her arms crossed, as if she were hugging herself.
The atmosphere seemed to favor her then because her skin didn't look so deathly pale.
'Wait' I thought as I immediately sat up straight with hints of sleep still evident in me.
I couldn't find Hassan. Did something drag him off while we were sleeping? But then what could have dragged him without taking us too?
This thought jolted me fully awake, shaking off all remnants of sleep from my body.
"Hassan," I whispered, cautious of any potential threats. I approached Sky quietly, as if standing might attract the attention of unknown creatures.
"Sky" I whispered as I shook the girl and almost immediately she woke up and shut herself up as though she was in a flight or fright situation.
"What is it? What is it?" she asked as her voice rang through a distance. Her eyes were widened and bloodshot from an interrupted rest.
I observed her as she scanned her surroundings with wide, alarmed eyes. I thought it best to let her calm down before talking.
"Where's Hassan?" She asked
"I don't know. " I said as I took a mental note never to wake her from sleep ever again.
So many possibilities of what could have happened ran through my mind but they didn't seem plausible at all.
"Hassan?" Sky asked, glancing behind me with a questioning expression.
I turned around to spot a figure approaching us from the unlit section of the forest, shrouded in darkness untouched by the moonlight.
"Are you guys awake?" The voice said as the person drew nearer. It sounded like Hassan and we got to confirm that when he stepped into the region that was illuminated by light.
"Where did you go to?"
I asked trying to sound like I wasn't worried moments ago. He looked as calm as he always did.
I struggled to restrain myself from rushing over to hug him. He had survived a near-death experience, yet he appeared as if he had just awakened from a peaceful slumber.
"What is wrong with you?" Sky went over to him and slapped his shoulder with her hands "You could've died. Why didn't you move out of the way ?"
Sky's voice quivered with emotion, and tears welled up in her eyes. Her worry was evident, but expecting him to act rationally in such a situation might have been unreasonable. None of us had ever truly understood what it meant to place ourselves in harm's way when confronting terrifying foes.
Hassan had assessed the situation and chosen to take the risk, and I couldn't help but feel selfishly grateful for his decision.
Even so, he could have exercised more caution instead of willingly putting himself in harm's way like that.