Kima jumped to her feet upon seeing Alyson in Kris's arms, "What happened to you?" She inquired glancing over the girl's wounds, "Did someone attack you?" "Not really." Alyson remarked with a nervous glance at Natalie. "What happened to Jessie?" Natalie inquired curiously, spotting the dorm head on the sofa. "She had a breakdown." Kris explained dismally. "Head Mistress Melissa told her she is going to have to stay longer." Kima explained sadly, "and that she was going to be removed as Dorm Head and she freaked out." Natalie glanced down at Jessica's sleeping form, "I never thought of her to be the unstable type. I wonder why Head Mistress Melissa would replace her? She was Dorm Head for years." Kris lowered Alyson to an empty couch, "She must have been hiding under a lot of masks." Kris explained straightening and stepping over to Jessica to look down at the girl, "We only know how much is torturing our own minds. I mean we are all here for a reason, aren't we?" "Yeah... I guess..." Natalie remarked and glanced around the room, "Where is Jenn?" "She left with Tanya." Kris explained unhappily. "You let her leave?" Natalie probed frantically, "She was not in the state of mind to be alone." "She insisted." Kris returned defensively, "I couldn't stop her. She seemed rather angry and Jessica was throwing a fit in the office. What was I too do?" She asked in a lost voice. "So you choose Jessica over Jenn then?" Natalie inquired, giving Kris an icy glare. "She does not want me anymore." Kris stated miserably. "You really do not know her, do you?" Natalie bluntly replied, "She is struggling with her memories of you and Kim, so what do you do? You go to the next convenient thing. I thought you were better then that." She stated in disgust. "What would you know?" Kris screamed in frustration, "You do not understand the pain I have gone through for her. I spent a year at her side in that dream world of her's. I listened to her everyday and was there for her when she had no one, but she always was pulling back from me and the moment Kim shows up she is all ecstatic, it is like I don't even exist to her." Tears began to stream down her cheeks, "Y...yet I... continued to love her even... even when she did not love me... even when she started to fall in love with her." She turned her eyes on Kima who shrunk deep in her seat next to Penny. "Do not turn your anger on Kima!" Natalie demanded angrily, "You are the one who failed her and that is not Kima's fault. Have you ever thought about showing Jenn how you feel for her?" Kris cringed as if she had been slapped, "I..." She glanced down at Jessica and then at her feet. "You have been so busy feeling sorry for yourself that you didn't even notice how much she needs you." Natalie exclaimed disappointedly, "I haven't seen you so much as kiss the girl since you came here. If you love her so much why don't you show her instead of hiding it so much." Kris flopped heavily in the couch at Jessica's feet and stared at her hand then back to Natalie, "You tell me. If the girl you loved suddenly forgot who you were. Forgot everything including the most intimate moments of your lives together. What would you do? Would you simply force yourself upon her and possibly shatter the innocent state her mind was in? Could you go near the girl knowing that she may despise you for causing her to remember all the nightmares from her past, for causing her to remember the pain? Could you do that?" She pleaded to Natalie. "I..." Natalie glanced down at Alyson then to Kima and lowered her head, "I do not know..." "I would." Kima replied meekly. "You would?" Kris blinked at the girl across the coffee table, "You could risk all of that?" Kima took a deep sigh and looked upon Penny's face, "What difference would it make?" She inquired lightly, "Not approaching her you risk losing her and comforting her you risk the same. I would take comforting her and showing that she is loved. At least that way she knows she is not alone." She reached out to caress Penny's cheek, "And if she were to take things badly I would stay at her side. Never leaving her no matter how difficult things got. We would struggle through everything together. Through the darkness and the light." She glanced around to see the others were staring at her and quickly glanced down at her hands, ashamed of her words, "But that is just the thoughts of some insane reflection... I'll shut up now." She muttered timidly. "How can you care so deeply for someone you only met?" Alyson inquired, sceptical of the girl's feelings. Kima gazed up at Alyson and gave a weak smile, "You were in her mind. You did not feel it?" She inquired searching Alyson's eyes. Kima closed her eyes as she recalled the feeling that overcame her when she entered Penny's room, "The fear and loneliness along with a desire to be freed. To be rescued by her prince who would whisk her up in her arms and carry her away from the nightmares the haunt her. I tried to save Kim but I failed, maybe this time I can really help." She took a shaky breath and opened her eyes to study Penny's sleeping face, "Maybe I can make things right instead of always destroying everything." She stated in almost a whisper. Natalie crossed the room to Kima's side and set a hand upon the girl's shoulder, "Kima... you protected her as best you could." She stated softly, "I know I would have done the same if I was there." Kima looked up into Natalie's eyes, "Would you?" She pleaded then stared down at her hands, "Would you really be able to kill someone in order to protect her? I thought I would do anything to save Kim, but now I wonder if I really helped her or made things worse. I mean she hates me now more than ever. I can see the fear in her eyes. She does not trust me anymore and thinks I'm a monster when I only wanted to help." Tears filled her eyes and she wrapped her arms around Natalie's waist, burying her face in Natalie's tummy, "Everything would be fine if that man would stop invading in on my dreams." She shakily recalled, "Every time we seemed to be having a peaceful life he had to show up and mess everything up. He killed Lauren and even tried to kill Jenn. Then he appeared again inside of Penny's dreams. What does he want with us?" She inquired shakily. Natalie tilted her head in curiosity, "What man?" Kima set her eyes on Natalie, "Drake!" She stated coldly with hatred burning within those fiery red eyes. Natalie's head snapped in Alyson's direction, "Drake?" She inquired staring down at the girl, "Alyson?" Kris glanced around in confusion, "Wait! Who is Drake? And what does he have to do with Alyson?" She inquired feeling left out of things. Natalie's eye narrowed as she watched Alyson sunk in her seat, "He's Alyson's brother." Natalie explained through clenched teeth, "A tall man who always wears a long white cloak and has wavy white hair. When he looks at you it feel like his eyes are burning through your mind as if he is in search of your darkest fears. If you've seen him you would know what I mean." Kris shook her head, "I can not believe this." She stated as she slumped back against the cushions and stared up at the ceiling, "I had a feeling he did not belong there." "You have seen him too?" Natalie inquired anxiously, "Where?" "Inside of Jenn's dreams." Kris replied with a sigh, "He was at her house." "What does he want?" Natalie probed turning her attention back to Alyson who promptly shook her head. "Do not look at me." Alyson remarked restlessly, "He never told me what he was up to. He just asked me to get close to certain girls and..." Her face grew long as she noticed the looks of doubt in the other girl's eyes, "Come on... You do not think..." She protested, "I would never do anything to hurt any of you." "But you know something, don't you?" Natalie demanded, "Quit playing games Alyson. What does he want?" Alyson let out a sigh, "I only know that he is searching for a girl with red hair and red eyes." She explained. Natalie glared at her friend, "You knew he was after Kim?!?" She exclaimed frantically, "How long have you known that?" "I did not know it was your friend he was after." Alyson explained nervously, "He just told me to keep an eye on her and to tell him if I saw Jenn at school." Kris abruptly leapt to her feet, "I am going to find Jenn." She stated as she circled around the couches. Natalie hurried behind the girl, "I'm going with you." She stated eagerly. "Wait!!" Alyson struggled to her feet, "I am coming too." Natalie spun on her heels and lightly pushed Alyson back to the couch, "You are staying right here." She demanded, "I still don't know if we can trust you." "But..." Alyson started to protest when her eyes fell upon Natalie's and she felt weak against those intense blue eyes. Natalie turned to Kima, "Make sure she does not leave!" She commanded, pointing at Alyson. Kima nodded, "Su... sure, Nat." She stammered uneasily. "We will be right back." Kris stated as she stepped out the door, a few girls that had returned for lunch quickly stepped out of the way as Natalie pushed through the doors after Kris. Alyson flopped back on the couch then glanced over at Kima, "I guess you are loving this?" She remarked miserably. "Nope, I'm just hoping they get to Jenn before your brother does." Kima stated not taking her eyes off the front doors. ***** To be Continued . . .
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