The Real Ram

Chapter 21

 The dream is always the same. I wake up on the sofa in the living room. Phillip tells me that he and John are going out. I knew they were getting me a present. It was a surprise though, so they couldn't tell me. 

Phillip waves goodbye as I turn on the television. Same channel like always, Channel 4 News. Fifteen minutes go by and I almost fall asleep again, but someone knocks on the door. I think it's Phillip and John, they always forget a key. When I open it I find my mother standing there.

"Happy Birthday, Zoey!!" She holds out a present that's wrapped in a bright green bow and red wrapping paper.

"Can I open it now?"

"Sure," she replies laughing, "Where's your brother and John?"

"They went out to get me a present," I say slowly untying the bow.

"How do you know?"

"They went out with a cliché story of going to the store. They had maybe twenty dollars. That's not enough for a grocery stop."

"You noticed this by watching?"

"I notice a lot now," I reply. I carefully unwrap the paper being careful to not rip any of it. Once I open it I see it's an unmarked cardboard box. "What is it?"

"Open the box," my mother says tauntingly.

I pick a side and pull at the tape. There's another knock at the door and my mom gets up.

Her final mistake.

I open the box and gasp, "Is this what I think it is?"

"You know it," she confirms and she twists the door nob. 

It was a sight cube! The best present someone like me could ask for. If turned on, it would create vibrations and quiet sounds that would be sorta boring to the usual person. But to me, I can see the colors the vibrations and sounds create. The hand-held cube looks like a ball of swirling colors. 

I get so distracted by the cube that I don't realize the people at the door aren't who I assume they are.

My mom yells at me to duck, just as a bullet tears past my head. I fall off the couch ducking beside it. I hear a struggle and yells. I don't hear them properly, my senses are all out of whack from fear. I don't know how to control them, I'm just a stupid five year old.

I catch my brother's voice screaming and John scooping me in his arms. He drops me on the ground a few feet away and I look up. I see red. My mother mouths words to me, but I don't hear or see her. All I see is red. Red. Red. Red. Red.

Then the lights go out from my mothers eyes.

I open my eyes.

I can hear Trish arguing to herself about what she's going to wear today. She doesn't know I'm awake, and I'd like to keep it that way. I don't want anyone to know I'm awake today. Even I don't want to acknowledge consciousness.

"Hey Zoe? You gotta get up, breakfast is in like ten minutes," Trish says deciding on a blue tank top. I respond by turning over and facing my back to her. "Oh come on," I feel her walk over and sit on my bed. "You're usually the one that's waking me up."

"Do I have to get up today?"

"Why so negative? I've never seen you like this," Trish says sounding worried.

"Sorry, just couldn't sleep last night," I sit up and push the covers off as Trish eyes me.

"Have you been crying?"