2050: A Time of Courage

Chapter 13: Lilian

I'm woken up by someone screaming.

I sit bolt upright, eyes struggling to adjust to the predawn light as the memories of last night come back to me in a hurry.

What's going on this time.

I look to my left, finding Shemik stirring slightly in her sleep. On my other side, I feel Rose kicking me, her scream echoing in my ears again as I turn to gaze at her.

Nightmares, I realize quickly, resolving to wake her up before she disturbs anyone else.

"Rose! Rosalie." I swing both legs over the side of the bed, sweeping Rose up along with me as I stand. My sock-covered feet carry us across the room as the small girl finally wakes up. She wraps both arms around my neck as I decide to sit vigil in the rocking chair. There's a warm-looking quilt draped across its back, and I struggle to free a hand to grab it. Eventually I do, wrapping it around the two of us as I sink into the chair.

I don't remember having a lot of nightmares as a little kid, ironic considering the time I'm growing up in. The only one I really remember occurred one night when I was seven, and all I remember is the time after the dream, the duration between when I woke up and when Mom got me to go back to sleep.

I decide to draw upon those memories in an attempt to calm Rose down, to get her to fall asleep again.

Rose makes a small whimpering sound, shaking ferociously as I begin to rock the chair.

"Shh." I whisper, looking down at her, "Shh, you'll be fine. No one can hurt you right now. No one can hurt any of us right now."

I hope that's true.

She looks up at me, gray eyes wide. I'm not sure exactly what she dreamed about, but it's clear the effects aren't wearing off quickly. I can't blame her for being so terrified; if I were eight, I would be having nightmares about everything too.

I continue my rocking, contemplating my options as the room begins to grow lighter.

I vaguely wonder what time it is.

Footsteps echo in the hallway, then fade away again. Probably the woman who owns the place, I decide, taking a deep breath.

Nursery rhymes, I realize. Those are calming, aren't they? I always used to hate them, the repetitive nature of a lot of them getting under my skin almost as quickly as the fact that my brother loved to sing them.

Jason was obsessed with the same two or three rhymes for a good year of his life, and I swear sometimes he'd sing them in front of me just to annoy my six-year-old self.

I'm thanking him now for it, because somehow those rhymes have been committed to my memory.

I start off humming the first one, Jason's long-time favorite, and eventually I find myself murmuring the words as well.

"Hickory Dickory dock, the mouse ran up the clock."

I can't help imagining that, how frightened I would be if I were the mouse's size and attempting to run up a clock that would appear monstrous to me.

It's an interesting scenario to think about.

I continue singing, running through the majority of the rhymes I remember until Rose falls asleep again. This leaves me nothing to do but sit silently, afraid to move in case I wake her up again in the process. I alternate between watching Rose sleep, watching Shemik sleep, and wondering what Jason is doing right now.

Is he having nightmares too? Is he being forced to watch Brynn die on his lap all over again?

I shiver, forcing myself not to think. I can't afford to get stuck in the past, in everything that's happened. I have to think about the future, concentrate on making it less disastrous than the past.