7 Days

Friday

Chapter 7: The Dance

I was laying down in a soft patch of grass when I woke up. The sun was bright, the sky was blue, and everything looked and felt peaceful. I was in the Area, before the bomb, or after? Wait, I'm confused, let's back track, okay?

Okay.

So, I killed the First Adbassiter, Mom got shot, beaten Gilen, R hit me upside the head with a shovel, found out I'm the Lost Prince; then Crystal was with me, killed Gilen, learned, from R, I'm a Flame Archer, Henry was alive and he's not my father, R was dead, Mom died, R came back, Sheen was the reason why everything happened; Crystal isn't just what her folks say because she has raven wings, and I died because I saw the future, my future. But, am I really dead? Did this really happen in 6 days? Where am I? When am I? My thoughts kept a head of me when I saw her.

Mom was standing in the tall grass, which had wold flowers, and was looking at me. She had a long, flowing white dress and her wavey light brown hair held a flower crown. She looked happy, healthy, and at peace. I saw no marks or scares on her arms, and she had no tubes in her body. She smiled at me, and I smiled back bewildered.

I stumbled to get up from the grass, and our eyes met. I heard her chuckled as she flung her arms open. Like a child, I ran into her arms. Her hug was warm as they were before she had cancer. "I missed you so much," she said in my ear. "But not enough for a day." She pulled back at me and looked down at my brown and red shirt, that was bloody. "What on Earth did you do?"

"I tried to do the best I could-"

"By killing yourself?" She sound angry at me. A fury of the women can't compare to a fury of a Mom.

"Well, Mom, I...I saw something. I saw what the world was going to be if I lived. I didn't want that...I thought I was doing right, you know?"

"Well, Roy, you done stupid this time." Mom touch where my pocket knife went and smoothed it. "I know this Crystal girl likes you and stuff but did you really had to leave her like that? That's rude of you to leave her like that, you know?"

I nodded. "Yeah, Mom, but-"

"But nothing." She was firm as she always was when I was in an argument with her. "You're going back even if I have to shove you off." She turned me around and she did shove me to the spot where I woke up at. I did protest with her, telling her to stop, but she only said my full name, turning me around as if she was sending me off the this place they call college. "Royal William Heartford Jr., you're going to go back, save that girl, and live until you have grandkids."

"But, Mom-"

"Don't 'but, Mom,' me, young man. What did I tell you when you were young?"

"I know, I know," I sighed stressfully saying, "never question the power and authority a woman's madness."

"That's right." She kissed the side of my face and stepped back. "When you get home, apologize to her. And, Roy," I turned to her as the wind roared in my ears, "the ties are in Henry's door, on the right."

"Thanks, Mom." I was able to say before I was struck by lighting.

Then everything was bright as memories of everything came back to me.

I woke up gasping for air, grasping the closest thing there was to me. It was an arm, Crystal 's arm. I struggled for a moment with breathing, that's when I saw my plade shirt was now a tex and I was lying in a-

"Get me out of this!" I yelled as I jumped out of the jet black coffin. I ran my troubled fingers through my hair and people were in black, looking at me with horrified eyes. R, being R, was laughing so hard that she fell out of her chair and smacking the red carpeted floor for air; how did she find this funny?

"Roy?" Crystal asked in a shaking voice.

"Yeah?" I turned to her and my heart almost died again. She was wearing the navy blue sparkling dress, the dress I like. I was breathless when I spoke. "You look beautiful, love."

She looked at me from toe and up. "You...don't do that again."

"Promise." I said as the room filled with cheers after R did something. I guess leaving made them see that I held this town together. I guess they found out I was the one who put the Gates down and kill, about, 30 people. I do hate of what I've become and I still not sure if I'm ok with it. Maybe it was the Night sky that drove me here, to the now, and the past as a low memory. I wouldn't forget who I am now, but the past stays in a madman's head forever.

I could tell them everything, Crystal and R already know. I could tell all about how I started the killing, the planing, everything, but maybe it's a good idea to tell after everyone is happy. That's all I want in life, for people, young and old, to be happy with themselves. I hoped one day everyone will be happy, maybe not now, but soon, very soon.

Crystal's family knows how to party! It went on for hours and, man, I can't remember how it started. I found myself sitting on the front porch steps, watching the same Christmas singers sing down the street, which was lit up by colorful lights. Mom loved the lights at this time. We would walk and see them at night, it always made me happy, but, what makes it better, it's the first white Christmas in years.

"Hey," Crystal sat next to me handing me a mug.

"Hey," I took a long sip of the warm coco.

"It's cold out here, you should be inside." She leaned against my shoulder. "Besides, it's going to blizzard soon."

"I've been lying to you, Crystal." I said after awhile. "I've been lying to you from the start." Pain in my voice came through. "I didn't want to tell you about what I saw, what I was. I told you I'll be fine, I told you I'll be okay, but I'm not. I thought I could run from my problems, or kill while they lived. I'm sorry, Crystal, I've should told you from the start. Before this became the biggest mess."

It was quite with echoes of Christmas songs being sung in the house. She broke it with a smile and stood up. "Come and dance with me."

"So you're not mad at me?"

"I didn't say that, I said 'come and dance with me'." She stuck out her hand and we danced in the snow fall.

I twirled her around the icy sidewalk, and her dress looked like blue fire. Her blond curls bounced and I could smell the same perfumes I gave R. Before I knew it, we were on the slicked road under a lamppost. It was some sort of a waltz, a country waltz, I think. So, we danced and danced over the street with her leading on. I spin her around and around until my head got dizzy, then I lifted her in the air and her dark navy dress sparkled with stars, as if the Night wanted me to love her more. As we slowed, I brush her lose curls and held her close, her eyes were the stars, but they came down on her. She was my new Night Sky, and I don't want to lose her, I can't lose her again. We slowed looking at the street and its lights as snow and ash fell softly from the purple sky. I kissed her soft cheek and her head rested in my chest. I wish it would be like this forever, or just for a bit more like this.