Blind Faith (4 page)

That’s why he ignored it when the sound of her muted cries drifted up to him, and why he
tried
to block it out when it went on longer than normal.
 
But when Serena let out a wail that sounded more like a wounded animal than a human being, he couldn’t bear listening to her suffer any longer.
 
Will leapt out of bed and yanked on his jeans, his heart thumping erratically as he tore down the stairs and made his way through the darkened hallway to Serena’s bedroom.
 

Even though the door was partially opened
,
he hesitated to enter without knocking
.  B
ut when Serena cried out again, followed by a woeful whimper from Rufus, he pushed it open and stepped inside.
 
It was too dark to see anything
except
the vague outline of the bed
,
and since he couldn’t tell where Rufus was, Will flipped on the light switch to avoid tripping over him.

Serena was curled into a tight ball in the middle of the bed, cocooned in the sheet which had somehow remained on the bed while the blanket, comforter, and extra pillow had been shoved onto the floor.
 
Rufus was beside the bed with his head resting over the edge, obviously distraught by the sounds Serena was making as well as his inability to protect his mistress from whatever demons were haunting her.
 
Two big brown eyes rolled his way when Will approached the bed
,
but
Rufus
refused to give up his spot even after Will patted his head in an effort to assure the dog that Serena was okay.

He wanted to wake her up, to yank her out of the nightmare so it couldn’t torture her for even one more second
, but thought better of it.  F
inding a man hovering over her would
undoubtedly
be more traumatic than what was happening to Serena in her dreams.
 
Will eased himself down onto the edge of the bed and leaned over, crooning in a soft voice as he gently stroked the hand that was clutching at her pillow.
 
Gradually, the death grip she had on the material began to loosen and after a few stilted breaths, she slowly opened her eyes.

It took Serena
 
several minutes to realize the voices in her head were merely remnants of a nightmare
,
and another couple of minutes before she was conscious of Will’s fingertips lightly caressing the top of her hand.
 
Strange that something so simple could chase away the fear gnawing at her insides
,
but it was doing just that.
 
As much as she wanted to lay here allowing him to comfort her, Serena knew he had classes early in the morning and needed his sleep.

“I’m fine now,” she said, reluctantly slipping her hand from beneath his so she could sit up.
 
“I’m sorry if I woke you.”

“I wasn’t asleep yet
,
but I wouldn’t have minded anyway.
 
Does this happen every night?”

“Not…every night,” she shrugged.

“But almost, right?”

“I’ve gotten used to it, and Rufus usually tries to wake me up.”

At the mention of his name, Rufus lifted his head and eyed her for a moment before curling up on the floor beside her bed.

Will reached out to wipe away a stray tear that was slowly making its way down the side of her cheek.
 
“Would it help to talk about it?”

The kindness in his voice made a lump form in her throat.
 
“Thanks but I really don’t think it would do any good.”

“Have you
ever
talked about them to anyone?
 
I didn’t think so,” he said when she shook her head.
 
“Listen, Serena, I realize we hardly know each other but maybe that’s what you need; someone to act as a sounding board so you don’t have to hold it all inside.”

Oh, how she longed to let it all out
,
but how could she tell Will, of all people?
 
“It’s very sweet of you to offer but it’s late and you need your sleep.”

Will snorted.
 
“Believe me, I
have
functioned quite well on much less sleep than I’ll get tonight
,
and thanks to the peace and quiet I got this evening, I packed in a lot of studying.
 
Serena…I want to help.”

“Just knowing you want to help makes me feel better,” she admitted with a shy smile.

It was amazing what one little smile from Serena could do to his heart.
 
He remembered that same timid tilt to her lips whenever he passed her in the hallways at school and said hi.
 
Will grimaced because he also remembered the twinge of guilt that always followed when his buddies ribbed him about having the hots for Serena Cross.
 
He’d laugh
ed
along with them
,
as if it was a joke to
even consider the possibility he found
her attractive.

“Why would I be interested in the kid when I could have McKinley anytime I wanted?”

God, how many times had he countered their jibes with that comment?
 
Not that it wasn’t true, at least the part about having McKinley if he wanted to.
 
Serena’s older sister had made it so blatantly obvious she was willing to hop in the sack with him
,
it actually turned him off and he made a point
of
avoid
ing
her whenever possible.
 
It wasn’t easy though.
 
As a cheerleader, she was at most
of
the football practices and all of the games, and somehow always managed to be home on those occasions when he was hanging out with Anthony and Sawyer at their house.
 

Will reined his thoughts in and focused on what was important right now; Serena.
 
“We could take turns,” he offered.
 
“I’ll tell you one of my nightmares then you can tell me yours, and it can be as much or as little as you want.”

Serena’s eyebrows arched skeptically.
 
“
You
have nightmares?”

“Sure I do.”
 

Seizing the opportunity to get Serena to open up, Will settled himself more comfortably on the bed, noting with a sense of triumph that she didn’t seem to be intimidated by it.
 
With his back resting against the headboard and his legs stretched out in front of him, he started with a recurring nightmare he’d had as a young boy.

“It always started out with me and Melinda Sue Rutledge…”

“Melinda Rutledge?
 
The girl who used to ask all the boys if they wanted French kissing lessons?”

“Yes, that’s the one,” he replied dryly.
 
“Thanks for reminding me she offered her services to every boy in the eighth grade before getting to me
. 
I’d almost forgotten.”
 

“I’m sorry,” Serena giggled.
 
“I remember Anthony and Sawyer having this huge knockdown, drag out fight about which one of them had taken more lessons.”

“It seems to me there was quite a competition over who could kiss the
most
girls after that too,” Will told her.
 
“
A
s I was saying before you so rudely reminded me I was the last boy on her kiss list,
 
Melinda Sue is leading me down this all
e
y and yammering on
and on about how girls don’t like boys who kiss like
amateurs
and that I should feel
honored
she chose me…”

“Is this before or after you actually kissed her in real life?”

“Before.
 
The reality wasn’t nearly as good as the dream.
 
Anyway, she starts dragging me into this dark woodshed but once we’re inside, someone flips on the light and I can see it’s not a shed at all but the school gymnasium.
 
Every teacher I ever had from kindergarten on up is sitting in the bleachers just staring at us
. 
I’m beginning to get a real bad feeling about it when Melinda Sue throws her arms around my neck and says, ‘Oh, don’t pay any attention to them, they’re just here to grade you.
 
It’s pass or fail time, Will Duncan.’
 
That’s usually when I
woke
up, shivering from the cold sweats and hyperventilating.”

A small giggle escaped from between Serena’s lips, followed by another and then another until she was laughing so hard her sides hurt.
 
She managed to pull herself together but it didn’t last long.
 
After admonishing her for laughing at him, Will informed her that the nightmare terrified him so bad he avoided Melinda Sue for weeks, which only made her pursue him even harder.
 
When she finally did corner him, Will was so afraid they
would
get caught by a teacher that he didn’t wait for the
lesson
.
 
Gripping Melinda Sue by the shoulders, he kissed her first, sticking his tongue halfway down her throat and twirling it around a few times before bolting out of there like a cat with its tail on fire.
 
Apparently, Melinda Sue liked it
.  So much, in fact,
that she went around telling everyone that Will Duncan was the best kisser in the entire school.

Serena couldn’t help herself.
 
“So you’re saying that your reputation as a fantastic kisser began with kiss-and-tell-Mel?”

“Laugh it up,” Will attempted to sound hurt, “but that nightmare had me so uptight it took almost two years before I could kiss a girl without checking to make sure no teachers were lurking around first.”

Serena had to bite her lip to keep from laughing again.
 
“I’m sorry.
 
I’m sure it was very…traumatic.”

“I still carry the scars,” he replied in such a serious tone it set Serena off again.
 

“Enough already!
 
My ribs are so sore now
,
it hurts to breath.”

“I’m done anyway.
 
There’s just so much a man’s pride can take, you know.
 
And now, Miss Cross, it’s your turn.”

Serena’s mood instantly sobered.
 
“I’m afraid my nightmares don’t have quite the entertainment value yours do.”

“Nevertheless, we had a deal.”

“I know.
 
I’m just not sure I can explain.
 
There aren’t any images…only darkness and voices and…mingled scents.”

“This is probably a stupid question, but does being blind effect seeing images in your dreams?”

“No, I can still see things, just not in this particular nightmare.
 
I don’t consciously remember…that night, but I think maybe this nightmare
is
a memory.”
 

Serena wavered, the decision to tell him or not ping-ponging back and forth in her mind for several minutes.
 
Maybe it was because Will didn’t try to rush her, or because he was so easy to talk to, but the timing felt right.
 
Being here with him now felt right; just two friends opening up to each other, sharing secrets, sharing a part of themselves no one else knew.
 
With a determined lift of her chin, Serena plunged in.

“It’s cold and dark, but I’m glad it’s dark because I don’t want to see them and I don’t…” she closed her eyes, squeezing the tears back, “I don’t want
them
to see
me
.”

Will leaned forward and gave her hand a quick, reassuring squeeze.
 
“Take your time, Serena.”

She opened her eyes and managed a thin smile.
 
“You were always so nice to me.
 
It’s good to know some things never change.”

“And you were always such a sweet girl.
 
I’m glad to see that hasn’t changed either.”

“Sweet,” she repeated with a bitter laugh.
 
“No, I haven’t been that sweet girl since I was fifteen years old when that pack of jackals took everything inside me that was sweet and innocent and crushed it.
 
I spent three weeks in the hospital recuperating from the physical injuries and being subjected to medical and mental treatment because the doctors couldn’t figure out what was causing my blindness.
 
While I was lying there, struggling to survive and wondering if I even wanted to, the boys who did that to me went on with their lives as if nothing happened.”