Forgot To Count

4:The Dream

Jace

I burst through the door of the Shed to see Liara, Oak, and Marble crowding around where I presume they had told Fia to sleep and I pick out a few worried voices of "Shh, it's OK" and "What's wrong with her?" Den is sat back from the drama, on the small wooden chair in the corner with dark circles under his eyes, looking bored.

"What's happened?" I ask Den, as everyone else is so focused they haven't even noticed my presence.

He rubs his eyes and looks at me as if this is just a pointless interuption, getting in the way of his sleep. "Oh, i don't know - that new one - Fia -is it Fia?" I nod, implying for him to carry on. "Well, whatever. She started screaming and woke us all up and now, Liara is all protective over her - you know how she gets - so she told me to just shut up and sit in the corner. It was probably just a stupid nightmare or something."

"Oh god."

As he rolls his eyes at me, I push Marble out of the way and see Fia's head resting on Liara's lap. Her eyes are fluttering and she keeps mumbling, "No - don't - please - no - help." Oak gently presses a wet flannel to her head and gives me a worried look as I kneel down next to Liara.

"Fia." Liara says, shaking her shoulders, gently. "Fia wake up. What's wrong?"

"How long has she been like this?" I question, anxiously.

"About 5 minutes, I think. First, she was screaming. Then, it seemed like she couldn't breathe - I think she was hyperventilating. Now, she's just like this."

"Is she dreaming?"

Fia's mumbles quieten and eventually, her eyes stop fluttering, too. All of a sudden, a gasp escapes her lips and she reaches her arms out, almost hitting Oak. Her eyes blink again but this time it is to try to open them. "Jace?" She whispers. "What are you doing?" Then, she sees Liara and jumps up from the floor, away from her, as if it's a reflex.

"What's wrong?" Liara asks, with a look of hurt on her face. I know how much she would hate it if Fia didn't like her; all she ever wants to do is look after other people and never thinks of herself.

A flicker of confusion and rejection passes through Fia's eyes but then changes to realization and she answers, "Oh, uh... nothing. I just... thought..."

"Were you dreaming?" I ask, wondering if there is something more to it.

She gulps and takes a deep breath. "Yea...uh sorry, i didn't mean to wake you all up. Maybe I should just go." She stumbles over to the door and turns back to face us. "I don't want you to worry about me - you don't have to."

Den sighs in annoyance. "No, we shouldn't. We should be able to sleep -"

"Den. Stop it." I scold. I follow after Fia and tug on her arm just as she pulls on the handle.

"It's okay. I'll be okay." She tries to reassure me but the look in her eyes tells me that she doesnt really want to go. Pulling open the door, she turns away from me. She is about to step out of the door but instead, she steps back, revealing Mara.

"Uuhh..."

"Hi, I'm Mara." She introduces herself to Fia, confidently, as she is so used to being made to entertain Dad's new business partners.

Of course, her cheerfulness brings a smile to Fia's face, too. "I'm Fia."

Mara opens her arms and engulfs Fia in a hug, then runs over to Liara, squealing with joy and jumps on her kneeling lap.

Mara whispers something to her, to which she answers "Maybe. If you ask her."

She looks back towards Fia with a pleading look in her eyes. "Please will you stay?"

Reluctantly, Fia takes a step towards her and looks between Mara and I. "Uh...okay." I think I hear groan from Den but choose to ignore it. "Just for tonight though. I don't want to be to be in the way." She looks towards Den, pointedly.

"No, you're not. Honestly." Liara insists, ignoring Den's groan. "You can stay for as long as you like. Can't she Jace?"

"Of course she can." Although everyone else knows I mean it, I am not too sure about Fia. She just gives me a weak smile and goes to lie back down.

As I am about to step out of the door, I turn around to get Mara, only to find her already snuggled down between Fia and Oak. I don't even try to move her, knowing she will refuse.

I switch off the teal lamp and shut the door behind me, gently.

Following the stone path up through the garden, I make my way back to my house.

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I have dedicated this chapter to my BFF LydiaInd for helping me write a few paragraphs when i had a huge writer's block.
Please tell me your thoughts on the story so far in the comments and vote if you like it.
@cobertsoph58 xxx