Torn between Dreams and Reality

Chapter 10

"It's not here," I stated, slumping on my knees. "Where can it be? It's supposed to be here."

"Maybe you put it somewhere else. Just take some time to remember," he suggested, resting a calming hand on my shoulder.

"But I never took it out, I haven't seen it for ages! Where could it have gone?"

"Tell me what it looked like. Maybe you didn't look hard enough."

I closed my eyes, imagining the diary in my head as I sighed. "It was orangish from the top and slowly changed to yellow till the bottom—like a sunset. This was just the background colour. Then there were two figures sitting on the roof, one pointing at the stars that had started to show. That one was a boy, the other being a girl. It was hand-painted. . ."

I resisted the urge of blurting that Leo painted it—even signed it on the corner.

"Okay," Conrad said, snapping me out of my thoughts. I shifted my gaze towards him. His brows were creased with concentration as he crouched down and shuffled through the drawers once again.

After a few breathtaking minutes he huffed. "I didn't find the diary, Claire. But I did find a picture that matches the description you told me."

Holding a photograph between his index and middle finger, Conrad stretched it towards me. I took it from his hand, a slight shake in mine. It was, indeed, the photo that Leo had copied onto the diary.

"Come on," Leo urged me to follow him.

His parents were having a barbeque at their house and they let me be with Leo.

"Leo! My feet hurt. Slow down, please. Where are you taking me? I was helping your mom with the plates."

"She can do it on her own. Moms are meant to multitask. Now come on, you've gotta see the view from the roof."

"Roof!?" I exclaimed. I was scared of heights and he knew it, not bothering to note the sudden paleness on my face. Opening the door to the roof, he led us out, securing my hand in his so I wouldn't try to escape this.

Letting go, he sat on the edge, patting on the vacant place next to him.

"Come on, Eclairs. There's beauty when you make the big leap. And I know you can make the big leap."

Grabbing my hand gently he helped me sit, even though I was still shivering. But I stilled at the view in front of me. The sun was setting but some stars had started to appear. Leo loved stars—something about astrology intrigued him.

"See, I told you, you'd love it."

Pointing at one of the stars and then leading it to another, forming a pattern. "See that? That's a Warrior. He's bent on his knee with a bow in his hands. The three aligned stars are his belt, the star right above the one in the center is his head. Those two are the legs. And that one's his stretched arm, ready to strike his bow. That, for me, is you?"

I shook my head as a tint of pink covered my cheeks. "I'm not a Warrior, Leo. Those people have fought battles and battles until they're old and too tired to move. I don't do that."

"But you do! You just don't realize it. Sure, there may not be any blood and broken bones in your battle, but you're always fighting, surviving, enduring the pain. That's what a warrior does."

Many grateful words had laced the tip of my tongue but as soon as they were going to come out, we heard a snap and a flash of light.

"MOM!" Leo yelled at his mother who offered us a sheepish grin.

"What? You two best friends looking all cozied up and enjoying yourselves and I don't even get to keep a memory of it?"

"that's the thing, mom. You don't keep memories with photos and pictures. . ." his eyes automatically met mine, "you keep them in your mind and the emotions—in your heart."

Something in my heart felt frustrated as tears pooled up in my mind, wanting to quit hanging on to a person for so long, wanting to let go so bad. But if I let go, wouldn't have anyone to hold onto, any support, I would fall and shatter. I would break like a glass.

My gaze swept towards Conrad and I wondered that maybe, maybe he would if he could. Maybe he wouldn't leave like Leo, maybe he'd stay and let me be a part of his life.

Maybe.
Just maybe.

A tear of hope slipped down my face as forced myself to smile at Conrad, his expressions relieved that I was grinning. The silence was comfortable as he reached out to wipe off my tears. One was easily wiped away but as soon as the other tear slipped down my cheek, it fell onto the picture.

And then it all happened again.

A void of butterflies raced out of the picture, forming a tornado around the room. The air felt suffocating as the wind blew my hair over my face.

And the worst part was that . . .
Conrad saw it.

His steel eyes were frozen with shock, swirling with emotions as they gazed upon the whirlwind.

But it was only a matter of seconds before the butterflies dispersed, leaving the room through the open window and merging with the night sky.

We both stared at the window, too stunned to speak, too hard to breathe.

The picture came down slowly floating as it fell to the ground. A shaky hand reached for it and flipped it over, noticing the loopy hand-writing that hand covered the backside of it.

"Find your escape in a place nearby
All you have to do is reach and try
No my dear, never cry
It's all art but you cannot defy
How in million ways its becoming real
Always hope and never fear
When dreams take over reality."

When I flipped the picture over, the picture had changed. It was no longer the image of a nightfall but a garage full of life, full of colours, full of emotions.

It was full of Leo's paintings.

Your thoughts people.
WHat you think gonna happen?