“We did know.” Her father softly spoke. He bent to wipe the tears flowing down Scarlett’s face. “We wanted to tell you, but we weren’t able too. I don’t know how much Jenna told you, but the curse that was placed on Dreamers prevents them from telling others that they’re Dreamers till the night of their eighteenth birthday.” He paused as he lowered himself to sit beside Scarlett. Her mother leaned against the bed and clenched her jaw as she stared off into the distance.
“If we’d have told you, it would’ve lowered your chances of making it through the gateway. When a Dreamer is aware of what comes, the curse shifts to become unpredictable once again. A Dreamer has never made it past when it does.”
Scarlett nodded through a stiff neck. She understood why they did it. In a messed up way, they were giving her the best chance of survival she could get. The ugly curling of betrayal stung at her heart but she numbed and pushed it aside.
“Why did you want to speak with me if I wouldn’t have been able to know anything?”
“A cryptic message?” Roger offered with a wince.
Scarlett shook her head and was simply grateful to be there with her family. It was enough to overcome the ugly feelings, leaving them to be in the shadows.
“Are Jenna and I the only Dreamers?” Cher's shoulders slightly lowered, grateful for the switch of topic.
“Your father and I are as well.” She locked eyes with Roger’s mother. “Even Grandma Ruth.”
Scarlett nodded and peeked at the only normal one of them all. Her grandfather’s eyes held empathy and she was grateful to not see pity. She wanted to grasp onto something normal and her grandfather gave her that.
“I suppose I’m the lucky one.” He threw out.
Grandma Ruth smacked her husband on the back of the head and scowled. He let out a small eye crinkling laugh that touched Scarlett’s heart. She joined him with a broken one of her own and mouthed ‘thank you.’
She needed it.
Scarlett’s grandparents left the room to resume their packing. They came for what they needed to know and were free to return home. They had their lives to get back to and as much as it stung Scarlett, she understood that her transition couldn’t hold them back. Her parents didn’t leave her side for a second even though they dearly needed to fix themselves. Her father stood beside her mother who sat on the edge of the bed and kept her gaze locked on Scarlett’s face.
“Roger, can you bring me the kit for her arm?” Cher’s question snapped Roger out of his thoughts and reminded him of his daughter’s injury.
He nodded his head and moved to leave, but turned around and dropped a kiss on Cher’s head. He whispered something in her ear and Scarlett couldn’t hear his words. Roger moved towards Scarlett and wrapped her in a tight embrace making sure to be careful with her injured arm. She sunk into her father’s hug and relished the warmth and comfort his body brought her.
“I love you, my sweet girl.” Roger kissed her on the cheek before he made his way out of the room.
Cher slowly climbed onto the bed beside Scarlett and carefully wrapped her arms around her shoulders and head, bringing her to her chest. She placed her head atop Scarlett’s while curling her body inward.
Scarlett felt a drop land on her hair which was followed by another. Her mother’s chest quivered as if she were trying to suppress her tears.
“I’m so sorry,” Cher choked out. “I’m just so happy you made it through. I don’t know what I’d do if something ever happened to you.”
Scarlett’s heart pained at the sound of her mother’s words and sniffles. She wrapped her good arm around her but felt no tears follow. She didn’t feel the urge to cry. Scarlett squeezed and let herself mold to her mother’s body as they laid there for who knew how long. She closed her eyes and wished everything could feel this comforting and peaceful.
The door softly creaked.
Scarlett opened her eyes to see her father slowly enter the room with a small red kit in hand. He walked to the bed and handed it to her mother. Cher sat up and helped Scarlett into an upright position. She carefully wrapped her arm in a sling as her father walked around the bed to sit beside Scarlett on the right.
“Physical injuries from Ever Realm do not transfer back. However, the pain from them does,” Cher explained as she finished the sling. Once done, her father encircled his long arms around Scarlett and her mother.
They sat in silence, letting their love and warmth move between them. There was no other place in the world that Scarlett would rather be.
∞
The evening sun shone low in the sky, illuminating the fields beyond the hill Scarlett stood on. She’d left the ranch to go to her favorite spot when she wanted to be alone. Atop her hill was a small flat area surrounded by towering trees. They gave her the perfect shade from the outside world. Scarlett took in the sun’s warming rays as they painted the sky hues of oranges, purples, and blues. Clouds were speckled throughout with each in its unique shape. Scarlett took slow deep breaths, inhaling the fresh air the trees had to offer.
It wasn’t working.
Scarlett loved the feeling of being surrounded by nature but it wasn’t enough. So much was pent up in her that if it didn’t get released, she’d burst. Scarlett let out an exasperated sigh and threw her head back. She leaned against the tree and with difficulty, got up from the ground. As she dusted herself off, a lone rock in the middle of the grass caught her attention. She picked it up and examined its flat, yet bumpy surface. It was pretty solid and fit well in her hand. She looked beyond her hill, out into the rolling ones which were identical but smaller than hers.
Using her left arm, Scarlett cranked her arm back and threw the rock as hard as she could. The rock flew from her fingertips high into the sky before beginning its curving descent into a tree below. Scarlett felt something give inside her. She picked up another rock and did the same, except a laugh accompanied this one. Soon, many followed.
Rocks flew from her hand as laughs, curses, and yells left her lips. She stopped picking up rocks and turned around. Scarlett laid eyes on the tree behind her and felt an itching need. She fisted her hand and punched the tree screaming at the top of her lungs. She was pretty sure she looked like an unhinged person, however, the pent-up emotions of anger, betrayal, and fear were finally emptying from her mind. Deflating like a balloon that was on the verge of exploding and damaging everything around. Her breathing was heavy and hurried as sweat lined her forehead.
Scarlett’s hand was throbbing in pain from the one punch and her knuckles were scratched and swelling. They’d reddened and were on the verge of breaking her skin. She wound her arm back when the snapping of a twig reached her ears. She hastily turned in its direction and came face to face with a man.
He had the palest skin she’d ever seen, yet it wasn’t pasty. His dark grey eyes pierced her own as she felt a shiver crawl its way down her spine. Scarlett straightened herself and took a step back.
“You are going to break more than an arm if you continue throwing those kinds of punches, especially at a tree.” He gestured towards her clenched fist which was dropped at her side. His hands were stuffed in the pockets of his black jeans. Everything about him was black except for his skin. His tailored hair was jet black and ruffled and he wore a black button-up with matching jeans and black shoes.