Reality

Chapter 26.

AN: I apologize for the little wait, but without further delay, here is the chapter 💓
Back to Cora

We were standing alone in a big room, the lights were off and I couldn't see anything. The only thing that I felt were his arms wrapped around my waist, his head resting on my shoulder, and his even breathing against my neck.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"I don't know," The boy I knew so well said.

Fear crept through my body, making me shiver. "I have a bad feeling about this."

Just then I was pushed back by an unknown force, causing me to trip and fall. A faint light focused on Owen's limp body, he had fallen too. I tried to move towards the boy, but I was frozen in place. I tried to call out to him, but no sound came out of my mouth.

Out of nowhere, a hole opened up in the ground and swallowed Owen up, then closed back up as if nothing had happened.

"OWEN!" I shrieked, somehow gaining my voice back.

I sat up, sweating, waking up from that horrible nightmare.

It wasn't real. It wasn't real. It wasn't real.

I can't just go back to sleep. I slipped out of bed, and padded to my mom's room downstairs. I knocked lightly on the door, before tip-toeing to her bed.

"Mom?" I asked, whispering.

Mom turned towards me, rubbed her eyes, and said, "Y...yes honey?"

"Can I sleep with you? I had a nightmare."

"Of course."

My mom moved over in her big bed, giving me enough room to hop into the bed. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, baby."

---

I woke up up, temporarily forgetting the events of last night before I remembered everything at once.

Wow, I haven't slept with my mom in years.
I looked over to where my mom was sleeping soundly. As if not to wake her, I slipped out of bed quietly and silently padded out of the room. Entering the living room, I saw my younger brother watching TV. He was eating a bowl of Fruity Pebbles, which was nearly gone. Milk was dripping down his chin, I don't think he realized that.

"Tobs?" I asked, the morning voice evident.

Trying to finish chewing Toby said, "Good Morning. What's up?"

"Do you want to do something fun today after school?"

"Sure! What do you want to do?"

"It's a surprise. Meet me at my car, in the parking lot if the school, at 3:15 after school."

---

"You're one minute late," I said as Toby closed my car door and buckled himself in.

"Shut up, my locker is at the opposite side of the school!" He exclaimed, exasperated.

I backed out of the parking lot and said jokingly, "Fine, I forgive you for your tardiness."

"Thank you dear sister. Now, may I ask where we are going?"

"Nope, put on the blindfold on the dashboard until I say to take it off."

"What?"

"You heard me."

Toby huffed and tied the black cloth around his head, blocking his sight.

As to be expected, he complained the whole way there.

"Can I take it off now?"

"Where are we going?"

"You know I don't really like surprises!"

Annoying little brother.

I led him into the roller arena, holding onto his shoulders, not to letting him run into anything. I bought our tickets and walked us to a table near the roller rink.

"You can take off the blindfold now," I said to Toby, who was sitting across from me.

Toby did as I said and a little gasp escaped when he realized where we were. "I haven't been here in years!" He exclaimed.

I smiled and said, "Come on, let's go get our skates."

After getting our skates we went ball to our table to put them on. We half-skated-half-walked over to the rink before cautiously stepping onto the slick wood. Toby and I both grasped the railings and tried to stay up right.

"I don't remember this being so hard," he
huffed.

I laughed lightly before saying, "I don't either."

Toby reached out for my hand and I took it, then we slowly skated along the side of the rink. People around us expertly skated forwards, backwards, and sideways, while Toby and I stumbled and held onto each other for dear life.

After ten minutes of skating I was getting the hang of it, but Toby was falling every thirty seconds. Just then he fell again, this time taking me with him. We died laughing and when I tried to get back up I fell again, causing more laughter.

It truly was a good day.

Maybe not everything has gone well these past months, hell, they were some crappy months, but that's reality. Sometimes you shield yourself from it, until you realize that shielding yourself is worse than accepting it.