Dreams

Chapter 2- Daniel

Chapter 2

Daniel

 

‘Jeese Daniel, you really need to fix that door boy.’ Mike calls to me as I stumble my way into the small passage way of our house. Using all my strength I slide the faded blue door on its hinges and back into place.

‘I’ve got things to do, okay Mike?’ I shake my head on the way to my room, only to feel mike come up behind me, grabbing the collar of my shirt.

‘Listen boy, I don’t like your attitude .I bailed your ass out of that hell hole so you better be fixn that damn door!’ I slam into the floor at the release of Mikes grip. Picking myself up off the rotten wood floor I trudge over to the bathroom, bending down to look under the sink for any tool supplies. Moving here meant that we had to leave a lot of our stuff behind, and I think our tool set was one of them. Grabbing a hammer out, I examine the pressure it’s leaving in the middle of my right hand, right where a wood splinter is sticking out. I rip it out without thinking twice, because I’m sure if I asked Mike to look at it he’d make my face a human pancake again. I could make him a human pancake if I was able to be in my true form right now, but that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

Hence why Mike practically owns my ass at the moment, seeing he was the one that got me and my family off the main land. Mum had to… well get on his good side so that we could move here; otherwise there was no way we could afford the boat ride to move. Fortunately mum knew Mike from work at the factory, so he helped us get away from them, but he stuck around after the move, supposedly to take ‘care’ of my mother because I couldn’t.

Moving back into the hallway I guide the hammer and smash the bolts back into place on the door frame. There isn’t any point trying to be quite around here at night, there isn’t a single house in one kilometer either side of the block. I’m not even sure if it is a legal residence, but Mike says it is… not that I trust the scum bag. I hear mum coughing again from the small living room. I drop the hammer on the floor and move down to the room, kneeling besides mum on the small couch.

She looks so much paler than she did when we arrived on the island. Mum holds her hand out to me and I take it with my right.

‘Hi mum, how are you feeling?’ She shoots me with what looks like a half smile before having to take her hand out of mine to cover her mouth whilst she coughs.

‘Fine Dan, how was school?’ I look down at the floor trying to avoid my mother’s gaze.

‘Why are you looking so guilty Dan?’ I lean in close to her to speak.

‘They’re here, on this island.’ She looks immediately concerned.

‘Well just stay under the radar again alright? We don’t need to be found out.’

‘Right, got it.’ I say, moving over to sit on the other sofa.

‘Oh, I’ve been moved to a bunch of different classes… cause they didn’t have room in the ones I selected at school.’

‘Well that’s okay, you’ll just have to deal with it for the moment being…’ She trails off whilst sneezing, and I grab her tissue off the coffee table when she motions to her nose. 

‘I know … but I won’t be able to spend as much time with you because they take up more of my frees.’ I give her a saddened look and she takes my hand again.

‘I’ll be fine Dan, now get to bed. You need your rest too. Recharge.’ She ruffles my hair and I take a few seconds to stand back up from my crouch.

‘Night mum, feel better.’ I say as I walk slowly back to my room. It’s been a really tough year for my family with the move, Sam’s death, Mike and everything. My brother… he died 6 months ago today, and I could tell that was an extra burden saddening mum today. I’ve tried not to think about it, but seeing that man outside the liner- just reminded me so much of what happened to Sam… Trying not to think about my brother,  I move into what would have been our new shared bed room. I look down at the dingy bed on the right hand side of the room, looking at the sad metal frame of the bed. I hear the creaking of the springs as I lower myself onto the practically metre long bed, feeling the wind coming from the small window create goose bumps on my feet. They stick out under the rug, as the small bed is unable to encompass my full height. The howling wind makes it take forever for me to fall asleep, drowning out the sound of Mike’s voice yelling at my mother.

I wake drenched in a layer of cold sweat, with the dreams from last night still fresh in my mind. I imagined the murderer at my door step, but it wasn’t the murderers face… it was Mikes. He dragged my mother into the bushes and stabbed her, just like what that man did to that girl… I wonder if the patrol has found the girl’s body yet, just lying there on the tracks. I know why she was killed. And it could have just as easily have been me. I try and push that thought out of my head whilst getting ready to go to school. I though mother was mad when she said I would have to attend one of those things. I though it would be one of the worst placed to be seen. But she assured me that I would have stood out more if no one knew me around town. Sometimes the best place to be hidden, is where every eye can see you.  I grab a white t-shirt, jeans and dad’s old leather jacket from the still unpacked trunks and change. I quickly whisper goodbye to mum, who is still asleep on the couch and head outside, sending Mike a glare on the way out.

I have to walk to school, because the liner won’t stop at our house, and I can’t exactly jump in front of one to make it stop for me, or take on my form. Looking out at the horizon, I just manage to see the first glimpse of the sun as it comes up over the hill side. It takes me about an hour and a half to get to school, probably even longer with all the times I had to hide from passing liners on the way.

Walking to the year twelve common room, I dump my bag into my locker and shake my hair out from the rain. It was only a light shower on the way here, but just enough to make the top of my books wet in my bag. Everyone looks at my so weird when I go from class to class holding a note book and a pen, it’s like they’ve never seen paper before. They all have these weird slate things that the tribe didn’t have on the land, and they are multifunctional or something. I don’t know. I’ll have to see if Mike can get me one of those things so I don’t get asked any questions. What I do know is that I’m going to be late for the first class if I don’t hurry my ass up. I swiftly jog to class on the other side of the campus, the rain now saturating me.

According to my schedule the first class I have is biology, which doesn’t sound the least bit interesting. I am about to open the door to the lab when I hear some girls behind me giggling. I politely open the door so they enter first, which only seems to stir their laughter more. I thought that’s what humans are supposed to do for one another. I send the blond girl who looks at me a small smile in return and move to give the teacher my class move confirmation slip. The man, who looks older than the shabby school grounds motions for me to sit down. I turn to see the giggly girls at the back of the classes whispering to one another whilst next to them a group of guys send what can only be perceived as jealousy glances my way… the two groups offer no spare seat for me.  

Absolutely none are free except for one at the font of the classroom next to a familiar brown haired girl, who stares at me with those same green eyes.