Discovering Shadows (Completed)

Hidden Things

Sylar POV

I don't know where I am. It's like sitting on a cloud but not knowing why or even caring.

I don't remember how I got here.

Aiden appears in front of me. He just looks at me. Studying me. Like he's waiting for something. It never comes...and after a while I start wishing he would just hurry and leave like all the others. He frowns.

He doesn't understand. Sometimes even when you know everything, you still don't understand.

We can't change the past Sylar. I hear his thoughts here just like he hears mine. Sometimes bad things happen and sometimes good. You don't always understand or even know why. He stares off again towards where the sun would be.

But to not hope or believe that something better will come...it would make it too hard to keep going. Without anything to live for you just exist. We are too special to just exist. You are too special to just exist.

Sylar, no one can do what we do. Yes, we are different but that doesn't mean we are dangerous. People just don't understand and what they don't understand they fear. He looks at me once again before standing. He holds his hand out to me. You don't have to be alone anymore. We understand what it's like to be different. We will help you. Let us be your family. For always. No conditions. We accept you and all you can do. We are not scared of you and we won't leave you. That I can promise.

I don't know what to say to him. His words spread peace through all my fears. I have no reason to not accept them. And even though I doubt it will last. I've come to the decision. I would like to know what it feels like to have a family of my own. Even for just a little time. After all isn't it better to know something than to wonder.

When I open my eyes I'm in a dark room but I don't feel afraid. I'm not alone. I'm lying in a bed with fluffy pillows and a comfortable and soft blanket covering me. I turn my head and look around before gently sitting up. I don't want to wake any one. If I concentrate hard enough I can see their dreams.

Silas is dreaming of a rematch with Max. They had fought earlier in training and Max pinned him. He was dreaming of ways to fight smarter. As if he sensed me. Silas turned and smiled at me. I quickly leave not wanting to disturb him.

I move to Hunter, he is dreaming of the woods. He was looking for patterns and things that were out of place. He sensed me immediately smirking at me before lying on the ground. He rested on his back with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed. He looks peaceful so I decided to leave quietly. He smiles and waves before his dream disappears.

Kinsley is close by. But when I concentrate on her there is only paper everywhere. Each paper has music on it. I look for her and almost miss her hidden in a pile of music. She looks scared. Like she's being buried alive so I quickly reach out to her. When I touch her hand the papers dissolve. In there place is a beach. I look at Kinsley and she smiles warmly at me before giving me a tight hug. She cries softly into my hair before letting go and walking away. I watch her as she walks down the beach sometimes kicking at the waves that try to splash her. She just giggles and keeps walking.

I move out of that dream and into the next. Nora is dreaming about a hospital. She is walking around from room to room visiting with children. Some looks really sick and others look perfectly fine but they are even more sicker than the others. She talks to each of them and always before she leaves she touches them. Sometimes it's a hug or a pat on the back, arm or head. Every time she leaves a room the child is no longer sick. I follow her for a while and as we get to the end of the hall. I see what she's been working towards. There is a little boy hidden in a big room with glass all around. His parents are standing right beside the bed holding him. I watch as Nora tries to beat down the door. She's desperate to get in there. They grow sicker and each of them are falling asleep. As I watch Nora I realize she knows this family. They are hers. This dream isn't like the memory but the result is the same. She couldn't save them. When the family disappears Nora sinks to the floor tucking her knees to her chest and crying. I don't want to leave her. So, I sit beside her. No one should be alone like this. I gently reach for her hand. She looks up at me surprised before holding to me tightly and crumbling into my lap. After Nora calms we fade to the beach scene. I thought Kinsley had taken us there but I guess I did. It was curious. I've never seen a beach before. But with Nora now safely with Kinsley at the beach both kicking at waves. I jump into another dream.

My nightmare. I find Eli with dogs. They are circling him jumping and barking. I know they are going to attack him. I don't know what else to do so I jump in and wrap myself around him best I can. Then they aren't in his dream anymore. I look at him and he just stares back. They were going to hurt you. I mind-whisper to him but he just smiles. As he sits he drags me down to sit in the grass with him. Hold out your hand. He returns through the mind link. Scared I close my eyes and do what he asks.

I knew he was going to call a dog.

Why did he like them so much!

I feel a rough dry tongue against my hand. When I peek out the fuzziest dog I've ever seen is sitting in front of us. She is so cute. She doesn't look mean. Her eyes dance with happiness and she doesn't look like she's going to bite me. So, I slowly move my hand and barely touch her head. After a while Eli shows me how to play with her. She loves to fetch and do tricks.

I leave Eli playing with his dogs. I feel better now that he has shown me that they have a good side to. It's all in how you approach them.

Smiling I enter Lila's dreams. She's inside a room where she's painting the walls. On one wall she has painted Asher and Fate surrounded by the kids. They all have smiling and laughing faces. The other walls have been painted also but they are smudged and blurred. She doesn't seem as happy to paint this image though. It's a room with lots of different things. There is a large mat in one corner I recognize it from Silas' dream. This is where he and Max fought. There's an obstacle course in another corner. I don't know what that is...I got the word from Lila's mind but its big with lots of ropes, holes, tunnels, tires and large poles. It's strange. A large swimming pool is on the other side of the room. I leave while Lila's still painting.

When I step into Avery's dream I'm a little shocked. She's in the room Lila was painting. But she's running the obstacle course. The room had changed it's darker and the room is raining. I look up to see holes in the ceiling where the water is coming. Avery must have gone through a part in the course with dirt because she has mud caked to her skin, her hair is a mess and she's trying to climb up a rope to get to a wooden ledge. She gets about half way up before she falls. She screams in anger before trying again. After about twelve times I see that she isn't about to give up. So I yell in my mind! Come on Avery! You can do this! Concentrate! Shocked Avery turns to look at me. I smile real big and wave. This time when she tries her hands hold firmly to the rope with renewed strength. When she gets half way up I whisper Come on Avery! Just a little bit more. You can do this! She makes it. It took work but she did it. She climbs onto the platform and yells and jumps before disappearing. I watch as she slides down a tube in the wall before shooting out a hole in the wall right into the pool. Knowing she made it safely to that I leave her dream and walk right into another.

I see Max immediately. He is sitting in a chair on the edge of a cliff. He's watching something below because he is sitting forward with his elbows on his knees. I wait where I am... hoping to see what he is looking at. When I can't see it. I moved forward only to hit a rock. It scares Max so badly that he jumps up and turns to look at me. Only he doesn't have a place to stand being so close to the edge. He begins to fall. I run to the edge and grab at him only to be push back. It feels like the wind blowing in a storm the force is so strong. Suddenly Max is there in front of me as I climb to my feet. He looks so angry I flinch to protect myself bringing my arms up when he brings his hands up. He pushes against nothing but I soar through the air. I'm pushed out of his dream and into my body so hard and fast. It's painful. My mouth is open in a silent scream. Tears rushing down my face. My nose is pouring something and I want to wipe it away with my hands but they are cradling my head. My head, it's pounding like hammers beating to get out.

When I hear the angry yell my reaction is immediate I dive quietly to the floor and slide under the bed.

"What did you think you were doing!?" I know immediately it's Max and that he's really angry. There isn't much space under the bed but I make it just as the lights in the room flash on.