“Good morning.” Ophelia’s words were as bright and cheery as her face. “Sleep well?” She added with a wink.
“Very well, thank you.” He cheeriness was contagious.
“You won’t get lost next time.” She spoke with a faraway look in her eyes and then brought her attention back to me. “I want you to try something new today.”
I pulled myself clumsily out of the pool sliding on the slick tiles that separated the pool from the carpeted living room. When I finally stoop up, Ophelia wrapped the towel around my shoulders and held out the pile of clothes that she had presented me with last time I came to visit her.
“Hurry up.” She chimed and I hurried off to change, excited to see what we would be up to today. When I was done, I found her back in the living room seated in her usual position on the couch with a blanket across her knees. She brought her hands together with a clap, a giddy smile crossing her face.
“So, tell me about Fynn.” Ophelia raised her shoulders and smiled excitedly.
“Maybe later. What are we doing today?”
Her shoulders dropped, deflated. “Today I want you to stay awake while we work.” Her eyes narrowed on me. “As you may recall I visited you yesterday while you were awake.”
“I vaguely remember something.” I teased her, but I could feel the blush rising in my cheeks.
“You did seem distracted at the time.” She raised an eyebrow. “I am going to help you, like I did yesterday. Come have a seat.” She patted the couch next to her, and I obeyed. “Go ahead and close your eyes, but don’t make any effort to sleep. I am going to come and get you and then we will go from there.”
I closed my eyes and waited.
Testing, testing. There was a smile in Ophelia’s voice. I opened my eyes and she raised an eyebrow. Her eyes were closed and remained that way as she reached out a hand and smacked me in the shoulder.
“Close your eyes.” She said. When I closed my eyes, I could hear her again.
What do you see Cora? She asked in my mind.
The back of my eyelids. I answered in my cheeriest mental voice.
Now stop trying to see with your eyes. I know you saw me last time. Just relax. I tried to do what she said and felt a light tugging, like my mind was trying to wander, and then I saw her standing in the middle of Fynn’s bedroom. I rolled my eyes, hoping she would notice. I see that you’ve found me.
What are you doing in here? I asked.
What were you doing in here? Was her curious reply.
Research. I replied straight faced.
Is that what you call it nowadays? She teased. Now it’s your turn. Take us somewhere. It will be easier with me than with someone else. I am going to let you in, also I know how to do this without you, so I will be… lighter. When you try to get into the dreams of someone else while you are awake, it will take more effort. I could feel her open her eyes and break her connection with me like it was a tangible thing. My own mind felt unnaturally quiet and hollow.
I opened my eyes to see her staring intently at me.
“I’m not going to go to sleep; I will close my eyes and try not to wander off. You need to come and find me, pull me into wherever you are. Pick a place you’re familiar with, it will make it easier for you to recreate it.”
It had seemed easy enough when I brought Fynn into my dream on accident. I closed my eyes once more and thought of my home in Pennsylvania, I thought of the old eyelet curtains by the kitchen window and the teal countertops. I imagined the dented wooden table and the dated cupboards. I thought of the scratched wood floor and every other detail my mind could hold onto until it felt real, like I was really there.
It felt like forever since I sat in this kitchen, but I had it, I was sure, every detail was exact. I looked around for a moment at my creation and tried to imagine Ophelia there. Where would she be? Seated at the table felt right. I imagined her there. I tried to pull every detail from my memory of her and place her right there at that old table. She remained a shadowy imagination for a moment and then she cleared up, and became more solid, to the point that she looked more real than anything else in the kitchen.
Ophelia looked around the room with interest before turning to look at me.
Good job!
Thanks.
That was wonderfully fast of you. You’ll get the hang of this in no time. Now, fly.
Ok. I was unsure of where to start. This place was so familiar to me that flying here seemed ridiculous. My kitchen was a very real place, and my ability to fly was not real at all. Here? I asked.
Of course. I’ll help. She stood up and took my hand, lifting me gently into the air. It was absurd, it was impossible, but it didn’t have to be real, this was a dream, a daydream really. If I could do it anywhere it would be in my imagination, and that was exactly where we were.
Cautiously, I let go of her hand and remained floating in the middle of my kitchen. She nodded, encouraging me to go on. I took a step and began to slide around on the air in my kitchen. I thought of how funny it would be if my grandpa came in and saw me flying in the kitchen.
“Cora, you should try to keep your antics to a minimum in front of the company.” My grandpa said from behind me. I fell to the floor, looking up at him confused. He pointed his head in Ophelia’s direction.
Sorry grandpa.
“Don’t worry dear,” Grandpa said, extending his hand to Ophelia, “Cora is just a little special is all.” Grandpa winked at Ophelia. I stayed where I was on the floor, looking back and forth between the two of them. Ophelia smiled politely and grandpa looked down at me. “Well are you going to get up or what?” I shook my head and stood up.
I looked at Ophelia and back at my grandpa, not sure what to say.
Grandpa, this is Ophelia, a… friend of mine.
“And a lovely friend at that.” Grandpa said shamelessly. It was then that I realized that grandpa must be asleep, he had no idea that I was actually talking to him, or that Ophelia was a real person outside the fact that she existed in his dream.
Well, we have to go now grandpa. I’ll see you soon.
“Alright.” He smiled brightly.
I opened my eyes and Ophelia and I were seated side by side on her couch.
“Was that me? Did I bring my grandpa in there?”
“Indeed.” Ophelia said with a smile. “You need to be careful not to let your mind wander, but I am sure there is no harm done. I doubt you grandpa will have any idea of what happened.”
“Ok.” I breathed out a sigh of relief.
“You are more powerful than you know. To be able to bring someone in on accident, suggests a rare ability. Be careful Cora. I know what Fynn is getting you involved in, what you have chosen to do. You may be able to bring people in or even send them away, but you cannot control what they do once they’re there. Be careful who you spy on.”
“How…?” I was caught off guard by her casual mentioning of things that were supposed to be secret. Though, given her abilities it shouldn’t surprise me.
“I’ve told you. You aren’t the only one who sees things.” She crinkled a half smile. “Speaking of which, there are some things that you need to see too.” She stood up and ushered me back into the room where my clothes were waiting for me. I didn’t remember her taking them to be dried, but there they were. When I was done, Ophelia was nowhere to be found so I slid quietly into the pool and back out into the ocean.
The light that danced along the buildings was different than when I had come in. No longer did it sparkle clear and white, now it cast an orange hint at the surface of the water until it dissipated and shone only faintly against the buildings which now cast out their own blinking lights on each other. Time seemed to move in strange ways when I was with Ophelia.
Back in my room I changed quietly into dry clothes. I thought about my grandpa and how nice it had been to see him. A breeze blew warm through the open doors to the balcony. I heard a strange but familiar sound and walked out onto the balcony looking
up. The light in the sky was fading quickly and the first few stars began to blink above me.
There again, a fluttering of wings, maybe it was a bird, but maybe… I looked straight up into the sky and saw a patch of white hovering over me. Stepping back into the entrance to my room, I watched as the siren lowered herself into place in front of me. Violet smiled and hugged me awkwardly. She looked into my eyes quizzically, her face inches from mine.
“What do you see, pet?” Violet asked staying close, trying again to see for herself. She made quick, bird-like movements as she inspected my eyes from different angles.
“Right now, I see you very well.” I answered with obvious sarcasm.
“You see me?” She asked, “Anything interesting?” Clearly, she missed the sarcasm.
“Violet you are two inches from my face, how could I see anything else?”
She squinted for a moment before she pulled back and smiled. She turned her head abruptly to the side looking out at the ocean. I followed her gaze, but there was nothing there that I could see. Looking out at the darkening night sky I remembered dreams where I flew, and I felt a pang of jealousy for her ability to fly in the real world.
“What’s going on? Is everything ok?” I asked.
“You, of all people, should know that everything is not ok.” She turned back to me in an abrupt halting motion. “Your puppy is getting himself in trouble. You really need to keep a closer watch on him. Don’t you have his collar?”
“I gave it back to him.” I said.
“That was a bad idea. Trust me, pet, I have experience with puppies. They run away if you aren’t careful.” She jerked her head to the left looking over my shoulder into my room, her eyes blinking as if she was trying to focus in on something in the now dark room. She leaned in closer to me and whispered. “I see you can’t seem to escape the sparkly one.” I turned to look over my shoulder, but she caught my face in both of her hands. “Don’t worry, not about him, you need to be worried about your puppy.”
“His name is Fynn.”
“What a funny name for a puppy.” She shook her head. “Now, if I can see the trouble that is coming, you shouldn’t have any trouble seeing it. What have you seen?”
“I don’t know. Nothing new.” I was caught off guard by her intensity.
“That’s because you aren’t looking.” She drew her face close to mine again. “Keep your eyes open. Or closed. But either way, pay attention, pet.”
“I’ll do my best.” I whispered. It was uncomfortable breathing with her standing so close.
“Your sparkly is getting anxious.” She whispered. “It’s probably best if I go, oh, but don’t be sad pet.” She took a step back and patted me on my head. “I’ll be back soon to check up on you, you still owe me a favor.”
Without turning around, she dove backward into the air and over the balcony, turning as she fell to catch herself on the air as her great wings opened, flashing white against the darkness. She pulled up and flew higher. I watched as she grew smaller in the darkness, blinking like her own star on the horizon.
A soft shuffling noise behind me had me spinning around, peering into the darkness of my room. The shadows of the room were even deeper, and it took me a moment to make out the shadow leaning against one of the wooden posts of my bed.
The shadow was tall and broad, the glint of light off blonde hair caught my eye. Moonlight pooled around his feet and as he stepped forward his face left the shadow and his features became defined in the soft glow of the moon. There was an almost wild look to Oran’s face. His hair was disheveled, and his features were drawn in an expression that I had not seen before, something feral.
“No wonder you have nightmares. How long have they been stalking you?” His voice was smooth, incongruous with his expression.
“Interesting choice of words, Oran. I only thought I had one stalker.” I regretted the words as I spoke them. He raised one eyebrow.
“You seem to have an entourage of stalkers from what I can see. In your sleep, while you wake, you are never alone, never unobserved.” He took another step closer and the moonlight glittered off his golden hair. His words and posture sent a twinge of panic through my stomach.
“You seem to be particularly observant.” I didn’t know what else to say.
“You know I can’t help it. And lately I’ve been wondering…” he reached a hand out like he might touch me before he put it back to his side changing his mind. “I can’t decide if I would want it to be different, even if I could change it. If I had a choice, and…” now he stepped closer, trapping me on the balcony, “who’s to say I’m mad? Maybe, it’s you. Maybe, I would want you anyway. Who knows?” He stepped closer again and I froze in place against the balcony banister. Oran placed one hand on the railing by my waist. “At any rate it doesn’t seem to be fading, all the opposite really.” He spoke his last words in a whisper.
He held his place and his breathing picked up. He stared intently into my eyes and I couldn’t help but stare back, it was my show of defiance, showing him my lack of guilt. Until tonight he had been careful to keep his distance, almost avoiding me. It seemed his plan had changed.
“What do you need from me Cora?” He spoke softly. A dove cooed as it leaped from the roof and flew away. The rustle of wings had Oran spinning around, his back to me and his arms on the rail at my sides in a protective posture. While he seemed more tense, I had found my voice.
“It was just a bird.” I placed my hand on his shoulder and he turned around, facing me again.
“Not earlier it wasn’t.” There was annoyance in his voice.
“No, earlier it was Violet, and you were spying.”
“You seem to have a habit of getting kidnapped by sirens.” He said, still annoyed.
“And you seem to have a problem with knocking on doors.” I retorted.
“Tell me you want me to leave then.” He raised his eyebrows and leaned closer.
“What are you doing here?” I asked. His lips quirked up in a half smile.
“What do you want me to do here?” His eyes turned wicked and there was a flash of light reflected in them. Thunder rumbled across the sky. I looked over my shoulder to see another flash of lightning sprawl across the sky, illuminating huge billowing clouds that had not been there a moment before. I looked back at Oran and he hadn’t moved, his face was close to mine and he stared at me intently.
“I’m just watching out for you, Cora.” His voice was softer now. The wind began to pick up and twist strands of my hair into my face. Oran reached out and gently brushed the hair out of my face. “You’re going to want to get inside. It looks like a pretty serious storm is coming.” There was a hint of a smile to his lips as he spoke of the storm. Leaving little doubt that the storm was his doing. He leaned in closer to me, closing the little distance between us. “Sleep well, Cora.” He whispered against my cheek. “I doubt anyone will be traveling through this storm.”
Oran turned on his heel and walked away, graceful and confident as he left me in the growing wind. Warm rain dropped on my cheeks and I returned to my room, closing the doors behind me.
I watched out through the glass at the coming storm. Lightning danced back and forth across the sky revealing every knob and crevice in the curling clouds. The flashing light exposed the mounting waves as the rain began falling in a thick sheet behind the glass panes. I wondered if Violet had escaped the storm.
No siren or bird would be flying in this storm, I wondered if that was Oran’s intention in bringing the storm. It could be that he just enjoyed showing off. I had thought I understood him, back when I knew he saw me as a plaything. His behavior had been so erratic lately I couldn’t really make sense of it. He seemed to be openly stalking me, but he was usually annoyed when we spoke. He was clearly upset when he saw me earlier in Fynn’s room, and now when he was in my room, he seemed to go back and forth between irritated and affectionate.
Unfortunately, I didn’t see him often enough for Oran to lose
his appeal. If I could get used to the sight of him it would be easier to ignore him. He seemed determined to be as mysterious and distant as possible while still always being everywhere I was. It made him a difficult puzzle to solve.
I smiled at the rain. It was a nice reprieve from the constant sun here. I opened the glass doors and stepped out into the pouring rain. It ran down my face and tickled my neck. In seconds it soaked through my clothing. It was peaceful in the rain. I stretched my arms out to the sides and let the warm water find the places that had been kept dry by my folded arms.
Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed, and I felt at home. I remembered Zoya saying once that she had lived in a waterfall, the idea made sense the me now. There was a peace in water that I had never realized until I came to know this world, and for me it came more so in the rain than it had under the ocean. Maybe that came from my mother, I would never know her, but perhaps this was a piece of her. I stood out there for a long time, watching the electrified clouds rolling through the sky, feeling the rumble of the thunder. It always seemed to be raining back home; I hadn’t realized how much I missed the rain under Ellinghead Isle’s constant sun.
I closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of the rain spattering along my arms. An eerie feeling tickled the edges of my senses. While I had felt like everything was so clear in the rain, this new feeling clouded my thinking like murky water. Opening my eyes, the feeling faded, but didn’t completely leave me. It clung to the edges of my mind, like a shadow on the edge of my vision. I retreated to my room, like I could hide from the feeling; I hadn’t realized it would follow me, even into my dreams.
Fynn
Creeping quietly through the sodden underbrush, I had to quickly sidestep the slithering black form that had held so still that I had not seen it until I nearly stepped on it. The swamp was always full of dangers, even more so at night. My eyes constantly in motion, scanning my surroundings for danger, either from the wildlife or my target. The loud croaking of bullfrogs and the chirping of crickets was not enough to cover the boisterous sounds from the well-lit home in the clearing.
Then We Fly Page 7