Fortuity

s i x

I looked around the hallway as I tried to see where the noise had come from. I rose shakily to my feet, my eyes making out a figure that moved slowly towards me. I pressed myself against the wall, my heart rate increasing. The the figure stepped into the one ray of light that shown through a small window. 

The light illuminated his dark hair and pale skin. It was the boy. The fear instantly disappeared from my body, only to be replaced by a fluttering feeling in my stomach. I took a step towards him as he remained still, the two of us just kind of staring at each other. Guilt rose in my stomach when I saw his split lip and black eye from the incident yesterday. 

The guilt was quickly washed away as I began to realize that the more I looked at him, the more I knew it was Dylan. I spotted the moles on his cheek that I used to poke when we were little. I recognized the warm almost golden color of his eyes that I always envied as a child. I recognized the little scar he had on his arm from when he fell off his bike when we were riding through the woods. He seemed to be studying me too, maybe even remembering me. 

I took another step forward, my legs threatening to give out beneath me. "It is you, isn't it?" I whispered as my voice trembled. Tears began to fill my eyes, blurring my vision. I made out tears glistening in his eyes, my heart aching as he nodded slowly.

"Yeah" he whispered, my eyes going wide. Although much deeper, I recognized his voice. All at once it hit me, a sob escaping me as I ran forward, practically tackling him in a hug. I wrapped my arms around his neck as I pulled him close to me. I tightly gripped his shirt, never wanting to let him go. I felt him wrap his strong arms around my back as he held me. A small sob escaped him as he buried his face in my shoulder, his breath warm against my skin.

"Oh Dylan" I cried softly, rocking us back and forth, unable to believe that he was here, alive and in my arms. "I missed you so much" I whispered as he began to shake in my arms. 

"Emma" he breathed, my heart thudding at his voice. "I missed you too" he whispered, sniffling softly. I rubbed his back, so overwhelmed that I didn't even know where to start. "You came back" he muttered, a smile on my face. 

"Yeah. Of course I did" I responded, a small laugh escaping him. The sound was breathtaking, something that I hadn't heard in years. "Thank you" I told him as we broke apart, my hands still gripping his shoulders. We both just stared at each other, each of us having grown up so much since the last time we had seen each other. I ran my thumb over his cheek, a soft smile on his lips. 

"I was afraid I wouldn't remember" he whispered as I ran my finger lightly over the burn marks on his temple. "I'm glad I did" he spoke softly, the smile remaining on his face.

"I don't even know where to start" I hiccuped, pulling him back into another hug. "I have so much to tell you. So many questions to ask" I spoke quickly, my heart racing at the idea of having him back.  

"Emma?" someone called from further down the hallway, my eyes going wide. Shit. I had completely forgotten about the interview. I gulped, turning back to Dylan. A sad look came over his face as he realized I would have to leave him.

"Hey, it's going to be alright" I said, grabbing his hand. I pulled out a picture of the two of us from when we were younger. I had kept it in my pocket, and forgotten that I'd taken with me today. Another tear slipped down his cheek as he looked at it, a smile appearing on his face. "This is to hold you over, okay?" I told him, my hand squeezing his shoulder. 

"Until what?" he asked, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. I smiled at him, that gesture so familiar.  

"Until I get you out".  A smile spread across his face, my chest aching. Man, I had missed that toothy grin.  The voice called for me again, a sigh escaping me. "I have to go. But I'm coming to get you. As soon as possible, okay?" I promised, Dylan nodding slowly. I stood on my tip toes, pressing a kiss against his forehead.  

I tried to walk away, unable to move my feet. I couldn't. I couldn't leave him, not again. I was afraid that if I left him now, I would never see him again. He nodded, offering a small smile. "It's okay. I'm not going anywhere" he reassured, my head nodding as I finally pulled my feet from the ground. 

I walked down the hallway, pausing as I reached the door. I glanced over my shoulder, looking back at Dylan. He nodded before I took a deep breath, pushing through the doors. They swung shut behind me, trapping me back in the room. I wish I could bring him with me, keep him safe. 

I walked back over, Dan giving me a weird look as I sat back down. I hadn't realized it, but a large grin was plastered on my face. And I couldn't stop it. I stared at Jake, when something else hit me. A piece in the mystery. "What's got you so happy?" Jake grumbled, picking his teeth. I turned to him, a new sense of confidence taking over.

"The fact that I know you know something. I know something's happened here relating to these murders that Rockwood is trying to cover up. And something's happening that relates to my mother's death. We chose not to publish her death in the newspaper. So obviously you're lying which means you found out some other way. I'm not sure how yet, but I am going to figure it out" I smirked at him, the man finally at a loss for words. It was a clear sign that I was right. Dan let out a small chuckle as I had finally shut him up. "I think that's all for today. We'll be back though" I told him, standing up with a grin. 

The guards lifted Jake out of his seat as they roughly pushed him out of the room. Jake looked over his shoulder, sending me a nasty glare before they shoved him out of sight. "What got into you?" Dan asked as I smiled in response. 

"I found him" I whispered, Dan's eyes wide in confusion before he realized what I was talking about. "It's Dylan, Dan. My Dylan" I repeated, a smile slowly growing on Dan's face. I put my hand on Dan's shoulders, his eyebrows furrowing. "But I need your help" I told him. 

"With what?" he asked skeptically, knowing that my favors tended to be pretty big ones.  

"With getting him out of here" I told him, praying that he was in a good mood. I really need his help. His happy face went to a look of shock and then annoyance. 

"You're crazy" he muttered, turning as he pushed through the doors. I followed after him, huffing as I crossed my arms over my chest. I was hoping he wasn't going to be difficult about it.

"If I was crazy, I would be in here" I said, quickly biting my tongue. Dylan wasn't crazy. I'm not quite sure why exactly he's in here, but I know he's not crazy. Dan smiled at my remark, his point proven further.

"That's exactly it. He's in here for a reason. They aren't going to let him out willy nilly. If they did we would have crazy people running all over the place!" Dan exclaimed as we came to a stop near the top of the stairs. 

"Oh please. I talked to him. He's not crazy. He's trapped. Can you at least try talking to sister Jude?" I pleaded, desperate to save my best friend. He stopped to look at me, giving me the chance to stick out my lip, my eyes wide. "Please?" I begged, Dan's gaze unchanged. Grabbed his shoulders, tears still glistening in my eyes. "Please great Dan. Please?" I pleaded, watching as his face began to soften.

"Okay fine. I'll try. But no promises" he snapped, sniffling before turning to walk to Sister Jude's office. I chased after him as I tried to quiet my heart which ran rampid with hope.

"Thank you" I breathed, Dan nodding in response. I clenched my fists as we became closer and closer to her office. I ran through my argument in my head, suddenly becoming nervous. What if I couldn't get him out? What if he was stuck here forever? 

No I couldn't think like that. I would pay off Rockwood to get him out if that's what it took.

 Before I knew it, we were standing in front of her office, my eyes trained on the dark stained wooden door. I took a deep breath, my eyes moving to Dan.

"You ready?" Dan asked as he raised his hand, ready to knock on the door. I swallowed my nerves as I prepared myself for what would come next. I unclenched my fists, wiping them on my jeans. I wiped under my eyes, making sure all traces of crying were gone too. I straightened out my shirt and fixed my hair. I took a huge breath and then turned to Dan.

"Let's do this" I nodded as Dan rapped his knuckles on the door, my stomach dropping as I realized that there was no going back.