A New World

Chapter 22 - Grace

Hayato slowly opened his eyes to the familiar scenery in his room. He quickly recoiled from the early morning sunlight that greeted him through his open window. It was another clear, cloudless day outside, allowing for the sunlight to further penetrate everything in its inescapable reach.

Everything was as he left it before he fell soundly asleep except the fact that he now found himself on the floor, his legs still mostly on his bed. He didn't have a history of moving or falling out of his bed in his sleep but he chalked it up as the latest development in his ever changing life.

Should this surprise him? He got up and dug his tablet from his duffle bag to note the latest revelations from last night's dream. There was a lot to ponder on - the scene he encountered at the hospital, his second encounter with Anne, and the red horse and its rider. If he was dreaming of the past, what eventually happened to Anne and Mike? Are they currently alive in this world as radiant beings?

However, unlike those who disappeared from the earth, they were left behind to face a bleak future. Maybe this was another question to hold onto for Friday he thought. He could still hear the two voices echo in his head, questioning him about his lack of knowledge but yet exhorting him to keep everything to remembrance.

"Have you not read?"

"For this reason, dreams have been granted to you for your understanding and for the benefit of many."

"Keep this in your remembrance young one, for what you have seen was merely the beginning of sorrows!"

They cautioned him to read and remember, but Hayato was at a loss as to what they were referring to.

He turned his head to the sudden vibrations of his phone as it hummed on his desk. The notifications broke his train of thought but at the same time it was the break he needed from his perplexing thoughts.

He picked it up to be greeted with a few new texts from Rouge.

Rouge: I wanted to text you last night but totally forgot. You need to talk your mom out of this movement!

Rouge: I told my parents about it and they were both worried about her. My dad already updated your dad about the situation but he also thought reaching out to you would be a good idea.

Rouge: From what they said, your mom's the type of person to tackle something head-on once she sets her mind to it. Maybe Blake's the only crazy one and the movement isn't as bad as we think it is..? Julie wasn't that bad. Strangely devoted, sure, but not crazy like Blake. Or maybe not? I don't know...

Rouge: Just try to talk to her and let me know what she says, ok?

Hayato could only muster up a long sigh as a response. He ran his hand through his hair as he re-read her texts. Everything Rouge said was the same thing he was thinking about. Her parents' fears as well as their knowledge of his mom's propensity to be stubborn at times were things he himself had been pondering on since he learned about her involvement in the movement.

He would first talk to his mom and then update Rouge about the result of the conversation. He would also have to update his dad about everything that's occurred in the past week since his departure. Hayato knew he wouldn't be too thrilled to receive the news considering the warning he gave Hayato concerning Blake, but it'd have to be something he'd need to own up to if he wanted to move forward.

As he finished noting down his thoughts, he heard movements coming from the living room which he knew had to be his mom. He quickly made his way downstairs to talk to her.

"Good morning mom. You came in late last night?" Hayato asked.

Grace looked up from her work to greet Hayato with a warm smile. "Good morning darling. Sorry for not letting you know what I was up to. I was with Joyce, Ephret, and some others organizing how we would go about things and it went on later than I originally anticipated. I thought I'd use part of my morning to go through some of this paperwork."