Chapter 3: Dreams Revealed and Hopes Dashed
Liz woke up in the morning due to the sun shining in her face and she felt something cuddly and warm curl up near her stomach, she looked down and smiled she saw Bast sleeping near her stomach, she watched him for a little while, how his tail would flick every now and then and he would let out this little purrs of happiness and content. She stroked his forehead for a short time as she turned to look at the ceiling, remembering her dreams that she had received the night before.
Her and Max were swimming in the ocean, the dolphins were swimming about, splashing them, causing them to start laughing at the playfulness of the dolphins that when they caught each other eyes and looked toward them, the playfulness faded and something else took it's place, something primal. She felt her breath get caught in her throat as Max moved in closer, his dark eyes darkening as they dropped to her lips, he looked into her eyes once more and smiled before leaning in. She closed her eyes when his lips met hers when all of a sudden everything faded away and the sea turned to black then the whole scenery changed. She was on land and saw a gravestone ahead of her. She walked over to it to try and read it only to wake up as soon as she got near it.
Liz sighed as she tried to figure out what her dream meant, what kind of dream would begin with kissing someone then end with a gravestone? She asked herself, feeling confused and frustrated. She got out of bed, making sure not to stir Bast as she stepped out of the room and made her way down the stairs. She smiled when Rex jumped up and headed over to her.
"Hi sweetie, you want some breakfast?" Liz asked as she ran her hand over his head. Rex growled, playfully and she laughed as she picked up his bowl and poured some dried food in it and filled his water bowl up. She smiled as she watched him dig into his food with happiness as she ran her hands under the water before starting on her food.
Once she finished, she hurried up the stairs and pulled on some khaki and her top and her sneakers before hurrying back down the stairs. She picked up Rex's lead and smiled when Rex came bounding over, barking with excitement. "Okay boy, just relax, and give me a minute to actually put the lead on!" Liz laughed as she clipped on the lead and opened the door; she managed to shut the door before Rex managed to drag her off, making her laugh all the way at his excitement.
Liz found herself at the beach, she inhaled the salty sea air and smiled as it cleansed her lungs, she laughed as she threw a ball, letting Rex go bounding after it and watched the ocean as it waved back and forth. She had missed seeing this, seeing the ocean and breathing in the air. She had missed waking up to this world and walking along the beach where she felt free from everything in the world, where everything seems so small and insignificant toward the large world that waited for her to see.
Liz laughed as she watched Rex go near the water only to yelp and run back from the ocean as the wave crashed onto the shore.
"Liz!" she heard someone shouting her name and she turned around only to let out a bright smile when she saw Max heading toward her.
"Hey Max." Liz greeted as Max got closer to her and Max grinned down at the girl beside her.
"What are you doing out here?" Max asked.
"Walking Rex, he dragged me down to the beach." Liz stated as she pointed to Rex, who was now barking at a crab causing her to giggle. "Silly dog." She stated, affectionately and Max smiled.
"Gotta agree with you there." Max teased and Liz laughed.
"Yeah, so how come you are out early?" Liz asked.
"I always take a jog at this time in the morning, how about you?" Max asked.
"Felt like walking along the beach and taking in the sights. It never fails to make me breathless." Liz explained and Max nodded.
"I understand how you feel." Max stated and she smiled up at him.
"Wanna walk with us for a little while or are you still on your run?" Liz asked.
"I'll walk with you, this way we can talk for a little while." Max stated and Liz smiled at him.
"Okay, Rex! Come here boy!" Liz called out, Rex hurried over and walked beside them as Max and Liz set off.
"What are you going to do today?" Max asked and Liz shrugged.
"I don't know, I probably just hang around the cabin and read, maybe try and study for my maths." Liz muttered the last part and Max smiled.
"I don't have work today, so if you want, I could try and help you with your maths today." Max suggested and Liz brightened up as she looked up at Max with a smile.
Max felt his heart clenched as the dream of her and him in the sea, kissing came back to him with a vengeance.
"That'll be great!" Liz exclaimed and Max nodded, still feeling confused about his feelings toward her. It had been a couple of nights since they went out, he had been feeling something toward her since he met her and it just seemed to be getting stronger each time.
A couple of hours later, Liz let out a frustrated moan as she dropped her Math book and looked at Max, who was sitting next to her at the table, looking at her with sympathy in his eyes as the trouble she was going through.
"See, I'm hopeless!" Liz exclaimed as she looked at her math's book before letting her head drop down on the table and Max to laugh.
"Liz, you are not hopeless." Max stated and Liz looked at him.
"How do you mean?" she asked.
"Did your teacher teach you one way to do the sums and someone else teach you another way?" Max asked and Liz thought about it before nodding.
"Yeah, my teachers would teach me one way then my mother told me that it was wrong and taught me another way which just ended up confusing me and I started being hopeless at maths." Liz explained and Max nodded.
"There's the root of your problems, you need to find what way makes it easier for you to do your maths and stick with it, no matter what anyone tells you to do." Max told her and she nodded. He handed her back her maths books and showed her a few ways to do her sums till she picked the one that it was easier for her to remember.
"I did it!" she exclaimed and Max laughed as she hugged him, she pulled back and they both looked into each other eyes, their smiles fading as their dreams came back.
Max cleared his throat as he pulled away from her and smiled down at her.
"Told you, you could do it." Max stated and he started packing up the books and putting them in the bags. "Do you wanna go outside and sit on the porch for a little while? The stars should be out soon."
"Yeah, that'll be nice, I'll get the covers, and you can make the hot chocolate." Liz stated and Max nodded as he headed into the kitchen, glad to get away from her and cool down his body.
"So Liz, tell me your dreams." Max stated and Liz smiled at him, they were both sitting on the porch swing, under the covers, facing each other as they drank hot chocolate.
"The usual. I want to live in a cabin like this and have children." Liz informed and Max, playfully, nudged her leg with his foot.
"Try again." He teased and Liz laughed.
"I want to travel the world, I want to see what each country is like and experience all the stuff that happens. I want to fall in love and get married, have the perfect wedding. I want to have children and know what it is like to be a mother." She finished and looked at Max. "How about you?"
"The same as you, I want to be a father, I would love to travel the universe and see what it is like outer space." Max explained.
"What's your dream job?" Liz asked and Max blushed slightly.
"I want to be a paediatrician, I love working with kids." Max explained and Liz smiled at him.
"You would make a great doctor." Liz stated and Max smiled at her.
"What about you?" Max asked.
"I want to be a therapist, I want to be able to help people through their rough times in their lives." Liz replied and Max nodded.
"I can see you doing that, you would be brilliant at it." Max stated and Liz smiled. "Okay, my turn, what was your dream animal?" Max asked.
"When I was younger, I wanted a wolf." Liz admitted and Max looked at her. "I know, but I always had this fascination with them." Liz explained. "Yours?"
"A snake." Max replied and Liz smirked.
"Just like any normal guy." Liz teased and Max rolled his eyes.
"Says the girl who wanted a wolf." Max teased back.
"I was eight years old at the time!" Liz shot back, playfully, in her defence. "Okay, mine. How many children?"
"Three or four, I'm not fussy as long as I get more than one." Max explained and Liz nodded.
"The same as me, I guess it's because I'm a only child, I want my children to have siblings." Liz admitted, Max nodded in agreement.
"So, how come you are here?" Max asked and Liz shrugged.
"I wanted to get away from my parents, they were arguing and getting on to me for failing Maths. Plus, I love seeing my Grandma, she really helps me out when I have a problem, I don't know what I would do without her." Liz stated and Max looked at her, knowing that she was serious.
"Anyway," Max started, changing the subject so he could get Liz focus on something different then the prospect of losing her grandmother. "I noticed that you fell earlier." Max teased and Liz looked at him, wide eyes.
"Oh, that never happened!" Liz denied and Max looked at her, incredulous.
"It did so!" Max exclaimed and Liz burst out laughing.
"I did not fall!" she exclaimed.
"Yes you did, I saw you!" Max exclaimed and Liz scoffed through her laughers.
"You liar!" Liz stated, playfully, and Max clutched his hear in a mock shock.
"You wound me!" Max exclaimed, causing Liz to crack up with laughers once more.
"Stop making me laugh!" Liz exclaimed as she clutched her side where she was getting a stitch.
Max chuckled as they both relaxed on the swing, resting against each other. "Thanks Max. I haven't laughed so hard in ages." Liz whispered. "It was nice to laugh again." Max smiled as he placed a kiss on her forehead.
"No problem." Max whispered and Liz turned her face up to smile up at him. Soon their eyes caught, Max started to bend his head down while Liz's raised her head, their lips almost met when all of a sudden there was a loud clash, causing the pair of them to spring apart and look toward the source.
They saw Kyle standing there.
"Hey Liz, are you busy tonight?" Kyle asked, completely ignoring Max.
"I was." Liz muttered to herself, confused at what almost happened yet she felt disappointed that they had missed their chance. "Erm, Kyle, what are you doing here?"
"I was wondering if you wanted to hang out tonight." Kyle stated.
"Can't you see I'm with Max at the moment?" Liz demanded and Kyle turned to face Max.
"Oh, hey Evans. Never saw you there." Kyle lied with a fake smile.
"I bet you didn't." Max muttered under his breath and untangled himself from Liz. "I better go." Max informed Liz and Liz looked up at him with disappointment shining in her eyes.
"Sure, will I see you tomorrow?" Liz asked, hopeful shining on her face and Max nodded.
"Sure, have a good night." Max stated as he picked up his sneakers and walked off.
Kyle walked up to Liz and stood on the porch.
"So, want to do something?" Kyle asked.
"Sorry Kyle, I tired. Later." Liz dismissed him as she grabbed the cover and the mugs before stepping into the house, leaving Kyle stunned that she turned him down.
Liz woke up the next morning and got out of bed, she looked into Claudia's bedroom, only to find that she wasn't in it.
"Hm, weird. Grandma never told me she was going anywhere today." Liz muttered to herself before heading down the stairs to the kitchen and smiled when she saw the recipes book and decided to bake.
Claudia walked into the doctor's clinic and headed over to the reception, the doctor came out of his room when he saw her and led her over to his office.
"Good morning Dr. Jackson." Claudia stated and he smiled at the elderly lady before him before dropping it.
"I received your results last night." He started and sighed. "I'm sorry to say that the cancer has spread too far and it too advance for surgery, there is no cure for it except chemotherapy and radiotherapy but that will only give you a few months at least." He explained and Claudia sighed, she knew that this was coming and rested her hand on her heart as she looked out at the window, how was she going to tell Liz?
TBC