ENSHROUDING LIGHT

THE DREAM

CHAPTER 15

THE DREAM

Social services let the girl, Lucy, stay with Mark until they found her a suitable foster home, which meant she now came with him to help out in the kitchen. She didn't speak much, but she was less jumpy, clean and well fed.

Nevaeh knew how much Tom enjoyed working at the soup kitchen when he volunteered himself and Nevaeh to work Christmas day. Even though she never tried to give Mark a friendly, but obviously inappropriate, kiss again, their relationship deepened. As they catered to the homeless, they engaged in afternoon conversations, some of which lasted hours. After only a few months, it felt like she'd been working with him for years. Alongside helping the needy, the opportunity to spend time more time with Mark was what she needed. She didn't know what it was but, even though he never attempted to progress their friendship into a romantic relationship, he just made her feel better.

With Mark continuing to bring Tom educational books, all Tom did in his spare time was study. Months of bliss went by until one morning in April, during their holidays from the café, Tom woke up in a sweat and walked into her room, his face as pale as paper.

'I had a bad dream.' Tears glistened in his eyes.

'Come here.' She pulled her bed covers back for him to climb in. He cleared the floor in two strides and, no sooner had he climbed into her bed, he threw himself into her arms. 'What's wrong?'

He was shaking from head to toe. 'I dreamt of fire.'

'Fire?'

'Dark fire. Fire that's created on purpose.'

Nevaeh sat him up. 'What do you mean?'

'Ethan's fire.'

His words shot through her like a bullet. 'Ethan?'

'Surely you remember him? He tried to kill me.' He waited for her reaction, his innocent face filled with worry.

Of course, she remembered. She hadn't settled for almost three years since they last saw him. That didn't stop her hoping he'd disappeared. 'How do you remember?'

'I remember everything. I think he's going to set me on fire. Why does he want to kill me?'

She raised her eyebrows. What child should ever have to ask such a question? If only she could reassure him. This wasn't a child you could convince they'd just had a bad dream. This dream could actually mean something.

'Is it because I'm nice? Bad people don't like nice people, do they? Nice people don't like bad people either, but I think I'm different to normal people. I mean, why can I heal myself and others?' He looked at his hands and then up at her for answers.

A part of her wanted to tell him, maybe a part that sympathised with his confusion, but there was no way she would. She had to protect him from the truth as long as she could. He wouldn't be able to handle the truth. She broke into a sweat and began quivering, her heart palpitating like she was about to do something wrong. The feeling reminded her of how she felt the one and only time she'd told a lie to her parents. That was regarding Tom too. The fact that she was pregnant didn't come out of her mouth until it was too late for them to make her get rid of him, even though her mother still tried. She couldn't outright lie to him, but she did need a way to pacify him. Some mundane reason he could believe.

She rubbed her sweaty palms on her knees and gulped the guilt down. 'Because you're special.' It wasn't the whole truth, but it also wasn't a lie.

'Why can he hurt others...and what does that make him?'

'Your...opposite?'

He smiled. 'Well, there are opposites in the world. You may be right, but I still don't know why we have these abilities. There's a reason for them. I'm sure you're meant to tell me, Mum.' His piercing, emerald eyes begged her to clarify his thoughts, to make the sums in his mind add up.