smoke and fire » peter pan

Can you hear the silence?

It was the middle of the night, the heat in the room keeping me wide awake and doubling from side to side in the now not-so-comfortable set of pillows. I have a few of them plastered around my head. Five, to be exact. I've always liked to just lay there in my castle of warmness as I doze off into a palace of my dreams. But lately, I've been losing sleep. It feels as if I don't even dream, just lay there and let my mind take over with random thoughts. My dreams were replaced with daydreams, or should I say, night dreams - even thought it makes no sense. Escapis, utter and total escapism.

Finally settling on my side towards the rest of the room, my heart stopped when my sleepy eyes landed on a dark figure next to the closed window. The second felt like an age and the fright was evident on my face, but soon enough it all faded and I sighed a relief.

"Louis, what are you doing up?" A better question would be, what are you doing in my room? He stayed quiet, peacefully staring out the window like he was looking for something, careful not to blink and lose it afterwards.

"Louis.." I mumbled, stepping out from my little insomniac castle, on my way towards him. Glancing at the little night stand beside him, the clear neon lights formed the numbers perfectly, letting me know it's half past three in the morning.

"C'mon, go back to sleep." I patted his shoulder lightly, kneeing down to his level before he turned his full attention towards me. "Can I sleep in your bed with you tonight?" I smiled weakly, giving a small nod. "Yeah, sure." I got up from the floor, taking his petite hands in mine as I hoist him up on his feet, making him laugh lightly, to which I shushed him so our parents wouldn't hear he's up.

He jumped further on his side, scooting over so there's room for me too. My bed was always small, but I can't bare the thought of sleeping alone. To be perfectly honest, I'm afraid of being alone at night. Either it's my room or my mind that creates this wrong aura that makes me feel, well, not safe.

I used to sneak into my parents' bed at night when I was younger, hell, I still do it sometimes.

"Lyla?" I could hear Louis' whisper as he cuddled up my side."Hm?" I made sure he was fully covered with the duvet. "Can you tell me a story?" "A story?" I questioned with a grin. I've never been told a story in my life by my parents, and I'm sure not letting Louis have the same meaningless childhood as I had.

"Okay, then. Um..." I thought while nuzzling the covers around me. "... How about the three piggies?" Poking his nose while saying piggies, he chuckled. "I've heard that one already!" He said rather out of volume, to which I shushed him once again with an amused smile. He imitated my finger-to-mouth pose and shushed me back in mock. I shock my head, grinning. "Okay, then, what story do you want to hear?"

"Peter Pan." He said casually. "Peter Pan it is." I fumbled on my back as he sprawled half himself on my tummy. Remembering the Disney movie well, I was just about to start telling him the story when he interrupted.

"Why does he visit you?" I furrowed my brows at the question. "What do you mean 'visit me'?"

"Eww does he like you?" I laughed silently. "Louis, there's no one visiting me."

"Yes there is! I saw him!" "Are you sure you weren't in bed, dreaming?" He nodded. Well, isn't that a good introduction to the story. "Just forget about it, try to sleep while I tell you the real story, okay?" I smiled warmly, to which he yawned to, mumbling a quiet 'fine'.

"There once was a boy called Peter Pan..."

By the time I woke up, Louis wasn't there anymore. I sighed, twirling to face the wall as if I was isolated from the rest of the room. I felt clinomanic, not wanting to leave bed so early, even if it was 11am.