Xavier gasped for air as his eyes fluttered open. He flailed his arms about and kicked his legs straight out from the comfort of his mattress. He jumped out of the bed breathing heavy and feeling like his heart was beating in his ears. As he turned his head and stared at the corner of his room trying to focus his breathing, he really wished he could get rid of these terrible dreams.
They had plagued him since he could remember and now he was 15. He would be 16 next month. It was the same dream all the time. Disfigured man-like creatures would be looking at him over his bed and touching his ears and his nose. They were the color of beef jerky and smelled like dank, dark places. Their eyes were bright 7-up can green, they glowed always at Xavier. They were always dressed the same and all dressed alike. Always in forest green shirts and small tattered forest green pants, held up by leather belts. Their hair was long, black, thick and wavy. Then they would dangle a beautiful creature that Xavier would call a fairy, like Tinkerbell but prettier. This fairy was about 3 feet tall instead of 1 inch tall.
They would show their teeth in their dream and rip the wings off the fairy. The little girl fairy writhed in pain and blood shot everywhere. Her long silvery hair soaking up the blood off her back. Those wicked man things would then get a knife and try to cut her throat. This is when Xavier would scream nooooooo. Then she would reach out to him with tears falling down her face with fear of death claiming her entire face. The mean man things would shove him down. He would try to fight but they had him in iron grips. They are beginning to kill her and then Xavier wakes from the dream at the same time every time he dreamed it.
Xavier eyes burned with sweat dripping in his eyes. Thats when he noticed that he was drenched. He had been having this dream for so long he should be used to it but it was always just as terrible. It was so real. He tried to tell his mom and she tried to take him to counselors and doctors. They had tried medicines to help him sleep but nothing helped. His dad cut out on them when he was 5 so it was just he and his mom. He could remember his dad telling him it would be alright and get easier the older he got but then he left them 10 years ago. he walked out the door in the morning to go to work and never came back.
Celia called in private investigators, police detectives, everything she knew to do but no one ever found him and they just learned to live without him. It was like he just dropped off the face fo the earth.
Xavier moved a shaky foot towards his dresser and grabbed some shorts and a shirt and underwear to head on straight to the shower. Breath man. Breath man. Long breaths. By the time he hit the door out of his room he had calmed down on the outside. He wan't shaking so bad.
Celia looked at her son as she was coming out of her room already dressed for work, and she met his eyes and knew without asking that he had had the dream again. "I'm making coffee right now. by the time you are out breakfast should be ready. ok?"
"Thanks mom, be down in a bit." He caught the concern in her eye and "I'm ok mom."
She turned and went to the kitchen. She was at the coffee pot going through the motions and thinking at the same time. She was wondering for millionth time where Rake was. Why did he just leave them? She loved him so much and he was a good husband and a great father. She should be over this by now. She had to turn around and wipe her face. There was no closure like in a death. There was still a gaping hole in her heart and soul, and so many questions that can't be answered. She wrapped her arms around herself like Rake had told her when they first started dating and started to breath. He asked her to do that wherever she was without him. She still did. It realy did help her a lot. She took a deep breath and turned around and set about cooking eggs and pulling out the juice, popping the toast in the toaster, and pulling out the butter and jelly.
When she was finishing it up Xavier showed up and went to the cubbard and pulled out a coffee cup, saw that his mom hadn't got her one out , grabbed one for her too and poured the coffee. He was bringing her her cup across the kitchen floor and then suddenly the back door exploded. The shattering tinkling of glass from the window hung through the air. Shock registered on their faces. Xavier threw the coffee cups down and grabbed his mom and faster than a second was under the table. The windows around the kitchen table started to explode and shatter. Xavier and Celia held their heads down. Then as quickly as it started it stopped.
Xavier looked at his mom with glass stuck in her hair, she had cuts around her eyes and blood was trickling down her left cheek and nose. She raised her hand and started to shake the glass from his hair. "Are you ok, son? What the hell was that?" She started to move from under the table. Xavier stay here. I will be right back. "
"No, mom we need to stay together. All scary movies say we need to stay together." He looked so serious she just nodded and went to the cleaning closet by the bathroom close to the kitchen table and pulled out the rifle and found the bullets. She kept it loaded anyway to be safe. She handed Xavier his shotgun. Being alone in the country she had made for sure that they were both educated with shooting. She handed him the extra ammo as well.
Suddenly they heard the front door explode. Weird sounding footsteps were slinking their way. Whoever it was would be coming through the door to the kitchen. They looked at the door and waited, ready.
Slowly the door opened. It creaked and groaned. Celia and Xavier brought their guns up to aim, fingers on the trigger, ready to shoot. Her heart was racing and her head felt like it was going to explode. What she saw made her mouth pop open and her breath stopped. Everything seemed to stand still except for what walked through the door. "OH MY GOD!", as Rake came through the door. he didn't look any different then the day day he disappeared from their house. There were other people with him but Celia didn't see them.
"CC put the gun down. It's really me and I can explain. Xavier ease up on the trigger son. It is really me, your dad. just put it down and we will talk. OK" He was pleading and slowly walking towards them.
Celia was angry all of a sudden but started to slowly take the gun down. Xavier did the same but watched him through blue rage filled eyes.
Celia fought the urge to throw her arms around him and hold him and then to just bring the gun back up and shoot his ass for leaving for 10 years. "You better start explaining now. The guns are staying in our hands but don't come any closer. Why did you just leave us ten years ago?."
