Xavier: The Secret of Death

Dreams aren't fun.

"Where's my Dad?"

"Xavier you need to keep still, your spine is fractured in several places and you doing things like that will only make it worse!" The Doctor said.
"I don't care about my back, I want know where my dad is!" I cried back to him.
"Xavier we can talk about your dad later, for now, you need some rest." He looked up from me, turning to his assistant, "Nurse, could you please give him light sedative, even just under a twilight, just to keep him at ease."
"Yes of course sir," she replied.
"I don't want to stay here, you can't make me!" I protested.
"As you're a minor, I suggest you just do as your told Xavier. We do have your best interest at heart."
"I want to know where my dad is, why can't you tell me!?" as I was saying this, the nurse was attaching a new IV bag to my system, this one with the sedative.
"Xavier I have some other patients to attend to, I just told you, we'll deal with that after," he said.
"It should start to take effect soon Doctor," the nurse said next me.
"What, no, please don't!" I protested one last time, "why...." 

I felt my body relax and my mind started to get fuzzy again and I felt my thoughts slowly slipping away. I could still hear the two in my room.

"Thank you nurse, I'll be off now."
"Not a problem sir, I'll be sure to let you know if there are any changes."

I heard The Doctor walk off, out of my room and down the corridor.
"Now you behave yourself young man, I have some work to do," the nurse said to me, all fight out of me as the sedative worked its way through my body. I heard her walk off as my eyes closed and I drifted off into a forced sleep.

- - -

I dreamt, for the first time in a long time. It wasn't anything clear, or anything that seemed to make sense. I saw the man from before, the man in the white suit. My mother was there too, they seemed to be talking to each other, but then in a second it flashed away. I could see my dad, driving. Then when I tried to get closer, he looked at me, and just said,
"No Xavier, don't do it."

He looked away from me and the scene faded leaving me wandering in the darkness of my mind. For the most part I could hear dulled noises and the occasional muffled crash after that. However, I drifted back into another dream this time more like a normal dream friends had told me about. I was walking across a green grassy hill, blue skies above my head, and birds whistling from the forest of tress behind me. As I neared the top of the hill I could see over it was my street, but with only my house. There was the road, and all the front yards and back yards of the rest of them, but no houses, and the rest of the neighbourhood wasn't there at all.

(When looking back on all this it does seem strange how vividly I remember it all.)

The street looked how my street should look, besides the distinct lack of houses that is. The colours of everything, from the shiny surface of the cars to the greens of different types of grass, all seemed stronger, deeper. It was as if someone had turned up the contrast of the world and made it all the more vivid. My house was the fifth one down, number nine, one the odd side of the street. My dad had chosen that one as in Chinese culture both five, and nine are considered lucky numbers. Rather than four and seven, with four being synonymous with death.

I walked up the drive way and along the cobblestone path to the front door. I tried the silver handle as was surprised that it was unlocked. Since I'd been eight I had my own set of keys for the house as the doors were always set to lock automatically to the outside when closed. The solid Jarrah wood door, built and shipped all the way from Australia, swung open with slow, loud creaking noise, something my dad insisted on keeping so that anyone in the front of the house knew if it was being opened.

The sunlight shining behind me reflected off the dark grey of the door, spotlighting the even darker interior as the door opened further. I remember moving inside the main foyer, taking light gentle steps. Once my eyes had adjusted to the relative darkness I saw that the room was empty, I could see through the archway to my left into the living room and see it too was devoid of any furniture or decoration. I walked inside further and down the hallway in front of me all the way to the end, I passed the dining room and kitchen both still without any furnishings. I slowed even further as I reached the last room on the bottom floor, the library.

I gently opened the rich brown door and stepped gingerly inside. I was surprised, there were two paintings on the wall, in the exact same place they always are. These paintings my dad had loved so much, they were of his parents and my mother and were still hanging from the walls. The one with my grandparents was hanging on the left wall from the door and my mum's on the right. My grandparents, Jonathan and Ryker, had the portrait painted in a park, not far from their old house in Bury, by an old friend of theirs. It was the last time they saw him before they lost contact. My grandpas always mentioned how they would have liked to see him again, the painting reminded them of that day more than anything.

My mum's portrait was from before I was born, and before she got sick. Dad never told me what she got sick from, he just said it was a bad disease and it had put her through a lot of pain. I didn't even know her, I'd been so young, and didn't understand what was happening at the time. I remember her smiling, and the bright happy glint in her eyes the last time I had seen her in hospital when I was only four years old. She seemed so happy even through all that pain, it was only the next day when she passed, after two years of fighting, she couldn't fight anymore.

"Xavier...don't do it..." I heard a feminine voice echo throughout the room.
"...Xavier...stop..." it emanated from the painting of my mum. I walked closer, moving around the numerous lounges and armchairs in the room to the north facing wall, to where the painting hung. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I peered in closer to the painting, and it looked the exact same as it always did. My mum was in centre, her dark blonde hair waving slightly behind her as if caught by a slight breeze, her sparkling blue eyes as deep as the ocean and bright like a strike of lightning. Even her brilliant smile, lighting up the scene with the power of her happiness. The back ground of this very room, looking out the extravagant window on the western wall over the back garden, the trees and shrubs a dazzling green and flowers in the full bloom of spring.

The painting was the same as it had always been; perfect. Yet again,
"...Don't give in my son...stay strong..." it was the same voice as before, and, they called me their son.
"MUM! Is that you...!?" I paused for several seconds; nothing.
"Mum please! Are you there!?" I waited again, and nothing. I looked around, hoping for some sign of her, something that would let me know she was there, but there was nothing. I sank to my knees, tears streaming down my cheeks. Not having a mother was hard. Sure, dad did a good job, but having someone else there to support you, it was different, it worked better. I could see it with friends at school, they just seemed happier, life was somehow easier. I cupped my hands over my eyes and let out a sob, dreams aren't all they're made out to be.

I took my hands away from my face and looked around. The room was gone, I was no longer on the ground next to a painting of my mum, in the Library room of my house. It was just dark, I couldn't see anything, but I didn't even know if there was anything there for me to see. I sniffled, feeling my nose running slightly, I hadn't expected to get so emotional, I hadn't expected what I saw to be what I saw. Dreams had been very foreign to me at the time, I didn't know they could be that strong or clear. The darkness seemed to be lighting, but I still couldn't see anything around me. I got up from my knees and walked forward. I went slowly, not wanting to fall over, I took several steps forward and stopped. I turned, trying to see any sign of where I'd walked, but alas, I couldn't. I turned around to what I thought the direction I was facing had been and took another step. That's when the floor gave way and I completely fell.

- - -

I'd woken up. I know I was awake, it wasn't a dream, I could hear the beeps and blips of the machines around me. The voices of hospital staff, patients and other visitors. I was relieved to say in the least, but then I remembered, I'm in a hospital, why, because there was a car crash... and my dad. Where was my dad, I lifted my head up to call the nurse but stopped when out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of somebody sitting in the corner. I turned my head and boy was I surprised.

"Hey there Xavier, how you holding up?" Asked Aunt Hannah.