The bright light hit her eyes as she opened them, almost blinding her. She looked around trying to decipher where she was.
She couldn’t quite explain it but she felt a sense of warmth surrounding her, like everything was right in the world.
“Why are you standing all alone my little swan?”.
Crystal’s head whipped around so fast that it could have snapped off. Her mother stood in front of her with a beautiful smile and her eyes sparkling with mischief.
“Mum”.
Crystal’s legs moved before her brain could catch up and she was throwing herself into her mother’s open arms.
“Mum”, she said again crying into her mother’s chest.
She finally recovered herself, “How are you here?. Am I dead?. Where’s Dad?. What is this place?”.
Jessica laughed softly, the sound floating into the air, “You don’t have to worry my little swan. Everything will be fine. Come I want to show you something”.
Her mother led her through a passage. They walked for a while, coming to a stop eventually.
Crystal gasped.
The little garden where she went to escape her reality was beautiful but it was nothing compared to this.
“What is this place?”.
“Welcome to Lemoria. The land of dreams'', her mother said.
“So I’m dreaming? And you are not real?”.
“My little swan, anything is as real as you believe it to be”.
“Why am I here?”
“Your subconsciousness brought you meaning you are battling the events of your reality. What is wrong Crystal?”
“Everything Mum, Logan signed off the company, then he signed me off to a man I do not know and I’m scared Mum.
My life is falling apart and I don’t know what to do”.
Jessica sighed sadly, “Things don’t always go as planned. If they did, I would still be with you and your brother protecting you both from the evil of the world. In life we just have to make the best out of everything. Logan made a choice, and now you have to make yours. He chose the company over you.
He chose the legacy. You have to do what’s best for you. I can’t tell you everything is going to be fine unfortunately. You are a fighter crystal, never stop fighting”.
Jessica’s voice began to fade. The plants withered away at her feet. The bright lights dimmed turning everywhere black.
Suddenly she was not in Lemoria anymore but standing in the middle of the road surrounded by darkness.
A car drives past her swirling so fast heading straight for a bridge.
The car looked so familiar, then she remembered. It was the same one her father drove on the night of the accident.
The car was almost at the edge.
Crystal screamed, yielding it to stop. It never did. It drove off the bridge.
“Mum!!!!!!!”, Crystal screamed, her eyes snapping open.
She looked around frantically. The smell of drugs and chemicals hit her nose. In the distance she heard the beeping sound of a machine.
Slowly taking in her surroundings, she realized she was in the hospital.
“You are awake”, came her brother’s voice from the door.
Crystal kept mute ignoring him.
Logan continued, “Isabella went to get you a change of clothes an hour ago. She should be back any moment from now”.
On cue, Isabella burst into the room rushing past Logan towards her.
“Oh my poor Crystal, are you alright?”.
Still Crystal kept mute.
Sensing his presence was not wanted, Logan left.
Crystal sat up folding her arms, “No I’m not okay Bels. Logan signed me off like I’m some property”.
“I know. But he didn’t have a choice. He was going to lose the company. Your family has had it in their name for generations' '.
Crystal flew off the bed, “How can you say that Bels. So my life isn’t worth anything?. What happens to me doesn’t matter?”.
“Crystal, you know that’s not what I meant. Okay let’s take a pause. What would you have done if your signature was what was needed on that paper?. If you were given the option to choose. What would it have been?”.
Crystal went silent.
“My point exactly. I heard Ryke Sterling gets bored easily. He might even notice you and if he does, he will get tired of you and seeing your face everyday, he will eventually let you go”.
“Jesus Christ Bels, Can you even hear yourself?. You are saying it’s okay for him to use me however he likes until he gets bored and decides to move on to another. What would happen to me then?. How would I pick the pieces after he ruins me, huh”.
Isabella tried to reach for her.
“No!!!”, Crystal backed away from her.
Everything felt so wrong.
Isabella was supposed to be her best friend yet here she was siding with Logan.
Crystal would have wondered why Isabella was so concerned with affairs of the company if she didn’t have bigger things to worry about. Her life was being taken away, her freedom, her future and they expected her to just be okay with it?.
Silence followed as the tension in the room grew. Finally Crystal broke it.
“I want to be left alone, Bels”.
“Crystal-“, Bels tried.
“No, I don’t want to hear anymore and I just want to be alone”.
“Okay”, Isabella whispered as left the hospital room.
She turned when she was at the door, “I will be here when you are ready to talk”, closing the door behind her.
Crystal stared out the window counting the minutes till she had to say goodbye to life as she knew it.
***************
Ryke stared the papers in front of him trying to get some work done but he just couldn’t focus.
He had someone keeping tabs on Crystal. The last thing the person reported was that she was rushed to the hospital.
“Sir?”
Ryke’s head snapped up.
How long had Kimberly been here?
“Cancel all my meetings for the rest of the day”, he said standing while packing his things.
Kimberly simply nodded.
The sky rumbled as he stepped out of the building, raindrops already starting to fall from it.
Damon was already outside waiting with an umbrella, “Home Sir?”
“No, we are going to a hospital”.
“Is anything the problem Sir?”.
Ryke glared at the older man. Damon had been jia driver for the past ten years. With that amount of time, he should have known how much Ryke hated unnecessary questions.
Realizing his mistake, Damon apologized quickly, “It wasn’t my intention to offend you. The car is this way”.
All through the drive Ryke kept wondering what was happening to him. No one had affected him the way she did. Not his drug addicted mother and definitely his good for nothing father.
The car stopped, “We are here Sir”.
He got down.
The smell of drugs was nauseating.
Walking to the front desk Ryke smiled slightly at the nurse behind it. Red stained her cheeks.
Typical
“What can I do for you today Sir?”.
“I’m here to see a patient. She was brought in a couple of hours ago”.
“I'm really sorry Sir, but only family members are allowed to visit.
Ryke smiled broadly now, “That won’t be a problem. She’s my wife”.
Crystal lay on the bed facing the ceiling.“If you think dying is your way out this contract then you’d have to think again”.She didn’t need to turn to know who it was. She had been having recurring dreams with the owner of the voice starring in most of them.“If you’ve come to irritate me, then you can save it for later. After all, we have the rest of our lives to spend together”.Ryke smiled, he realized he had been doing a lot of that lately. That mouth of hers. He couldn’t wait to discover what else they did apart from spit fire."It's funny how easily your brother signed you off. One might think he was eager to get rid of you", Ryke said, trying to rile her up more.It worked.Crystal glared at him, "Don't talk about my brother. You know nothing of our relationship".Ryke sighed, "You are acting like a petulant child. I know you are only eighteen but you mustn't act like it"."Since I'm such a child, why did you force me into a marriage and what are you even here?""Stop raising
The hospital was awfully quiet. The only sound that could be heard were the low beeping of the machines that were probably supporting people's lives. Crystal rolled and tossed in bed bored out of her mind. Why hadn't they discharged her yet?. Maybe she could have gone with Ryke then when they got outside, she would have screamed kidnapper then run off. Logan and Isabella had come back trying to talk to her. They had nothing to say that would make the situation better so she had sent them away. "Why is your hair so white?. Is that a medical condition?" Crystal turned to meet beautiful olive eyes staring back at her. They belonged to a pale looking little girl. She couldn't be more than nine or ten years old. "What?" "Your hair, were you born with it?", the girl said, stepping forward. "Uhmmm yes. Shouldn't you be in bed?" The little girl giggled, "I should but I like it when Nurse Mary runs around the hospital trying to find me. She could use the exercise". Crystal laughed.
The stench of chemicals was becoming unbearable."I need to get out of this hospital". Crystal removed the tubes stuck in her arm. She was about to sneak out of the hospital room when something caught her eye.She picked it up. Ryke had left his business card.Did he really expect her to call him?She threw it and it landed on the bed. "On second thought, I need to call him and give him a little bit more words".Crystal managed to make it out without anyone seeing her.The hospital really needed to up their security.She couldn't call Logan because she really didn't want to owe him any favors, Isabella wasn't the best person on her radar. She quickly programmed Ryke's number in her phone and then she began to walk.She felt a pang. Where was she really walking to?Her home was basically not her home anymore since she had been given to someone as a property.What was happening?"Are you lost? Come little girl I'll show you the way".Crystal turned swiftly. There were three huge men st
Voices floated around her.What was that awful smell? and didn't she just leave the hospital.She blinked, her eyes adjusting to the bright light."You are awake".She tried to get up to face the owner of the voice but she felt a sharp pain in her leg."The Doctor said you shouldn't try to move too quickly. You got lucky. The bullet didn't do much damage but you still need time to heal".She looked at him talking so casually like he wasn't the reason a psycho bitch shot at her."Aren't you going to say anything?"Crystal stared at him still staying quiet.Logan rushed into the room, Isabella following suit."Oh my God Crystal, are you okay?", Isabella asked going to get side."Snowflake are you okay?"Why were they asking her that stupid question. She was shot, she's in the hospital. Of course she's not okay.So she kept quiet still.Logan turned to Ryke angrily, "It hasn't been up to a day and you already got her shot"."I do not need to explain anything to you. Now if the two of you
"Wake up, son".Ryke tossed and turned in bed, the next thing he felt was a slap on his face."When I say wake up, you do it immediately. Now get ready, we are going on a trip".Ryke stood up, trying to fight the tears forming in his eyes.He had never understood why his father hated him so much. He was only ten years old and he had experienced enough beatings to last him two lifetimes.He passed his mother on his way out, and she smiled at him while trying to hide her swollen eyes.There was no point really."Hurry up boy, only a woman drags her feet"."I'm coming Dad".Ryke stilled, "I'm sorry Dad. I mean Sir".Richard smiled at his son, "You know what. I'm in a good mood today so I'll let it slide".The trip took forever. The snow seeped into his clothes.His father had forbidden him from wearing a jacket saying, "I am training you to be a strong man. Strong men can withstand anything"."We are here", Richard announced.Ryke stood, trying to keep his eyes open. The snow was becomin
Breakfast the next morning was awfully quiet the only sound that could be heard was the clattering of cutlery. Ryke stared at her as she tried to use our hair to hide her blush. His inner voice kept wondering the same thing he did. Why did he stop? He could have taken things further and fulfill the fantasy that haunted him for two years but he couldn't bring himself to do it.She was a virgin and somewhere out there, a man was waiting. Someone who would protect and treasure what she had to give but that man was definitely not him. Deciding he had had enough of the silence, he spoke, "How did you sleep?" Crystal kept quiet so he continued, "Dd anything interesting happen after I left? Still she regarded him with silence."Any interesting dream in particular?", Ryke asked taunting her. "What the hell is your problem?"There she was. His firecracker.Crystal stood up angrily make making all the cutlery on her side of the table fall to the ground."Didn't anyone ever teach you to rea
Ryke watched as everyone else ran around, laughing and playing without a care in the world.More than anything he wished he could join them.They looked like they didn't have worries about anything.Unlike him, he had to think of when the next punches would come."Ryke, why are you sitting all alone?"He looked up at Miss Lily staring down at him with a smile on her face.She was really pretty, he thought."I don't want to play"."Okay, do you mind if I sit next to you? I don't want to play either".He nodded."Care to tell me why you don't want to join them?"He shrugged."Well it's good that you are here. I actually wanted to talk to you about something. On your family tree I saw that you put your father's name as Richard Sterling and also as Richard Jenome. Mind if I ask why?"He let out a breath, "Those are my father's names"."Well shouldn't it be Richard Jerome Sterling?""No!"."But that's the way it's supposed to be"."He said he has two different names so you don't know what
Crystal stared at the wall clock in the small cafe counting minutes till she could take an excuse to leave. Chloe was nice, but the rest of her friends were not her type of people. There were a gang of four, Becca, who thought it nice to pop the gum in her mouth every single second, Jeremy, whose eyes hadn't left her chest area, trying to see if he could suddenly get x-ray vision and see through her big top and lastly Cade, the guy who had completely dissed her when Chloe introduced them. Since they sat down, his eyes had been focused on the book in front of him while his hands shaded away. She looked up at the clock one last time, "You know what? I actually forgot that I have somewhere to be. It was really nice meeting you guys though". Liar She threw them one last smile before walking out. The sky was darkening, the rain was definitely already making plans to come down on them. Should she call Ryke? She was still upset with Logan and Isabella didn't have a car, even though sh