36- Tormenta

Ugh... I feel like I just woke up from a heavy drinking night...

At least the sound of the waves is relaxing...

...

Wait, waves?!.

I inmediatly open my eyes and try to stand up, I hit my head with something made of aluminum by the sound it made when it hit my cranium. I hold my head and try to ease the pain, a lot is going on at the moment.

I fully open my eyes and manage to actually see in front of my nose. The first thing I notice is the fact that I don't have any pants, I scream internally thinking that I woke up being naked, that is until I see I have a bikini on. More questions rise the more I look at everything.

Why am I in a beach?. Why am I in a bikini?.

Why did I... Woke here... Woke.

I... I fell asleep.

YEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!! LET'S GOOOOOOOO!!. WOOOOOOOOO!!!.

I'm free!. Finally, god it must feel so good to go back to sleep normally again.

Although I don't remember falling asleep in the first place, nor reaching home.

In fact I don't remember even going to home in the first place. last thing I remember was me standing in the street because of...

Oh.

I know why I'm here now.

-I already know Mildred, just come out already.

-You really can't be fooled right?.

-It was pretty obvious once all that dopamine released from my body. So, care to explain why are we here.

Also why I have this put on?.

-Don't worry It'll make sense soon. I wanted to talk about something with you.

-Thats is what I wanted to do in the first place, tell me, what is all about that thing about you killing me.

-I'm sorry about yesterday... I couldn't handle the pressure anymore.

Listen, Gustave contracted me from the very beginning to dispose of you.

-Gustave...

-The only reason I can talk to you about it freely is because they still don't have anyone that can match my powers... For now we can speak freely.

-What exactly you do mean by the beginning.

-Ever since you went to buy that dress, the first time we met.

-Ever since then...

-Ever since then I've been manipulating your brain to slowly develop that insomnia you're suffering.

-I.... Geez. I-I knew that this had to do with someone's ability, but... to think it was you...

-I feel extremely sorry for that Cecile, trust me. It will stop once you return home.

-But I started having these episodes way before even going for the first time to the facility.

-I had nothing to do with those, those episodes you had before were all yours, I merely used them as a method.

-Why?...

-My job was to make you as miserable as possible, then, do "something" that made it look like you had committed suicide.

Insomnia and the slow damage to your mood as well as your body was the perfect excuse.

-S...sui...

I, was mostly trying to convince myself that Mildred was the victim from that moment at the cinema but hearing that...

She was going to kill me and make it look like I could have killed myself... The world wouldn't look into it, everyone would believe it and think that I was capable of something like that.

My friends would think that I wanted that...

My parents....

Faraday would...

My heart aches a lot. A knot forms in my throat.

Tears start coming out of my eyes, I am not sure if they're tears of joy due to me avoiding that... Or me crying realizing that I was so close to meet the worst fate imaginable.

-That was.... Before I actually started talking to you, now...m I can't bring myself to do that...

I failed as a hired assassin and just because I actually started liking you...

-E-Eh?...

-My plan was to make you jump out of the building I transported you when you went to "my house".

However you started talking and the way you started mumbling about those things... The way you... The way you described her...

-W-Who a-are you talking about.

-Faraday.

Ever since that day I've actually been trying to change your perception on her, making it seem as more annoying. Spending your time with me instead of her.

All with a hope that you would forget about her and start looking at me the way you looked at her.

I thought I had accomplished something... Until I saw your mind in that plushie store...

You clearly like her more than you think.

-I don't -.

-Please, don't. I read minds Cecile, I've been inside your brain for weeks.

I KNOW how you feel about her, it is a shame that you don't. Because in my opinion, she deserves to be loved like that. Like how much she loves you.

-I...

-That is why I'm forfeiting. I give up, both in killing you... And getting in the way of both of you.

-Wait, Mildred-

-I know you won't trust me, I wouldn't either, but trust me that I don't want to live with this in my mind, nor I enjoy seeing you like this anymore. I'm leaving your life, forever, you won't see me ever again.

-M-mildred... There is no need for that.

-I do have a need for that. It's something I do for both myself and yourself...

Goodbye Cecile, it was truly, truly, a pleasure to meet you. I'll give you a gift, as a way to say sorry for this week.

Please take care of yourself...

The sun suddenly shines brighter, my eyes burn while I try to scream her name, however the sound is muffled even for me. I rapidly close and cover my eyes, but when I do, the shine stops completely, as I open my eyes I notice that the time of day changed, at first I thought it was night. However the sun started rising once again from the sea.

As the beautiful view of the sun coming out of the sea trapped my mind. I heard a voice on my left, it sounded far and distant, however it was enough to snap me out of it, I started worrying that perhaps people would see me on this bikini.

A weird feeling, I've never been so conscious about my body before.

-llooooooo?.

I can hear the voice clearly now. It is a girl....

THE girl.

-Helloooooooo?.

She softly screams to find someone, apparently she doesn't know where she is, nor if she is with someone aswell.

I stop trying to hide my body with my hands, almost as if it my instinct to not hide myself from her, I feel... Weird... Knowing that my brain acts like this.

She was.gping in my direction, mostly screaming at the trees behind the coast line.

She noticed the light of the sun and turned around to see the sun rising, the breeze moves her hair slowly, each time it moves some blue hairs appear from the darkness in her hair, she smiles when she takes a deep breath of the fresh air, all of her worries fade away on the sea.

From all the abilities she had displayed to me... This is the one I envy the most.

-Faraday.- I say softly, our distance was more than enough for my voice to just disappear among the sounds of the sea, however, she hears me.

She instantly spins her head, so fast that most of her hair takes some time to catch up with where she is looking.

Her eyes open completely and I can see the surprise in her look.

Before I even blink, a spark appears in front of me, followed by the Face of faraday, staring into my eyes with hers, our faces are merely cm's apart from each other, she pokes my tummy with her finger, and when my meat bounces back at her, she jumps and falls back,

-WHAAA!-. Miss Cecile!?.

-Yes, it's me, I'm real, I say as I pull one of my cheeks.

-H-H-How are y-you h-here?!. Where are we?.

-I... Don't know.

-O-oh noooooo, Gustave is going to be really mad if I'm not in the cage!, I thought this was a dream ohnyoooo~.

-Hey, calm down, I think... I think this is a dream.

-O-oh... But then why can I feel you like you're here miss Cecile?. Usually, when I dream about you it always feels like I'm not really touching you but this one feels real!.

-...

-I need to use this opportunity!. Here, (*She grabs my arm*) let's go take a little breakfast together hehe!.

She seems extremely happy as she pulls my arm to the nearest building, one that resembles some kind of restaurant, a beach themed one, one with wooden walls and palm leaves as ceiling, I know perfectly, that that building wasn't there before, I was looking in that direction just before seeing her.

Did she... Manifest it?. If so, this IS a dream.

But... Am I dreaming of her or is she dreaming about me?.

Are we both dreaming about each other?...

What did Mildred do exactly?.

I guess asking her is out of the equation.

What I think I'm certain about is that this is the real faraday, I can "feel" her too, just like she said that she could feel that I was the real one.

But I guess she hasn't realized yet that it is actually me and not a special dream.

Also she said she dreamed about me before...

She must really miss me, the least I could do I go along with her this time, if this is truly a dream we'll wake up eventually....

I think.

-Look, they even have an ice cream machine!. Can we have some miss Cecile?!.

-S-sure, why not.

-Yaaaay!.

She grabs a big curve plate from one of the shells and starts adding spoonfuls of ice cream from various flavors, chocolate, caramel and what I think looks like nuts.

-Here, let's eat it!.

She says with a big smile on her face, holding a spoon next to my face, it's weird to think that I could taste things inside a dream so vividly, however, I sense everything about this ice cream, from it's tasty flavour to the coldness in my mouth, the experience is delightful.

While we were eating our ice cream, Faraday kept talking to me about the things that have been happening with her and Alan since I left, however it doesn't seem like she is talking to me, she seems to talk the way you would talk to your diary, she still doesn't see me like the real person, she talks to me like she is talking to a voice in her head. It feels weird to be addressed like that, however I don't feel confident to actually tell her the truth, Although I should, my body doesn't react to my commands, I feel... Scared.

But scared of what?...

I.. I think I am scared of actually reuniting with her for real, the way she will react to actually see me on flesh and bone, the expectations I have... The way all those scenarios played in my head from days prior... None of them where ready for something like this, I don't know how to answer to anything she says in this dream.

I won't tell her the truth.

We are so close to actually reuniting once again, but this time for real, I want to actually enjoy that moment like it's actually happening for the first time.

I'll ignore that this day ever happened, that way I'll retain my fantasy.

After we finished the ice cream, she took me to the beach once again, a net between two poles appeared in the middle of us, she gold her hands to the air and a little ball appeared between them, she seemed to expect it to be bigger since the ball passed right through the gap between her arms and landed in her head, hitting her.

She was dizzy for a couple of seconds and the she launched the ball to me, we started playing volleyball, I've never played it before, however I have seen the people from my university play it when I had lunch break, I think I know the basics enough to actually play in a competent level.

She scores 3 times against me first, mostly due to my none experience in the field, and the most intense physical activity I have ever done is walking the halls of the facility. My body is a mess in terms of strength and endurance.

I feel the movement in my tummy with every jump, I stop for a moment to pinch the fatness in my body, thinking seriously if I should start going to the gym once I wake up.

While I was doing that, Faraday stopped the game and called my name.

-Miss Cecile, you don't have to be so picky about that, I love the way you look, your whole body is so pretty and beautiful!, she says with the biggest smile on her face, all while the redness in her cheeks impress me as they usually have been completely red and bright for less appealing words than that, however I can only see a little glimpse of it in her cheeks.

S-she is...quite bold when she knows I'm not real I gotta say

-Miss Cecile?.

-Eh?.

A-are you alright?.

-W-well yes, why wouldn't I?.

-I mean your face is all red.

-I-it is? W-well I don't know why hahaha.

Apparently her attack was extremely effective without noticing, I hide my face from hers as I try to regain composure.

To try to Make it seems like I'm normal again, I pick up the ball, jump in the air and give a "light" punch to it, the punch is so "light" that I hit Faraday in the face with enough face to bounce back to the other side of the net.

-Oh my god I'm so sorry!.

I keep saying sorry as I approach her, she is laying on the floor, all dizzy, she isn't even covering her face, it's either due to she not being hurt in the first place... Or she just blacked out in that exact moment.

Am I that strong?.

I wake her up and carefully pet her head, she isn't mad, in fact when she woke up the first thing she did was hug me.

I allowed it without a doubt.

After a couple seconds however I pushed her aside carefully and slowly, telling her that there was much more to do.

And that was partially a lie, I don't even know if we can do more, I still can't figure out how to manipulate the dream just like she does.

We walked and talked for what I felt like 30 minutes at most, however that combined with the volleyball match made me really tired, combined with my legs hurting a lot from all the exercise, made me drop to the floor to catch a break, the sand is soft and oddly pleasing, doesn't even feel like it's rough.

Faraday sits next to me, close.

We both look into the ocean, the sun is setting once more, no matter how I perceived time, this definitely is too soon for the day to be over. I guess time flows extremely different here.

While I was mesmerized by the sunset, Faraday put her head on my shoulder, startling me, a shiver ran inside my whole body, and my face felt hot.

I looked to face her and she was... Looking at me... But with such beautiful eyes...

Her hair was bright, aswell as her eyes, they were all shinning a little bit, enought to illuminate my shoulder and most likely my face too.

Looking at her like this... So close... Made me feel extremely weird, I was uncomfortable, yet I didn't want to look away, I wanted to get closer and closer to see her better.

-Miss Cecile...

She says my name without looking away, getting her cheeks red.

-W-what i-s it?.

-...

I Love you

My body gets as fast as it can from the bed, sitting in it, I feel my breathing going crazy and a knot on my throat, I feel the cold sweat running in my face. As I try to calm down I notice the sound coming from besides me, it's the window of my room, there is a storm outside.

The rain hits the window, enough to become a rhythm that I can focus to disperse all the thoughts in my head...

What the hell was that...