"What in the—" Bianca shakes her head, knowing she's not allowed to swear
without being reprimanded. "What were you thinking? We don't even know
them!"
I can't answer her—what would I say? That the woman in the forest there was potentially my mother? I'd never met her, I wouldn't be able to recognize her if it wasn't for those crazy dreams; and I couldn't just tell Bianca that I was nuts.
"They—were using gifts...?" I say tentatively as an excuse. She puts a hand on her hip and glares. "Look—I...knew them or something. I don't know, something inside of me just snapped, and then...Bianca, if I tell you something, will you swear not to laugh?"
"Of course not," she replied tartly, "when have I ever mocked you?"
I ignore the sarcasm in her voice. "I think I have more than just one gift. Sometimes in the summer time, I have dreams about a lady with brown hair and mismatched eyebrows leaving me on the doorstep of the orphanage. I always thought it was just a silly dream...but I saw her. Tonight, I saw her, she was talking to that little boy."
Bianca conks me on the head.
"Ow!" I whine, rubbing my forehead. "That was uncalled for."
"And so was all that junk about meeting a complete and total STRANGER and thinking that she was from this memory-dream-power-thing! You could've been hurt, Chris—what if they found out about OUR gifts?"
"So what if they did?" I counter. "It's not like they would kill us or something. They were 'vanquishing demons,' eliminating EVIL. That makes them good."
Bianca sighs, taking my hand and leading me to the dorm rooms for the night. "You," she says, pointing a finger at me, "are SO naïve."
Then she slams the girls' dorm door in my face, leaving me to a dark and empty hallway. I kick the door, hoping to scare her and all the girls in there. "Good night to you, too, Bianca!" I remark.
As I turn around to head towards the boys' dorms, I scoff silently to myself in partial amusement and partial sadness. "I knew she wouldn't understand."
I open the door, and it is pitch black inside. "Sammy," I whisper, "turn on the flashlight."
Sammy doesn't turn on the flashlight, though, and Tom and Cam don't start mauling me for coming in so late. In fact, nobody's here. I didn't even see Miss Marie in the living room on our way home, come to think about it...
"Sammy?" I ask the darkness. "Tom? Cam? Daniel?"
I don't hear Daniel's snoring, either—and Tom, who'd normally be thrashing in his sleep and mumbling swear words, is absent. I shake in fear. Did something happen while we were gone?
Suddenly an arm wraps around my stomach, grabbing me firmly. I try to cry out, but the intruder has already clapped a hand to my mouth and lifted me up, heading back out the door. I kick at them, writing back and forth, to no avail. I am trapped.
Down the hall, I hear Bianca scream. "Chris, they're back—"
She's hushed by her kidnapper and I begin to cry silently, still being shoved out to the doorstep and knowing that whatever has happened this time is definitely my fault.
I can't answer her—what would I say? That the woman in the forest there was potentially my mother? I'd never met her, I wouldn't be able to recognize her if it wasn't for those crazy dreams; and I couldn't just tell Bianca that I was nuts.
"They—were using gifts...?" I say tentatively as an excuse. She puts a hand on her hip and glares. "Look—I...knew them or something. I don't know, something inside of me just snapped, and then...Bianca, if I tell you something, will you swear not to laugh?"
"Of course not," she replied tartly, "when have I ever mocked you?"
I ignore the sarcasm in her voice. "I think I have more than just one gift. Sometimes in the summer time, I have dreams about a lady with brown hair and mismatched eyebrows leaving me on the doorstep of the orphanage. I always thought it was just a silly dream...but I saw her. Tonight, I saw her, she was talking to that little boy."
Bianca conks me on the head.
"Ow!" I whine, rubbing my forehead. "That was uncalled for."
"And so was all that junk about meeting a complete and total STRANGER and thinking that she was from this memory-dream-power-thing! You could've been hurt, Chris—what if they found out about OUR gifts?"
"So what if they did?" I counter. "It's not like they would kill us or something. They were 'vanquishing demons,' eliminating EVIL. That makes them good."
Bianca sighs, taking my hand and leading me to the dorm rooms for the night. "You," she says, pointing a finger at me, "are SO naïve."
Then she slams the girls' dorm door in my face, leaving me to a dark and empty hallway. I kick the door, hoping to scare her and all the girls in there. "Good night to you, too, Bianca!" I remark.
As I turn around to head towards the boys' dorms, I scoff silently to myself in partial amusement and partial sadness. "I knew she wouldn't understand."
I open the door, and it is pitch black inside. "Sammy," I whisper, "turn on the flashlight."
Sammy doesn't turn on the flashlight, though, and Tom and Cam don't start mauling me for coming in so late. In fact, nobody's here. I didn't even see Miss Marie in the living room on our way home, come to think about it...
"Sammy?" I ask the darkness. "Tom? Cam? Daniel?"
I don't hear Daniel's snoring, either—and Tom, who'd normally be thrashing in his sleep and mumbling swear words, is absent. I shake in fear. Did something happen while we were gone?
Suddenly an arm wraps around my stomach, grabbing me firmly. I try to cry out, but the intruder has already clapped a hand to my mouth and lifted me up, heading back out the door. I kick at them, writing back and forth, to no avail. I am trapped.
Down the hall, I hear Bianca scream. "Chris, they're back—"
She's hushed by her kidnapper and I begin to cry silently, still being shoved out to the doorstep and knowing that whatever has happened this time is definitely my fault.