Emerald was spinning in a dark tunnel of the ocean, her tail was back and she was a kid again. Her mother's voice was ringing throughout this dark tunnel and Emerald tried to locate where it was coming from, but she couldn't. Suddenly, at the end of the tunnel, Emerald saw a small glimmer of light and she swam towards it as if her life depended on it. When she finally reached the end of the tunnel, she was showered in a blinding light and then she heard the soft crashing of the waves against the rocks.
As soon as she heard that, she knew exactly where she was. She was back at the tide pools where she would play as a child, but it was also the place where she watched her mother die. The Emerald finally caught where her mother's voice was coming from. She was stuck between the rocks, just like she had been so long ago. Yet no matter how hard Emerald swam, she couldn't get close to her mother, she wasn't even moving from the spot she was in. Just a never-ending, useless trial to try and reach her mother, but the ship came and she saw her mother fall just as she had before and the dark, menacing voices crept through her mind to her ears as she was suddenly pulled back into the swirling tunnel of darkness.
The voices turned into creatures and as she tumbled back through the tunnel, the voices turned into creatures and the creatures started reaching out and trying to grasp their claws around any part of her that they could reach. The voices got louder and louder until they turned into screams, bringing forward all of the guilt that she felt.
"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT"
"MURDERER"
"YOU'RE TO BLAME"
"HOW COULD YOU?"
"INSOLENT CHILD"
"YOU CAUSED MOM TO DIE"
"SHE'S DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU"
"She's dead because of me…" Emerald whispered and she fell into the darkness.
***
Emerald snapped awake and caught herself not being able to grasp for air, as her heart pounded in her chest and head as she tried to recount the nightmare that had just run rampant in her mind.
She hadn't realized that she had screamed when she woke up until Greyson was suddenly beside her asking her what was wrong. His voice seemed so close yet so distant at the same time and Emerald was just frozen in her own thought. When Greyson's voice finally broke through, Emerald was able to finally catch her breath and calm down, as Greyson's big grey eyes stared at her out of sheer worry.
Realizing Emerald had snapped out of whatever trance she was in, Greyson took both of her hands in his and looked her in the eyes and said: "Hey it's okay, everything is going to be okay." Emerald broke down in Greyson's arms and let him comfort her, as tears started to drip from her eyes, she embraced the warmth and love that he brought to her. "I had a nightmare about my mom… it was just so dark and I just kept falling and spinning and I couldn't find my way out. Greyson it was awful." Greyson just hugged her and they sat like that for a while.
