The Collymore Family

Chapter 4

As Irene headed up the flight of stairs, she began to hear Noella in her room. It started off as small humming, something that Noella usually did in her room, which turned into singing as Irene began to search the house for the golden key. She searched almost every room. The master bedroom, Noella's bedroom, the guest room, the bathrooms, the kitchens, the living rooms, she even checked their unfurnished, cold basement that she rarely ever went into. Irene checked every drawer, every cupboard, every box, and every shelf, but to no avail. The key couldn't have just appeared out of nowhere in Mr. Collymore's hand. They had to have it hidden somewhere. Somewhere she couldn't see. Somewhere she hadn't checked.

Irene had spent nearly an hour searching for the golden key, an hour that turned into a complete waste of time. All she'd done was run around the house and scatter things around, things she would have to pick up later. Irene felt even more confused to have not found a key. She stood in front of the golden padlock door, thoughts jumbling in her head once more, when she heard a familiar voice from behind her. It was the voice of Noella. Her voice was soft, and it was evident she was singing. That was not what surprised Irene though, It's what Noella whispered at the very end of her sentence that left Irene dumbfounded.

"Angel."

Irene stood there, frozen. Had Noella really just muttered the name that was on the note, or had Irene just imagined it due to her panicking? Her question was answered when she heard Noella say her name again, this time louder and more cheerfully. Irene let out a gasp as she heard the words again. She knew she wasn't imagining it this time. Irene turned around and strode to Noella's room, decisive with each step. Once she finally reached her door, Irene swung it open.

Noella sat on her bed, a colouring book in front of her and a box of crayons on her left side. Her head jolted up in surprise as Irene came in ever so suddenly.

"Noella, what were you just saying?" Irene asked, her heart racing as she waited for an answer.

Noella looked up at Irene, her surprised facial expression turning into a confused one. "What are you talking about?" 

"The words you were singing. You said a word. A name. What was it?" Irene felt her breathing become slightly unsteady as she awaited for an answer. She prayed to herself that Noella wouldn't say what she thought she'd said, but Irene knew that was her paranoia speaking for her.

Noella had a look of realization wash over her face. "Oh. Angel?" 

Irene felt her heart drop at those two words. "Who...who is angel?" Irene stammered.

Noella was clearly confused by the sudden reaction, but she answered calmly nonetheless. "She's a girl I see in my dreams sometimes. She says that she's my best friend, and we usually do something fun together." Noella looked down as she spoke, colouring in her flower again.

"You...you see her in your dreams?" Irene asked quietly, barely able to get the words out of her mouth.

"Mhm." Noella replied, continuing to colour. She then looked up at Irene. "Why do you care, anyway?"

"What...what do you both do in the dream?" Irene asked, ignoring Noella's question.

Noella shrugged. "Just...play at the park. Or in the grass. Or sometimes we play tag."

"Does she talk to you in the dreams?" Irene continued to spew questions at Noella.

"Sometimes." Noella paused. "Why do you keep asking?"

"Has she said anything about herself?"

"Why do you keep ignoring my question?" Noella interrupted frustratingly.

"I'm not--" Irene was cut off.

"Yes, you are." Noella said. "Why do you care so much about Angel?"

"Because..." Irene sighed. "I just...I'm curious. She seems like a good friend."

"She would be if she were real." Noella put down her crayons, her mood changing suddenly.

Irene was a little surprised by the sudden change of emotions, but she played along nonetheless. "Yeah, that would be nice, wouldn't it?" Irene sat down on the bed beside Noella.

"If she were real, we could be sisters. I've always wanted a sister. Or a brother." Noella laid down on her back and stared up at the ceiling. "She looked older than me. Like a teenager. I've always wanted an older sister, but I know now that's not possible."

Irene became a little intrigued by this. "What age did she look?"

"Like...she looked like she was fourteen or fifteen...or maybe even sixteen." Noella let out a loud sigh. "Gosh, now I miss someone who doesn't even exist."

Irene giggled softly. "It would be nice if she were your real older sister, wouldn't it?" Irene asked softly, keeping what Noella said in mind. "Is she nice to you?"

"Yes. She's really nice. She's sort of like a sister to me. A sister I've never had."

Irene nodded. "I see."

"It just...it feels so strange in the dream." Noella whispered involuntarily.

"What do you mean?" Irene asked curiously.

"It just...it felt kind of real. I knew I was dreaming, but everything felt real. It's weird because in my other dreams it doesn't feel like that. I can always easily tell when it's a dream. Not with these dreams, though. I always get lost in the dream because of how real it feels. Because of how nice it feels being with Angel. Because of how real it felt being with Angel. Like she was real."