Chapter 3 The Lakehouse

I lay there, gasping for breath. My squeals were slowly fading into sobs.

'Don't cry, Kyla, momma's here.' The soothing voice pulled me back from the brink of terror.

I opened my eyes to find Mom's sobbing face hovering above me, her arms wrapped tightly around me.

'Mom?' I whispered in a trembling voice.

'It's okay, baby, I'm here.' She whispered back.

I let out a shaky sigh, my heart still racing from the nightmare.

'I thought you were dead,' I admitted.

Mom's grip on me tightened. 'Don't worry, I'm fine. It was just a dream.'

She patted my back, comforting me as I drifted back to sleep.

Next day.

I sat alone in the kitchen, hastily devouring my breakfast. Mom had left early, forgetting to give me lunch money and, as usual, a goodbye kiss.

I chuckled wryly to myself, not expecting either gesture anyway.

Glancing at the clock, I realized it was already 8am. I was running late for school.

I grabbed my bag, keys, and phone, only to be startled by the sheer number of missed calls – seventeen, all from Louis.

I didn't have time for this. I was already late.

I rushed out the door, my mind preoccupied with the impending school day.

Before I knew it, I found myself stuck in the middle of a History lesson I was totally uninterested in.

My attention wandered, and I turned around, catching Louis' captivating gaze. His beautiful eyes sparkled, making my heartbeat faster.

Oh Emily, look at those eyes. How can you not love him with those eyes?

He looked back at me, and at that very moment, I could literally hear my own heartbeat.

A sweet, awkward smile spread across my face. But Louis' expression changed in an instant – he scoffed, rolling his eyes.

What did I do this time?

I sighed inwardly, feeling a flash of frustration.

Louis. I'm never going to get him. Why am I trying too hard? I'm the ruby, I should be graceful. I should get a grip on my emotions.

That's what I told myself whenever I thought about him. But everything just fades away when he's in front of me.

What was it about him that made me such a simpleton of a person?

As the tedious lesson finally came to an end, I turned around, only to find that Louis was no longer in his seat.

I shrugged, grabbed my bag, and headed to the library.

As I walked, I found myself standing transfixed beside the ancient oak tree, which sat majestically in the heart of the school.

I took in the vibrant scenery of the school park, ignoring the curious stares of everyone who walked past me. They probably wondered why I was frozen in place, and what the hell I was looking at.

My gaze drifted to the boy who still held a special place in my heart – Louis. And I couldn't help but chuckle as I watched him playfully pick a fight with Clinton and two other boys.

Wait, I'm not drooling, am I? He stopped, and now he's staring at me.

He was coming towards me, and I knew I had to make a quick escape.

'Hey, Emily!' Louis called out, but I ignored him, swiftly walking away towards the library.

'Wait!' he shouted, his footsteps closing in on me.

I stopped, turned around sharply, and snapped, 'What do you want?'

Louis looked taken aback by my tone, but he quickly recovered. 'Wow, you have no reason to be mad at me right now.'

I raised an eyebrow. 'Are you serious?'

'Yeah.' Louis replied, a hint of a smile on his face. 'I think after seventeen missed calls, we're even.'

I paused, rolling my eyes in amusement. 'Why did you call anyway?'

Louis sighed, his expression turning serious. 'I'm just glad you're okay.'

I widened my eyes, feeling a little surprised by his reaction. 'You know, you don't have to worry about me,' I said, trying to brush off his concern. 'I've always been okay.'

Louis shook his head, clearly unconvinced. 'No. You don't have to pretend to be fine whenever you're around me.'

I felt a lump form in my throat as Louis' words struck a nerve. 'Huh?' I managed to stammer.

Louis exhaled heavily. 'I know you've been pretty depressed lately, I mean, ever since your dad left. But I don't know why you've been ignoring me since you came back from Florida. Did I do something wrong?'

I didn't reply, unsure of how to process my emotions.

Louis' eyes filled with concern, and he took a step closer to me. 'I cannot leave you like this. I'm your friend, right? Why are you not sharing your troubles with me? Do you think I cannot help you?'

I sighed, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders.

'Let me help you,' He continued.

'Okay.' I paused, then continued, 'So, I've been having strange dreams for the past few weeks, and I don't know why these nightmares keep coming. It's like someone is trying to tell me something.'

Louis' expression turned serious. 'What is it?'

I took a deep breath, unsure of how to express my fears. 'I think it's... a cry for help. The other time, it was me, then my dad, now it's my mom. I had this weird dream about the old lakehouse two nights ago. It's like something... or someone wants me to go there. I have to figure out what this is about.'

Louis' expression turned more serious, and he grasped my shoulders. 'Emily, I need you to listen to me very carefully. No matter what happens, do not go to the lakehouse or even near the lake.'

I raised an eyebrow, feeling a spark of reluctance. 'Tch! Okay mom.'

He took a deep breath, his eyes filled with deep concern. 'I'm serious.'

I rolled my eyes, then continued, 'There's a rumor about the town's dark history and the legend of The Consanguinity...'

Louis gave me a helpless, concerned look. But I ignored him.

'...and the lake, a place where vampires and werewolves allegedly roam.' I continued.

Louis chuckled nervously, trying to lighten the mood. 'What? They're just stories, Emily. They're not real.'

But I was visibly angry, feeling like he wasn't taking me seriously.

'You don't believe me,' I accused, my voice trembling with frustration.

Louis' expression turned defensive. 'Look, even if all of these were real, which I find hard to believe, it's too dangerous. And it doesn't have anything to do with your nightmares. Vampires, werewolves, tooth fairies, they don't exist.'

I felt a wave of annoyance, my eyes locking onto Louis', 'I don't care what you think, Louis. I have to go there, I can't keep having these nightmares.

Louis paused, and sized me up in both annoyance and disbelief. 'You're so stubborn. No wonder your dad left.'

School was over.

I walked home alone in the dead of the night, having completely forgotten that I had taken my bike to school.

As I walked, my mind wandered back to the park, where I had spent hours after school, lost in thought.

The dream I had the night before was still in my mind. The vision was so clear, factual. It felt so creepily real, as if I had actually lived through it.

My worry stemmed from the fact that Mom had died in that dream, and the pain felt all too real.

I hadn't seen Mom that morning, and the absence of her usual notes before leaving for work only added to my anxiety.

I hurried home, my heart racing with every step.

As I pushed open the front door, I called out softly, 'Mom?'

The silence that followed was oppressive.

I shut the door behind me, my eyes fixed on the human-like figure in front of me.

The stillness was disturbing, and I whispered again, 'Mom?'

But there was no response.