Chapter Sixty

Third Person's POV

Everything felt cold, her mind sunk into the darkness and gradually got pulled into a strange void. An occurrence that caused her to gasp suddenly and jolt awake.

Brielle woke up in a room, on a bed. She looked around in confusion and fright and realized it was her old room, the one back home in Crescent. She had almost forgotten how it was.

“How?” She asked herself, looking around again curiously. She tried flashing back to what she remembered last but it felt blank to her. She remembered being stabbed by a lady called Angelina but it felt like a dream to her.

“Sweetheart,” someone pushed open the room's door. She cowered backwards when he stepped in. It was like seeing a ghost and he was a ghost.

“Brielle, are you okay? You seem frightened, honey? Is it the nightmares again?”

“Dad,” she exhaled heavily, her heart thumping against her chest as she drew closer to her father.

“How…how is this possible?”

“How is what?” Her dad asked with a perplexed look.

“I told you that working too hard isn't good for you. You are stressing yourself out,”

“Stressing myself?” She repeated as a question.

“What's going on here? How am I here?”

“Brielle, you are scaring me. Take a deep breath,” He came close enough to hold her hand. His hand was so warm against hers, it was too similar to be fake.

“You need to pull yourself together. We have guests downstairs,”

She took deep breaths and with every breath, her mind became convinced that she was dreaming all along. She felt at home, she felt relaxed and overjoyed. Fulfilment and happiness that she hadn't felt in a long time, one that was almost nostalgic.

“Brush your teeth and meet us downstairs,” he kissed her cheeks gently before he exited.

Brielle stood in the middle of the room, frozen and recapping everything that had happened and how real they felt.

“Lucien,” she voiced on instinct.

***********

She realized that she won't get any answers hiding out in her room. She went downstairs after freshening up. The smell of pancakes and bacon greeted her the moment she stepped into the living room.

“Dad?” She called out cautiously, looking around and studying her environment.

“Hey!” Someone took her by surprise. She startled and shrieked when he wrapped his hands around her.

“What's the problem? Is everything okay?” Ken examined her curiously.

Her dad sprinted into the living room, concerned by her scream that was heard all through the house.

“What happened? Is she okay?”

“Ken is here. How are you here?” She reacted in shock.

“What am I doing here? What's going on?”

“Baby girl, you are scaring everyone,” Her dad held her hand gently. Ken backed away slowly to give her space, obviously hurt by her reaction.

“Your fiancee came in this morning to share a meal with us. Why are you acting weird?” Her dad investigated.

“I… I am j..jus’ feeling off. I don't know dad, I'm okay,” she panted heavily, taking in air slowly and carefully.

“I'm good,”

“Brielle,” Ken called out to her. It still felt off to her, confusing that she once touched his dead body.

“Baby,” he drew her nearer. His scent was just as she remembered it, flowery and tempting. He kissed her passionately, wrapping his hands around him as their tongues collided.

“That's enough,” Her father broke it off.

“You are not married yet,”

They both chuckled awkwardly at her father's reaction.

“Come on, let them be,” A voice that seized Brielle's breathing spoke.

“They are young, I love, they are allowed to kiss around us,”

“Mum?” She ran into her arms without hesitation. She couldn't let go of her, tears escaped her eyes as she got the opportunity to see her mother again. Her mum that she thought she could never see again.

“I love you mum,”

“Wow,” the mum reacted.

“I never thought you had this much love for me. Thank you honey, it is good to see you as well but we just saw last night.”

“Its not fair,” The dad expressed.

“I didn't get a hug like that,”

Everyone burst into soft laughter but Brielle still couldn't let go of her mum.

“That's enough,” the dad pried her off.

“Let us eat before you snuff the life out of my beloved wife. Ken, please control your wife-to-be.”

“Come on babe,” Ken pulled her hand into the dining room. Pancakes were served with a nice maple syrup on top accompanied with bacon and orange juice.

“My favorite,” Brielle said with a smile as she took a seat.

“It's our favorite now,” Ken muttered as he handed her the cutlery set.

The breakfast was the happiest Brielle had been in a long time. Genuine laughter and smiles as they ate. Her dad cracking his usual jokes and her mother leaning towards him as she laughed her heart out.

It felt like home. .

“You promised,” Brielle heard a voice. She looked around but saw no one. It was distinct and strangely familiar, it was the voice of a woman.

“Are you okay, Brielle?” The mum noticed her strange behavior.

“You have been acting weird and I think I know what's going on,”

“You do?”

She handed her mother a washed dish to place in the rack as she listened curiously.

“You are getting pre-wedding jitters,” The man said with a soft whisper.

“Did you have them?” Brielle asked.

“Of course I did. Spending the rest of your life with someone is not depending on the moment, it's a lifetime,” She answered swiftly with a bright smile.

“You know it whenever you are around them. You don't just feel happy, you feel safe, protected knowing that they will fight the heavens and the earth to keep you around,”

As her mum spoke, Ken was the picture on her mind. Lucien was and she had no idea how she could know Lucien if she lived that simple life. She wondered if the dream she woke up from was even a dream at all.

“You promised!” The voice roared, this time with an intensity that caused her head to ring like church bells.

She could feel a presence but couldn't see it, the presence was almost familiar.

“Who are you?”

“Are you okay honey? Who are you talking to?” Her mother asked. Her dad and Ken ran to join them in the kitchen.

“What's going on?” The father asked curiously but Brielle wanted to know who the person talking was.

“Show yourself!” She growled and the living room door blew open. Standing outside by the threshold was a face just as familiar as Zane’s. She recalled the person to be Laura, the ghost that haunted her when she first arrived. The ghost of Lucien's sibling, Zane’s twin and Chase’s dead mate.

“Why are you hiding in here? You are not dead yet,” Laura spat angrily.

“What are you talking about?” Brielle retorted, advancing closer but was restricted by her father that stood in her way.

“Whoever you are, leave here at once. Stop harassing my family,” The dad demanded fiercely.

“This cocoon you created for yourself is selfishness and fear. They are out there fighting while you stay in here cozy, enjoying this fake life,” She shot back angrily.

“Leave her alone!” Ken yelled at them as her mother held her back.

“Brielle, don't go close. Stay with us,” The mum muttered worriedly.

“She's dangerous, that's why she can't come in,”

“We are not dangerous,” Another voice spoke and behind Laura, someone emerged. Brielle recognized from the pictures. It was Trivia, Lucien's first mate.

“You are hiding in your own mind, you have to leave, you have to go back,”

“Back to what? I'm with my family, I'm with the people I love, where do you want me to go?” Brielle said to her. She didn't know why but her heart was heavy, tears blurted her vision.

“You know this is real,” Laura spoke to her.

“None of this is. Your mum, dad, your fiance, they are all dead but right now, your mate isn't,”

“They are fighting for you,” Trivia chipped in.

“They need you back,”

The memories came flooding back in and the realization kicked in. She turned to her family to see them with a big smile on their faces.

“I'm really sorry guys,” She sobbed uncontrollably.

“I wished I could stay,”

“We are proud of you and we will be waiting for you to join us, when the time comes,” Her dad held her hand.

“Goodbye my love,” Ken gave her forehead a kiss.

“Mum,” Brielle gasped. Her heart burnt because she was saying goodbye to her mother for the second time.

“I love you butterfly,” She looked pleased. With a smile, Brielle shut her eyes and opened them in the sea. She appeared to be drowning, darkness and cold surrounded her as she floated down. She was confused, tried to struggle but couldn't.

“One more chance,” the river spoke to her. She could feel an aura of great magnitude coming from all around her. Suddenly she could see the shadow of a huge being in the water, watching her descend.

It had the shape of a woman but she couldn't see the face but she could feel the intensity of her gaze.

“One more chance,” It repeated. The shadow stretched its huge hands towards her and before it met her, she gasped awake in the real world.