Chapter One : Fakes

"NO!" I exclaimed, as thrust myself up. It was over. Natalia looked at me and gently asked, "Again?" I nodded. This was the third time. I had no idea what was up with me. Those imitations of reality felt more and more real each time.

"What was it, this time?" Asked she.

"I don't remember." I replied.

"I think you need help," she said.

"I'm good." said I.

"No you're not!" said she as she calmly crossed her fingers with mine. "Three false awakenings in two days? That's too much!" She was visibly concerned by now, and honestly I can't blame her. I couldn't explain what's going on either.

"We'll see to that." I said. "Maybe, I'm just stressed out."

There was a pause. Dead of the night, with her just looking at me, worried and helpless.

"Come here." she called as she opened her arms. I fell in as her arms enclosed my neck. Honestly, it's the only thing I feel is real now. She gently kissed my forehead as she said, "Maybe, you're right. You need to relax a bit." She walked out of the bed and undid the blinds. The moon was in its full glory, and standing in front of me was a true goddess. Her face glistened in the lovely moonlight.

"Beautiful," I whispered under my breath.

"Aw, I love you too." Said she.

"Did you hear it?" I said as I blushed.

She smiled at me as she gently leaned in.I could feel the warmth of her lips, their enchanting touch,and her untainted love.

She playfully chuckled as she moved back. She was the only one who could make even such stressful moments like heaven, for some reason, it seemed to me that she was the reason that I was somehow able to survive this hell that I was constantly going through.

"So love, can I get you something to eat?" She asked.

"Okay, I'll come with you, baby." I replied.

I got out of the bed as she held my hand tightly and led me on. I could almost read her mind, she was just faking. Deep down, she was really concerned, but tried her best to not make me read that. That however, was fairly useless. We've been together for about two and a half years and it's almost impossible for us to hide anything from one another. I looked at her as she dragged me along and thought to myself, "Yes, I'm really lucky."

"Where is your mind?" Said she as she waved her hand in front of my face.

"Oh!I'm sorry, you said..."

"Hush. Stay quiet and relax. Let's just grab a bite and get some sleep. Don't worry you'll be fine." said she, smiling.

"I hope so."

She frowned, visibly upset upon hearing my comment. "You will be," said she as she landed a gentle kiss on my forehead. "Let it go, I know you'll be fine."

"Something is uncanny here," said I.

"What makes you feel that?" Asked she.

"I don't..." I tried to speak as I stuttered. Everything seemed to fade, my vision, blurred. Time seemed to slip away, my body, as if a cage, heavy, containing something sinister, something that was longing to break free. Thoughts clouded my head, a weird nothingness surrounded my vision. I thought this was the end for I had seen something that no language could express and no being would ever be smart enough to comprehend or explain. I saw 'nothing'.

My thoughts were put to end by my heavy breathing as I once again found myself thrusting myself up on my bed, exclaiming, "NO!"

Natalia was beside me. A creepily similar concerned look drawn on her face. That's when I froze, I realized and screamed out, "I remember!"

"What? what do you remember, love?"

I jumped out of the bed, distancing myself from Natalia and shouted,

"This is all the same! Nothing here is real! This is loop! This is fucking hell!"

I recalled everything, every bit, each moment. Six times, I went through the same loop six times and still do not understand what on Earth was going on.

"Again?","What was it, this time?" those words echoed in my mind. The only thing I thought was real was in fact all for nothing.

"Will I ever be able to get out? Am I doomed?" I asked myself.

Heavy lighting blinded me. I peeked out from my partly closed eyes. This was different. I took a sigh of relief, enveloping my face with my arms. I was almost in tears. I was out, I was finally out.

"Jay! Finally you're up!" I heard a voice exclaim. "Nat come in! Quick! He's up!"

I gently opened my eyes. It was Danny, my boy from college.

"What are you doing..." I started but was quickly interrupted as Natalia jumped, all over me, in tears. She hugged me tight, her arms all around me in a deadlock."It's okay," I said. "I'm fine." as I put my arms around her waist. She was sobbing uncontrollably, refusing to let me go.

"No you're not, you idiot!" She mumbled, almost out of air crying, but it wasn't her fault either. What has been happening to me over the past few days is as much of a mystery to me as it is a concern to her. I have no idea what's going on. Answers lead only to more questions. Nevertheless, I took a deep breath and told her,

"It's okay. I'm okay, babe."

She finally let go, leaned back, still in my arms and with her arms around me, she gently spoke,

"Why do you do this to me?"

"Honestly, with regards to this I have no idea either, but it's chill I'm okay, honey." I said.

"I wouldn't say so, bro." Danny interrupted. "You've been sleeping for about two days now, I don't even know what to call it. It wasn't a coma, as you mumbled and responded to slight pain and stimulation, but you just wouldn't wake up."

I looked down in silence, Natalia right in front of me as I remembered the hell that I had just been through.

"All I can call it is a suspended animation." He added. "Believe it or not, Nat is probably the one who incurred the toughest time. No ambulance would come get you in the storm and you only recently moved to UK too. I just got here as soon as possible after her call."

"I understand, Danny, but I'm fine, you don't need to go through so much trouble for my sake." said I.

"Fuck you and your formalities!" Said he. "You are not okay! Each time you put yourself to rest you enter a strange place, somewhere between a coma and general sleep. There is something wrong with that head inside, something that neuroscience or at least I, do not understand yet."

This was worrying. Danny and I studied together at college. He was what you would call a genius. By the end of our Master's Degree, he was already well known across the States for his groundbreaking research in neuroscience and clinical psychology. We had almost been like brothers at college, and I honestly never heard him use this phrase, 'I do not understand'. Not once. This was some real trouble, for if Daniel Londoño Rosado could not, I don't know who can.

"Tell me," he began. "Were there dreams?" He said, settling himself into a chair.

"I believe." I replied. "But they were strange to say the very least."

"What do you mean by that."

"I-I remember them, crystal clear and they for once made sense. When do dreams ever make sense?"

"Hmm." He paused. "So, was there someone talking to you?"

"No. It was this exact setting. Nighttime, just me and Nat. And the same dream continued in loops for like six times."

"Justin?" Nat interrupted. "I've a bad feeling about this. I'm calling Rosalia."

"What?" I responded. "What are you getting at, babe?"

"Who's Rosalia?" Asked Danny.

"She's a priestess at a local church. Nat befriended her some Sunday."

Danny took a sigh of disappointment and turned to Nat. That's what happens when someone mentions God, church, priests and anything he can't prove mathematically to him. He's a total atheist and chooses to bury the reason for the same within himself.

"Why?" Said he. "Do you not trust me?"

"I-It's not like that," said she, still in tears. "But I'm scared and worried. I can't lose him."

"Never mind," said he as he took a deep breath. "It's probably a weird case of hypnopompic sleep paralysis, although, must say it is different in many ways."

He stood up and walked out. His ever-lively face tainted with a deep frown. I tried to reach out to him. I did not want him to leave in this weather. Just then, Natalia held my hand and told me,      "Don't worry, he's staying." I nodded as a leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "It's okay. It's going to be fine." said I. "I hope it does." Said she.

I got out of the bed as Nat pulled on me, persuading me to stay put, but, nevertheless, I walked out into the living room. No electricity. Danny just sat there. His phone in his hands.

"15 minutes." He said nonchalantly. "The hurricane is coming knocking in just 15 minutes."

"It's chill," I said. "We've got nothing to worry, right? I mean, this is not a coast or something."

"Yeah," he began. "We don't have much to worry about that, however, I wouldn't be so sure about you."

"What? Why?"

"I can't figure out what's wrong with you," said he as his brows tensed. "The closest I can come is what I said, sleep paralysis, but that too is far away. I have no idea what to do now."

"I do," said I with an enthusiastic smile. "Pop a champagne!"

"Shut up! Are you nuts?" Said he in a rather amused and relaxed tone. "We have no clue how this would affect you!"

"I know, idiot!" Said I "I was just trying to calm you down. See? You chilled out in like less than a second, bro!"

"Okay," he started, his voice tensing again. He took a deep breath and began again. "I need to tell this to you. Promise me you won't..."

He hushed himself as Nat walked in and casually glanced at me, telling me to hold it, and that this was a conversation for later.

"When will you ever be serious?" Asked Nat as she came out the bedroom, still visibly concerned, although now consciously trying to hide it.

"How about... never," said I, as got her in my arms, playfully biting her ear.

"Whoa... whoa... guys!" Exclaimed Danny. "Get a room!"

"You haven't changed a bit, you caveman!" he added. "Always after the fun and the food!"

We enjoyed a hearty laugh amidst an exchange of memories as all the while I wished, thinking to myself, "I hope this is not one of the fakes."

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***