Relentless

Chapter 50

Peter was quiet last night. Too quiet. He hardly spoke a word during our whole meeting. It unsettled me. Not only his silence but what he had said... about Emma.

"I still see her in my dreams."

What did he mean by that? He almost seemed spooked. But why? I would have thought that seeing a passed loved one would be comforting. Why wasn't this?

My questions were answered during my dream last night.

I found myself walking through a field. It was the same field that Peter had run through the night his sister had run away. As I look around, the sun begins to rise behind me as dawn quickly approaches. For a moment I forgot that I was dreaming and I actually believed that I had stayed up all night.

My eyes focus on a table in front of me and the girl sitting at the only present chair. The sun lights up her fiery hair and warms her pale skin, revealing slight freckles. She smiles as she watches me approach. When the sun lights up her turquoise eyes last. I am in awe of her beauty. The memories I say didn't do her justice.

I stopped a few yards away from her table, my eyes transfixed on the chair that appeared upon my arrival. A gentle breeze suddenly appears, beckoning me forward. Sighing, I sit down.

"You're Emma, I presume?"

She smiles politely, a movement that reminds me of Peter. "Yes, and you're Celeste."

It wasn't a question but I feel the need to reply anyway so I nod.

"Would you like some tea?" She asked and before I can ask what she is talking about, a brewed pot of tea is sitting on the table in front of me.

"Yeah, sure." I replied, astonished. She pours me a steaming cup, warning me that it is hot.

"It'll be fine." I reassure her, remembering that this is a dream. "May I have some sugar?"

"There's no need. It's plenty sweet already."

"Okay," I replied before taking a sip which I quickly spat out. I made sure to spit it onto the ground but after a short string of coughs, my confidence was shattered. But this is a dream! What is even happening here?

I take a moment to admire the finite detail of this dream. It looks... realistic. Down to the ripple the breeze makes on the indigo tablecloth with gold laced edges and the stitching of her royal blue dress with a golden collar and cuffed sleeves. Strands of her wavy hair even drift into her face and she has to brush them away.

Could this be an illusion sent by an Oblivian?

"No, this is real. Well, as real for you as a dream can be. I brought you here."

That was creepy. Can she really hear my thoughts?

Emma smiled. "There are no secrets here"

"Why did you bring me here?"

"Because we need to talk about my brother."

"Which one?"

Her smile finally fades. That is my only indication that her mood has changed. Her shoulders stay level as she sits properly with her hands folded neatly in her lap and out of sight.

"You know which one."

Time for a test to decide whether this is real or not.

"How are you?"

"Coping."

"With death?"

"With being without them. My brothers were- are my world."