Where You Were Once There || Marauders

chapter I

| Where it was the first day |

-

Sleep, a silly little thing humans needed to survive. For many it is not just a necessity but a chance to escape, to escape into your dreams and leave the living world for a fleeting moment. Where you can leave your problems behind for a moment of peace, a moment of silence in between the thundering waves of life.

It is one of the reasons I adore it, even going so far I crave to escape to the dreaming world, as it is the only place I don't have to pretend, where I can be free with no one telling me what to do or who to be. But, alas, dreams come with nightmares, tormenting you when your eyes are closed. It can make one dread the time the sun goes down, when it's only you and your nightmares hiding in the darkness. But even with the nightmares looming over me, their dark claws ready to torment your mind, I still seek out my dreams. Because one glimpse of the dreaming world is worth all the torments.

-

"Leila........"
"Leila...",
"Leila?!"

A thud sounded as I landed on the compartment floor, a gasp followed from my lips once I was so rudely awakened.

"You wouldn't wake up.", Cassie explains at once as I gave her a questioning gaze, my annoyance shined brightly through my eyes but I only got an innocent smile in return, and yet the girl in front of me was anything but innocent. "Stop your glaring, it gives you wrinkles.", the girl in front of me huffs as if I had done her a great ordeal. She leaned forward and rubber her finger in between my eyebrows, smoothing the crease out. "See, that's better."

I mocked her under my breath as I lift myself back onto my seat, but it seems my mockery was not as quiet as I had hoped. It was met with a delightful grin. "I missed your grumpiness.", the girl sighed a wistful breath. It took strength to keep the smile down, only as small lift of the corner of my lips seemed to break through.

"How long was I asleep?", I let the question flow out lightly, but the pretend was nonsense as we both knew the answer was not. Cassie's eyes soften, a rare phenomenon that didn't fit on her face and yet it was one of my favourite sights.

"For around an hour and a half.", she answered sturdy and straightforward. She slightly leans forward, her eyes expectant as she waited for my reaction. I took a breath, one a little too sharp as I saw the worry melt into her eyes.

"That's almost the whole train ride.", I pondered, making the girl in front of me hum in agreement.

"You were tired.", she explained for me in understanding, not that I needed it but the words had to be said. Hesitantly, the girl skooted closer, all the way to the edge of her seat. "They didn't show up, did they?", she asks. The question threw me off, only for a little bit, as I was reminded of the reason behind my tiredness.

It was a silly thing, maybe even stupid of me, but my parents aren't the kind of parents who are present in their child's life. Seeing them was a rare occurrence, so any time they will grace me with their presence I grasp onto it. Each year, just like this one, they promise me to be home for dinner on the last day of summer holiday, to wish me a good year. Yet each year I ate my dinner alone, waited hours for them to show up, watched the moon shine brightly on the empty driveway, wishing for them to come, and each year before school even starts I become dreadfully aware of how little I am meant.

A soft nod from me is all it took for the girl to threw her arms around me. Apologies and sweet nothings were whispered in my ear, each word slowly mending the hurt. Time ticked by which we were blissfully unaware from as we stayed in each others arms, content was all we know and clinged to until a shout from outside made us jump apart.