Once Upon A Dream

Chapter 17

I wake up with the warmth behind me gone. Sitting up I look around me and see that Rose is back in her bed sleeping. She must have came back sometime last night.

I swing my legs over the bed and just sit there thinking about my dream last night.

Who was that man?

How do I know him?

Over the trip I've noticed that I can't remember anything until I was 14. Everything from my childhood has just been forgotten.

Maybe I saw this man when I was younger...

A yawn from across the room breaks my train of thought. Rose is waking up.

"Seems like you had a hell of a night last night?" Rose asks, somehow knowing that I was awake.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask with a smile.

"I leave to go to the bathroom and when I come back you are sleeping in lover boys arms? Sounds like a hell of a night to me?" She says rubbing her eyes as she sits up.

I laugh. "I had a nightmare, Rose. He wanted to comfort me. That's it."

"Yeah yeah. You're secret is safe with me." She says swatting a hand at me from across the room.

We both get up and walk to breakfast.

The tents have mostly all been replaced with newer, less burnt tents. Though the camp is fixed up, you can still smell the smoke in the air.

Once we get our food and sit down like every other day, I notice that the others are back to normal.

Almost like Shana never died.

Almost like her memory was just erased out of all of there minds.

I listen to them chat about stupid little things. Like how they saw Jane making out with Austin or how they heard Jamie saying how he could take Timothy in a fight.

I never speak. Shana and the man from my dreams face burning their way into my brain.

Not being able to take it anymore, I tell them I have to leave. I get up and walk out without another word.

My feet carry me in every direction. I have no clue where I'm going but at the same time I do.

I stop when I reach a place with a bunch of rocks and wooden crosses.

A graveyard.

I walk through line after line, my eyes looking at the names of each and every grave.

Sally? No.

Sara? No.

Both of my feet stop as I look at the name of the next grave.

Shana.

Her name is carved into a log like all the other ones. I notice how there aren't any flowers. I shake my head. How stupid of me not to bring flowers.

I begin to sit in front of her grave.

"You know the all the time I've known you, we never talked much?" I say sitting criss cross infront of the piece of wood.

"That's why I don't understand why this is bugging me so much. I don't know if it's because of what you said before you died or if it's just because I have survivors guilt." I say, tears starting to form in my eyes.

"I can't get your face out of my head. It's constantly there saying, 'don't trust anyone'. Who shouldn't I trust? Why couldn't you have just told me who?"

"Hey." I here someone say from behind me.

Standing up quickly, I turn to see who the voice belongs to. You'll never guess who...

"Alex!" I say shocked. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Not long." He says with a small smile. "I saw you walk out of the dinning hall in quite a rush."

I sigh. "Just needed some air."

He looks around. "You went pretty far for 'just needing some air.'"

"Yeah well I just kept walking and ended up here." I say sitting back down infront of Shana's grave.

He sits down next to me. "Did you know her?" He says motioning to the grave infront of us.

"Uh yeah. She was one if my friends." I say looking at him and then back to Shana.

"I heard you mention something about her telling you something before she died." He says curious.

"She told me not to trust anyone. I think she knew something that we don't. A spy maybe."

"A spy? No way. This operation was set up by the most professional units. No way could we have a spy." He says not believing me.

"Professional? They had a draft. We don't know anything about these people!" I say defensively.

"I was there when my dad went there every single draft. My people are no spies."

"Oh what, so mine are?" I say looking at him angrily.

"Shoot Bella, that's not what I meant." He says realizing what he just said and stands up.

"No! Go on! Talk about how perfect your kingdom is!" I say standing up, getting in his face. "You have no idea what my people went through because of your people! The floods killed millions, the storms destroyed thousands of structures!"

"It's not my fault that your king was to much of a coward to use his ability!" He says right back at me.

"Huh sounds like someone else I know! I don't see you using your ability! You're of the age! Why don't you use it?"

He just shakes his head. "You know what? I'm done. I came out here to see if you were ok, not to fight."

"Well I'm obviously not ok! You saw the nightmares!" I scream at him, tears starting to run down my face.

"Then let me help!" He says, concern in his voice. "Please!"

"I-I don't know how." I whisper brokenly.

I feel arms wrap around me and I sink into the body infront of me. Letting the tears fall as I find comfort in my lover.

For once in my life, I let someone in...