FADED DREAMS

Waking Up

Gaia hadn't moved a muscle. Bash quickly prepped the iron shot and gave it to her in her arm.

"Ouch!" She flinched.

"That hurts?" He laughed. "What does it feel like when I bite you?"

"That hurts too, but that hurts good. That stupid shot hurts not-so-good." She smiled; her eyes half-opened.

"Fair enough," Bash chuckled his reply.

He fed her the cookies and grapes, giving her sips of orange juice in between. After about thirty minutes, she started to perk up again. Her cheeks looked rosier and her heartbeat was stronger.

Bash set aside the dirty dishes and laid next to her, cradling her in his arms. Yes, he would miss this probably more than anything, if he were being honest with himself.

"You seem warm tonight," Gaia commented.

"That's because I fed better than I normally do with you. It's your blood flowing through me that's making me warm."

"Mm... I like that it does that. It's like I'm a part of you now." She drew lazy circles on his muscled chest with her finger.

"You are a part of me, Gaia. You give me life." He took hold of her hand and brought it to his lips.

Her heart exploded in her chest. Why can't he be real?

"Tell me, how was your day?" he asked.

Bash found he loved hearing about the mundane details of her life in the sun. They reminded him of the times before they had cursed him to walk the night for all eternity.

"It sucked! My boss at the café is still a total d**k and my contemporary art project got an A-minus. Plus, the customers were extra bitchy today," she rambled.

"Wait, an A-minus is fantastic!"

He had taken some night classes to familiarize himself with more modern knowledge. Plus, it was a great hunting ground. He knew enough about the current grading system in place to believe Gaia was being adorably silly, fussing about an A-minus.

"Yeah, but I deserved an A-plus. The professor has been getting flak from some rich kid's parents and he's caving. Some donor's daughter got my A-plus." Gaia rolled her eyes.

"Well, that isn't fair." Bash thought perhaps he should pay the professor a visit and convince him to change her grade.

"Whatever, being here with you makes it all better. Even if I am dreaming," she yawned.

She wasn't making it easy for him to do what he knew he needed to do.

As she began to doze off, she gazed sleepily into his eyes. "I love you, Bash. I know I'm crazy because you aren't real, but you feel so real, and I can't help it. I love you and I want to always dream of you."

"Gaia..." It was official. She would be his undoing if he continued to see her. He had to walk away. He loved her too much. "I love you too. Always remember that. All I do is because I love you, my sweet pet."

He curved into her and placed a soft kiss on her plush, pink, pouty lips. The last kiss he was certain he'd ever give her.

She sighed in contentment and closed her eyes. It wasn't long before her breathing became shallow and she was fast asleep.

Bash laid with her and held her firmly against him until he sensed the sun would rise. He released her slowly and hovered over her. What he was about to do, he knew was selfish, but he couldn't help himself.

Typically, before he'd leave her for the day, he'd clean her apartment and wouldn't leave a trace of his existence. Tonight, he would leave the mess. Proof for when she woke up in the morning. He wanted her to know he wasn't a dream. But just leaving a mess wouldn't do.

Bash knew Gaia well enough to know, she would try to explain away the mess. He had to leave her with something she couldn't reason. He pushed the hair away from the side of her neck and focused in on her throbbing pulse. With only enough pressure to leave a mark, he bit down.

He didn't even take a sip. This time, unlike the others, he didn't heal her wound. He caressed her cheek once more and got up to dress. Doing so quickly, he looked back only once as he left her apartment and fled into the night, the sunrise hot on his tail.

*****

Gaia groaned at the sound of her alarm going off in the morning. She reached over to her nightstand to turn it off.

"Thank goodness it's Friday," she said as she sat up slowly.

Her head was foggy, and she seemed as if she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep.

That's not true, though. Gaia thought. I had the most fantastic dream, so I most definitely slept.

She replayed the events of her dream over in her head. Just the memory of it made her throb. Gradually, she realized she was naked.

That's weird. I never sleep naked. But I must have been exhausted because I don't remember falling asleep either.

She sighed and scooted to the edge of the bed. Her slight dizziness made her take pause, and she sat a while before attempting to stand. As she did, she turned to make her bed. That's when she noticed a bloodstain near where her legs had been.

What the f**k! Did I get my period?

She reached between her legs to check. Her p***y was oddly sore, but she wasn't bleeding.

That's odd...

She shrugged and turned, noticing the tray on her other night table with a plate and an empty cup. Remnants of orange juice remained in the cup, and crumbs littered the plate along with the stem from a bundle of grape.

Shit. No wonder I dreamt Bash was feeding me. She laughed. I must have eaten that before going to bed.

Bash... Finally, a name. Hey! Subconscious! You couldn't have come up with a name sooner? It's only been almost a year. She rolled her eyes as she picked up the tray and took it to the kitchen.

Every movement revealed just how sore her legs felt. Almost as if she'd done a hundred squats.

What the hell am I doing to get so damn sore?

She set down the tray and promised herself to clean it before heading out to her class. The urge to pee was too great to do it right then. She moved with more care to the bathroom and pushed the door open.

Her bathroom was large for her studio apartment. It was what drew her to it. The clawfoot tub was heaven after a long day at school and work, and it had a stand-up shower for times she had to get clean and head out the door in a hurry. Her kitchenette was big enough for her, and she had sectioned off the main room with antique dividers she'd found at a shop. On one side, was her queen-sized bed and her two nightstands. A small writing desk, rolling chair, and a small bookshelf sat across from her bed. She used it to do homework and house her laptop when she wasn't using it.

On the other side of the dividers, was her makeshift living room, complete with a loveseat, a single chair, and coffee table. Mounted on the wall was her flat screen, sixty-inch, LED television.

She was lucky enough that the kitchenette came with a breakfast bar which she'd furnished with a few stools. There wasn't much in the way of decorations. She had installed several floating shelves to put up some framed pictures of her parents.

They had died two years back when she was nineteen, in a car accident. Her dad had been driving home at night from a long-distance trip with her mom to visit her only living grandparents. Earlier that evening, they had called Gaia and told her they were pushing through the night instead of stopping and sleeping. It had turned out to be a terrible idea.

Gaia's father had fallen asleep at the wheel and hit the cement median causing the car to flip and roll several times. It took the jaws of life to remove their bodies from the totaled vehicle. They had left Gaia practically alone in the world. Their hefty life insurance was enough to cover the rest of her tuition, books, and supplies for her education in art at Columbia College Chicago and pay her rent while in college. She had enough left over to open a savings account in case of an emergency.

But tuition at the prestigious School of the Arts, had not been cheap, so she didn't have enough left over to live a life of luxury. She worked a café near the campus to earn the money she needed to eat, clothe herself, and pay her other small bills. She didn't party much and spent most of her time in her apartment, painting on her easel. Now and then, she'd get a commission that would bring in a few extra bucks or sell one of her random creations.

Recently, she had been attempting to paint a portrait of the vampire master from her dreams. She planned on framing it and putting it up in her room so she could always have a reminder of her perfect illusion. It probably wasn't the best thing to do for her mental health, but she didn't give a s**t.

Gaia stopped the moment she set eyes on the state of her bathroom. The driving urge to pee that had occupied her mind, melted into the background. The floor was wet with water that had yet to evaporate and the tub was half-filled. On the edge of the porcelain, were drops of blood, and blood also tinged the water pink.

What in the hell happened last night?

She began to panic. What if she had hurt herself? And if she did, why couldn't she remember what happened? All she could remember was that blasted dream. But maybe the dream stemmed from what had occurred while she was awake.

She ran her hands over her body, but there were no cuts or scrapes. And aside from being tired, weak, and a little sore, she felt fine.

Okay. Maybe I do need to see a doctor. I'm blacking out and losing time? That's not normal.

Her mind raced as she plopped down onto the toilet to pee. She wiped and stood up to wash her hands, brush her teeth, and wash her face. The color drained from her face as she peered into the round mirror behind her free-standing bathroom sink.

A shaky hand reached up and hesitantly touched the two holes on the side of her neck. She flinched. It was tender to the touch. Tears started rolling down her cheeks.

"Oh god..." she squeaked. "I am going crazy. Now I'm hallucinating!"

She contemplated heading straight to the emergency room and having herself committed. Something was seriously wrong with her. She was certain of it. Losing time, blacking out, and now hallucinating when she was awake. The only logical explanation was that she was going crazy.

"Okay, think Gaia." She paced the floor in front of the sink. "Mads! She'll be able to tell me if I'm losing it and help me figure out what to do."

Gaia hurried to her small walk-in closet located right off the bathroom. She chose a retro look. A powder blue and white striped shirt with matching blue, high waist, skinny pants. She tied a short white scarf around her neck to cover the mark, just on the off chance she wasn't going insane.

She scrambled into the bathroom once more to brush her teeth and slap on a little makeup. Not bothering to touch the dishes, she slipped on some flats, grabbed her bag and phone, and rushed out the door. As she waited for the bus, she sent Matilda a text.

Meet me on the quad. I'm on my way. It's an emergency. She hit send.

A moment later Mads replied. Okay. What's going on?

Can't explain. Just meet me there ASAP.

Gaia gripped the strap on her bag so tightly her knuckles went white. As soon as she got to school, she went straight to the spot on the quad she normally met up with Matilda.

"Thank goodness, Mads! You're here!" Gaia clung to Mads for dear life.

"Babe! What's wrong? I was so worried!" Matilda squeezed her back.

"I can't tell you out here." She grabbed Mads by the hand and dragged her to an empty classroom.

"Okay. We're alone. Can you tell me now?"

"Mads, I'm losing it! I had another dream last night with him. I don't remember falling asleep and when I woke up, my place was a mess. It was just how I left it in my dream."

"So, you're sleepwalking? I told you to see a doctor. It's not normal to not remember falling asleep, and now this?"

"I know!" Gaia whined. "I will see someone, I promise. But Mads, it's worse than you think. Now, I'm hallucinating."

"Hallucinating? What are you hallucinating?" Matilda's eyebrows pinched into a frown.

"I think I see a bite on my neck, like a bite he'd give me. Here..." She untied the scarf and craned her neck to the side.

"Gaia! You aren't hallucinating! There's a f*****g bite on your neck! Who the hell did that?" Mads reached out and touched the marks.

Gaia flinched again from the tenderness. "You're kidding, right? I'm just going crazy, right? There's nothing there, Mads. Tell me there's nothing there!"

She felt sick. The bile backed up and stung her throat.

"It's there, girl. Or we're both going f*****g insane." Matilda's brown curls swung as she shook her head. "Are you sure you're not into some kinky s**t you aren't telling me about?" She continued to stare at Gaia with skepticism written in her chocolate brown eyes.

"It can't really be there..." Gaia swayed.

"Whoa!" Mads grabbed her by the shoulders to steady her.

"You don't get it, Mads. If the bite is really there, that means he's real..."