Protector of Lost Children

| CHAPTER VIII |

Hello, Readers! This chapter is a bit short today, so I apologize for that! The message in it was important and I didn't want to stretch it out just to make it longer. I added more detail since before of course, but I changed it around a little. I'll be sure to try and make the next chapter longer, though!

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~CSP2708~

| Chapter 8 || The Dream |

The last thing I remembered was my eyes drifting shut when suddenly, I was somewhere else. It was strange, knowing that a dream was forming in my mind, but also being oblivious to the fact that I was in a dream in the first place. At the same time, though, it didn't feel like a dream at all. The surroundings faded in around me, so clear, yet pieces were missing, like I knew this place, but couldn't quite place everything.

Tall walls surrounded me on all sides. Though they were covered in long tapestries, paintings, and velvet curtains, they were still foreboding, lacking all warmth. It was almost like a shadow of a memory because the room seemed familiar - as if it was filled with ghosts of happiness.

My body became solid, almost, and I found myself sitting on a bed, huddled in a mountain of blankets, but still shivering. Next, to me, a girl my age hugged my side, her face buried in my shoulder. My face was half covered by her mess of dark brown hair. She must've just woken up. I could feel my arms wrapped around her body, even under the blankets, and suddenly felt the overwhelming desire to protect her.

All the while, I heard thunder crashing outside. Lightning flashed between the curtains, casting long shadows in the room and illuminating the furniture in ways that made both me and the other girl cry out in terror. I squeezed my eyes shut tight, trying desperately to block out the storm but it was no use. The flashes still lit up the sky, sending red bursts in front of my eyes like fire. The girl next to me had her hands over her ears, and my hands were covering hers. I didn't like thunder either, but something was telling me to protect her at any cost, even if I was scared.

Another flash of lightning lit up my face and I squeezed my eyes shut tighter. Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around me. A sense of safety and familiarity overwhelmed me and I turned, burying myself into the solid chest of a man. I sobbed, my whole body shaking, and when the whimpers finally died down, I looked up at the man I knew to be my father.

He was tall, almost regal-looking. His shoulders were broad as if he often wore heavy armour. His face was long and pale like mine, and his warm blue eyes looked down at me, a smile on his thin lips.

I smiled up at him, completely forgetting the storm. Nudging the girl next to me, she looked up, gasped, and then buried her face into his chest as well. He merely laughed, adjusting his hands so that he was holding both of us securely.

"It's so loud and scary, daddy," the girl said, "How are you not scared, too?"

"It's 'cause daddy's brave, Emily. He's not afraid of anything!" The words were coming out of my mouth, in my voice, but I felt as if someone else was speaking them. A me, but... not me.

The man chuckled, the warm sound resonating from deep within his chest. "No, my darling," he said, smiling down at me, "I'm afraid of a great many things."

I gasped dramatically. "But how, daddy? You're so brave! You fight all those scary monsters all the time!"

"Bravery is not the absence of fear, Lucy. It is the strength to push through one's fears and to stand and fight to defend those that they care for."