The Runaway Dreamers

Chapter 2

9 years later.

"Come on, Saffy. You've climbed higher trees than this before!" Carlos mocked me, kindly as I threw a nearby rock at him.

"You missed! Go on, climb higher then!"

"Hey! Just because I've climbed trees before doesn't mean I've ever done this before!" I laughed.

"Do it, do it, do it, do it!" He chanted, clapping his muddy hands at me. I quickly scrambled to the top of the tree. That was harder than it looked! I thought. "Ready, loser?" I shouted down. Not even bothering to wait for a reply, I leapt off of the top branch on to the roof of a nearby church and began to climb up, aiming for the spire. By the time I had got the top, the view was phenomenal. I looked out and I could see everything the light touched, and further.

"Come up! It's amazing up here!" I shouted down to Carlos. He looked up at me, cupping his hands just above his eyes, blocking the sun's blinding light from his vision. "Uhhh, I don't think so, princess. You like your heights, and I prefer the ground."

"Suit yourself!" I yelled. I didn't want to climb back down, not ever. The sun's golden glow caught the rivers flowing through the emerald valleys perched on the horizon. The birds slowly flew over, swiftly dodging tree branches that were in their direction. Beautiful.

After about 10 minutes of taking it all in, I decided to climb back down and explain the view to Carlos, he never did like high places.

"You seriously missed out, you're such a pussy! It's going to ruin you!" I laughed in his face, mocking him without rest.

"That's hilarious, who was the one who made you feel better all those years ago when I found you and took you in? We wouldn't be here now without me!" He playfully punched me in the arm. He was right, if he hadn't agreed to run away with me, I would have been taken to a care home. He did me a huge favour, and I knew I could never repay it. This alone made me want to cry, he meant so much to me after all.

"Come on, it's getting late and we have to get back to the CHOF before it closes" I reminded him as I looked at the sky, some of the stars had already come in to view and the skies light was fading quickly in to complete darkness, lit by the silvery glow of the moon.

The CHOF was an abbreviation for the Children's Hospital Of Faith. That was our home. A few years back when we were both 14, we met a nurse there, her name was Tevisha and she volunteered there when she wasn't working at the local corner shop. We told her we had nowhere to go and she saw we were ill and practically dying of starvation. We made a deal with her after we made a recovery and said that if we fulfilled the dreams of dying children, could we live here? She happily agreed and they provided meals, cost of health care and a nice warm bed.

Roughly two months ago, Tevisha was struck with a tragic illness and died in the hospital. Carlos and I were the ones that planned her funeral and dressed her for it, it was an open coffin funeral and she looked gorgeous when the day came. It brought a tear to everyone's eye.

When we arrived home, we went straight to the stairs and turned right, in to a young Melissa's room. "Hey, sweetie" I greeted her warmly. She looked at me with her endearing eyes and came over to me, wheeling her wheelchair along in excitement.

"What was it like!?" She said. Intrigued to know what it was like up in the church spire.

"Well..." I explained the entire view to her as I watched the excitement in her eyes grow. By the end of the story, she was crying tears of joy. This is what I loved most about my job, seeing young ones who couldn't fulfil their dreams, smile because they know that it's been lived and enjoyed by someone else in their favour.

"...Hey, don't cry, sweetie. The story had a happy ending" I said, combing a strand of hair behind her ear with my fingers.

"How does it end?" She said, wiping her tears away.

"Well, Saffron told the little girl what her dream was like and promised her that any other dreams she wanted, she would make them come true, no matter how crazy, how dangerous or how deadly!" I said tickling her. She giggled a little, then spoke.

"Actually..." She said trailing off a little bit. She signalled for me to come closer, she wanted to whisper something in my ear. I nodded and put my ear to her mouth. "Can you make a dream come true for me?" She whispered. I nodded subtly in agreement. "Can you go to the creak for me?"

I shivered. That was a dangerous place, police always surveying the area 24/7 and druggies smoking and drinking alcohol in the seams of the wall, trying not to get caught and arrested. Why on earth would a young girl like her want to go there? I flashed a glance at Carlos who was leaning against the wall behind us. He hadn't heard her, but he could tell by the look on my face that it wasn't a good idea and he took his leave.

"Sweetie, why would you ever want to go to such an awful place? I can't promise I can, but I'm not saying I won't either, okay? Why do you ask?" She looked at the floor for a second, as if thinking for a suitable response.

"Well, once, my mum said if I was naughty, she would send me there. She said it was a horrible place, filled with bad people like robbers and people who kill other people!" She said quickly, a sense of fear rattling in her voice.

"Go on, why is it you want to go? What do you want to prove?" I didn't want to push her, but it made me curious as to why a girl of her age, and in her condition, would want to go to such a horrid place.

"That means my mummy has been there... So she might be there now, right?" She looked at me hopefully. I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to answer her, but I knew I had to.

"Sweetie, I don't think your mother would be there anymore... It's not safe, not for anyone..." I stopped immediately after noticing the tears forming in her eyes.

"But... My mother..." She said, her voice shaking as she began to cry.

"Your mother left you here so you would be safe, she wouldn't want you or anyone else to go there! Maybe when your mum told you she would send you there, she was just stressed and she didn't know what else to say. I'm sorry if that hurt you, sweetie. But, if that's really what you want-" I heard the door open and turned to see Carlos creeping back in, he had heard everything from the other side of the door and he shook his head quickly.

"Don't do it! It's not worth risking your life!" His eyes said it all.

"-consider it done, sweetie" and a look of delight fell over her young face.