Dream Come True

23

"Enough!"

We stood in an old office building basement in a standoff, where was Drey sitting in the back seat of the Jeep. Varied emotions were displayed on each of their faces; Alesia shaking with rage, Peter desperately trying to catch his son's eye, and Xander, quietly wary.

"Get out of the way, Pippa." Alesia seethed, the sound coming out of her mouth like a hiss of posion.
"No." I said, determinedly holding her glare. She narrowed her eyes further and lunged forward, reaching for the door handle. A bubbly whack burbled out as she slammed into the lavender force field Peter had shot from his palm, protecting the car, and his son inside.

Alesia had barely crumpled to the floor as she whipped her head up, her cheeks blotched red with rage. She screamed at Drey through the windows and thumped her fists against the barrier. Drey continued to stare lifelessly at the space in front of him. My eyes slid to Xander and I watched as he concentrated on Alesia. He clenched his jaw in effort, eyes narrowing in concentration until her rage ebbed away, leaving her to fall to her knees. Emotional anguish absorbed her face and she shoulders shook as she began to sob. My chest squeezed and I knelt down to Alesia, enveloping her in my arms. Her tears soaked into my shirt.

I looked up at Xander. Exhaustion coloured under his eyes purple, his lips moulded into a sad smile. He bent down and held one of my hands, and my mouth mimicked his.

***

Xander dropped the firewood with a clatter onto the concrete floor and came over to check my handiwork. I fiddled with the padlock in my hands and I tried again to pick it open as Xander had shown me. My brow furrowed in concentration, tugging on the padlock in hope I had succeeded. I groaned and looked up at him.
"Can you show me again?" I asked sheepishly, holding up the padlock to him. He grinned at me.
"Let's do it together." He peered over my shoulder and covered mine with his as he strategically worked the pin into the key slot. Each part gave out a telling delicate click as the pieces slotted into position and the bar popped free. I nodded eagerly and tried again on my own.
Beside us, Peter busied himself with building a fire, barely focusing as he regarded Drey. His eyes desperately searching for any emotion on his sons vague and despondent face. Branches and kindling were clumsily put together as his hands shook, but eventually with a spark and flash the flame was ignited, dimly lighting the surroundings and a weak warmth trickled up my arms. Alesia lay beside me in a much-needed sleep, cocooned in a blanket, her slow breath fluttering a long brown lock down her face. I brushed the strands away from her tear drenched cheek with the tips of my fingers, further revealing her emotionally exhausted expression.

Handing me a can of baked beans, Xander sat down next to me. We ate in silence, the soft wind blowing outside and the scraping of spoons against the tin cans being the only evidence our hearing still worked. The thickness of the tension soon began to weigh heavily on us with each second that passed.

"Thia, show me again what happened in there."

My memory pushed forward the horrific scene and the face that haunted my thoughts. Wild eyes that I felt on my back everywhere I went and the scrambled ramblings of a tortured man echoing through my mind.

..."Clean, Clean! Mumma always said I was dirty, saying 'Dougal, you strange boy, be clean, be clean'. I must be clean! The world needs to be clean."...

His fingers distractedly traced my knuckles as he sifted through my memories, trying again to place the scattered puzzle pieces that refused to form their picture. His head lifted and focused on Drey, still locked in the back seat of the jeep. He stood and began to make his way towards the car. Peter abruptedly stood up from where he sat leaning against the back tyre. Xander raised his hand in reassurance.
"It's alright Peter," He said calmly. Unlocking the door with a wary Peter by his side, Xander opened the door and leaned against the frame.
"We've saved you a spot by the fire. How 'bout you come and eat something?" Drey's soulless eyes lifted to meet Xander's cautiously. After a moment he shuffled out of the car and sat down across the fire, his gaze meeting mine as the reflection of the flames danced across his dark eyes.