My eyes spring open, nearly blinding me from the harsh sunlight that bleeds in through my open curtains.
I jolt from the bed with a gasp, dried tears once again streaking my face. These dreams always feel so real that my heart physically hurts when I wake up without him. But this was obviously different.
I clench my fists, and my hands throb in pain. “Ouch!” I glance down, and my breathing ceases to a halt.
A single, thorny red rose lays on my palm where Alexander had placed it. The spiky thorns dig deeper into my skin as I hold on tighter, suffocating the rose.
“He’s real.” I mouth, stunned.
The years I’ve spent with Alexander have all been real.
My skin is freshly pierced from the sharp thorns, and a small trickle of blood drips from my palm and onto the hardwood floor at my feet. I slowly place the delicate flower on my nightstand, peeling my eyes away from everything it tells me without saying anything at all.
Then, I frantically start packing my bags.
Grabbing random pieces of clothing and books, I shove them inside a duffel bag while murmuring to myself how impossible this all seems. But at the same time, I knew our truth all along.
He is, without a doubt, the realest thing I’ve ever had in my life, and I’m going to find him.
As my hopes rise with the sun, a tiny knock sounds on my door, and reality consumes me when I open it to find a sniffling Mia standing in front of me. Alexander may be real, but I can’t just leave my life behind. I can’t leave her behind. The thought of dragging her on something as silly as a dream is crazy, right?
But the rose.
The rose.
“I’m so sorry about last night.” Mia cries, pulling me out of my thoughts. I bend down to comfort her. She wraps her slender arms around me, sobbing. I tilt her chin up,
“Mia, sisters fight, but that’s okay. We’re okay,” I reassure her, but she shakes her head.
“You’re all I have.” Her tone is hoarse.
My heart shatters. “You’re all I have too.” And Alexander.
I wish Mom was here. She would know what to do, or at the very least, she would lock me away in a mental institution due to my crazy dreams.
“What do you want for breakfast? I can make pancakes. I hear your tummy grumbling!” I tickle her sides and she giggles before we head to the kitchen.
The broken remnants of my favorite candle are laid out on the floor, so I quickly pick up the shards of glass and discard them. I wish I had cleaned it last night so Mia didn’t have to see it. But she can assume what it is, of course. Yet another one of Dad’s screw ups.
I rummage through the pantry, my head swirling. “Where did I put the flour?”
Mia points over to the counter. “It’s there. Don’t burn these!” she jokes, her laughter traveling through the quiet house.
I smile, my mood elevated and depleted all at once. “I can’t help it! I suck at cooking.” I tell her. Taking a pinch of flour and flicking it in her direction, we’re unable to contain our laughter and before long, we disturb the sleeping bear.
“Why are you being so fucking loud?” Frank’s angered voice booms through the kitchen, his bloodshot eyes glaring us down when he emerges from the doorway.
Shit.
“I’m sorry Frank, I just ... it’s Saturday and already eleven in the morning, I didn’t think you’d still be asleep.” I retort.
He stumbles, gesturing to the bag of flour. “You’re going to need to pay extra rent if you keep eating all the food.”
“You’re joking right?” I ask in disbelief, as if he pays for groceries.
He shrugs. “I need money.”
I scrunch my nose in disgust, trying to find the words to say but my rage boils over as I spot a new empty bottle of tequila by the couch.
“Mia needs new cello strings, and I don’t have money to throw away on booze.” Surprisingly, this is the most we’ve interacted in months. His eyes narrow into slits at my words, and he advances on me, the stench of alcohol weighing heavily in the air.
“You live under my roof, for free.” he snarls.
“Free?” I choke. “Are you kidding me? You sit on your ass all day while I go to work and take care of Mia.” I don’t hide my disdain as I scream at him, fury guiding me. Even before I landed the job I have now, I was working all through nursing school at dead end jobs just to make ends meet.
“I don’t want to hear your pity stories, Arianna. Just do your share.” he yells back. The audacity he has astounds me.
“You aren’t even aware of anything going on in our lives! Did you know that Mia made the lead in her school play?” I ask, raising my brows in frustration. It shouldn’t surprise me when he shrugs, he’s completely unfazed by the lack of involvement in our lives.
He grips the bag of flour and chunks it against the wall, resulting in a starchy snowfall surrounding us. I have trouble not choking on the thick air.
“I hate that your mother died. I would have never had to deal with you two screwing up my life.” Frank bellows.
The crocodile tears that run-down Mia’s cheeks break my heart. I take deep breaths to calm down, but it’s not helping. She hops off the bar stool and marches towards us, her hands shaking.
“I hate you!” she screams at him. “We were having fun, and you always ruin it!”
“Don’t disrespect me in my house. Go to your room!” he orders, getting in her face. I pull him away, trying to put a comfortable distance between him and my little sister.
A war is about to break out in our tiny kitchen, I can feel it. He peels himself from my grip, and the back of his palm violently collides with my cheek. I stagger back, dumbfounded.
“Are you serious?” I cry as the sting burns my skin.
Mia stomps her foot, letting out a yelp. “Don’t hurt my sister, you big jerk!” She punches him in the leg, with all of her might. Everything is happening too quickly for me to think but when he rears his hand back to her, I scream.
“If you touch her, you will never see us again.” I threaten.
A greasy smile lights up his face. “Counting on it.”
Whack.
Mia cries out, her arms extended in my direction. I sweep her in my arms and advance to him, without fear. “Get out! Get away from us.” I seethe.
He stumbles away, grabbing a cold beer from the fridge on his way out the door, seemingly unfazed by the terror he just caused Mia. I set her down on the countertop. Taking one look at her, I make the decision for us. “We’re going somewhere okay?”
“Where?” she cries, and the sound ignites a fire in me for us to escape all of this.
I think of how to explain my dreams and Alexander, but none of it will make sense to her. “Do you trust me?” I ask and she nods her head. “Then pack a bag. Not much, okay?”
She looks to me with teary eyes. “But where are we going?”
“To Alexander. He’ll protect us.”
She tilts her head. “From your dream?”
“He’s real Mia and we’re going to his ... town.”
She listens intently, wiping her tears. “Can I bring my cello?”
A small laugh escapes me. “Yes, of course. One book bag and your cello. Don’t get too—”
Before I can finish my sentence, she leaps off the counter and rushes up the stairs. I follow behind her with a hopeful smile.
In my room, I grab my half-packed bag and clasp my mother’s necklace around my neck, for us to have something of hers.
I take a deep breath, walking out into the hall to meet a tear streaked, yet smiling Mia. “Ready?” I ask.
“Ready!” She chimes, looking hopeful.
We set out on an unknown route to a mysterious destination. But I’m not scared. I know with everything in me that this is my destiny.