Ashlynn's POV
I dreamt I was a child again.
In my dream my family wasn't broken, or hurt, it was a loving and peaceful family. My mother and father were there smiling. They were holding hands and looked happy, something so unlike reality. My brothers were all there, even little Tommy. We were all laughing and having a fun time. I think it was a family game night, a thing I never experienced. Our laughter was so big and full it made my dream self happier than it had ever been. Then it changed. The laughter turned into screams and Tommy vanished. My mother and father's smiles vanished and their hands were no longer clasped together. The screams grew louder and louder until I found my self shrieking along with them. The scars that had appeared on my body prickled and flashed. I screamed louder as the pain became unbearable and then-
"Ashlynn! Wake up!" I felt someone shaking me. But the pain from my dream still surrounded me. The scars on my body felt raw and new.
"Ashlynn you need to wake up," I felt someone sitting me up and holding me close to their chest, "Come on Ashlynn wake up."
Finally I felt the dream world slipping away and I was jolted back into the real world. I opened my eyes and found myself in a tight embrace from none other than Luke.
"That's it Ashlynn. Your alright it was just a dream," Luke heart beat in my ear eased my shaking. My scars stopped burning as I realized I was safe.
"Nod if your alright," Luke commanded softly into my ear. I nodded slowly, "Good."
"What happened?" I wanted to know what he heard, and what as still secret.
"You fell asleep a little before I did about," he checked his phone, "8 hours ago. Then around 30 minutes ago I woke up and got up to go to the bathroom-"
"Okay you could've left that out," I had extracted myself from his arms and was now looking at him.
"Do you want to know the story or not?" he looked at me annoyed. When I nodded he continued, "When I got back you had the most peaceful face. You looked happier than I've ever seen before. And most amazingly of all, you didn't look like a troll for once. Then in about two minutes your face changed. It got the most broken and pained expression I've ever seen. Then you started shaking and that's when I knew something was wrong. When you started crying out 'Tommy', 'mother', and 'father' I was already trying to shake you awake." He looked at me, "And that's it." If all he had heard was that then I was okay, it could be worse.
"Thank you Luke. You really helped me," I looked over at him, "I owe you big time."
"Don't worry about it Ashlynn, I only did it so I didn't have to hear your whimpering after all," and the ass was back. And for a minute there I thought Luke was alright. Guess I was wrong.
"Although I do have a question," Luke said about a minutes later. Please don't ask about Tommy I prayed, "Who was Tommy?" Of course he asked.
"He's my brother," was all I replied.
"What else?" Luke pressed.
"There's nothing else," I folded my hands in my lap to hide their shaking.
Luke looked at me for a second then finally said, "Okay." And that was it.
•••
Tommy was my brother. My little brother to be precise. He was a great kid, always laughing and smiling. He was like a ray of sunshine in such a dark house. All of the kids needed him, and he needed us, since our mother and father did almost nothing to support us.
Tommy was five when he died. I remember feeling that my world had ended when I found out. It had hurt everyone so much, but me the most. It was my fault in a way he died. I had let our mother take him to preschool instead of me, because I needed to make my exam and I was running late. I never trusted my mother with Tommy, but I had not choice that day. She said she was sober and she actually did seem like it. She said nothing would happen to Tommy. But both statements were proven false. She apparently had some alcohol before she took the wheel, because the next thing we know our baby brother, the ray of sunshine, was dead. And our mother was behind bars for driving under the influence.
Tommy King. My brother, who gave so much, but got so little.
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Alright this chapter was a bit of a downer, but it's important to understanding who Ashlynn is. So I hope you liked it. The moment with Luke was kind of special right? Any way keep reading and enjoying!
always, izz
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Broken Home {l.h}
قصص الهواة"What I got from these boys isn't repayable. They gave me a home that I had never had." ••• Ashlynn King has nothing more than her mothers old camera gear, a talent for capturing moments, and a terrible past. When she finds a job taking pictures for...
