Chapter 14 - A Vision
William awoke with a start. He wiped the sweat from his brow, and sat up slowly. His parents weren't in the room. He couldn't remember what he had been dreaming about, but perhaps he didn't want to. He looked at the clock on his bedside table. He calmed down a little, letting sleep come to him, but it didn't. He looked around his lonely bedroom. He picked up his hand, an IV permeantly stuck into it.
He closed his eyes, the remnants of his dream being picked up, but he couldn't bring himself to remember. He grew angry at himself, then decided sleep was no longer an option, he'd done nothing but sleep for the past few days.
Swinging his bare feet out from under the covers he felt them touch the cold floor. He tested his weight on them, making sure he could walk before he nearly killed himself. He landed on the floor, pulling his IV along with him. He didn't like being confined. He and Meredith were never good with hospitals...
Meredith.
The word hit him like a slap. He had loved her, not in the way his parents loved one another, in the way that he never wanted to lose her, but would never have a chance to be her lover either. He wanted to, and many times he had kicked himself for not taking the chance, but he went to a Catholic School and Meredith to a Public one, and their relationship never made it past people who saw eachother on holidays and sometimes on weekends.
He remembered a summer when he and Meredith were four, Meredith's golden curls in corn rows from her family's trip to Florida earlier that summer, he in his bathing suit running up and down the beach, chasing anything that moved. Meredith was much to 'mature' for that. She began drawing in the sand. She had always been into the arts, dramatically making her parents bend to her will. She stopped that after age five.
It was that summer when he and Meredith had their first kiss. He remembered it like it was a month ago, the images in his mind foggy from his sleep. He smiled to himself, sitting down in the chair, bored of the bed. He looked back on that summer.
"Merry?" She and he had been alone in the woods. Meredith was a fast runner, jumping and leaping over everything. She still ran everyday, at 6 am before school and again at night, either to keep her figure near perfect as it was or just for fun. She had always been like that. She did everything for the stage. He remembered her first acting job. He had been invited to her school play where she was the Prince in Sleeping Beauty. He had kissed her in the clearing, the sun dancing on her rosy cheeks, the dandelion head rolling across that infamous clearing...
Clearing.
He suddenly opened his eyes. Had he fallen asleep, he didn't know. What he did know is that his mind had gone from the summer 14 years ago to the night according to Meredith happened a year ago. He remembered a light, a bright light, then comfort, nothing more then darkness. He opened his eyes and rolled them around his darkened room. He brought his mind to stillness.
It was just a dream, he told himself, nothing more then a stupid dream.
But what followed he knew was not a dream. It was a premenition, a vision of something to come. He blinked furiosly, trying to get the image out of his head. But he was haunted by it, he was frightened by it.
He saw what looked like water, a pond or lake.
And that's when he saw the angel with blond curls standing on it.
Meredith.
He blinked again. A second angel appeared.
An angel with red hair.
Him.
He saw himself and the blond angel exchange glances, their eyes meeting. The blond haired one who bore an immediately yet very shocking resemblance to Meredith stood facing him, and he was astounded. He felt himself in an out of body experience, watching himself and the other angel look at one another. Suddenly, the "Meredith" one looked up. A light came from the heavens. She was engulfed in it, and floated endlessly up, her beautiful wings drifting behind her ordained with lillies. "William" angel watched. Meredith seemed unafraid by this. She suddenly began to glow, her beutiful skin taking on a golden and white burning glow. William was engulfed in it. And yet he could see. The lush forestry was growing, the beauty magnamous, the amazing light healing everything.
Like the Christ.
That was when the light ceased. The "Meredith" angel was gone, and the "William" angel was left.
That was when he felt a hand touch his shoulder.
"William?"
He awoke with a start. He wasn't sweating. His mother looked at him.
"Are you alright Will?" She asked him, brushing a lock of his read hair out of his face.
"I'm okay." He said. "I was just getting up for a minute."
His mother nodded.
"Do you want anything?" She asked him.
"No I'm okay." He said. His mother gave him a weak smile and pulled up the chair next to him.
"Meredith hasn't been by today has she?" Dana asked him. He shook his head. He was beginning to see something about these dreams. He remembered the one he had before he left very well. He remembered the camera. He remembered going swimming. He remembered being woken up by Meredith getting a glass of water, then nothing. He guessed they would come back to him, but he didn't pressure them to return. He looked up at his mother.
"Why?"
"Her mother can't find her." Dana said out loud. William sighed. Meredith wasn't the good little preppy girl she had been around his family. She had run away once, but that had been when she was seven and she never spoke of it to anyone but William.
"She's probably just blowing off some steam." He said. "Have you called her friends' houses?"
"Yeah, we have. They haven't heard from her since Formal. She ran off when she woke up and that was around, noonish?" She looked at her watch. William looked at the clock by the bedside table.
"How's she been?"
"Well, her father's here too. He was shot through the window of their home around 3:00 this morning. He's been out of surgery just as Meredith woke up. One of his lungs nearly collapsed." William didn't know what to say. "But Meredith came to and one thing lead to another and she drove off to somewhere." William discretely placed his hand over the IV.
"When can I go home Mom?" He asked her.
"Doctor says they want to do a few more tests. Hopefully tomorrow." She said. She gave another weak smile.
"I love you William." She never would have admitted to that. He hugged he, sympathising for her. She kissed the top of his head. He hastilly sunk into her shoulder, resting his head on her collarbone. She softly shed a few tears on her son's oily mane, wiping them off her cheeks, making sure her fine layer of mascara wasn't running.
William felt his heart pound inside his chest.
"She'll be fine." He told himself.
But something told him she had gone, gone to save them all.
William awoke with a start. He wiped the sweat from his brow, and sat up slowly. His parents weren't in the room. He couldn't remember what he had been dreaming about, but perhaps he didn't want to. He looked at the clock on his bedside table. He calmed down a little, letting sleep come to him, but it didn't. He looked around his lonely bedroom. He picked up his hand, an IV permeantly stuck into it.
He closed his eyes, the remnants of his dream being picked up, but he couldn't bring himself to remember. He grew angry at himself, then decided sleep was no longer an option, he'd done nothing but sleep for the past few days.
Swinging his bare feet out from under the covers he felt them touch the cold floor. He tested his weight on them, making sure he could walk before he nearly killed himself. He landed on the floor, pulling his IV along with him. He didn't like being confined. He and Meredith were never good with hospitals...
Meredith.
The word hit him like a slap. He had loved her, not in the way his parents loved one another, in the way that he never wanted to lose her, but would never have a chance to be her lover either. He wanted to, and many times he had kicked himself for not taking the chance, but he went to a Catholic School and Meredith to a Public one, and their relationship never made it past people who saw eachother on holidays and sometimes on weekends.
He remembered a summer when he and Meredith were four, Meredith's golden curls in corn rows from her family's trip to Florida earlier that summer, he in his bathing suit running up and down the beach, chasing anything that moved. Meredith was much to 'mature' for that. She began drawing in the sand. She had always been into the arts, dramatically making her parents bend to her will. She stopped that after age five.
It was that summer when he and Meredith had their first kiss. He remembered it like it was a month ago, the images in his mind foggy from his sleep. He smiled to himself, sitting down in the chair, bored of the bed. He looked back on that summer.
"Merry?" She and he had been alone in the woods. Meredith was a fast runner, jumping and leaping over everything. She still ran everyday, at 6 am before school and again at night, either to keep her figure near perfect as it was or just for fun. She had always been like that. She did everything for the stage. He remembered her first acting job. He had been invited to her school play where she was the Prince in Sleeping Beauty. He had kissed her in the clearing, the sun dancing on her rosy cheeks, the dandelion head rolling across that infamous clearing...
Clearing.
He suddenly opened his eyes. Had he fallen asleep, he didn't know. What he did know is that his mind had gone from the summer 14 years ago to the night according to Meredith happened a year ago. He remembered a light, a bright light, then comfort, nothing more then darkness. He opened his eyes and rolled them around his darkened room. He brought his mind to stillness.
It was just a dream, he told himself, nothing more then a stupid dream.
But what followed he knew was not a dream. It was a premenition, a vision of something to come. He blinked furiosly, trying to get the image out of his head. But he was haunted by it, he was frightened by it.
He saw what looked like water, a pond or lake.
And that's when he saw the angel with blond curls standing on it.
Meredith.
He blinked again. A second angel appeared.
An angel with red hair.
Him.
He saw himself and the blond angel exchange glances, their eyes meeting. The blond haired one who bore an immediately yet very shocking resemblance to Meredith stood facing him, and he was astounded. He felt himself in an out of body experience, watching himself and the other angel look at one another. Suddenly, the "Meredith" one looked up. A light came from the heavens. She was engulfed in it, and floated endlessly up, her beautiful wings drifting behind her ordained with lillies. "William" angel watched. Meredith seemed unafraid by this. She suddenly began to glow, her beutiful skin taking on a golden and white burning glow. William was engulfed in it. And yet he could see. The lush forestry was growing, the beauty magnamous, the amazing light healing everything.
Like the Christ.
That was when the light ceased. The "Meredith" angel was gone, and the "William" angel was left.
That was when he felt a hand touch his shoulder.
"William?"
He awoke with a start. He wasn't sweating. His mother looked at him.
"Are you alright Will?" She asked him, brushing a lock of his read hair out of his face.
"I'm okay." He said. "I was just getting up for a minute."
His mother nodded.
"Do you want anything?" She asked him.
"No I'm okay." He said. His mother gave him a weak smile and pulled up the chair next to him.
"Meredith hasn't been by today has she?" Dana asked him. He shook his head. He was beginning to see something about these dreams. He remembered the one he had before he left very well. He remembered the camera. He remembered going swimming. He remembered being woken up by Meredith getting a glass of water, then nothing. He guessed they would come back to him, but he didn't pressure them to return. He looked up at his mother.
"Why?"
"Her mother can't find her." Dana said out loud. William sighed. Meredith wasn't the good little preppy girl she had been around his family. She had run away once, but that had been when she was seven and she never spoke of it to anyone but William.
"She's probably just blowing off some steam." He said. "Have you called her friends' houses?"
"Yeah, we have. They haven't heard from her since Formal. She ran off when she woke up and that was around, noonish?" She looked at her watch. William looked at the clock by the bedside table.
"How's she been?"
"Well, her father's here too. He was shot through the window of their home around 3:00 this morning. He's been out of surgery just as Meredith woke up. One of his lungs nearly collapsed." William didn't know what to say. "But Meredith came to and one thing lead to another and she drove off to somewhere." William discretely placed his hand over the IV.
"When can I go home Mom?" He asked her.
"Doctor says they want to do a few more tests. Hopefully tomorrow." She said. She gave another weak smile.
"I love you William." She never would have admitted to that. He hugged he, sympathising for her. She kissed the top of his head. He hastilly sunk into her shoulder, resting his head on her collarbone. She softly shed a few tears on her son's oily mane, wiping them off her cheeks, making sure her fine layer of mascara wasn't running.
William felt his heart pound inside his chest.
"She'll be fine." He told himself.
But something told him she had gone, gone to save them all.