Ellay Saga Chapter 6:
Irridescent Dreams
There was no way to make him understand…why should there have been? He knew what had happened; he was too responsible and too honest to let himself get away that easily…he wanted that, even though he wasn’t aware of it. He had a mission…and he wanted to complete it no matter what.
She knew what pain was now…both mentally and
physically. She could deal with the fact
that she didn’t have a family…it was something that could be overcome with
time. Even her body would heal. But now, there was something…something she
couldn’t bear…it was worse than any torture she could imagine.
The mere thought of it…living trapped in a
prison of your own imagination, then suddenly going out and seeing all there was
to see. He didn’t have to…he drew
himself into this by himself…but now he was one of them; the wound he had now
was proof of that. Still, despite
everything, sometimes he still felt like he wanted to go home…forget
everything…
What had caused her to do what she did that
day? It was almost as if it was beyond her control, as if she was compelled to
act like that…but still, she felt like she knew them all her life…it was as if
they were friends in another life…and now, she was going to do everything she could
to help them…to help herself…
…
The World Device predicted all of this…
***
Joshua awoke from his light coma very
suddenly and unexpectedly. When he did
he found himself lying in a strange bed, with several strange vines strapped to
his chest and another vine stuck in his arm.
His clothes were off and there was a white cloth wrapped around his
torso, covering what he knew was a bad burn.
His head hurt…actually, his entire body hurt, but his head even more so.
When he opened his eyes he found that it was
very dark. Even his unusually potent
vision had trouble distinguishing anything more than strange shapes. The only light came from a strange green line
that seemed to be moving around somewhere to his left; he assumed that it was a
machine, but having very little experience in matters of technology, he was
unable to tell what it was.
There was someone to his right…he was
sleeping as far as Joshua could tell. It
was too big to be Julian or Peel…and it was a man, so it couldn’t be Vee either…in
that case, who was he? Joshua turned his head to the side and squinted to try
and get a better look at him, but had no luck.
He was too weak to speak; when he did he only
succeeded in making a hoarse, rasping noise with his throat. He tried to clear his throat, but it hurt
badly. He decided not to try and force
himself. Yet still, he wanted to talk to
the man beside him, and he wouldn’t be able to do so unless he spoke. So he tried again—this time he managed only
to burst out coughing.
Well, at least the man woke up. He bolted upwards with a start and gasped in
surprise, looking around himself desperately.
After a moment’s pause he grabbed at his chest and rubbed it soothingly.
“Habrá sido un sueño.” Joshua heard
him say, then he lay back down.
No…he couldn’t go back to sleep…not now…Joshua
had to do something. He tried to speak
again, but his throat was too dry, and it burned horribly. What to do…Joshua thought about what Julian
had said earlier, about not using his powers openly, but right now he needed to
speak to that man…and since he couldn’t speak…
<Excuse me…who are you?>
The man shot up again, and this time he
scrambled to his feet. “Wh-who’s there?”
he asked, not really aware of the fact that the voice in his head was only—well,
in his head. Joshua heaved a sigh and
began to concentrate again. <Over here, I’m on this bed…don’t be scared…>
The man walked over to the door, groping the
wall for guidance, then flicked on the lights.
The neon glow from the two rods in the ceiling hurt Joshua’s eyes
terribly, and he had to squeeze them shut as his eyes adjusted. When he was finally able to open them he saw
the face of the man, who was now leaning over him and staring straight at him,
perplexed. “D…did you…are you awake?” he heard him say. Joshua nodded weakly. The man began looking to both sides
frantically, as if unsure of what to do. “Th-this is incredible! What do I do?”
he asked himself. Joshua shook his head
and tried to communicate again. <Wait…hold on, you still haven’t told me who
you are!>
The man stopped cold and his eyes became the
size of saucers. He stared at Joshua. “You’re
not talking.” he stated in bewilderment. “How are you doing this? How can you
talk to me?” Joshua gasped for air. <I’m using my mind…it’s PSI> he said
telepathically. <My throat hurts and I can’t speak right now, so I have to
do like this>
“But…I should call the nurse!”
<The what?> Joshua, who had never been
in a hospital and had never seen one before found the new term confusing.
<What’s a nurse?> The man shook his head. “It’s the person who helps the
doctor…she told me to call if anything happened. Dios mío…this is incredible!” the man reached up to a round object
on the nightstand. There was a button in
the center, and Joshua could only assume that it was used to call the nurse,
whoever that was. But he didn’t want to
deal with someone else right now…he wanted to talk to him.
<Wait, wait! Don’t call anyone!> Joshua
shook his head feebly. The man dropped
the device and looked at Joshua, perplexed. “What? Why?” he asked, somewhat
taken aback by Joshua’s behavior. The
latter, in turn, sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. His headache made using PSI a lot more taxing
than it usually was. <Just…don’t. You still haven’t told me who you are> he
thought, turning his head to the side. <Do you know where my friends are?
They’re called Julian and Peel…oh, and Vee, too>
The man craned his head back and lifted a
hand to rub at his temple. “I…well, they’re back home…I stayed behind to look
after you. I’m Maria’s—I mean, Vee’s father.” Joshua saw him get up and sit
down on the sofa that he had been using as a bed a short while before. “They
told me that you wouldn’t wake up for days.” he mused, spreading his legs and
looking straight up at the ceiling. It
was then that Joshua noticed that he looked like he hadn’t slept in a while. “It’s
fortunate that today is sunday. On monday I have to take the express to Youngtown…”
<I remember Youngtown…it’s a very sad
place. I didn’t like it much>
The man, Vee’s father, chuckled. “Yeah, me
neither. But a job’s a job. And it pays well, too.” He got back up and headed over to Joshua,
laying a hand on his forehead this time. “Listen, you sure you don’t want some
water or something? Maybe it’ll help your throat.” Joshua nodded. <Yeah…I’d like that, thank
you> he got out with some effort, feeling the pain in his head swell. Vee’s father laughed. “Okay, just hold on, I’ll
be back in a second. Then we can talk to the doctors in the morning.” He then
turned and left the room.
He was a nice man, thought Joshua. He looked a little tired. In the morning they would talk some more…but
right now Joshua was in too much pain.
He felt so tired…
By the time Mr. Vasconceros got back, a glass
of water in his hand, Joshua had fallen back to sleep. Mr. Vasconceros let out a small chuckle, then
placed the glass on the nightstand. He
lay down on the sofa, then went back to sleep.
***
Peel very happily lay her head down on the pillow
Mrs. Vasconceros had prepared for her, and she closed her eyes. Fortunately, her wounds didn’t require
extreme medical attention, and she was allowed to go home with Julian and the others. Her arm and leg would heal in a couple of
weeks, but the doctors told her that she wouldn’t be able to walk normally
until after a month or so. She silently
envied Vee, who had gotten off with ‘just’ a bruised rib. But she was alive, so she couldn’t complain.
The room she was in was the guest room;
apparently the Vasconceros’ were well off and could give themselves some
luxuries. She was propped up on the bed
with some pillows so she wasn’t lying completely horizontal. It was very comfortable, although she was
starting to miss her old apartment in Merrysville, as small and cramped as it
was.
Julian was sleeping next to her on a cot, his
feet dangling off the edge and his arms hanging limply from the sides. He had it rough…Peel had never seen him cry,
especially not like that, and it wasn’t something she ever wanted to see
again. It was just too much to bear.
Of course, Peel and Vee did actually explain
the entirety of the situation to the Vasconceros’…every word of it was
true. They were mad, at first, but then
Peel told them what she knew about Julian as a person…how he saved her the
night they met. How time and time again
he had placed himself in the line of danger to help others. Then she told them about the Rosemary
Mansion, and how it changed him…how he had become so closed, so sad, so
angry.
To tell the truth, Peel enjoyed the beginning
of her journey much more than she did now.
It was actually kind of fun; just three kids out to see the world,
fighting the occasional bad guy. Sure it
was rough, but Peel wouldn’t change it for the world. If only they hadn’t gone to the Rosemary
Mansion, then…
No. Now wasn’t the time to talk about
that. Now, at least, they had a
purpose. They knew how things were
going, and they knew how to end it. Then
maybe everything would go back to normal.
Then maybe Peel could go to Snowman and meet Julian’s family…
A grunt from Julian drew her away from her
thoughts. Julian shook in his cot
uncomfortably, then turned his head towards her and let out a raspy moan. “…Peel…you’re
awake?”
Peel smiled at him and waved him off. “Yeah. It’s
nothing…don’t worry about it.” She watched as Julian shifted in his cot and
tried to get comfortable. “’Kay,” he said groggily. “G’night.”
Peel laid her head back down and closed her
eyes. “Good night.” she said. She then
felt sleep taking hold of her and she began to dream. She dreamt that she and Julian were
travelling around the world, happy as can be…