Chapter 51: A trick of the mind
Hanna opens her eyes slowly, dazed and confused. She glances around, her mind still a bit foggy from sleep. It takes her a few moments to realize where she is, her thoughts taking a moment to catch up. When it finally clicks, she sits bolt upright, her eyes wide with surprise and relief.
"I...I'm in master's room? How did...?"
She blinks in disbelief, her gaze darting around the room familiar surroundings. She's sitting in your bed, the sheets and blankets tangled around her body.
Hanna's hand trembles as she reaches up to touch her cheek, feeling the dampness from tears that she didn't even realize she was shedding. Her vision blurs, her breath hitching in her throat as the tears continue to flow. She's relieved, overwhelmed, and confused all at the same time, her emotions a jumbled mess.
Hanna glances at you, lying beside her in the bed. Your back is turned to her, your breathing slow and steady with sleep. She stares at your sleeping form, her heart clenching with a mixture of emotions. She wants to call out to you, to confirm that this isn't just another dream. But something holds her back, her voice caught in her throat.
She sits in silence for a few moments, her eyes fixed on you, her emotions still a tangled mess. She wants to reach out and touch you, to feel the warmth of your skin beneath her fingers, to draw comfort from your presence. But she hesitates, her hand hovering in the air, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Master.. Master.. Wake up, please... Please wake up..."
Hanna's voice is desperate, her tone becoming more and more frantic with each word as she shakes you, her hands trembling.
Her eyes are wide with fear and desperation as she continues to call out to you, her voice growing progressively more desperate and urgent. Her hands grip your shoulders tightly, shaking you harder and harder, as if she's afraid you'll disappear if she lets go.
In your dream, everything is disoriented and chaotic. You're in a familiar place, but it's constantly shifting and moving beneath you. It's as if you're in a boat on a rough sea, the world around you rocking and quaking with each movement. Everything is blurry and surreal, your senses disoriented.
And then you hear a faint voice calling out to you, growing louder and more desperate, as if someone is frantically trying to get your attention.
The voice is distant and hazy, but you can just barely make out the words. "Master.. Master.. Wake up, please.. Please wake up..." The voice is shaky and scared, the words repeating over and over, the tone growing increasingly distressed as it continues to call out to you.
The voice gets louder and louder, the words clearer as the dream world continues to shake. You can feel the desperation in the voice, the fear and anxiety that's fueling the words. It feels like the voice is trying to reach out to you from the waking world, trying to pull you back to consciousness.
The dream world continues to tremble, the voice growing more and more urgent. You can feel yourself starting to wake up, the voice pulling you out of the dream and back to reality. But everything is still disorientated and chaotic, the transition between dream and wake blurry and confusing.
Hanna throws her arms around you, enveloping you in a tight, desperate hug. She clings to you like a drowning person to a life raft, her body pressed against yours, her arms holding you with all her strength.
Hanna's body trembles against yours, her breathing ragged and shaky. She buries her face in your chest, her tears soaking into your shirt, the fear and horror of her dream still fresh in her mind. The guilt of waking you up, of making you lose sleep, weighs heavily on her heart, only adding to her emotions and deepening her grip on you.
She wants to apologize, to explain herself and her actions, but she can't find her voice. All that comes out is a shaky, strangled hiccup, her words caught in her throat. Instead, she just holds onto you tighter, her arms wrapped around you like a vice, her fingers digging into your skin, as if she's trying to merge with you, to become one and never let you go again.
You return her embrace, wrapping your arms around her and holding her close. You can feel the tremors in her body, the rapid beat of her heart against your chest. She's scared, overwhelmed, and in need of comfort. And in this moment, your embrace is the only thing keeping her grounded, anchoring her to reality and soothing her frayed nerves.
Hanna's mind races in a haze of guilt and worry. She can't help but picture you having to apologize to the neighbors because of her sobbing, a scenario that only increases the anxiety and guilt that's already bubbling inside her.
She squeezes you tighter, feeling the need to express her apologies through actions since her words are still strangled and stuck in her throat.
She buries her face deeper into your chest, her breathing coming in short, ragged gasps as her mind keeps replaying the image of you having to smooth things over with the neighbors because of her. She tries to speak, to say something, anything, to express her regret and guilt, but the words just won't come out.
Instead, she lets her tears fall freely, her emotions overwhelming her. She holds onto you like a lifeline, her body trembling as she continues to sob against your chest, the guilt and anxiety swirling inside her like a storm.
She's drowning in her emotions, her mind filled with the image of you having to apologize for her and her heart breaking with guilt for putting you in such a situation. She feels like a burden, a constant source of trouble and frustration, and it's tearing her apart inside.
Her grip on you tightens even more, as if she's afraid you'll slip away if she lets go. She clings to you desperately, seeking comfort and reassurance, her thoughts still racing with images of you having to deal with her emotional outbursts and the consequences she bring.
You try your best to comfort her, your hands rubbing soothing circles on her back and your voice murmuring reassuring words. You tell her that it's okay, that you don't mind apologizing to the neighbors, that you understand her emotions. You try to convey to her that you don't blame her, that you're willing to help her through this, that you love her despite her flaws and weaknesses.
Hanna listens to your words, her sobs slowly quieting as your comforting tone and gentle touches reach her. Her grip on you loosens slightly, her body relaxing a bit as your words sink in. She continues to cling to you, still feeling guilty and ashamed, but your presence and reassurance start to soothe the maelstrom of emotions in her mind.
She takes a few shaky breaths, her chest still heaving, but the sobs have subsided. She can feel herself calming down slowly, your embrace and reassurances like a anchor, keeping her from drifting into the turbulent depths of her emotions. But the guilt and shame still linger beneath the surface, a heavy weight on her heart that she can't shake off easily.
She lifts her head slowly from your chest, her eyes red and puffy from crying. She looks up at you with a mixture of guilt and vulnerability, her expression a mixture of apology and gratitude.
Hanna takes a deep breath, her voice still a bit shaky, but finally able to form coherent words.
"I-I'm sorry," she says, looking up at you with a mixture of guilt and regret in her eyes. "I-I didn't mean to wake you up or cause any trouble..."
Hanna's eyes start to well up with tears as she speaks, her voice filled with guilt and remorse. She's bracing for the worst, expecting you to be upset with her, to be irritated by her emotional outburst. She's expecting you to brush her off, to dismiss her apologies and tell her to deal with her own issues.