Lilyette stood up next to her mom and held her hand, then said, “Screen this. I’m fine, and I’m going home.”
Lilyette felt her heart swell with pride as her mom grabbed a robe and helped Lilyette put it on then gave her shoes. She hugged Lilyette to her and whispered, “I won’t let anyone hurt you, if you don’t feel safe here, then we will go and get you checked up somewhere else.”
Slipping on her shoes, Lilyette smiled brightly and said, “Thank you, mom.”
The nurse looked on in horror, worry etched deeply in the lines on her face, “I’m going to get the doctor! This is insane!” She said as she turned to run out the door.
Lilyette’s mom grabbed her purse and said, “Let’s go before they get back!”
The pair held hands and ran out the door and out of the hospital. Lilyette felt completely fine and found it hard to believe that she’d been in a car accident and then a coma.
How is this possible, she wondered as she climbed in her mom’s car.
“You’d better call Rhiannon and let her know we are leaving here! She said she would come to see you,” Lilyette’s mom said as she tossed her phone to Lilyette then pulled out of the hospital parking lot.
Chapter 8
Rhiannon gathered her things and was heading out the door when her phone rang again. Pulling it out of her pocket, she saw that it was Lilyette’s mom and felt dread wash over her.
“Hello,” she answered quickly.
“Hey Rhi-Rhi,” Lilyette answered brightly.
“Lilyette…oh my gosh…I can’t believe it’s you! I know I just talked to you in your dream, but this is different! I’m just about to head out the door to come to see you,” Rhiannon gushed.
“That’s actually why I’m calling, I’m leaving the hospital,” Lilyette said.
“What? You just woke up from a coma! You have serious injuries, Lil, you can’t leave!” Rhiannon exclaimed
“That’s the thing I don’t. I don’t know what happened when I touched you in the dream realm, but when I woke up, it’s like I was healed from it, all my injuries are gone. I feel amazing,” Lilyette answered.
“Seriously? That’s amazing! Your wings were made of fire…maybe you are like a phoenix,” Rhiannon wondered as she tried to wrap her mind around Lilyette’s miraculous healing.
“Whatever it is, I feel stronger than ever before. And I’m not staying another minute in this place, I may sound paranoid, but I just don’t trust it.” Lilyette replied.
“Okay, so where are you headed to?” Rhiannon asked.
“My mom is taking me home, then I guess she wants to find a different hospital where I can get checked up. She can see that I’m healed up, but she just wants to make sure that I’m totally in the clear,” Lilyette replied.
“Well I was just about to cancel the moving truck that was coming today and head to the hospital, so I guess I’ll come to your house instead!” Rhiannon said.
“Don’t! Let the moving truck come so you can get that taken care of, I’ll come to the new house after I’ve gotten checked up at another doctor and my mom feels comfortable to let me out of her sight,” Lilyette replied as she looked to her mom and smiled.
“But I want to see you…” Rhiannon replied quietly.
“I want to see you too, but I promise you, I’m perfectly fine. I can feel it deep in my bones, I’m good now. I’ll come to you, just text me the address of the new house, and I’ll let you know once everything is settled on my end, and I’ll come to help you set everything up,” Lilyette replied.
“Do you think your mom will be okay if you move in with me?” Rhiannon asked.
“She’s going to have to be,” Lilyette answered with a chuckle.
“Okay, I’ll get our stuff to the new house. I can’t wait to see you, Lil’…and I mean really see you,” Rhiannon said.
“Me too. love you Rhi-Rhi,” Lilyette said.
“Love you too,” Rhiannon replied and then hung up the phone
Rhiannon slipped her phone back into her pocket and smiled as she put her stuff back down and got busy with packing again.
I’d better hurry with this last bit of stuff, she thought, the moving company will be here in a couple hours.
***
Time went by quickly as Rhiannon finished packing excitedly, looking more forward to moving now that she knew Lilyette is healthy and able to join her.
When the moving company arrived, she had everything ready to be loaded up on the truck and sent to the new house. Rhiannon asked the movers if she could ride with them to the house, and they happily agreed to let her ride along. She had initially planned to go to the house the next day but was eager to get things set up for Lilyette, so she rode to the new house that very day.
As the truck made its way closer to the house, Rhiannon squinted out the window to see a variety of homes come into view. Her eyes widened as the one she was looking for came into view. The house appeared before her like a mirage and memories swept over her that she hadn’t been prepared for.
Memories she’d long ago tucked away to protect her heart from the pain of missing her parents came at her all at once and made her feel as though she’d swallowed a rock with the lump that now existed in her throat. Rhiannon breathed in deeply and tried her best to control the overwhelming emotions that were hitting her, not wanting to burst into tears in front of the movers.
To distract herself, she pulled out her phone and texted Kalen.
Here’s the address. I’m going there tonight, so I can get everything set up, couldn’t wait! Text me when you’re heading over tomorrow.
Just as she was about to put her phone away, she felt it vibrate and saw that Kalen had responded right away.
I could come tonight…if that’s cool?
Rhiannon sighed in relief at his response. She didn’t realize it until she’d read it, but deep inside, she had wanted him to come tonight as well.
Very cool! Can’t wait!
She sent her response quickly, not wanting to stop herself, although she worried that she was coming on too eager.
Rhiannon felt a bit better now that she knew she’d have a visitor. She lifted her head to face the house just as the truck pulled into the front and parked.
“We’re here,” the driver stated cheerfully.
“Thank you so much for the ride and everything,” Rhiannon replied, not able to take her eyes off the house.
“No problem! My men are pulling up in the car behind us, and we will get everything unloaded in a jiffy since it’s not that large of a load. Do you want it put in a specific room?” He asked.
“You can just put it all in the living room, I’m going to do some cleaning so it’d be better if the other rooms were empty while I did it,” Rhiannon answered.
“Works for us,” he said as he opened his door and walked out to meet the other workers.
Rhiannon put her hand on the handle to open the door, then hesitated and pulled it back.
I can’t believe I’m here…I never thought I’d ever see this house again, she ruminated as a lump formed in her throat.
This won’t do! Focus on the present…Kalen is coming, and Lilyette is going to live with you here. She tried to convince herself as thoughts of her mom and dad danced around in her mind, fuzzy images of the past that insisted upon being acknowledged.
Bracing herself, she finally pulled the door open and clumsily stumbled out of the lofty truck. Feeling embarrassed she looked around to make sure no one had seen her far from swift exit and was relieved to see that all the movers had made their way around the back of the truck and wouldn’t have seen her.
Get it together, she thought to herself, annoyed.
Rhiannon walked towards the house, and with each step towards the front door, her heart raced wildly inside her chest. She went to open the front door – and it was locked.
Oh yeah, she thought as she pulled the file folder out of her bag, Lady Villagomez had the keys in here. Balancing everything dangerously o
n her knee, Rhiannon tried her best to quickly pull the key out and keep from dropping everything.
After a moment, she finally found the keys taped to a page with the house’s address and full specifications. She quickly ripped the keys off then shoved the file back into her bag. She held four keys in her hand, each labeled. One read ‘front door,’ one read ‘garage,’ one read ‘black car,’ and the last read ‘red car.’
Rhiannon briefly wondered what type of cars they were, but decided to worry about that later as she got the house opened for the movers who were now making their way towards her with boxes in tow.
***
The movers worked quickly and were soon gone along with the electrician and other service providers, leaving Rhiannon alone to explore the house. Memories kept coming at her like waves in the ocean, yet it still felt unfamiliar to her. It’d been such a long time since she had been in the house that she couldn’t fully remember where everything was.
Walking around aimlessly just to take everything in, she was pleasantly surprised to see that it had been kept quite clean.
I really should figure out how to properly thank Lady Villagomez for taking care of this place for me for so long, Rhiannon thought with a pain in her stomach. How could someone capable of such care be married to someone capable of such heinous acts like murdering his own brother?
Finding herself in the kitchen, Rhiannon opened cabinets one by one and saw that they were fully stocked with dishes and various kitchenware, but there wasn’t any food in the refrigerator or anywhere else. She mentally added that to her list of to-dos and made her way to the next room.
Old furniture covered in large white sheets still filled the house, and one by one Rhiannon pulled off the sheets as she went through the house, feeling relieved to see that there wasn’t much dust thanks to whoever Lady Villagomez had hired to keep up with the house.
When she circled back to the living room, she pulled off a sheet and revealed a recliner that made her freeze in place as a vision of her dad sitting there and reading a book to her as a child sitting on his lap appeared before her. The ghostlike image in front of her made her feel so alone as she yearned for those days of feeling so safe and loved with her parents.
A knock at the door shook Rhiannon back to reality and made the imaged disappear like vapor. Rhiannon rushed to the door, welcoming the distraction, and couldn’t help but smile goofily when she was faced with Kalen.
“I brought food,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes and a confident smile playing across his full lips.
Rhiannon felt overcome with excitement as it hit her – I invited him to my house at night – and we are alone.
Chapter 9
Rhiannon led Kalen inside, facing away from him trying to hide her nervous excitement as she thought of what to say.
“This house is amazing,” Kalen said, breaking the silence.
“Thank you. It’s filled with so many memories; it’s like my parents are with me in a way,” Rhiannon replied as she pulled a sheet off the dining room table so they could sit down and eat.
“Are you doing okay, being back here with all those memories?” Kalen asked, sensing the twinge of sadness in her tone.
“I was so busy earlier with people coming in and out, but once I was alone, it was pretty overwhelming. You came just in time,” she replied shyly.
“I’m glad,” Kalen replied with a small smile as he pulled out the bento boxes his mom had packed when she found out he’d be going to see Rhiannon.
“My mom wanted to make sure that you had plenty of food, so she packed dishes for dinner and for you to have tomorrow,” Kalen said with a bit of pride as he thought of how his mom quickly went to work in the kitchen to prepare everything.
“Ugh, your mom is the best!” Rhiannon gushed as she looked hungrily at each dish that Kalen revealed.
“She really is, also…umm…I don’t want you to think I’m trying anything, but I snuck this out with me just in case you might want to christen the house with something special,” Kalen said nervously as he pulled out a curved glass bottle.
“What’s that?” Rhiannon asked.
“Sake…” Kalen answered as he mentally chastised himself for grabbing it.
She’s going to think you want to get her drunk like some creep!
“I’ve always wanted to try sake!” Rhiannon proclaimed happily as she grabbed the bottle from him.
Kalen lifted his head in surprise, happy to see she wasn’t offended by his idea.
“Really? Okay, great! It isn’t very potent, but we could just each have a small glass?” Kalen replied.
“I’ve had soju before at Lilyette’s house, so I know I’ll be okay, don’t worry,” Rhiannon said as she opened the bottle and brought it close to her nose for a sniff.
“Well, this was unexpected,” Kalen said with a laugh as Rhiannon went to get glasses from the kitchen.
Once everything was set up at the table, Rhiannon and Kalen sat down and said a quick prayer before diving into the delicious spread before them.
Rhiannon poured a glass of sake for each of them, then they clinked glasses. Kalen took a small sip of his before putting down his glass and watched with surprise as Rhiannon downed her drink and quickly poured herself another one.
“Okay, I know I said it wasn’t strong, but you should still probably pace yourself,” Kalen said.
“It just went down so nicely! This is really tasty!” Rhiannon said as she gulped down her second glass.
“Besides, I’m home, it’s not like I have to drive anywhere after this…oh yeah! You’re drinking! That means you have to stay the night!” Rhiannon said suddenly.
“I only had a sip, so I should be fine to drive, I won’t drink anymore,” Kalen answered.
“No! I mean…you don’t have to do that, honestly? I’d rather you stayed…I don’t want to be alone…” Rhiannon said nervously as she poured herself another drink.
“Are you sure?” Kalen asked cautiously.
“I’m sure, please stay,” Rhiannon said as she looked into his eyes intensely.
Kalen picked up the glass in front of him and took another drink before saying,
“Okay, I’ll stay.”
The pair continued their meal happily, and while Kalen began his second glass, Rhiannon had quickly lost count of how many glasses of sake she’d had.
“I don’t want to tell you what to do…but maybe that’s enough for tonight?” Kalen said.
“You may be right,” Rhiannon replied as she laughed happily, her cheeks pleasantly warm and rosy, “I think I’m definitely starting to feel it.”
“I can see that your cheeks are cute at this shade,” Kalen said, laughing with her.
“Everything about you is cute!” Rhiannon said louder than she meant to, feeling suddenly bold.
Feeling himself blush, Kalen smiled and replied,
“Thank you.”
“I mean it! I can’t get your face out of my head! Guess what happened today!” Rhiannon continued.
“What?”
“Oberon kissed me!” Rhiannon answered.
Kalen sucked in his breath in surprise and felt immediately overcome with jealousy, though he knew he had no right.
“Don’t worry though, it was nothing like kissing you,” Rhiannon went on, “I didn’t even want him to kiss me…he kind of forced it…and I know I’m such a bitch because all I could think of was you and how much I loved kissing you.”
Kalen felt his jealousy dissolve as he listened to her go on.
“Why don’t you tell me more about it tomorrow, after you’ve slept off the sake?” Kalen said, not wanting her to regret her admissions in the morning.
“Pffft! I’m barely even drunk. You want to know something else? I told Oberon that I don’t want to be betrothed anymore! So now, the choice is mine!” Rhiannon said as she pointed to herself proudly.
“Seriously?” Kalen replied excitedly.
“Yep! When I get married, it’ll be becau
se I want to. It’s all thanks to you, Kalen, the feelings inside me…I just never felt this way before about anyone…” Rhiannon rambled.
“I feel the same way; I was so excited when you said I could come to your house tonight. I wanted to see you as soon as possible,” Kalen began but stopped suddenly when he looked back towards Rhiannon and saw that she had laid her head on the table and was letting out a quiet snore.
Kalen smiled down at her and wondered if she’d meant everything she’d said or if it had all been the sake talking. Getting up from his chair he gently shook her and said,
“Why don’t you sleep in a bed?”
“Mhmm,” she mumbled in reply.
Kalen carefully helped her up, bearing most of her weight, as he helped her up the stairs and opened the first door to his right, hoping it was a bedroom. Finding a twin-sized bed inside, he pulled off the sheet that covered it. The bed was white and ornate, with floral bedding that appeared clean. Kalen helped her lay down, then pulled off her shoes and pulled the blanket over her.
“Goodnight,” he whispered as he closed the door behind him.
Not wanting to poke around her house, Kalen went back downstairs, put all the food away, then laid down on the couch where he fell asleep.
Chapter 10
Rhiannon grumbled as the sunlight hit her face. Rolling away from it, she covered her head with the blanket that was on top of her and moaned miserably at the pounding in her head.
What happened last night, she thought to herself as she tried to piece together the events of the evening.
Kalen and I had dinner, and I drank…a lot…but then what…oh hell, she thought as everything came back to her rapid-fire.
Memories of telling him how cute he was and about how she felt about his kiss hit her like a truck causing her already pounding head to ache even more.
I’m never drinking again, she thought miserably as she threw the blankets off her flushed skin.
All feelings of embarrassment were momentarily forgotten as Rhiannon took in her surroundings and realized she was in her childhood bedroom. The decorations that once adorned the walls were now gone, and all that remained were plain white walls. There was no mistaking it. However, she knew that she was in her bedroom.
The Dream Deceiver Page 6