Despite Linette’s distance from The Ruin, every night she was haunted by the mysterious dreams. She would almost always have the dream which took place in the garden, played over and over like a broken record in her mind, never getting less hazy. Eventually another dream, more terrible and terrifying filled her mind when she closed her eyes at night.
She was in a doorway. The smell of fire and smoke and burning things filled her senses, tears formed in her eyes and she started floating backwards uncontrollably. All she wanted to do was return to the burning building but she couldn’t, she kept on floating backwards. Once she was far enough away to see the windows on the upper floors she saw herself. She was simultaneously inside the burning building as well as outside. Realities flickered back and forth. Outside Linette gasped, Inside Linette felt flames lick her arm, covering it in painful blemishes. Outside Linette desperately tried to struggle forward, to rescue herself while Inside Linette gave in and pressed her palm against the window in farewell. Outside Linette saw this and wailed in pain and fury. Then she would wake up, sweating and panting with tears in her eyes.
Both dreams were terrible in their own ways. The one with the family caused her heart to break and long for things she could not name and didn’t even knew existed. The other brought terror and heart wrenching sorrow as if whatever she was witnessing was the worst thing that had happened on the earth.
She couldn’t understand the repetitiveness of the dreams and what they could mean. But it magnified her obsession and fervor to uncover the identity of The Stranger and what had happened to The Ruin. She believed there were logical answers to all of her questions that she would be able to figure out. They wouldn’t be shocking, they would make everything make sense in a calming conclusive way.
But a question loomed, not quite in the realm of her thoughts but there existing all the same, in the corners of her consciousness. What if the answers were bad things? What if she hated them?
Linette’s mind, unpolluted with thoughts of an unsatisfactory future, decided it was best to get out of bed.
Her parents were bustling about downstairs, her father was scouring the house for something and her mother simultaneously tried to cook and tidy up. Linette took the frying pan from her mother gently and greeted her parents.
“Good morning,” she yawned.
“Thank you darling,” her mother sighed happily, glad of less chaos. “Of all days Alice of course wants scrambled eggs when everything is a mess.” She sounded exasperated.
“Linette have you seen my hat? I know it’s here somewhere around here,” her father called from the living room.
“It’s in the basket beside the sofa,” Linette stated.
“Thank you,” he responded, his brown hair disheveled and unmanageable but his eyes bright with intelligence.
“Alice, your breakfast is ready,” Linette called as she put the food upon a plate.
Alice came in, her pink dress slightly wrinkled but her adorable face sported a bright smile. She sat atop her stool at the table and devoured her meal leaving no room for conversation. Linette considered reprimanding her but decided not to change the light and happy aura she seemed to be wearing.
“Linette, could you take Alice to Sage’s in a little bit? I’m sorry but we’re already late for work…” said her mother.
“That’s fine,” Linette replied as they went out the door. This is what they had expected; it was a very unusual instance that Linette would deny them a favor. “Have a nice day!”
“Bye!” they chorused.
“Well,” said Linette when the door closed, “Why don’t you go put on your shoes?”
