Hi all, heres chapter two! hope you enjoy it! and I love the feedback, keep it up!
I dreamed that I was home. Lying splayed in my bed, sheets twisted around me and pillows scattered across the bed. I could hear the vacuum running like it usually was on the odd occasion that I slept in. My hair was fanned out on my pillow and I opened my eyes to see my old room just like I had left it, organized but not exactly tidy. I sighed and looked around the room. Photos from my childhood adorned my walls, each one showing a different scene of happiness, belonging and security. There I was, age four, my grin glowing as I started my first day of preschool, mom standing behind me. My toothless grin splayed wide for my seventh birthday the flash erupting just before I blew the candles out on my cake. Stretching contentedly I looked at the ceiling and recoiled. Where I had expected to see my white plaster ceiling, off-white crown-moulding and the small crack in the left hand corner near the door, I saw... nothing. Where once there were clean sharp corners there were now jagged edges, giving the walls a sinister appearance. I could see a storm brewing outside, the winds whipping the clouds into an angry frenzy. Cowering under my blankets I stared up at the sky and could feel something coming. Like the calm before the storm the winds outside did not reach me but I could feel their power, the electricity in the air. Crackling that was awaiting an epic eruption.
Looking anywhere but at the terrifying gale above me I looked about the room once again, my eyes settling on a photo of my mother smoothing my hair while she read me a story before bed. I had never seen this picture before, nor did I remember it but I took it and committed it to memory. Pinching my eyes shut I placed myself in that moment, ignoring the howling winds above me. I remembered all that I could about my mother, putting as much detail into the memory as I could – like how her eyes would crinkle with laughter when I did something particularly clumsy, narrowly escaping injury, or the colour of her hair when it caught in the sun. I imagined her stroking my hair like she was in the picture and for a moment I almost could feel it. A tremendous clap of thunder shook me from my reverie and my eyes burst open with shock, my heart pounding. I caught one final glance at the storm being waged in the heavens before I was heaved into the maelstrom.
Gasping I opened my eyes expecting to find myself amidst the chaos. Instead I found the kind green eyes of Derek looming over me. It took me a second to realize it but I had fallen asleep watching the end of some crummy made for TV movie. Derek looked at me concernedly, his hand still resting on my head from where he had abruptly stopped stroking my hair.
"You okay there? You fell asleep about thirty minutes ago and were fine at first; then you just started shaking and moaning." He peered worriedly into my eyes as if he could see into my dreams and scare away whatever had disturbed me.
"I'm sor..." I had started to say, trying to apologize for falling asleep on his lap but he quieted me with a quick kiss on my forehead, his hands still running gently through my hair.
"Don't apologize for sleeping. I know it's hard for you lately, I'm just glad you were able to get some at all - no matter how noisy." He continued to run is fingers over my hair, his nails gently rubbing my scalp as his ministrations lulled me back into a stupor. I awoke next back in the room I shared with Tori, tucked in my bed, a glass of water on the night side table. Sitting up to take a sip from the sweating glass, I contemplated how thoughtful Derek was. I would need to repay him somehow, for everything he did for me. For us, I corrected myself. All of us owed him immensely for not only facilitating our escape from the Edison Group in the first place, but keeping us together and alive while searching for his dad. Even when we found Mr. Bae - Kit as he continually asked me to call him - Derek had been the anchor that kept us all going.
My dream had unnerved me but I refused to let it affect me. It clearly was my subconscious rebelling from finally getting some decent sleep and food. After all that time on the run, I supposed, it's natural that I would be shaken up. My sleep depraved brain had conjured up the last place I had felt truly and completely safe and mixed it with the events that had occurred since then, creating a storm of events and emotions even I didn't understand. No, I decided, I won't dwell on it. No more would I be reminded a past I could never return to, no matter how much I might want it.
Putting the disturbing dream behind me, I rolled over. Behind my eye lids was the image of Derek's pink grinning face looking down at me, his green eyes sparkling with joy. Because of me. I felt my heart thud once more, and smiled as I drifted off, into a blissfully dream free sleep.
Though I was determined to clear the dream from the previous night from my mind, it was still on my mind when I awoke early the next morning. I crawled out of bed quietly so as not to disturb Tori and snuck down to the kitchen. Unsurprisingly Mr. Bae was awake and reading a stack of newspapers at the kitchen table. Every morning was the same for him, he woke up, poured himself a cup of coffee, drove into town to buy his newspapers, and then proceeded to finish the pot while reading the inordinate amount of paper collected in front of him.
I waved a hello before turning to the refrigerator in search of breakfast. A shiny red apple beckoned to me so I pulled it out and nodded on my way out the door. Mr. Bae knew I wouldn't go far.
"Chloe!" I turned instinctively towards the sound. It had probably been hours since I left the house, but with no watch to tell the time I was quickly lost in my thoughts.
The voice turned out to belong to Simon and I scolded myself for getting worked up. "Hey," he said catching up to me where I was walking along the fence of the property. "Wow you're fast, just gimme a sec." He was bent over with his hands on his knees, panting. We lived in an old farmhouse and with that came a pretty expansive chunk of land. Typically walking alone, far out in the country would a pretty dumb idea but the first thing Mr. Bae had done was place protective wards around the entire property - which was no small task according to Simon. Initially I had thought it strange to ward the entire property, but right now I was pretty grateful for it.
I watched as Simon caught up with me, laughing as he wiped his sleeve across his gleaming forehead. "You'd think that we would be in the best shape of our lives after all that running from Edison Group!" I teased
He muttered indiscriminately and I continued to giggle as he swore under his breath. "Ok so now that you're done laughing at me I'll tell you what I ran all the way out here to tell you." A giggle slipped through the fingers pressed to my lips. "Or... not. Fine, I'll just head back." He turned around and started to walk away. I ran to catch up with him, grabbing his elbow and yanking him back off his feet. He fell to the ground, rolling clutching his chest as the air was forced from his lungs.
"Whoops! Guess I'm stronger than I thought!" I smirked just before his hand snaked out, grabbing my ankle. A yelp escaped my mouth as he pulled me down beside him on the lawn. I rolled to look at him and punched him in the arm
"Now that I've got you on my level I can let you know that you are being unceremoniously ditched for the day" He grinned sardonically flipping to his feet and offering me a hand up.
I was glad that things had gotten normal with Simon; I didn't want us to be awkward with each other just because of what had happened. It was nice to finally have a friend who I could goof around with and talk to after all this time. Even though I had Derek, kind of, he had yet to really open up to me, only allowing me glimpses of the amazing guy beneath his tough, practical exterior.