From Shadows to Starlight

Reunion

Chapter Fourteen

I'm in the waiting room...I can't see for the smoke. I think of you and your Holy Book, when the rest of us choke.  --U2

Reunion

When Alana woke just after sunrise the next morning, she got up and found Erik, sitting on the driver‘s seat of the cart, already prepared to leave and obviously waiting for her. He was facing in the opposite direction, shrouded in his black cloak. He turned his head slightly as he heard her get to her feet, and she caught a glimpse of his white mask. Faceless. That was how he looked right now. She shivered.

“You’re up,” he said softly. Immediately she calmed down, wondering why she had been afraid, even if it had been for just a moment. She had always been safe with him. Well, there had been that strange night where he’d thought she was Christine, but she knew he would never do anything to hurt her. He was the one who’d saved her life twice, accompanied her on this journey to find what was left of her family. She would always be safe with him. Alana walked up to the cart and climbed into the seat next to Erik.

Automatically, he moved to the right, as far away from her as he could possibly sit without falling off the seat. It stung a little, that he always wanted to keep his distance from her, but she was getting used to it. He had been through a lot, and it would take time for him to recover. She knew he was still missing Christine, but time could heal anything, couldn’t it? Surely someday he would be able to move on, maybe even come to his senses and realize that he didn’t need to wear the mask. Maybe…

A few early risen passersby gave them odd looks as they suddenly pulled out of the alley. She probably looked terrible, after having just woken up after a night outside, and Erik definitely looked very intimidating in his black cloak. “Did you rest well?” he asked, his voice rather tense. Alana looked over at him but couldn’t see his face. It was completely hidden by his hood.

“Yes I did,” she said, her thoughts flashing back to that night. At first, she had been dreaming about…something bad, she couldn’t remember what anymore, but she did recall others. Some were peaceful, others were full of adventures. She was in different places she didn’t recognize, seeing things she had never seen before, beautiful cities, incredible landscapes, wonders of the world. Other times, she was in a quiet, dark place lit by candlelight. She didn’t know where she was, but she felt completely at peace. Throughout all her dreams, she heard music, and a faraway voice singing to her, and sometimes, she would look over her shoulder and see someone standing in the background, always watching over her, always keeping her safe. She knew it had been Erik, there in all those dreams. Dreams always mean something, her mother had told her long ago. So what had those dreams meant?

Erik just nodded at her reply, and they drove on, only speaking when Alana told him whether to take the next turn left or right or to continue straight on. She remembered the general area where her uncle lived, but she began to realize that the Paris streets did not look quite the same as when she had lived there as a child, or come to visit later, before her mother died. Some of the street names were different, and some streets were missing signs altogether. Many of the buildings looked different, and so did many of the people. Everything and everyone looked…sad, defeated. What happened here? Alana wondered. This was not the Paris she had known at all. That’s when she realized that she was lost. They had come to a place where she didn’t recognize any of the streets or landmarks.

“Erik, could you stop the cart please?” He pulled back on the reins, and Raven stopped. He turned to her. His face was still hidden, but she could tell he was waiting for an explanation. “I need to ask someone for directions to my uncle’s house.”

She heard him sigh. “You’ve gotten us lost, then,” he said, his voice icy.

Alana bit her lip. He was angry with her. “I’m sorry. I won’t be long.” She got down from the driver’s seat, looking around and spying a bookshop. There was bound to be someone intelligent in there she could ask. “I’ll go in there and ask someone,” she said, gesturing toward the shop.