Incessant Calling

~Chapter Nine: Dreams and Drawings~

As morning approaches, I stare at the seconds ticking by on my watch.

What am I doing? Just hiding? What if I just let them catch me, then they'll lead me straight to everyone else. All we'd have to do is escape... No, that's not a good idea. What do they even want from me?

I've never had time to consider why these people are trying to abduct me. It's not like I'm particularly special. Come to think of it, if they were really trying to find me, why did it take five days before they attacked the Richardson's house? Personally, I think I left a fairly easy trail to follow. My mind wanders through scenarios, and I crave fresh air. Quietly, I slide out of bed and tiptoe over to the sliding door. Opening this without waking anyone proved very difficult, due to the grating noise. I managed to edge it open about a foot before slipping through.

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         It's about 5:30 a.m. and the amber sunrise is just barely peeking through the trees. Fiery beams of light are cast through the lingering clouds that lay just above my head. My feet take me to the pile of logs that used to be a cabin. I find a dry spot and sit down, resting my head on the tree behind me. The air feels frozen and I start to shiver. I pull my feet up and hug my knees, this usually helps to stop the shaking. To take my mind off the cold, I tuck my head down, close my eyes, and just focus on the sounds around me. Flocks of geese are squawking overhead, and a small breeze sends a trembling shower of canary yellow Aspen leaves towards the ground. Somewhere further up the mountain, a woodpecker is searching for breakfast. Once upon a time, I would have enjoyed a morning like this.

Now I'm spiraling down into an eternally dark abyss with no way out. I'm not alone. Everyone I've affected is falling to their doom with me. We are all tethered together in this fateful descent, until suddenly I stop falling. The chain breaks, and I watch as they keep falling, screaming for them to stop, to come back. The ground grows solid beneath me and closes the hole. I desperately start clawing at the dirt and clay, my tears moistening little patches in the dust. My fingers start to bleed, and the only thing I find is solid rock. Trying to find some sort of tool I can use to keep digging, I stand up. The sun glints off my eyes, and I put my hand up to shade them. Immediately I am surrounded by headstones in every direction, and the land is flat for miles. I always thought cemeteries held a certain morbid beauty, and that walking through one required absolute silence. This place looks like it hasn't been touched in ages, and everything is covered in dry yellow grass. A patch of color catches my eye, and I head in that direction until I reach a white stone. The ground surrounding it is freshly overturned, and a wild poppy unfolds its crimson petals in the morning sun. I bend down to read the inscription, and find these words:

              Brooklyn Alice Fairfield: The Last Of Us  ❦  2000 ~ 2812  ❦   "At long last, I am free."

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          I wake up to tiny crystalline flakes drifting lazily, and a blanket draped over my shoulders. I shiver from both the cold, and the memory of the dream.

"Hey girl," Kitty hugs me, "how are you doing?"

"I'm fine." I answer.

"You know, my mom told me once that 'Fine' stands for Freaked out, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional." She states.

"Ha ha, that is very true," I reply, "don't worry about me though, I'll be okay. How about you? I mean, you people are all super concerned about me, but are You okay?"

"Umm, I've definitely been better," she says, "I just can't wait to beat the living daylights out of those jerks!"

This makes me laugh. Like, genuinely laugh, which I haven't done in a while! The boys walk out a second later carrying four backpacks.

"You're up early," Thane laughs, "ready to head out?"

"Sure thing 'Daddy,' ready when you are!" I say with a squeaky voice.

"Dude, that sounds so wrong." Cole laughs.

"Well, we might as well practice the act now, son." Thane lowers his voice and tries to sound authoritative. It doesn't work, I might add.

"Cole, would you be a dear and hand your mother her backpack please?" Kitty asks sweetly.

"You're not my m-o-m!" He replies in a singsong voice.

"Oh, but I am! Get used to it sweetheart, because I'll be enjoying this." She says, "Now hand me my backpack before I ground you."

He rolls his eyes and begrudgingly obeys. "Not one of your finest ideas sis." Cole grumbles, referring to me.

"Oh you're welcome, anything for my big brother!" I squeak.

"Please stop doing that voice," Thane sighs, "and you should act more annoyed at him if you want to be believable."

"Fine, gosh. Parents can be so demanding." I scoff with mock annoyance.

They look at me for a moment before Cole speaks. "Perfect! Now if you just talk to 'mom' like that, then she won't pay so much attention to me!"

Kitty ruffles his hair. "Awe, how could I not pay attention to you, you're such a Cute little thing!"

Cole pretends to gag, wheezing something along the lines of: "Can't - breathe *cough* she uttered *cough* the *cough* word of *cough* Death!" On 'Death' he clutches at his heart and falls to the ground.

 "I don't know about you weirdos, but I'm leaving now." Thane states and marches off.

I follow suit, leaping over a certain drama-queen's head and showering snow onto his face. He still doesn't budge. Kitty grabs a pinecone and tosses it at Cole's bare hand.

"Ow!" He leaps up, "That one had spikes on it!"

 "Oh, I'm sorry sweetheart, but I had to revive you somehow! Unless you'd prefer mouth to mouth resuscitation..." she says slowly.

He gags again and runs straight past me, hitting my shoulder, "Tagged ya!" You're it!"

"Hey!" I call before pursuing him through the snow-dusted evergreens.

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           It took us several hours to get back to the valley floor, due to the various obstacles we encountered. However, we were able to get to Thane's car without incident and are now headed south on the highway.

I lean against the window and watch the light show pass by in neon bursts of color. Riding in cars at night always made me drowsy and nauseous at the same time, so I pull my gaze from the window and look at my friends instead.

Thane is laser focused on the road, and hasn't said much of anything for the past hour. Kitty has her jacket curled up like a pillow against the passenger window, occasionally she'll mumble something, but otherwise she seems asleep. To my left, Cole is drawing something on the back of an old receipt he found on the floor. I lean over to get a better look.

"What are you drawing?" I whisper.

"A tree," he answers, "I like to draw them when I'm anxious or confused, because it reminds me of something. It reminds me that all of these confusing, twisted up, and broken situations, or branches, in our lives will ultimately create a bigger picture. A sapling gets bowed over with heavy burdens of snow, is blown every which way by the wind, is overshadowed by other trees and has to fight for life. But over time, those hardships make the little sapling stronger, and those things won't be so much of a burden anymore. We're just saplings, Brooke. It will get better."