2. FOR BETTER...

After taking a shower she wore her pajamas and went to bed. Felicity could not shake this uneasy feeling she had been having. She could tell that something, but she could not exactly point it out. Before lying down, she made sure the doors to her balcony were closed and that the windows were shut as well. She only allowed herself to sleep once she had confirmed it twice.

Felicity stood on an eerie piece of land. The ground had an unusual color and texture. She crouched and took a hand-full of the soils particles and let it fall back to its source slowly. The particles were black. She stood, still trying to figure out where she was. And that was when she noticed the color of he sky. It was red.

A dark cone of clouds spun across the horizon, skating toward her. Along with it came a parade of dust and nature. It grew in size as it approached. It became darker as well. Felicity looked around but saw nothing. The land was bare, which made her wonder where the trees she saw being flung around came from. There was no house, no cave or a structure of any kind.

Seeing her end, she decided to make a run for it to prevent an untimely death. However, she could not move. Her feet were stuck to the ground and sinking too. She tried screaming but her voice was gone. Felicity fought and fought, giving it all she had but it was proving to be more difficult as she sunk further.

Her face was so white from the fear that she would be accidentally mistaken for a ghost if someone saw her. Felicity still managed to slow down her breathing amidst all that was happening. She looked up and saw the disaster too close to her for comfort. The harsh winds were already biting into her skin. Whatever had been carried by the wind scratched her as it was hurled up and about by the wind.

Felicity saw a huge tree coming her way. Tears that had not been anywhere near her eyes, came out to flee from the doom. Using her hands to shield herself, she waited to be crashed by the pressure of the tree. But, the impact never came. She dared to open her eyes and peep.

The first things she was darkness. She opened her eyes to fill her curiosity, and she saw it. It was the man on the rocks. Felicity remembered how dark his cloak was. How long his hair had been. He looked so u kept but something about him made her heart skip a couple of beats. The man on the rocks had stopped the tree from hitting her. He di not look like he was struggling against the wind either since he only used one hand.

The other reached out to her and pulled her out of the quicksand. The man did not look at her. She was finally free from sinking and was a bit relieved. The man held her to his chest. Felicity heard his heartbeat. He was scared. His arms around her comforting but tight. He did not want to let her go or lose her.

In an instant, the chaos before them disappeared. The man plopped to the ground. He was exhausted but he did not let her go. Felicity was shocked, her heart was pieced by pain she had never felt before. A lump grew in her throat at the sight of the man on the rocks’ discomfort. Unknowingly, she reached for his face and touched it.

The man leaned into her touch. He looked happy. The hood over his head prevented her from telling who he was but she was still grateful. From the bottom of her heart she thanked him. The man turned to look at her as if he had heard what she had said. It might have been her imagination but she thought she saw him smile. Her heart melted.

He picked her up into his arms. Their foreheads touched. He loved her being this close to him but… not yet. Felicity woke up to find herself in her bed. She looked around. Nothing out of the ordinary could be detected. Yet, she felt that it was more than just a dream. She kicked off her covers and got off.

Tiny particles of black sand fell from her pajamas. Felicity looked at it and smiled. She now knew that the man on the rock was real. His touch was something she wanted to feel again. The warmth he let her feel as well as the comfort was something she really desired. It was still night. So she decided to head to the kitchen.

The door to her father’s study was on. His door was ajar as well. She had always passed here on her way to the kitchen and not once had that door been open. Her father was always inside but he never left the door open or ajar. She ignored it and walked passed it, making sure not to be detected by whoever was inside.

“This is your last chance Bruce… Take it or leave it.” A voice bellowed from inside.

It was her uncle. Since she was young both her father and his brother never had a good relationship. Whenever they met, Bruce’s younger brother would always rub how well off he was. And this would always cause conflict. Felicity’s mother would stand up to him but now that she was gone, Felicity knew how easily her father would be swayed by his sweet deadly words.

“Do you want it or not.” He continued.

Felicity stopped to listen. She made sure to stand at an angle where no one would spot her if at all they came out of the door. Her father was conflicted. She could feel how much he was trying to hold it together. She wanted to walk in but she restrained herself once she remembered how he was never there for her. How she had been in this dark pit and not once had he reached out to her.

“Yes, I do b…”

“Then take it.”