Mental Fiction Follows Me

Still Aiden’s POV:

Syd was laying on her bed, and the rest of us were standing around her. I was trying to figure out exactly what had happened. The whole struggle had barely lasted thirty minutes. I was glad it hadn’t lasted longer, but I wanted to know why.

“Will she be okay now?” Brian asked. I looked across the bed. He was still sitting beside her and looking worried.

“She’ll be fine when she wakes up,” I said.

“Who’s Danny?” I turned to my left and saw Johnny.

“What?” I asked.

“She called Jimmy Danny. I was just wondering who he was,” Johnny said.

“He’s the guy that wrote Gunslinger,” Brian said.

“Her army friend?” Zacky asked. Brian looked over at him and nodded. That’s when it clicked in my mind. The pit stop we had made was to Danny’s wife. She had given her a copy of Avenged Sevenfold’s newest CD, so she could listen to the song her husband had wrote for her.

“Where is he now?” Matt asked.

“He was the friend Syd tried to save,” I said.

“I hope she wakes up soon,” Nikki said quietly.

“Me too,” I said and looked down at Syd, who was still sleeping peacefully.

Syd’s POV:

I knew I was awake, but I didn’t want to open my eyes. Something told me I wouldn’t like what I’d see. I wasn’t going to argue with that either. If I was waking up, I had fell asleep. Bad things happen when I sleep. The only question now is: how bad was it?

”Pretty bad,” Sage said.

”It was better than the other two times,” Lillian said defensively.

”Other two? But that means..."

”Yeah, it was that one."

”Wake up, Syd.”

My eyelids fluttered open, and the bright light blinded me at first. I blinked a few times, and then I sat up on my elbows. Seven pairs of eyes looked at me, and I slowly looked around. I started with Aiden.

Her eyes were red and tired, but other than that she was unharmed. Her hair was a little messed up, as if she had been running her fingers through it. Johnny stood beside her, and he was also unharmed. He looked tired too, but he was still okay. Jimmy stood next to him, and he looked fine. He looked...sad.

Matt and Nikki were standing at the foot of the bed. I sucked in a breath when I saw them. Matt’s right jaw was bruised, and he had some deep cuts on his forearms. I looked down at my hands and saw dried blood on my fingers. I closed my eyes, sucked in another deep breath, and looked up again. Nikki had a bruise running up from her collarbone to the underside of her chin. They both smiled at me.

Zacky was standing off to my other side, and he looked unharmed as well. Brian was sitting on the bed next to me, and I gasped when I saw him. His left eye was slowly turning a light purple color.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered and took his hand.

“It’s okay, Syd. It’s not my first black eye, and it won’t be my last,” Brian said with a reassuring smile.

“Matt, Nikki, I am so sorry,” I said and turned my wet eyes to them.

“No harm done,” Matt said.

“We’re fine. Don’t worry about us,” Nikki said.

“I’m sorry. I should have been sleeping regularly. Maybe I wouldn’t have...”

“Don’t worry about it, hun. Just get some rest,” Aiden said soothingly. I looked over at her.

“I can’t. What if...?”

“I’ll be right here. It’s what I’m here for, right?”

“No. You’re here because you’re my friend,” I said and took her hand in mine.

“Get some sleep, Syd. We’re going to see your mom tomorrow, remember?” Aiden asked.

“I remember,” I said and shook my head. I didn’t want to go to sleep, but maybe I’d just have a small little nightmare this time.

“Okay, I’ll go to sleep now. See you in the morning,” I whispered.

“Good night, Syd,” Aiden said. I looked around at everyone one more time, and then I closed my eyes.

~~~ | ~~~ | ~~~

I quickly sat up and looked around the slightly lit room. Sunlight peeked through the drapes on the window, but that was the only source of light. I was the only one in the room, and the door was closed.

I closed my eyes and tried to get my breathing under control. A cold sweat covered my body, but I didn’t care. I had a nightmare, but I didn’t scream. No one was running in and asking me of I was okay. I did it. It was a small victory, but I was proud of myself. I had done it.

I stretched until I heard my back pop, and then I threw the blankets off my legs. I quickly made the bed, and then I looked over at the clock. 11:23. I shrugged and dug around in my bag for something to wear. I found some jeans and a tee shirt, and then I grabbed a pair of panties and a bra. The house was silent as I walked don the hallway, and I took that as a good sign.

I took a long shower and enjoyed the warmth of the spray. I enjoyed my inner warmth too. I didn’t scream. For the first time in three months, I hadn’t woken everyone up with my screams.

I dried off and got dressed, and then I quietly went back to my room. I threw on some socks and shoes without even glancing to see if I was matching. I quietly crept out of my room and disappeared out the front door.

The morning, almost noon, sunlight hit my eyes, but it still didn’t bother me. I looked both ways down the street, and then I slowly jogged to the other side. I turned to the right, went past two houses, and then turned up a driveway. I stopped at the front door and lifted my right hand to knock. I heard movement from the other side, and then the door was slung open.

“Papa Gates!” I yelled.

“Syd!” he yelled back and pulled me into a hug. I was pulled into the house, and then the door was shut behind me.

“Look at you girl! You’re all grown up!” he yelled and held me back to study me.

“Brian, who’s at the door?” I looked over Papa Gates shoulder and waved at Aunt Jan.

“Oh my...Syd?!” she yelled and ran towards me. I was passed from Papa Gates to Aunt Jan, and I breathed in her familiar scent. I had missed this when I was gone. There was someone I had missed more though.

I saw someone standing at the foot of the stairs. Her brown was streaked with gray, and there were a few wrinkles around her mouth and eyes. Her eyes were the same though. They were still a brilliant brown, just like mine.

“Hi, Momma,” I said quietly as I walked towards her. She stepped down from the last step and wiped at her eyes.

“Is that really you, Syd?” she asked and reached towards me. Her fingers curled around a lock of my hair.

“Yeah, I cut it not too long after I joined,” I said and looked down. My hair had always been long, but I had decided to cut it instead of always wearing it in a bun.

“And I love all the tattoos,” Mom said. I smiled and raised both of my arms.

“Yeah, and they hurt like hell to get,” I said. Mom wrapped me up in a hug, and I felt a few warm tears soak through my shirt.

“It’s okay, Momma. I’m home now,” I said and gently rubbed her back.

“When they came to the door and told me you couldn’t be found...I thought I had lost you,” Momma said and started crying harder.

“You didn’t lose me. I escaped just for you. I’m here now, and I won’t leave you like that again. I promise,” I said and managed to tighten my arms around her. Mom pulled away slightly and pressed her hands to both of my cheeks.

“How’d you do it, baby? They had tapes of you. Nobody thought you would make it,” Mom said. I hated seeing her cry.

“It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that I’m here now,” I said and forced a smile. Mom wrapped her arms back around me and dropped her head to my shoulder.

“I was afraid that you would be like your father when you came back,” Mom said. I felt my heart squeeze at that.

“I’m just as insane as I’ve always been,” I said with a small laugh.

“Are you sure? There haven’t been any...?”

“No. Just Lillian and Sage, and they’re the same as always,” I said.

“I’ve missed you, Syd.”

“I’ve missed you too, Momma,” I said and held onto her as if she could slip through my arms at any minute.