Once Upon A Dream

Eleven

Chapter Eleven: No Rest for the Wicked
-Riley-

We all looked up as we watched a younger student enter our class, she walked up to the teacher and handed him a note before she left the room. We watched on as Mr Grivers read the note and then looked up.

"Riley, you're wanted in the front office."

Sounds of whispers surrounded me, but I gathered my stuff and took the note from the teacher as a hall pass.

I didn't bother stopping by my locker in case it was urgent and found myself speed walking toward the front office in case it had something to do with mom or Patty.

But when I let myself into the office there stood mom standing alongside Patty.

"Hey," I sounded confused, "everything okay?"

"Perfect son, I was just telling Miss Miller how excited we are for the move, and my new job I've already got lined up once we get there."

'Move?'

Had I heard wrong?

Mom genuinely looked kinda of excited as she and the attendance lady chatted about us moving, and here I was just standing here as my whole life was about to be gone.

I had the tedious task of turning in all of my books and cleaning out my locker as I then had to walk into all of my classrooms and get my
Teachers to sign off on a sheet saying I was withdrawing from their class.

All of the stares, the whispers...it was embarrassing and I wanted nothing more than to be gone, asleep with Cordelia, away from the harsh reality that is my life.

After we left the school my mom went on and on about how my grandma had already helped her secure a job in town, I was looking forward to getting to the house so I could just escape to my bedroom. But when we arrived I found the house pretty much packed up.

"I didn't want to invade your privacy," my mom spoke up. "The truck will be here first thing in the morning so I want everything packed tonight."

"Where are we gonna stay?"

She gave me a weak smile, "we'll go to your grandparents until I can afford to get our place, I can't guarantee it won't be as big as this place so a lot of our belongings will probably go into a storage facility until we can find room for everything."

I simply nodded, it was all I could do.

I made my way upstairs and began getting my stuff together.

_____

I worked well into the night packing everything I've ever owned into boxes and taping them shut.

Box after box and I felt like it would never end, I finally gotten the chance to lay down on my mattress (as I had taken apart the bed frame), I closed my eyes with hopes of drifting off but no sooner had I closed my eyes and my mom began knocking on my bedroom door announcing that the moving truck was here.

I got up frustrated, I opened the door and walked past her. I was angry because I had to move, I was pissed because I missed my one chance of seeing Cordelia for the night, I'd have to wait another entire day just to see her again.

I hope she didn't think anything was wrong because I didn't show up last night.

After watching Patty while my mom supervised the movers we finally pulled into our cars and drove off.

I had to stop a couple of times to get energy drinks and super minty gum, they kept me awake for the most part.

9hrs later it was 5 in the evening and we finally stopped in Mississippi.

"We'll rest for the night here kiddo, I know you're dog tired." My mom said lovingly as we fueled the cars up and then headed to a cheap motel, we knew the movers would go on ahead and our stuff would be left at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

I sighed as I knew grandpa would more than likely tell them to put everything in the back shed or the garage, and I'd have to sort through everything later.

Once we got into the motel mom and Patty left to grab an early dinner and I stayed back to have a shower.

After the shower however, my body succumbed to its tiredness when I laid down, almost instantly I fell asleep.

_____

I look around the familiar park, but of course she isn't here.

I sit down on the bench as I know she won't come. But I'm grateful for the silence and solitude. I look around and notice different things I hadn't noticed before.

But sitting on the bench seems weird without her so I move and take a seat under the tree, I get more comfortable as I am now lounging and I look up to watch the golden leaves swaying in the unexisting air.

_____

I wake up from my nap when my mom and sister arrive, I eat along side them before I take a call from Clark and then my father.

"Hello."

"Son, where are y'all?" He asked frantically, "the house is empty, the cars are gone, your coach said your mother withdrew you from school!"

"Dad...we left, mom couldn't afford to keep us there so we packed up and moved, Patty and I are fine and already enrolled in school." The last part may or may not have been a lie, but I wouldn't put it past my dad to try and make my mom seem neglectful in court. "You knew mom couldn't raise us in the life you built for us, so she had no other choice than to remove us from there and start new somewhere else."

"I know she's taking y'all to Jersey son, it's the only place she has left to take you kids."

I sighed, "dad, if you love Patty and I like you tell everyone you do, just let us be...we love you but right now mom needs us." I said before hanging up.

During his call I had excused myself outside, I didn't want mom to hear and get upset. I walked around the motel a little before I finally reentered the room.

My mom was giving my sister a bath so I flipped through the channels on the tv to find something to watch.

My dad had put me on edge and I just needed something to clear my mind.

But before I could find something to watch my mom and sister exited the restroom and settled into the other bed.

"Hey Hun, do you think you could turn the tv off until your sister falls asleep?" She asked sweetly.

I nodded and obliged her.

I lost track of time in the dark motel room, I didn't turn the tv back on despite the fact that I could hear my mom's and sisters even breaths. But try as I might I couldn't fall asleep.

I closed my eyes and just laid still...nothing.

I tried to imagine myself back in the park, almost as if trying to will myself there...but no such luck as no Cordelia was to be found.

I began to panic and wondered what would happen if I stopped visiting the park in my dreams, after so long would I just not be able to go back, what if my sleep pattern is thrown off completely, would everything be different now. I don't know where she lives, what if we're in different time zones now, what if her magic doesn't work anymore, I bet she'd look cute dressed as a witch...