Catherine's Nightmare

Flashback:

There she was, Cassia, slumped in her chair. I knew my presentation was boring but I didn?t think it was that boring. One can only do so much on Magellan?s travels through the south Pacific, but I guess I wasn?t expecting much from my audience, though I knew that I had to pass History or there would be no future for me.

Something was out of place. I didn?t really know at the time. Maybe it was the way no one looked directly at me like zombies of fifth period history class. Still it was strange to be in my fifth period history class. I seemed out of place here and so was Cassia, she wasn?t in my fifth period history class. I didn?t even know her back then. Back then?

Suddenly there standing in the room were my high school friends, Melinda and Ariel...who had burst into the room, what a party this was turning out to be!

I didn?t quite understand, but could do nothing, as I was doing my stupid report, nothing could persuade me to stop. They, Melinda and Ariel picked Cassia up and began carrying her over to the door. I looked at Melinda; in her eyes there was determination, almost malevolence contained therein. I tried to say something, anything, but to no avail and Cassia was carried away. The words of Magellan's travels in the south Pacific still on my tongue...

So, I fought with myself, until I could muster strength to move; no one even noticed the disturbance. They all were content to stare at the chalkboard listening to reports of heroes of the sea. My mouth functioned only long enough to call after the retreating friends.

A door slammed behind Melinda, I was alone to brave the storm. ?Melinda! Damn...? I trailed off. What the hell was going on here? Melinda kidnapping?Cassia, of all people. Has everyone gone crazy? This wasn?t making sense! My feet began to feel heavy, as I made my way to the door, and then it was like pushing on a brick wall, as I opened it and stepped outside.

Present Day:

Nausea and dizziness swept over me. It was dark out in the hall, which no longer looked like a hallway in my school. I couldn?t remember what had happened, but it felt, as if eyes were watching me at every corner, there seemed no where, where I could hide from them. The dizziness fell across my head again; I saw white flecks at the corners of my eyes and I fell to the floor clutching my stomach and heaving in disgust, struggling to breathe.

* * *

When I was able to open my eyes and relax the heaving, I found myself in some sort of waiting room. There were velvet curtains hanging in the windows: a deep, rich maroon. There were odd decorations that filled the room: statues of ivory and jade, almost human like, and leather chairs sat in all the corners. A mysterious blue light came from beneath a door on the right side of the room. There was a quietness to the room, not an uneasy quiet but a hospital quiet, with only nurses shoes squeaking and wheels rolling down the hallway.

The room was still rocking, but I forced myself right side up. This place, it looked like a hospital, but it wasn?t really a hospital, I thought. There seemed to be no end, many doors hidden within the walls. It was a labyrinthine of corridors. My nostrils were filled with scents of Ben-Gay, powder, and bubble gum medicine as I ran through the halls looking for Cassia. It seemed very hot and humid.

I needed to find my Cassia! I could figure what was going on here, one moment I was with her on the ?Major Korman,? my boat, then I was in my high school history class, now I was wandering these halls for Cassia. My thoughts raced as I hoped she was here. Heartbeats rumble in my chest, a dizziness started to over take me. The hallway almost seemed to rock like when I was on the ?Major.? The temperature started to rise, leaving not much air for breathing.

* * *

Nothing in this place was right, doctors nowhere to be seen and the never-ending supply of doors that had to be searched, but there was no Cassia anywhere and the heat was beginning to suffocate. She wasn't in any of the rooms that I searched. I suddenly had the feel that I was being watched, again, eyes everywhere.

"Excuse me, but you look as if you are lost. Would you like some help," asked a voice.

"Yeah. I would, thank you," as I turned around. The voice belonged to an extremely handsome doctor. At least he was dress as one or at least a nurse. "Would you happen to know if there's a Cassia here??

"I don?t know of such a person here, though this is a big hospital. There is a Catherine on the fifth floor, maybe she?s who your looking for.?

I looked at him, ?Well, maybe, but I know her name isn?t Catherine, could you take me there, please?" My voice feigned with desperation. I couldn?t even remember Cassia real name, but it couldn?t be Catherine. That was my name.

"I?don't know,? he studdered.

"Please?" I begged.

"Well. If I could help a pretty thing like you, then okay." I blushed at his comment, but it had worked didn't it.

* * *

In the ICU was the Catherine he had been referring to; she was comatose, but what bothered me was...

(The storm broke? Falling in, Falling out, Falling? Falling? Falling! My pulse grew weaker. I felt as if I were flying but without the wings. The seizures came fast and grew worse in no time at all. I knew I was dying very slowly.)

Then I was back in the ICU everything was as it should be, but I felt like I should be elsewhere. "Are you all right, miss," he asked, concerned.

"Is Cassia?Catherine going to be all right?" But I knew that something was wrong, Catherine looked exactly like me.

"I believe it was a boating accident or something?" the doctor rambled on, as I become lost in thought.

(She didn't want to come, she was afraid of the onset of a hurricane, but we had to go and the only way there was by boat. I didn?t want to leave her behind, it would have taken at least a month to get her the clearance to leave by plane, but she didn?t want to go by boat. I told her I needed her there and how I handled fear, like the time in fifth period history class with my presentation of Magellan. She laughed and I looked at her, her timid smile made me love her all the more. "Don't worry, Cassia. I won't let any hurricane come, remember that I control the wind,? as I had my arm spread wide, in a flying gesture.. She laughed again, one the few times since she got on the ?Major Korman.? Dark grey eyes, almost black reflected the rainbow hidden underneath her fear; Cassia was so afraid of drowning, I told her that if she drowned she could sue me in heaven. Maybe even bump me down to hell, she laughed again at that. Even though we didn't really believe that, it took her mind off the threat. And my mine was on the crystalline angel pendant Cassia gave me. My love, my guardian Angel.

The ?Major Koramn? was due in Harbor on Thursday of the 8th, but we were held in Port for quarantine. Someone had brought a load of tainted fruit into Port and there was a severe case of food poisoning going around. Everyone was to be detained until they checked everything out, also gave Cassia tyme to prepare herself for the long ride. I told her that she?d be too busy making love to me to worry about anything, hurricane or not. Besides the only hurricane that was expect to occur was in the lower cabins of the ?Major,? I smiled at her beautiful face.

That was sometime ago. Now we were going to be late, it was very important that I get to Harbor for my meeting. If we had left when we were supposed to we would have made it. As we left, I realized the storm clouds on the horizon; I thought maybe we could make up for lost time with the winds. That should blow us on course. No sooner than the boat got five miles from shore, when the winds picked up. They crashed against my sails and thunder rocked in our ears. Cassia screamed. We were tossed like a salad. Suddenly a flash of lightening hit the mast. All was gone.)

* * *

?May I see her,? I asked cautiously, I was afraid at what I would see. However, I had too, my mind wouldn?t rest until I knew the truth behind Cassia's disappearance and this Catherine.

?If you wish. Follow me,? replied the doctor.

?Thank you...?

?Call me, Arin,? he smiled at me again. He was so nice, almost too nice. My mind began turning. There was myself where I thought Cassia should be, even with the tubes poking through the body to clear the water from her lungs. ?Oh God! No! No, it can?t be...? my voice failed, as I remembered the boat trip that plunged me and Cassia into a typhoon and lying in front of me was none other than me, Catherine Godwin, not Cassia St.Claire. I was driving myself into oblivion. This was a mistake? "Cassia! My love?no, where?where, no my God!!! Help?Cassia."

* * *

There in the waiting room of the hospital in Milan sitting under the bright yellow curtains; Cassia waiting in a wheel chair. She was breathing hard, the force of the winds on the boat threw her twenty feet, her rib cage was busted and one of her lungs was punctured, but she was alive. Tears rolling down her face, the black-grey of her eyes echoed with the brightest blue of the sky on that day. Blue of the eternity waiting for? Doctor Arin Jakobsen stood at the door, his eyes staring at the floor, ?I?m sorry,? was all that came out of his month. ?Catherine Godwin is dead.?

Cassia?s tears stopped, she murmured, "She died to save me?I love you too, dear Angelheart," as she stared at the angel pendant in her hands.

-------------------------------------------------------------
This story has been a pain in the ass since I originally wrote it, probably because when I wrote it, I didn't know where I was going with it. After about three years in revision, here is fianlly "Catherine's Nightmare," in it's best form. Bear in mind it has taken between three and four years to come together. Enjoy!!!

PAGE CREATED: August 7, 2000
LAST UPDATED: August 7, 2000

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