"Ashleah!!" I heard screaming, I groaned lightly while covering my ears. Why is it so noisy? "Ashleah!! Wake up!"
I opened my eyes and saw mom, sweat was dripping down her face, breathing was unstable and as soon as I opened my eyes she hugged me tightly.
"Mom, what's wrong?" I asked her trying to calm her down by caressing her hair softly, Dad came running inside the living room, he was holding a water bottle. He looked.. scared and relieved.
"I-I'm sorry, did I shock you? You were crying while you were sleeping, at first I thought that you were having nightmares, then you stopped crying but when I was about to call you, there was no pulse from you."
My eyes widened from shock, she was currently shaking. Dad sat beside me and gave me the water bottle.
"She started to panic and scream, I was about to call an ambulance but then you woke up." He said and covered his face with his hands and took a deep breath.
"I thought that I would loose you, I didn't want that. I was making up for out mistakes, and when I saw you in that kind of state, it scared me so much." She cried out, I bit my lower lip.
So that guy I met in that beautiful place was just a dream? I blinked a couple of times and hugged them tightly.
"I-I'm sorry for making you guys worry so much. Don't worry, I'm alright!" I cheerfully said. "Let's just eat dinner and get some rest. I know that you guys are tired."
They both nodded in response, I know that they were still scared because of what happened. I sighed before shaking my head slowly. Damn it.
After eating with them, I sat on a chair inside my room and looked at my phone, staring at it blankly. Nothing was on my mind.
But then, I remembered that man in my dreams. His smile comforted me so much, those words he said was like music to my ears, but then he disappeared right in front of me.
'hey, you okay?'
I received a message from Nash, tremblings hands started to type and answered him.
'yeah.. had a weird dream tho. lol'
I closed my eyes and opened it again when my phone vibrated, he answers fast.
'you met him, didn't you?'
Thud, that was the sound that my phone made when it fell on the ground. My eyes were shaking and my lips was left wide open.
Tears formed inside my eyes as I just stared down at my phone, I couldn't even think properly. Drop, Drop. Tears are now dropping down my knees, the floor, on my phone.
I felt guilt building up inside me as I remember that man's face when he was fading, that smile. I couldn't even say sorry!
My phone started ringing, my trembling hands picked it up and saw that Nash was calling me, I tried stoping myself from sobbing. I sniffed before answering his call.
"You okay there?" he asked, I bit my lower lip while looking down. "hey? Ashlea?"
"He.. was pretty." I blurted out, I heard how he sighed. I continued speaking as a tear rolled down my cheek. "I had a lot of fun with him." I gulped slowly trying to remove the lump inside my throat.
"Ashleah, he loves you so so much." He said. I sobbed and looked up like he was in front of me.
"Nash, I know. He loves me so much, but what hurts me the most is I don't remember a thing! If he was really my Father or what! I couldn't even call him Father when I was with him." I continued crying.
"You did call him, he heard you Ashleah. That's why you met him." He said with his soothing voice trying to calm me down.
"How did you know that I saw that guy? You knew him?" I asked and I heard how his breathing hitched. Oh, did I just hit a spot right there?
"It's not the right time to tell you about those things." He said, avoiding my question. My eyebrows furrowed and with my unsatisfied face, I answered him back.
"I need to know Nash, you can't keep on hiding things from me." I said, I have the rights to know about it! I can't just stand here not knowing anything.
"Someone up there would be mad if I let you know what's really happening." He said, he sounded sad and.. angry at the same time.
"Up there? Who? I should have rights because it's my life Nash." I don't care if I sounded bossy or a spoiled brat but, this stuff is making me mad! I wiped my tears away and took a deep breath.
"Everything's going to be alright. You're going to slowly remember everything Ashleah, and I won't leave you until it happens." he said, what?
What is he talking about? Won't leave me until it happens? So if I remember those things.. he would leave me?
"So you're going to leave me like him? Disappear right in front of me? or just run away from me--"
"No! That's not what I meant." I heard him sighing deeply, these problems are stressing us out. "It's just hard, it's very hard." he said.
"You're being unfair right now." I said before ending the call, it's so unfair that he knows more than me when it's my life.
Is there something stopping him from doing so? Ring. Ring. My phone continued to rang, I sighed and threw myself on the bed.
Hik.. Hik.. I sobbed, tears streaming down my face. I lifted uo my hand like I was trying to touch the ceiling, and then I imagined seeing his face.
I closed my eyes and continued crying until I fell asleep.
'Princess Izel!'
The little girl quickly looked back and smiled widely.
'Nanny! Nanny! Is Father home?'
Her little hands hugged her Nanny's knee. Wearing her blue and white dress, her hair tied up with a ribbon. She was a spitting image of those princesses inside fairytale books.
'Princess Izel, I told you didn't I? His Majesty will come home tomorrow. Oh! And also, you shouldn't be here in the kitchen getting chocolates.'
The little girl pouted and started fidgeting her small fingers and looked down.
'But Izel wants chocolates and snacks.'
The nanny sighed and kneeled down with the same height of the little girl in front of her.
'Dear Princess, it's not good for your cute little teeth.'
The girl continued to pout and I chuckled lightly, she's cute. She looks just like me--
'Izel misses Father..'
she whined and cried out, the Nanny panicked and carried the little girl.
'Princess, I am very sure that His Majesty misses you so much.'
She hugged the princess while humming lightly. Hmmm, a peaceful sigh came out of the princess' mouth as she fell asleep.
She woke up excited, the maids couldn't even fix her hair due to the little girl's excitement.
'Father's coming home today! Nanny aren't you excited?'
She clapped her hands, as she ran out of her room. Bounce, Bounce. Her cheeks bounced up and down, I chuckled lightly while watching her.
'Princess Izel!'
The knights smiled widely as they saw the little girl, she giggled and gave them a hug. Wow, is she an angel or something?
'Hello! Where's Father--'
As if it was on cue, horns started to make noise. It was an announcement that the Emperor is home. The little girl's eyes widened as she ran.
'His Majesty--'
'Father!!'
The announcer couldn't even finish what he was saying when a little girl ran and hugged the man's knee, He was looking down but when he looked down my heart skipped its beat and tears streamed down my face.
'Ashleah Izel, I told you to wait for Father inside the palace right?'
He chuckled, I didn't know why but I ran to him but he just walked pass through me. I covered my face with my hands and cried.
No! Why is this happening? I sobbed, I looked back and saw them happily walking up the stairs back to the palace.
It felt suffocating. I wanted to hug him, I wanted him to see me. This was.. too painful for me.
Somehow, I just continued to watch them having a lot of fun, the little girl who had the same name as me was happily eating the chocolates right in front of her.
My eyes started to roam around the room. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. My heart started to beat rapidly as my eyes stopped on a certain picture.
The man with a woman, she was the spitting image of me.. I didn't know why but I felt so sad as I continued to look at their picture.
'Ashleah.'
I looked back and realized that he wasn't calling me, a sad yet disappointed smile appeared on my face, but then it felt like he was looking at me.
Oh my God.
"Argh!" I coughed as I opened my eyes, blinking in confusion I felt tears on my cheeks, I wiped it away and sighed.
"Was it.. another weird dream?" I said and laid back down, trying so hard to go back to sleep.