Chapter Five

The bright light hit her eyes as she opened them, almost blinding her. She looked around trying to decipher where she was. 

She couldn’t quite explain it but she felt a sense of warmth surrounding her, like everything was right in the world.

“Why are you standing all alone my little swan?”.

Crystal’s head whipped around so fast that it could have snapped off. Her mother stood in front of her with a beautiful smile and her eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Mum”.

Crystal’s legs moved before her brain could catch up and she was throwing herself into her mother’s open arms.

“Mum”, she said again crying into her mother’s chest.

She finally recovered herself, “How are you here?. Am I dead?. Where’s Dad?. What is this place?”.

Jessica laughed softly, the sound floating into the air, “You don’t have to worry my little swan. Everything will be fine. Come I want to show you something”.

Her mother led her through a passage. They walked for a while, coming to a stop eventually.

Crystal gasped. 

The little garden where she went to escape her reality was beautiful but it was nothing compared to this.

“What is this place?”.

“Welcome to Lemoria. The land of dreams'', her mother said.

“So I’m dreaming? And you are not real?”.

“My little swan, anything is as real as you believe it to be”.

“Why am I here?”

“Your subconsciousness brought you meaning you are battling the events of your reality. What is wrong Crystal?”

“Everything Mum, Logan signed off the company, then he signed me off to a man I do not know and I’m scared Mum. 

My life is falling apart and I don’t know what to do”.

Jessica sighed sadly, “Things don’t always go as planned. If they did, I would still be with you and your brother protecting you both from the evil of the world. In life we just have to make the best out of everything. Logan made a choice, and now you have to make yours. He chose the company over you.

He chose the legacy. You have to do what’s best for you. I can’t tell you everything is going to be fine unfortunately. You are a fighter crystal, never stop fighting”.

Jessica’s voice began to fade. The plants withered away at her feet. The bright lights dimmed turning everywhere black.

Suddenly she was not in Lemoria anymore but standing in the middle of the road surrounded by darkness.

A car drives past her swirling so fast heading straight for a bridge.

The car looked so familiar, then she remembered. It was the same one her father drove on the night of the accident.

The car was almost at the edge.

Crystal screamed, yielding it to stop. It never did. It drove off the bridge.

“Mum!!!!!!!”, Crystal screamed, her eyes snapping open.

She looked around frantically. The smell of drugs and chemicals hit her nose. In the distance she heard the beeping sound of a machine.

Slowly taking in her surroundings, she realized she was in the hospital.

“You are awake”, came her brother’s voice from the door.

Crystal kept mute ignoring him.

Logan continued, “Isabella went to get you a change of clothes an hour ago. She should be back any moment from now”.

On cue, Isabella burst into the room rushing past Logan towards her.

“Oh my poor Crystal, are you alright?”.

Still Crystal kept mute. 

Sensing his presence was not wanted, Logan left.

Crystal sat up folding her arms, “No I’m not okay Bels. Logan signed me off like I’m some property”.

“I know. But he didn’t have a choice. He was going to lose the company. Your family has had it in their name for generations' '.

Crystal flew off the bed, “How can you say that Bels. So my life isn’t worth anything?. What happens to me doesn’t matter?”.

“Crystal, you know that’s not what I meant. Okay let’s take a pause. What would you have done if your signature was what was needed on that paper?. If you were given the option to choose. What would it have been?”.

Crystal went silent.

“My point exactly. I heard Ryke Sterling gets bored easily. He might even notice you and if he does, he will get tired of you and seeing your face everyday, he will eventually let you go”.

“Jesus Christ Bels, Can you even hear yourself?. You are saying it’s okay for him to use me however he likes until he gets bored and decides to move on to another. What would happen to me then?. How would I pick the pieces after he ruins me, huh”.

Isabella tried to reach for her.

“No!!!”, Crystal backed away from her. 

Everything felt so wrong.

Isabella was supposed to be her best friend yet here she was siding with Logan.

Crystal would have wondered why Isabella was so concerned with affairs of the company if she didn’t have bigger things to worry about. Her life was being taken away, her freedom, her future and they expected her to just be okay with it?.

Silence followed as the tension in the room grew. Finally Crystal broke it.

“I want to be left alone, Bels”.

“Crystal-“, Bels tried.

“No, I don’t want to hear anymore and I just want to be alone”.

“Okay”, Isabella whispered as left the hospital room. 

She turned when she was at the door, “I will be here when you are ready to talk”, closing the door behind her.

Crystal stared out the window counting the minutes till she had to say goodbye to life as she knew it.

***************

Ryke stared the papers in front of him trying to get some work done but he just couldn’t focus.

He had someone keeping tabs on Crystal. The last thing the person reported was that she was rushed to the hospital.

“Sir?”

Ryke’s head snapped up.

How long had Kimberly been here?

“Cancel all my meetings for the rest of the day”, he said standing while packing his things.

Kimberly simply nodded.

The sky rumbled as he stepped out of the building, raindrops already starting to fall from it.

Damon was already outside waiting with an umbrella, “Home Sir?”

“No, we are going to a hospital”.

“Is anything the problem Sir?”.

Ryke glared at the older man. Damon had been jia driver for the past ten years. With that amount of time, he should have known how much Ryke hated unnecessary questions.

Realizing his mistake, Damon apologized quickly, “It wasn’t my intention to offend you. The car is this way”.

All through the drive Ryke kept wondering what was happening to him. No one had affected him the way she did. Not his drug addicted mother and definitely his good for nothing father.

The car stopped, “We are here Sir”.

He got down. 

The smell of drugs was nauseating.

Walking to the front desk Ryke smiled slightly at the nurse behind it. Red stained her cheeks.

Typical

“What can I do for you today Sir?”.

“I’m here to see a patient. She was brought in a couple of hours ago”.

“I'm really sorry Sir, but only family members are allowed to visit.

Ryke smiled broadly now, “That won’t be a problem. She’s my wife”.