Silver & Gold (Scomiche)

Barriers

He was exhausted. All he wanted to do was sleep, to close his eyes and see that boy, the boy in his dreams. His parents were worried, Avi was worried, but no one was more worried than he was. He hated the tests, the scans and MRIs. He’d been stuck with more needles than he’d ever cared to in his entire life.

He wasn’t sure if he was happy or disappointed when he’d found out that he was perfectly fine. Healthwise he was actually healthier than most his age, his brain looked fantastic. His father seemed just as torn as he felt. At least if it had been something with his health then he could have fixed it, but now that they knew it wasn’t, he wasn’t sure what was going on.

His dad had made some calls and Scott would be going to visit one of his friends, a psychiatrist. He felt ridiculous, hopeful, scared. Part of him just wanted to keep things as they were, live in his dreams where he felt safe and loved and happy, but the other part wanted to be able to live, to always be happy, to really love.

He couldn’t keep avoiding it, pushing it off. It was time to admit he needed help.

___

“So this is the infamous clearing.” Avi looked around. “It’s really pretty if nothing else.”

“It is.” He walked over to the stream. “The strange thing is I don’t remember ever actually coming here, except in my dreams.  Actually… I remember waking up here once. I’d camped out for no reason. It was so weird. That was the day I vowed to never ever drink again.”

“Well, someone was here.”

He turned to look at his friend and nearly had a heart attack as he saw what he was looking at. He hurried over to the tree and ran his fingers over the carved heart.   “It’s real.” He whispered.

“Is that him? M?”

“I …  I don’t know.” He couldn’t seem to pull his fingers away.

“Want some time alone?”

He just nodded, still staring at the tree, not quite believing his eyes.

“Let me know if you need me.” Avi gave him a quick pat on his shoulder before heading back to the house.

He ran his finger along the M, an ache sitting in his chest as he did. “Who are you?” he whispered out to no one and rest his forehead against the bark.

“Ed’ i’ear ar’ elenea...”

It was a tiny, quiet voice, a voice he definitely didn’t recognize. He looked up and then around but didn’t see anyone.

“Hello?”

He saw the eyes before anything else, large shining swirls of orange and peach there in the shadows.

He narrowed his own as he tried to see. “Who’s there?”

He had to take two steps back as the shy figure slowly came from behind a tree and out of the shadows. She was beautiful, STUNNING. Her skin was almost pearlescent, pale and unmarred. Her eyes were large and framed by dark, full lashes. Her hair reached down past her hips, a shiny pastel lavender.

He was rendered speechless as he watched her.

“Lle quena i’lambe tel’ Illyrian?”

He double blinked and shook his head. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand.”

She seem troubled momentarily, but her eyes seemed to shine with a blue ring for just a moment.

“Are you… Scott?”