Chapter Five

Silver eyes flash across my vision, cold harsh, yet familiar. The eyes disappear and are replaced by a new image: hunters; slaughtering and killing everybody. Dimitri comes into the picture, fighting back against the tyrants alongside our village warriors, trying to get the children to safety.

Everything I know is being consumed in a red hot flame of destruction and turned to ash. Smoke so thick and heavy it blocks out the sun, leaving the lively place I once called my home in complete darkness and despair. Amidst the smoke and ash, one thing stands out above all else: my mother. Her stance proud and true, as she runs a man through with her sword. Then with my mother's attention on the new opponent approaching, a woman comes up from behind her and takes a hatchet to her neck. With two swings it's cut off.

The ground around me pools with blood, my mother's blood. I scream in terror and back away, tears falling down my cheeks. My back hits something solid, and I turn around, ready to hit my assumed assailant. My hand never makes contact as fingers wrap around my wrist in a firm grip, the fire illuminating their features. It's Ben.

He drops my wrist and grabs my shoulders, he shakes me roughly and yells. "Wake up!" Over and over he screams, until everything around me changes, morphing into my bedroom. Ben is straddling my waist, in nothing but his boxers. "Wake up!" He yells one last time still shaking me. His features are in and out of my sight as the light on the ceiling flashes on and off. The fan connected to it spinning at an unnatural speed, if I hadn't just woken up I would be worried about it breaking off and cutting me in half while I slept. I take a deep breath and the flickering stops, the fan slowing down to a normal pace.

"Ben," I gasp, my breath coming out scratchy as if I just inhaled a ton of smoke. Tears fall down my face and a look of pity flashes in his eyes as he pulls me into his lap.

"Hey, it's okay. It's going to be okay," he rubs my back as I cry into his shoulder. By the time I'm calm we're both lying down, my head resting against his chest, his fingers tracing patterns along my back. "Do you want to tell me what your dream was about?"

"It wasn't a dream," I whisper, staring at the wall.

"I know, you hazed," he whispers softly. We remain like that completely silent for what feels like forever. Logically speaking it must have been five minutes. "Are you calm now?" Ben asks, rubbing his fingers up and down my arms in a soothing manner. I don't say anything. "You need to talk to me." He whispers softly, pulling me away from him.

"Ben, you know I can't." He scoffs and flings his legs over the bed, his back facing me. I stare on in shock, not sure how to deal with him when he's like this. "Ben, look at me." He doesn't, I sigh and scoot closer to him, my arms wrapping around his torso and my legs around his waist. "You can't keep ignoring me, Ben." I press my lips against his stiff back and he lets out a heavy sigh.

"I have never felt so helpless. You were crying out for me, I kept shaking you but you wouldn't wake up. I couldn't help you." I bite my lip, my heart fluttering against my chest, his words making me feel happier than I should. "Whatever you saw, you can't keep it to yourself." I grind my teeth together and close my eyes. He's right, maybe I should go tell someone. Maybe, maybe I should go tell mother. She'd know what to do. "Zem?"

"You're right." He peels me off him and turns around. Pulling me back onto his lap he gently grabs my chin and tilts my head back. "I knew you would see it my way." He gives me an encouraging smile and I smile back, a blush settling across my face. He leans in closer to me, his lips gentling caressing mine in a fragile kiss. Of course, I eagerly return his affections, my arms snaking around his neck, pulling him closer to me. The kiss grows in intensity, his teeth grazing and pulling at my bottom lip, sucking on it before he moves down to my neck and shoulder.

I tilt my head back with a moan, my eyes closing as I let myself get lost in pleasure. "So, little butterfly, will you tell me?" He whispers softly, his lips brushing against my ear causing shivers to run down my spine. It's difficult to collect my thoughts with his lips leaving trails of fire against my skin.

"I...I saw our future, in the haze, the future of our village." I run my fingers through his hair, the feel of his lips breaking down my will. I close my eyes as I release a whimper of desire.

"Yes," he whispers, fingers digging into my hips. "What else baby, you can tell me." His lips trail back down to my neck, his hands sneakily sliding under my shirt. I don't want him to stop.

"Hunters. ..I saw the hunters." Ben smiles against my shoulder and lays me down so my back rests against the bed, him hovering over me.

"What about the hunters? Tell me more." His fingers brush against my stomach and slip under my bra, grazing the bottom of my breasts. I bite my bottom lip and lean into his touch, beckoning him to explore further. "Zmiena, what about the hunters?"

"They're coming," Ben stops, my lust filled eyes meet his shocked gaze. The lust dissipates and is quickly replaced with a sense of painful realization. Ben used me, manipulated me to get what he wanted. "You… you tricked me!" I shove Ben off me and quickly stand up. "Are you happy? Did you get what you wanted?" I scoff, my heart-shattering at the betrayal. I storm to the front door with Ben scrambling after me. Angry tears fill my eyes as I stop at the door and turn to look at him. "Get out." I don't look at Ben, I can't look at Ben because if I do I'll just cave in like always and forgive him.

"Zmiena," his voice is soft, gentle, understanding. I bite my bottom lip, stealing myself against his charms. "Please," he lays his hand on my shoulder and I shrug it off, willing myself not to cry. Not in front of him.

"I said get out!" I force open the door and shove him out, slamming it right in his face. When the door clicks in place I allow myself to melt, tears fall down my cheeks and pain spreads across my body. I can't believe he used me like that. Like I was just an object for him to manipulate, a means to an end. Do I really mean so little to him? I close my eyes and let the tears fall. When the tears have dried up I rise to my feet. I can't waste anymore time crying, I have to warn mother.

Quickly getting dressed in my sleek black uniform I burst out of my house, setting myself on a warpath for my mother.