Reflect // Van McCann

26. Reunited

*Van's POV*

Shadow nudged me and licked my hand, snapping me from my reverie. I don't know how long I've been out for but I saw her—she's here. She was laying in the grass, her eyes closed and she looked so peaceful...almost angelic. I quickly got up, grabbing my wallet and keys. I put my coat on and stepped into my boots, bending down to zip them up. Shadow looked at me in anticipation and I wondered if I should bring her.

I wasn't sure how long it'd take to find her. She could literally be anywhere as this place has many parks and grassy areas but my feet kept moving, wanting me to leave right now. Shadow began whining as my hand reached for the door and I felt terrible. She was definitely spoiled but I have no one to blame but myself. It's hard to say no to her big, begging eyes. I sighed.

"C'mere," I said, reaching out for her and she bolted into my hands and I picked her up, stuffing her into my jacket. "You better behave." I zipped my jacket up and stepped out, pressing the button for the lift.

Normally I'm patient but for some reason today, everything took longer than usual which only irritated me more. I literally have somewhere to go! I spent a good minute waiting for the lift, and when it arrived on my floor, it was full and I didn't feel like squeezing in with them so I decided to take 11 flights of stairs down to the lobby. Shadow wasn't enjoying the bumpy ride down at all so I tried my best to hold her still. I finally reached the bottom and opened the door to the lobby.

I stepped out of the building and wasn't sure where I was headed so I went east. After walking for some time, my gut was telling me it was the opposite direction so I backtracked and went the other way. Shadow was whining as she's been in my coat for too long but I couldn't have her slow me down. Once I was stuck waiting for the crosswalk signal, I took her out but I still held her in my arms. She pawed at my arm in protest and I held her up so she was eye to eye with me.

"I said behave," I told her sternly and she stared at me with a questioning look. I cradled her in my arms once again and began crossing the street a few seconds before the crosswalk signal came up. I had no idea where I was going but it seemed like my feet knew where to take me.

If I recall the daydream I had, it wasn't a place I have been to before. The area didn't look familiar but I only had a small snippet of the place so I didn't have much to go on. It was almost time for dinner and I knew I should've brought something to eat as I was starting to get hungry, but I kept trudging on. I'm sure Shadow is hungry as well. I walked past a gap in the woods and I stopped, looking at the entrance. Something was telling me to go so I walked in.

It was starting to get dark but I knew it was the trees standing tall that blocked the sun from reaching the ground. I followed the path and kept walking until I made it through the brief stretch of woods which revealed a meadow. I have no idea how there's a meadow in the middle of a city but I'll take it. The surrounding was starting to look familiar and I saw a tree in the distance that I recognized, so I made my way towards it and that's when I saw her. I put Shadow down on the grass and I slowly made my way towards Amy. I could make out her baby blue dress which stood out among the green.

Once I reached her, I knelt down to take a good look at her face. She still looked the same as I last saw her over two years ago. Everything about her was the same and I couldn't help but smile. In this world of new, it felt good finding someone familiar. Someone from the world I used to know. I lifted her up carefully so her head was resting on my thighs and I waited for her to wake up.

I wasn't sure how long it'd take for her to wake up. For me, it took two days but I didn't know anyone here so no one was actively looking for me. After Shadow was done sniffing everything in the meadow, she came to join me and began sniffing Amy, wondering who she was and where she'd come from. She began licking Amy's fingers and I stopped her.