Chapter 6 My Mind

• Luna
• My mind has been swirling since last night. As if it wasn't already hard enough to deal with after that conversation. The words still echoed in my mind. When I lay in my bed, sleep took its time. I stared at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to overcome me. But it took a while.
• It took quite a while. And when it came, it took me to a world I didn't want to be in. It was dark, cold, and scary. It felt like I was feeling all of it.
• It felt like it was real. And that scared me a lot. I was in a dark, dense forest, with huge trees, with branches and bushes.
• In the distance, something was watching me, in the dark night. I couldn't see what it was. But it didn't seem to be a person. It seemed to be a creature.
• A creature I didn't know. I had no idea what was lurking in the shadows.
• I could only see its eyes. An intense red staring at me. I could even hear its breathing.
• The growling, as if it were a dog. Much bigger than a dog. At that moment, all I could think of was running far away from there. And that's what I did.
• I ran for so long that my legs started to hurt. And every time I thought I was safe, it approached again.
• When I looked back, that sight was right beside me, still in the shadows. I couldn't see its face, but I felt its presence so close to my body, I could hear and feel its hot breath on my skin.
• The air failed in my lungs. I fell and stumbled, terrified. Then something different happened. A sudden peace appeared in my heart.
• Something that calmed me. And it calmed that sight too. I stared at it, this time without fear.
• Trying to see it or get into its mind. I asked, just with my gaze, for it to leave me alone.
• To step back. And that's exactly what it did. I felt like the dry leaves were swallowing me.
• Then, I fell back onto my mattress. In my room. Waking up, with my hair all messy.
• Scared. It was so real that I thought it was actually happening. That's when I really got up. There was no way to sleep.
• So, I decided to put on some clothes, slip on my shoes, and run. It was good to clear my mind. And that's what I did. My parents were still asleep.
• The sun was rising. It was a bit cold. That town was quite cold. Even when the sun came out, we still felt the temperature dropping.
• I think I spent an hour running on a trail. And when I came across the trees, I looked at them as if they were in that nightmare again.
• So, I decided to head back home. And the most interesting thing. While running, I glanced at the neighboring property, after the fence, I saw a familiar face.
• I didn't know who my neighbors were. But they were wealthy. And they had a large plot of land. It was there that I saw Adrian. With two others.
• He seemed to be fighting them. I stopped at that moment and thought.
• Is he being attacked? Or...
• I saw them smiling. They seemed to be mocking the man, who at school was so closed off. And brutish.
• He then fought back, and this time he brought down the two men.
• Nervous and hoping he didn't see me. I started running again. Towards my home. As soon as I walked through the door. I heard the voices of the servants, and my father's.
• I entered the living room and he immediately turned around. Staring at me.
• "Where were you?" My father seemed panicked. I furrowed my brow and approached. "You worried us."
• I raised an eyebrow, finding it interesting. He had never shown so much protectiveness before.
• "Dad, I went for a run." I explained, giving a smile. "I've always done this..."
• "Not here." And again, I was puzzled. It reminded me of last night's conversation and the mystery surrounding us. "You can't just go out without letting us know."
• Interesting. He seemed genuinely furious about my morning walk. Concerned. Lorenzo Vargas knows who his daughter is, and I believe he now realizes that he's opened the door for questions.
• "Dad" I walked over to where he stood, in the center of the room, hands on his hips, and looked him in the eyes. "Why are you so worried about a simple jog around our property?"
• He tried to hide it then, looking up and releasing the air trapped in his lungs.
• "You're a 17-year-old girl who left home early, without saying anything, in an unfamiliar city." He justified.
• "You know I'm cautious and that... There's no risk of anything happening in this place."
• "We don't know that." He glared at me again, angrily. "You're forbidden from going out early, alone, to walk or run, without protection."
• "Can you tell me why all this?" I frowned, outraged. I clenched my fists tightly. I felt my face burning with anger. "It's our home, a morning jog, as I always do. What's so bad about that?"
• Melting, the lights started flickering, and the wind picked up, rattling the windows. My father looked around and grew frightened, and that's when I noticed it too.
• "I don't see anything wrong." He paid attention to me again when everything returned to normal. I was already calmer, or I was going to blow my top. "Just..." He narrowed his eyes and stared at me. "I worry." I released my fingers, feeling like maybe I had overreacted. "You can walk, just... Let me know."
• This is so weird. I feel like this. I shook my head affirmatively and stepped away from him, heading to my room to take a shower; I didn't want to be late for school.
• I couldn't, after getting to my room, get that scene I saw while running out of my mind. Adrian and those men. Was that normal in his life?
• Well, what's normal in this town?
• Entering the bathroom, I took off my sweaty clothes and stepped into the shower. I turned on the water and felt it cleansing me, but the whispers in my ear left me paralyzed. Again, I went into a trance and turned my body. The glass was fogged up. I wiped it, and even with difficulty, I saw someone lurking at me.
• The scream of shock was loud. I moved away instantly, and in the blink of an eye, the figure vanished.
• I was confused, terrified, and then I heard my mother's voice.
• "Luna, are you okay?"
• I wasn't okay. My eyes were wide. My legs were shaking, and my mind was playing tricks on me. I couldn't tell anyone about this, or they'd think I'm going crazy.
• "I'm fine, mom." The water still fell on my body; my heart was still pounding hard. I focused on my breath, hoping to calm down. "I just almost slipped."
• I didn't hear her voice anymore, but the concern about my mental sanity only grew after that.