Not So Sweet Dreams

Chapter 2- A New Home

I don't sleep much, my eyes fluttering open and closing as I watch the street lights and trees fly by. I always wondered what the US was like, I loved watching sitcoms and cartoons that would air on weekends. I would sit with my mum and dad, still yawning from other sleepless nights. Mum would fuss over the dark circles that would appear under my eyes, and dad would just ruffle my hair and kiss my mom tenderly. I'd make a grossed out face and look back at the telly. smirking a little. If I ever fell in love, I'd want it to be like my parent's love. Simple and kind. 

I finally wake up when I hear Ariel asking, "Are we there yet?" If it was anyone else, it would have been annoying, but when she said it, it was adorable. Mum, hm my new one I suppose, replied sleepily. "Almost Ariel. Just close your eyes and we'll be there in a second. It's like magic." She had been napping as well. I smiled a little as Ariel did as she said and drifted back to sleep. Aaron snored a little  next to me. I had a feeling that me and him wouldn't get along very well. Not that I didn't want to, the idea of having a big brother was appealing. But since he was acting like such a wanker to me, I could tell that it would take some work. I decided to start being as nice as possible. His Ipod's headphones were tangled up around his neck when he'd tossed and turned. I carefully untangled them, and wrapped them around the Ipod and set it back down on his lap. He snuffled, but didn't wake up. I spotted Mum catching onto what I was doing, and I looked away embarassed. She smiled widely, happy that I was trying to be nice. One thing that both of my mothers had in common, they had beautiful smiles.

I stared back out the window for a while, then glanced over at my dad. His face showed no expression, as he kept his eyes on the road. He'd been so nice to me, like a father should. I hoped that he would be as good of a dad to me as my old one was. I became a little sad thinking about the fire... and drifted off.

"Wake up you guys! We're home!" Mum called. Home? Oh, right. I opened my eyes, and wiped the bit of drool off my mouth that had snuck out of my mouth when I was sleeping. I didn't dream, which was a good thing. Aaron stirred next to me, emitting one loud and final snore and sat up. Ariel was wide awake, bright eyed and ready to get out. I tried to open the door, but it was locked. I unlocked it, but it still wouldn't budge. "It's a child lock, moron." I looked over at Aaron, as he was searching for something. Probably his Ipod, and I pointed at it in his lap, ignoring the moron comment. "Did you do this?" he asked, holding up the coiled player. I nodded. Aaron's glare softened, but he still said, "Don't touch my stuff." I nodded again in agreement. The last thing I wanted to do was to get on his bad side, especially since he had just woken up. Not a happy riser, I could tell. Mum came around and opened the door for us. We quickly piled out, I went to the trunk to wait for Dad to open it. He came over and popped it up. I reached in to grab my suitcase, but he got there before I did. "Don't worry, I got this, kiddo. Just go inside, we have a surprise for you." My eyes widened at that, wondering what it could possibly be. "Thanks," I mumurred. The suitcase wasn't very heavy, it only had a few faded clothes from my old life. There was also another thing in there, a small photo of me and my parents. My most prized possesion. I headed to the house. Home.

It was a one story brick house, not as fancy as the one I grew up in. But with the colorful flower garden in front, the wicker porch chairs, and the pine green door, it was very inviting. Ariel had tagged along with me, grabbing my hand as we stepped into the house. I looked down at her, and she reacted with a sleepy grin. Aaron followed behind us, I could practically feel him burning a hole in the back of my head. The living room was simply decorated, a cream colored couch, with two armchairs to match, a glass coffee table, a wide, flat screen TV, and a tall tree of sorts, reaching towards the curtained window. Mum, who had been shuffling around in the dining room with some papers, came over and hugged me suddenly. "Welcome home!" she declared, taking my free hand and guiding my down a hallway, with pictures of Ariel, Aaron, and Mum and Dad smiling as if they were greeting me. Aaron's face looked stiff, as if he didn't want to smile at all. I shook that thought away, as she lead me into a room painted a jade green, with a flat screen on the wall, a canopy bed, draped with thick green curtains, a enormous bookshelf, nearly spilling over with books, a dresser, that was almost bursting with clothing, and a train track set, similar to one I'd been wanting so badly, after seeing it in shops back in England. I gaped at the sight. "Trevor, this is your room. I know that there's not much in here right now, but we can add on, when you decide on what you want." Mum turned around to see Dad walk in. "Settling in?" he asked. I squeaked, "Yes." They laughed at my reply. Ariel was still holding my hand, as she yawned. I did too, covering my mouth. "Tired? Go ahead and sleep. Don't worry about pajamas, we'll worry  about that in the morning. We're glad to have you here, in our family Trevor," Mum said. I looked over at my parents, who were truly happy to have me here. Ariel sat down, and said, "Sweet dreams, big brother," before she closed her eyes and was scooped up by Dad. "Good night," he said. Mum gave me a kiss on the top of my head. I watched them go, but saw Aaron staring at me, silently. I said, "Good night, Aaron." He said nothing and stalked off, turning on the hallway light.

I went over to my battered suitcase, picking out the photo and walking over to the bed. My bed. It seemed like more of a girly thing, canopy beds, but I actually liked it. I crawled under the covers, and snuggled into the warmth that I wasn't very used to. I looked at the picture. Smiles. The only ones I made were fake nowadays. I noticed that I hadn't turned off the light, but decided to keep it on. I wasn't afraid of the dark, but the things that I would see did. I kept my eyes open as long as possible, then fell asleep, with hope that I would really have sweet dreams.