Breaking out of Area 51

Chapter 12

For the next week I stayed out of trouble and was extra careful to keep away from the guards. I wanted as much time as possible with my friends and with Jamie.

He was getting on so well with his speech. He still stuttered when he was nervous but when we were reading the book or talking about our memories you could barely tell!

I keep trying to convince the others that he's ok but I'm having mixed signals. Harley isn't budging and I think Carters just waiting for one of the girls to give in so he can.

So that leaves H. She definitely wants to believe that Jamie is good but it's understandable that she's nervous about it. He's been here forever and we've never spoke before but that was probably due to no one ever paying him much attention.

But tonight, we're finishing the book. We read the entire thing together and now its going to be over. Sure there are loads of others we could read but this one's different, it's his favourite, and it's the first we've ever read together. It's special.

I sit in my cell, leaning back against the door with the back of my head over half the gap. He's sat the same but on the other side and our heads are touching as he reads the last sentence.

"I'm so g-glad to be home again..."

We sat in silence, both grieving the world we lost by closing the book. It didn't make sense to me but a small tear fell down my cheek just before I wiped it away.

Jamie quickly did the same, unbeknown to him the other boy was doing it to. He'd read that book more times than any other yet this time felt different, but he wasn't sure why.

It could have been because he was finally sharing his favourite thing in the world, or that he'd found a friend in a strange world just like Dorothy. 

The boys stayed there together, mostly in silence for a while.

I suddenly thought about something that should have been obvious earlier.

"Jamie?" I whispered. "If we got taken and our parents were hurt, how does that make sense? I thought we only survived because of our powers? Does that mean our parents had powers to?"

He sighed, "I don't k-know, I've been thinking about that to. They're lying about something".

I looked up to the ceiling and thought about it. Either they took us before the world ended or our parents were like us which is possible if its genetic.

At some point I felt my eyes start to get drowsy despite me still leaning up against the door. I gave in and was instantly filled with bad dreams again.

I was hiding somewhere dark and a lady's voice whispered something to me. I couldn't hear what she was saying as I was focused on the puddles under my feet and the splintered wood of a fence in front.

She  started moving and grabbed my hand to pull me along with her. Her hand engulfed my small one and I could see the outline of her wavy hair and realised it was the same woman, my mother.

We walked, slowly and carefully as I dragged my fingers over the fence. Far away, but clearly much too close for her liking, shone torches. Searching every square inch of ground possible.

It was obvious we were avoiding them but I had no idea why as we kept going, walking further and further away from the lights until we reached a car. Sat by itself at the side of a road as if it had been hidden.

I was ushered in and felt the cool rumbling of the engine before we started moving silently and without headlights.

After a few minutes the lights of another car shone ahead and I was shouted at whilst pushed further down into my seat until it had gone past, leaving me trembling in my place.

I woke up to soft hands against my face and for a moment I rested in the space between sleep and reality before I remembered where I was and snapping awake.

Jamies hand was still through the gap, it must have been him touching my face which made me slightly more relieved. But then I reached up to touch my own cheeks and found them wet.

He must have sensed my confusion and spoke.

"I think you were having another nightmare".

He sounded sad for me but I wasn't even entirely sure it was a nightmare. I was kind of scared but there was no blood or death, just running.

"Oh", it was all I could say.

He silently held his hand out further and I instinctively leant forward to grab it, sitting back down in my place by the door where we would stay quietly for the next hour.

"W-we've not really s-seen each other before except from behind a door", he said, breaking the silence.

"We have from a distance in the cafeteria but yea we've never spoke without this stupid piece of metal in the way".

"Some day", he whispered.

"Some day", I replied with a smile.