Once Upon Now

by Danielle Banas

  “Morning,” I mumble.

  “Morning!” he greets, full of his usual cheer despite the fact that it’s not yet eight. I hear the refrigerator door open. Then, “How do you like your eggs?”

  I grin. “Doesn’t matter as long as I don’t have to make them.”

  Five minutes later, we’re cooking breakfast together. While Phil mans the omelets, I slice up some fresh fruit. We work quietly, and although I feel a bit uncomfortable, he seems completely at ease.

  “Tomatoes, peppers, and onion okay?”

  Glancing up to answer, I’m momentarily distracted by the line of definition between Phil’s shoulder blades. I wonder if he doesn’t own many shirts, if he hates doing laundry, or if he’s just trying to drive me crazy.

  “Rory?”

  “Huh?” I shake my head to clear the fog. “Oh, right. Yeah, that’s fine.” When the food is done, we sit at the counter bar stools to eat.

  “So,” I say, no longer able to stand the silence. “You mentioned yesterday you’re studying to be a nurse. How come?” I’m still not sure what to think of Phil, but if I have to live with him for the next few months, I might as well make an effort to be nice.

  “Promise not to tell?” he asks, pointing his fork at me.

  Casting my gaze around the empty room, I say, “Who could I possibly tell?”

  “Okay, point taken. I’ve always had a strange obsession with blood. Needles too. I don’t know what it is, they just get me going.”

  I rear back and Phil laughs. Despite my sudden horror, it’s a beautiful sound. “Relax, Rory. I’m just messing with you.”

  This makes me scowl. “I’m still coming out of my episode right now. You shouldn’t mess with someone who struggles separating hallucinations from the real world.” Earlier this morning while I was brushing my teeth, I saw a shadow monster lurking on the edge of my vision. It took me an entire ten minutes to calm down. Sometimes the things I see are so real looking that it’s impossible not to be paranoid.

  The pink color in Phil’s cheeks drains away. “Oh, shit. You’re totally right.”

  “Some nurse you are,” I grumble.

  “Aspiring nurse,” he corrects. “And I’m really sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

  “No,” I say simply, flatly. “You weren’t.”

  Phil goes quiet, poking at his food without actually eating anything, and it occurs to me that I may have been too harsh.

  “So what is it, then?” I ask, trying to get him talking again.

  “What’s what?” He stabs at a stray grape, sending it shooting across his plate.

  “The real reason you wanted to be a nurse.”

  Finally, the smile that I’m already growing accustomed to returns. “My Mamey.”

  My eyebrows pinch together. “What’s a Mamey?”

  A deep laugh barrels from his mouth, more musical and beautiful than the first. “My grandmother,” he clarifies. “When I was growing up, both my parents were in the navy and stationed at sea, so she raised me. My grandmother is the kindest, most badass lady I know. Most kids idolize their parents, but she’s always been my hero.”

  “How come?”

  “Because she spent her life saving people. First she was a nurse in the Vietnam War, and then she worked in an ER for years. I want to do the same thing. Make a difference in people’s lives.”

  Any doubt I have about Phil melts away, and something warm unfolds inside my chest because I get it.

  “I wanted to help people too,” I confess. “My plan was to be a doctor, although I don’t think I would’ve cut it in an ER.”

  “Mamey always says it takes quick thinking and a strong stomach.” His lips quirk for a second before his face turns serious. “You know you don’t have to be a doctor to help people, right? There’s lots of things you can do. You just have to find what that something else is.”

  I’m slow to respond. “I know,” I say at last, “but I’m not in the right place to do that yet. This will probably sound stupid, but when I gave up on going to med school, I feel like I lost a part of myself, and I think I need to grieve for that loss before I can move on.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Asleep

  THIS TIME, I wake on the edge of a jagged canyon, and a moment of stupidity compels me to peer over the side. Whatever lies at the bottom is too far down for me to see, shrouded in a river of darkness.

  Out of nowhere, a battle cry echoes through the ravine.

  Jerking my head, I glance to the other side. It takes me three long seconds to process what I’m seeing, and when I do, my chest seizes. Crouched against a backdrop of rugged rock face is the dragon, her deadly tail poised in the air like a cobra ready to strike. And below her, sword clutched in hand and teetering dangerously close to the end of the cliff, is the prince made of light.

  Nothing happens.

  And then, suddenly, everything is happening.

  The dragon moves so fast it’s as if I’m watching a clip on fast forward. Her head darts down, powerful jaws snapping together, but the prince jerks his weapon up to meet her teeth. The polished metal catches a moonbeam, flashing like a bolt of lightning before clashing with my nightmare.

  “Run, Rory!” he shouts. “Run!”

  But I can’t. His voice is so familiar that I’m rooted to the spot.

  He risks a glance over his shoulder to see if I’ve obeyed, and in the moment before it happens, I know I’ve killed him. Because while he’s distracted, the dragon attacks. The prince stumbles backward until there’s no ground left to stumble on, and then he’s falling.

  As I scream, recognition finally dawns on me—it’s Phil I see disappearing into the abyss below.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Awake

  TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF.”

  “What is this? An interview?” I ask. Phil and I are sitting in my favorite spot: the rooftop patio of the apartment building. From here you can see all the best parts of Manhattan. The sun is blazing, but I don’t mind. Light weaves through Phil’s hair, bringing out shades of color I didn’t know were there: caramel, copper, and chestnut.

  “No,” he says, lifting his shoulder in a half shrug. “I just feel like I don’t know anything about you.”

  “Sure you do,” I say, my face screwing up in confusion. “I have KLS. I’ve always wanted to be a doctor. I was at Columbia before I was diagnosed—”

  “No, no. Not that stuff,” he interrupts. “I want to know about who you are now.”

  His question throws me off. “Like what?”

  Another half shrug. “I don’t know. Any hidden talents? Can you sing?”

  Tilting my head back, I close my eyes and let the heat of the day warm my skin. “I would probably break your eardrums if I tried to sing.”

  “So seems like a no on the hidden-talent front.”

  “Does being a Netflix marathon athlete count? Because I can square away entire seasons in a day,” I tell him. We both laugh, and after it turns quiet again, I say, “In all honesty, the only thing I was ever gifted at was getting good grades in school. I enjoy drawing, but I’m crap at it.”

  “What do you draw?”

  My face burns as I think about the sketch of him inside my notebook. “Oh, you know. Just stuff.”

  Phil cocks an eyebrow. “Do I get to see any drawings of this mysterious stuff?”

  I bite back my smile. “Not a chance in the world.”

  PHIL LUNGES ACROSS THE COUCH, trying to snatch the remote from my hand, but I hold it just out of reach.

  “Come on,” he grumbles when I turn on my all-time favorite movie, The Princess Bride. “You got to pick last time.”

  Samson jumps up on the couch and settles next to me instead of Phil. I smirk and pat his head. Over the past few weeks, I’ve grown more and more attached to the old English sheepdog. The last time I had an episode, he could tell something was wrong and cuddled in bed with me for the five days I slipped out of reality. It was a greater comfort than I ever imagined poss
ible.

  “That’s because it’s my house,” I tell him.

  “But I live here too!”

  “So does Samson, but you don’t see him mauling me for the remote, now, do you?”

  MILLIE COMES HOME every once in a while, but mainly she stays in hotels wherever she’s working. And I’m okay with that now. As I slowly get to know Phil, I realize it’s better this way. He treats me like the adult I am, not a child who needs watching, and the apartment is starting to feel like a home again instead of a cage.

  On the few occasions Millie does grace us with her presence, we always end up arguing. It’s always about the same thing: her inability to treat me like an adult. Today our fight is particularly bad, so Phil kidnaps me before I can retreat to my bedroom and hide for the rest of her visit.

  “Where are we going?” I ask as he hails a cab.

  He grins over his shoulder at me. “To get the three Feel Better Foods. Pizza, ice cream, and chocolate. You get points if the last two are combined.”

  My mouth waters at the thought. “That sounds amazing right now.”

  “I know,” he says, flashing me a cocky smirk. “And when we’re done, we’re going out to Brooklyn.”

  “What’s out there?” I ask as a yellow taxi finally pulls up to the curb.

  “My Mamey.” He opens the door for me. “She wants to meet you.”

  WE’VE FOUND A SECLUDED BENCH in Central Park and are finishing our lunch of PB&Js.

  “So there’s no cure for KLS?” Phil asks before shoving the rest of his sandwich into his mouth.

  “Nope,” I say. Jelly oozes out of my remaining bite, and I quickly lick it away before the purple goo falls on my lap. “There are different meds that help with certain things—the mood changes, for example. But there’s no way to prevent or end episodes.” If I feel one coming on, the only thing I can do is warn my family. And when I enter an episode, the only way to come back around is naturally.

  Phil presses his lips together like this is the most frustrating thing in the world. “Do you think they’ll find one?”

  “Don’t know,” I answer, twisting my hands in my lap. “But I really hope so. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.”

  He casts a sidelong glance at me. “Not even your mom?”

  I know he’s only joking, but I answer seriously. “Not even she deserves this kind of torture.”

  Phil drapes his arm around the back of the bench and hugs me against his side. “I’m so sorry, Rory. I wish I could make it better for you.”

  “It’s okay,” I say as I stare out at the trees surrounding us. What I don’t tell him is that he already has.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Asleep

  I WAKE IN HIS ARMS—my prince of sun and light.

  The haze of sleep quickly melts away, and just the feel of his arms around me is enough to make my blood sing. At first, all I can do is stare up at him and his beautiful golden eyes. I hardly notice the world around us, that for the first time it’s day during my dream and wisps of clouds drift across a brilliant blue sky. We’re lying in a soft patch of grass outside the castle, and the thorn thicket has bloomed into an endless wave of roses.

  “How?” I finally ask. “How is this possible?”

  “What do you mean?” He runs his fingers through my hair, gently massaging my scalp, and a shiver racks my entire body.

  “I saw you die.”

  He laughs. “Nothing here is real, Rory. You know that.”

  I open my mouth to argue, but the sky suddenly goes dark, almost as if the sun has been plucked from above and replaced with the moon. And just as quickly, the dragon appears, swooping through the clouds, bringing with her darkness and doom and death.

  “Don’t worry,” Phil says as we clutch each other. “Everything is going to be all right.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Awake

  JUNE. JULY. AUGUST.

  The months go by quickly, easily, like tearing a page from a book.

  Hannah will be home from Germany soon, and while I’m excited to see her again, I’m also terrified of the change her return will bring. Because if my sister is home, why would Phil need to stay? For the past two years of my life, I’ve let KLS rule me. I’ve lived in fear of my condition and its terrible effects. But Phil has changed that. He makes it bearable.

  Now the only thing I fear is losing him, because . . . I think I love him. What if I fall asleep and never see him again?

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Ever After

  WHEN I WAKE I know I’m about to die.

  I’m lying in the dirt in what must be a courtyard of the castle. Perched on the roof twenty feet above is a woman draped in a scaley purple cloak. She’s watching me as if she’s been waiting for me to wake up.

  “Morning, darling,” she says, baring her teeth in a knifelike smile.

  Something about her is familiar, but before I can figure out what, she leaps into the sky, transforming into a dragon.

  I look around for an escape, somewhere to hide, but it’s hopeless. All the exits are blocked by overgrown rosebushes. The flowers are long past dead, and all that remain are the painful thorns.

  My monster swoops through the dark sky. I know I should run, should try to escape, but I’m so tired. She must know I’ve given up, because she circles overhead, mocking me.

  Just get it over with! I want to shout. Then I hear his voice.

  “Rory!” Phil calls. “Rory!”

  I glance around my small stone prison. On the other side of the square, right where a wall of thorns has grown in front of the door, I see a bright shining light. It’s as if the sun has risen behind the dead bush, illuminating the brown vines and shriveled leaves. I know that it’s him, here to save me.

  “Rory!” he shouts again. “Get up! Please, I need you to get up!” So I do.

  The dragon roars in outrage as I push myself up out of the dirt, but I can’t let her win. Hearing Phil’s voice has reminded me of this.

  I’m across the courtyard in a second, but there’s nowhere for me to go. I’m trapped behind the lifeless roses. I try to rip through the branches but only succeed in slicing open my palms. Drops of warm blood stain the ground. A glance over my shoulder tells me that I only have seconds left.

  “Phil, help me!” I call in desperation.

  He doesn’t respond, but I hear his sword as it’s unsheathed. Foliage starts to fly as he hacks through the barrier, but he’s not going to reach me in time. The sound of the dragon’s wings beating in the air matches the pounding of my heart, and I fear her claws will sink into my back at any moment. I can already feel the heat of her breath.

  But instead, the last twisted branch falls away and—

  A pair of soft lips press against my mouth, kissing me awake.

  I open my eyes in my room and see Phil smiling above me. A lock of his dark bangs falls into his eyes, and I can’t help but reach up and push it back.

  He catches my hand against his cheek and holds it there. “Welcome back to the world of the living,” he says, just like the first time we met. “I’ve missed you.”

  “You’re still here,” I whisper in amazement.

  A goofy grin spreads across his face. “Where else would I be?”

  “I thought you were going to leave me.”

  “Rory,” Phil says. “I’m never going anywhere.”

  About the Authors

  Danielle Banas grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and received a Bachelor of Arts in communication and advertising from Robert Morris University. She began posting her work online in 2014, and it has since been viewed 2 million times. When she is not writing, she can be found fangirling over superheroes, spouting off Walt Disney World trivia, and snuggling with her puppy. Follow her on Wattpad as @tasting_stars and on Twitter as @daniellebanas.

  Mikaela Bender has always had a love for modern stories with an impossible twist. Her first novel won the Royal Palm Literary Award as well as the Candice Coghill Award in 2015. O
n Wattpad, her story “Expiration Date” has held the number-one spot on the Science Fiction Hot List multiple times and has reached over 8 million reads. Every day she’s thankful to God, her parents, and readers for all they’ve done. Find her on Wattpad as @MikaelaBender.

  J. M. Butler is an adventurer and attorney who never outgrew her love of Disney or fairy tales. Her passion for writing began when she was five and couldn’t find the story she wanted to read. She is a Wattpad Featured and award-winning writer. While she enjoys cooking and dancing with her husband, she also dabbles in knife-throwing, warrior-dashing, and mud-running. She once proposed marriage to a stranger with a Ring Pop and knows from experience which hurts more: a camel bite or a giraffe bite. If you’d like to know more, you can visit her on Wattpad and Twitter as @JessicaBFry or at www.jessicabfry.com.

  Debra Goelz is a refugee from Hollywood. She served for ten years as a financial executive for such companies as Universal Pictures and Jim Henson Productions. Her performing career began and ended with her puppeteering a chicken during the closing scene of Muppet Treasure Island. Her short story “Redirection” was published in an anthology titled Imagines: Celebrity Encounters Starring You, published by Gallery Books in April 2016. Her YA humorous fantasy, Mermaids and the Vampires Who Love Them, won a Watty in 2014. She lives in a redwood forest in rural Marin County. You can reach her on Twitter as @DebbieGoelz and on Wattpad as @BrittanieCharmintine.

  Shannon Klare is an aspiring YA/NA writer with a love of quirky characters and witticisms. Four years ago, she shared her first story with the world. Since then, her stories have earned over 10 million reads, and two have been featured on Wattpad. When she isn’t writing or working, Shannon can be found spending time with her family or daydreaming about new storylines. Occasionally, she tries to craft. The results always vary. You can find her on Wattpad as @liveandlove10.

  R. S. Kovach is an art historian by training and a senior financial administrator by trade who has worked at universities across three continents. A Wattpad Featured Author with over 3 million reads, she has also written commissioned shorts for The Gallows and Crimson Peak movie campaigns. After winning the inaugural XOXOAfterDark.com flash-fiction contest, Pocket Star Books will publish her debut contemporary romance, The Last Resort, in March 2017. She lives with her husband and three boys in the greater Washington, D.C., area, but you can find her on Wattpad and Twitter as @rskovach or Facebook as @rskovach.author.