At dinner that evening, Rose suggested that since we couldn’t attend Dawn’s funeral, we should have a service of our own so we could say a proper goodbye. The idea made me feel better about not being at her actual funeral, but I wished I could be there to support Joe. Knowing Sarah would be there helped, but none of them knew Joe like I did and could comfort him like I could. Glancing at Rose, I decided I was wrong. For all I knew, he had a similar connection with her. Both Rose and Sarah were just as capable as I was to hold him and tell him he’d be okay. The thought made me feel sad at the loss of our closeness, and I disappeared to my bedroom for an early night.
The morning of the funeral, I woke early from an unusually pleasant dream. It was similar to the one I’d had while inside the ward, sitting silently on the beach with Joe. Nothing was said, and the serenity I’d experienced made me feel better. Dad cooked us a barbeque breakfast. A buffet of sausages, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, and even hash browns, and I managed to at least have a mouthful of each.
While Rose helped Mum clear the plates from the heavy wooden table on the back veranda, Cameron’s car rolled over the hill. He stepped out wearing a black suit with a white button-up shirt and a navy blue tie. He looked very smart and appropriately dressed for a funeral. The stylish attire suited him, and reminded me of the different worlds we came from.
‘Hey, Cameron.’ Dad shook his hand, giving him an approving nod.
‘Michael, how are we this morning?’
Cameron made his rounds, giving both my mother and Rose a hug and a kiss on the cheek. As he approached me, he looked nervous and wary.
‘I’m sorry about yesterday,’ I confessed, and he hugged and kissed me as he had the others.
Rose and I each got changed into a black dress my mum had bought for us. We then climbed into Cameron’s car, Mum in the front and Dad, Rose, and I in the back.
‘Where are we going?’ I questioned, but Rose assured me it would be perfect.
We took off along the driveway toward the small road at its end and headed left away, from the highway. A short drive along, we came to the first bridge, and at the second one, Cameron pulled over next to the shallow river that ran beneath it. The water was crystal clear as it slipped over the smooth rocks that lined its bed, and I remembered how much fun I’d had playing there as a child.
‘Thank you.’ It was all I could say, my eyes beginning to well.
We walked along the gravel bank, the stones crunching under our shoes. Out of the sight of any traffic, Cameron stopped and we all gathered around him.
‘We are here today to honour and remember the life of Dawn Miles. Aunty to our good friend Jonah and both friend and surrogate mother to Rose Jackson and Amelia Bailey.’ His words were perfect. ‘I wasn’t fortunate enough to know Dawn very well myself, but I know from those close to her, she was a warm, gentle, and wise soul. She was selfless and willing to help those in need. Her compassion and care for those who came into contact with her was remarkable, and her words of wisdom and warm hugs will never be forgotten by those who cared about her.’
Tears flowed freely and openly down my cheeks as I remembered the woman who had left a lasting impression on me and the people who had come into contact with her.
‘Rose?’
‘I’m not very good with words, like Cam.’ She wiped tears from her face with a tissue my mum handed her. ‘I want to say that Dawn made me feel like I had a home when I had nowhere else to go. Not only did she house me and feed me, but she was there to lean on when it mattered most. My only regret is that I didn’t get to spend more time with this amazing woman, and that my son will never get to enjoy her warm embrace.’ Mum cuddled her tightly as she cried.
My dad’s thick arm, muscular from his work in construction and on the farm, rested across my shoulders, his hand hugging me towards his side.
‘Amelia?’
Drawing in a deep breath, I swallowed hard. ‘I didn’t know Dawn for long either, but I felt like I’d known her my whole life. She welcomed me onto her farm as though I was her daughter and spoke to me as her equal and her friend. She opened my eyes to a world I didn’t know existed. Although fearful, her courageous spirit always shone through as she dreamt of making this world a peaceful and happy place. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t the outcast. I was a part of something that felt important and made me feel like I belonged. I didn’t have to hide who I was around her, and she taught me to embrace who I am. Not only as a Dreamer but as an individual.’
Dawn’s face smiled in my mind, wrinkled at the corner of her dark green eyes, with wisps of greyish hair hanging around her face.
‘I will finish what we started,’ I vowed to her out loud, ‘I promise.’
Cameron took two purple orchid flowers and placed them in both mine and Rose’s hands. I lay it across my palm taking in the dark purple that spread out to lighter tones towards the ends of each petal. Together we placed them in the river and watched them float away towards the bridge out of sight.
‘Thank you for the opportunity to know you, Dawn. You will forever be in our hearts.’ Cameron summed up my thoughts with this final line, and we took a quiet moment to reflect on the amazing woman Dawn had been and to take in the beauty of the environment that surrounded us. Tall gum trees shaded us while grasses and bushes filled in the gaps between. The small river ran swiftly over the stones creating a relaxing trickle as it carried a yellow leaf towards the bridge that lay back the way we had come. It would have been easy to give up on our fight and return to life with my parents. I could never be happy knowing the truth. Quietly, we piled back into Cameron’s car and made our way home.
A weight had lifted from me. Although I still felt incredibly sad, the service had given me the opportunity to say how I’d felt about Dawn and release the build-up of emotion I’d been carrying. As the afternoon approached, a nervous energy formed between both Rose and me as we waited for Joe and Sarah’s arrival. I tried not to feel jealous of Rose’s anticipation, although it simmered silently inside me. Cameron was careful not to come on too strong, which I appreciated. I knew a time would come when I would have to lay my feelings out on the table. First, I had to decide what they were myself.
We’d finished dinner and were enjoying a cup of tea around the outdoor table when we heard the rumble of two cars and a trailer. First, the little white Barina came into sight, closely followed by Joe’s old Kingswood and the small caravan that had faded from white to a creamy colour with age.
As they climbed from their cars, my nervousness turned to nausea, and I took deep breaths to fight it away. Joe emerged from his car, slamming the door next to him. The urge to run to him came over me, but I let it pass as Rose had the same impulse, and she hurriedly ran down the wooden staircase and threw her arms around him. My disappointment was written all over my face, and Cameron’s hurt expression sent pangs of guilt through me. Uncomfortable, I walked towards Sarah, and we hugged so tight we may have crushed each other.
‘I wish you could have been there,’ she whispered sadly in my ear. ‘He needs you, Amelia, and so do I.’
We hugged again, and then my mother was behind me eagerly awaiting her cuddle from her second daughter. As I turned, Cameron was introducing my dad to a disconnected Joe, and finding the courage, I approached him.
‘Joe?’ It was a whisper as I walked up behind him.
He turned and threw his arms around me, hugging me even tighter than Sarah had. After the initial shock, I relaxed and held him tight as well. We both wept quietly on each other’s shoulders until eventually he let me go.
‘Thank you,’ he whispered in my ear.
‘I’m so sorry.’ Guilt and sadness swelled inside me.
He pulled away from me placing both of his hands on each of my cheeks looking me dead in the eye, his eyes burning as they had in my nightmare. Seeing the anger in them scared me, but I could tell the anger wasn’t for me.
‘You have no reason to be sorry, Amelia. You hear me?’ I nod
ded, unable to speak. ‘They should be sorry. They should be sorry for what they’ve done, and we’re the ones who are going to make them sorry.’
His conviction both scared and inspired me. I knew he felt the same anger I’d felt, but at least, he was directing it towards the right people – the MultiMind Corporation. They’d done this, made our lives hell, and lied to the world. They’d imprisoned us, manipulated us, made us feel like there was something wrong with us, and murdered an innocent woman. Joe was right; they needed to be made accountable for their terrible crimes, and I was going to do everything I could to help him make that happen.
Returning to the veranda, there was an energy between Joe and me that was so in sync, determined and strong, that everybody could feel it. The bond between us had changed, but it was as strong as ever, and it was nice to have him back. Rose looked hurt that he’d been cold towards her but embraced me so willingly, but her kindness forced her to hide it.
‘This needs to happen, Cam.’ Joe’s bold words forced everyone to pay attention.
‘What needs to happen, mate?’ questioned Cameron, confused.
‘We need to take down the MMC, and make sure they can’t hurt anybody else.’
‘I’m going to do everything I can to help.’ I spoke to Mum and Dad, searching for their approval.
Mum looked towards Dad with a crease in her brown. Dad’s protective side kicked in, and he pulled Mum in for a hug, kissing her on the forehead.
‘We’re going to do everything we can to help you,’ he promised.
Rose and Sarah nodded, Rose a little more uncertain. Cameron confirmed he was on the same page as the rest of us.
‘We need to plan this out meticulously. It’s too dangerous if we don’t. I know people who could help us, but now that Amelia and Joe are on the mend, you can’t stay here. I wouldn’t be surprised if the MMC turn up looking for you. That’s the last thing we need, because we need every person we can get.’ Cameron had become more serious than I’d ever seen him before, and it felt comforting having him in charge. ‘These bastards have manipulated and hurt people for too long.’
We sprang into action. Dad phoned his neighbour Mr Whitmore, who owned a large mango farm. He’d always been against the Wristochip, and we’d always put it down to him just being old and set in his ways. Now he was willing to offer up some of his land for us to stay on and enough water for us to share. We moved our caravans to a small clearing amongst tall gum trees and shrubs. Cameron set up Dad’s generator so we could have power for our small fridge and light. He mounted a spotlight on each of the two caravans. Meanwhile, Joe set up a pop-up tent which, was to be our shower, and then another to house our toilet further back in the bush. Rose, Sarah, and I set up the camp kitchen and a table and chairs. Our camp was far from glamorous, but it was the safest place for us to be and we were together again, except for Cameron; he chose to stay in the city to work with his contacts to help us expose the MMC.
Our days were comprised of sleeping, eating, and thinking up ways to expose the MMC for the manipulative, money-hungry company they really were. Cameron would disappear for days at a time back into the city, working his job as a nurse and finding people who were willing and able to help our cause. Sarah had asked the veterinary clinic for a transfer to Montville and wasn’t working until a position opened up. Joe had quit his job to focus on the task at hand. Not only did we have to come up with a way to infiltrate the MMC, we had to do it in such a manner that we wouldn’t get caught.
One afternoon, Cameron arrived back after one of his four days away. We sat on chairs around a fold-out table placed in front of the two caravans under a tarp strung between the surrounding trees with rope.
‘The people I’ve been talking to have come up with an idea, but I’m not sure if you’ll like it.’ He hadn’t tried to get close to me since Joe had arrived, and I wasn’t sure if he was giving me space or had given up on me altogether.
‘Come on, mate, don’t keep us in suspense,’ Joe said, ready to initiate whatever plan Cameron had come up with.
Cameron’s expression hardened at Joe’s new-found aggressiveness.
‘A friend of mine from university is great with computers. I talked to him to see if he had any idea on how to achieve this. He suggested again that we hack into the MMC’s computer system and find out how they create the dreams they feed into people’s minds each night. He wants to create our own dream that tells them about the MMC’s manipulation and lies.’ He waited anxiously for Joe’s reaction.
‘Let’s do it. The man’s a genius!’
Sarah and Rose both agreed, reluctantly afraid to infuriate him. Noticing I hadn’t answered and for the first time in days hadn’t sided with Joe, their eyes fell on me.
My hard swallow stuck to the back of my throat. ‘It’s just ... it’s just that ...’ they leant forward, willing my words to fall out. Joe’s face had become stern with confusion. ‘The idea’s great, and I’m sure it would work, but like Andrew said, do we want to infiltrate people’s dreams? How can people trust we’re telling them the truth if we’re manipulating them?’
An uncomfortable awkwardness fell over me as they all fell quiet, lost in thought, except Joe.
‘Are you serious, Amelia? Cameron comes up with a brilliant idea, and you ruin it. I’m starting to think you’re full of crap and aren’t interested in getting them back for what they did to ...’ he trailed off unable to voice her name.
Dawn’s name had become taboo around our small bush camp, only mentioned in private away from Joe in hushed voices. It frustrated me that he wouldn’t talk about her after all she had done for him. He wasn’t ready to face the fact that she was really gone. I struggled with the concept myself. Life had changed so much since the fire. It was taking us all time to adjust.
‘Settle down, mate. She’s entitled to her opinion, as are all of us.’ Cameron stood up, towering over him. Joe rose to match him threateningly. Cameron stood his ground.
‘Yeah, well, with that attitude, we might as well give up!’ His anger no longer shocked us. He’d been snapping at everyone for days; this was the first time he had directed it towards me.
‘I was wondering how long it’d take you to ditch me for him again!’ Betrayed, he stormed off to the caravan, muttering to himself.
‘I think your idea was great, Cameron, but Amelia’s right. I wouldn’t feel right using the same method as the MMC. People would think we were just as bad as them!’ Rose always brought the conversation back away from conflict.
‘I don’t think,’ I whispered her name, ‘Dawn would have wanted us to do it that way.’
I wasn’t sure the dislike of the idea was my own opinion or what I thought Dawn would say. I was doing that a lot, saying and doing things I thought Dawn would say. But I wasn’t Dawn, and I could never measure up to the amazing person she had been no matter how hard I tried. One thing Dawn wouldn’t want is for her little family to fall apart.
‘Back to the drawing board,’ said Cameron, disappointed in himself.
His eyes were dark from lack of sleep. His new lifestyle of travelling between the City and Montville every few days and spending his spare time trying to come up with a way of destroying the MMC was taking its toll. I wished I could care for him and ask him to rest in the caravan or take time away from this whole messed up situation. I’d reeled him into this whole affair. I’d reeled them all in, and the responsibility to fix it fell heavy on my slumped and disheartened shoulders.
Could we really do this? Five twenty-something-year-olds? Could we really take on a multinational company and win? Despair filled the air I breathed, and after excusing myself, I began heading to the caravan Joe was in. We had been sharing since the move to Mr Whitmore’s farm.
Mr Whitmore had been wonderful to us all. Apart from letting us camp at the back corner of his hundred-acre farm, he’d been paying us in food if we did odd jobs: helping with his mango trees, cleaning out animal pens, and feeding them. He was all for our cause and
promised if he could help in any way, we were only to let him know. Mr Whitmore had lost his wife the year before, and he beamed every time we turned up at his house to help him out. During our visits, the old Joe returned for an hour or so. I wasn’t sure if he was acting using a distant memory of himself or if he, too, felt that the old man’s humility reminded him of Dawn.
‘Amelia.’ Sarah looked at me apprehensively, as did Rose.
‘This thing between you and Joe, whatever it is, it’s not healthy.’ Sarah’s concern made her eyes glassy, but I remembered her jealousy of both my friendships with Joe and Rose.
‘Sarah’s right, Amelia.’ Rose rarely spoke up. I found it irritating she was sticking up for Sarah. ‘He isn’t dealing with everything that’s happened, and it’s not fair you should have to help him carry it on your own.’
Looking between them both, the way they looked at me as though I was a helpless animal maddened me.
‘The only thing you think isn’t fair is that Joe picked to lean on me instead of you. You want Joe for yourself and can’t handle the fact that he wants me to be there for him.’ Here was the truth spilling violently from my mouth. Rose’s face flushed, proving I was right. ‘And why are you sticking up for her?’ I pointed aggressively in Sarah’s face. ‘She’s hated you from the moment she met you!’
My voice boomed through the quiet of the bush. Rose ran off crying to her caravan, and Sarah stood fuming in front of me.
‘Who are you?’ was all she said before following Rose.
My frustrations exploded, and I yelled as loud as I could into the bushland’s air. Dropping to sit on the ground, I took deep breaths, willing myself not to cry holding my face with my hands. Someone sat quietly beside me and spread their arm across my shoulders, pulling me towards their firm chest. I’d been so horrible, yet Cameron was still there holding me.
Dawn of the Dreamer (Dreamer Trilogy Book 1) Page 18