The Mystical Knights: The Sword of Dreams (25 page)

Sam was frowning, his forehead full of wrinkles as he remembered his own fragmented memory.  Nia touched his hand and rubbed the tops of his knuckles with her thumb.  "That must have been confusing," she said.  "Were you hurt at all?"

"No," Sam said, his voice still disbelieving still after all this time.  "No head trauma, no wounds of any kinds.  I hadn't been drinking.  It was as if I had blacked out completely and wandered away.  The guy I had called-one of my housemates- he'd went down to the gates to pick me up and he still swears to this day that I wasn't there.  The guy who went with him swore the very same.  They drove around for hours looking for me too.  I was just gone.  Then six hours later, I showed up back at the gates..."  his eyes were distant as he spoke, and Nia could almost see his memory start to dance before her very eyes.  "I had awful dreams after that.  I don't remember much of the dream, except for the color white, and how terrible I felt when I'd wake up.  It went on for years, those dreams."

"I remember you telling me about your bad dreams," Nia said suddenly.  "I remember my first weekend with you, I had this nightmare...you made me feel better by telling me that you had bad dreams nearly every night."

Sam gave her a wry smile.  "At least my dreams cheered up somebody."  He redirected his gaze to the window.  The sky was a crystal blue, not a cloud to be seen.  "I've never been able to shake that experience.  After all these years, when I'm alone, I still feel like I'm not really alone.  That I'm being watched.  And when Lance said that, about aliens...it just got me thinking that maybe I'm not crazy in believing that that is what my experience was."  He looked back at Nia, with a half relieved, half frightened look etched onto his weathered and tan face.  "Do you think I'm crazy?  Do you remember...anything of what happened?  You were all up at the gazebo-some looking worse for wear than others...but no one knew what happened."

Oh, they knew,
Nia thought, trying hard not to bite her lip.  "I don't think you're crazy, Dad," she said gently.  "Trust me.  I've had some pretty weird things happen to me too.  I'm sorry I can't remember much," she carried on, the lie easily dancing off her tongue.  "I wish I could."

"It's alright," Sam said, giving Nia a near wistful grin.  He exhaled loudly and sat up taller than before.  "You know, I feel better.  Getting that off my chest.  Thank you for being so open-minded, Nia."

"Thank Mom."  Nia gave Sam a solemn half smile as her heart ached painfully at the thought.  She could feel tears stinging the backs of her eyes, so she blinked them away furiously.  "She's the one who always said that having an open mind meant having an open heart."  

Sam smoothed her hair back again, tucking a curl behind her ear.  “She was very right.” 

One lonely tear had snuck through the cracks and slipped down Nia's cheek. She felt the familiar brush of soft fingertips against her cheek, wiping away the tiny tear droplet.  There was this awful and tight feeling in her chest as her father tenderly wrapped her into a fierce hug.  “She would be so proud of you.”  He pressed a kiss to the side of her head; that tightness in her chest rolled down into her stomach and released as more tears began to fall down her cheeks and she could feel her father's flannel shirt becoming wet.  She had no idea why this had been the moment the floodgates opened but she knew now that these tears were much needed.  It felt strangely good to release everything that she had pent up the last couple of months.  It felt good to be wrapped inside the arms of someone she loved, who loved her back.  Sam rubbed her back (perhaps awkwardly, Nia didn't know), and would gently whisper words of comfort as he held her tight.  He held her until a nurse poked in and realized that she had woken up, and he stayed at her side until she fell back to sleep.

* * *

Spring sunshine gently pooled over the yellow grass that was still weak from the winter’s snow.  Crocuses were starting to bloom, all pink, yellow and white, sprouting out from the earth like bean stalks and the air smelled sweet and new.  Nia, newly free from her week long stint in the hospital, sat in the middle of the old tire swing that her father had built for her years ago.  The old maple tree's bough creaked rhythmically as Nia sailed back and forth through the air, her eyes closed and her heart young again.

"Hey!  Are you supposed to be swinging?"

Nia opened her eyes and let her feet scrape against the ground beneath her, coming to a halt.  Her cheeks felt rosy with the early April chill that still lingered in the air.  Sam stood on their front porch, hands on his hips, and gave her a firm look. 

"I'm fine Dad, really," Nia called to him, easily pulling herself out of the old tire.  She waved her hands and did a little danced where she stood.  "See?  All good."

"Then why did we just spend a week in the hospital?" Sam asked, his eye brows raised.  "And why were you technically comatose for a majority of that week?"

"They had no explanation, Dad," Nia said, giving an aimless shrug.  It was true; all the tests, labs and whatever else they ran came back clear and negative.  Nia had a feeling that would be the case. 

"Hmmph."  Sam folded his arms across his chest.  He looked over Nia with a probing eye before sighing.  "Can't argue with the professionals, I guess."

Nia walked over to where he stood, and looked him up and down.  "Wow Dad," she paused and gave a small chuckle, taking in the sight of the collar of the white Oxford that stuck out from underneath a cream, gray, and yellow striped Cosby sweater.  Sam had even shined up his old brown leather dress shoes.  "You look great.  Going somewhere special?

Sam's ears went red.  "Well," he said carefully, playing with the hem of his sleeve.  "Nia, I didn't know how to tell you this.  I-I wanted to tell you the night of the carnival, but you were in such a rush, I just figured I could tell you later..."

"It's later now," Nia pointed out.  She grinned at him, remembering the woman he had been with that night.  How eager he had been to introduce her.  "You have a date?"

Sam's cheeks flushed red too; he tapped his foot anxiously and swallowed hard.  "We-we've been
dating
," he said, looking very unsure how what to say.  "We had just recently made it exclusive.  I know I should have said something, but with your-your mom, I-"

"Dad, it's okay!" Nia bounded up the porch steps on the balls of her feet and threw her arms around Sam's shoulders.  "You and mom were separated for years..."  She pulled away and stared at him, her smile wider than it had been in days.  Her hands firmly gripped his shoulders as she gave him a gentle shake.  "I give you my blessing to be happy.  Everyone deserves to be happy."

Sam choked up, and Nia could see tears shimmering in his eyes.  "I loved your mother very much," he told her earnestly.  "I still do.  I always will."

"I know, Dad."  Nia smiled.  "She'd be happy for you."

Sam sniffled and turned away, hiding his face.  Nia waited silently so that he could regain composure, but she could not help the bubbling swell of excitement she had for her father.  When he turned back to face her, she beamed at him and he smiled back with a grin just as wide.  "I'd better go," he said hastily, wiping his wet eyes once more with his sleeve.  "I'm gonna be late..."

"You don't want to be late!" Nia gave her dad a playful push as he stepped down the stairs towards his truck.  "Have a great time!"

"I'll bring her over for dinner soon!" Sam promised.  "We'll make plans for this weekend.  I left you money for dinner-it's on the fridge-"

"Sounds great Dad!"  Nia waved as Sam climbed into his truck, slamming the door behind him.  The truck roared to life and Sam gave Nia a wave as he rolled out of the driveway.  She watched as his truck disappeared behind trees and brush as it slowly clambered down the road.  Once she could no longer hear it's steady engine, Nia entered her house and shut the door.

She could hear a loud
buzz
coming from the kitchen table, alerting her to a missed message.  Scooping up her phone, she selected the new message folder; her eyebrows raised high into her forehead when she saw who the message was from.

Rowan.

Although she had been told that Rowan had visited her at the hospital while she was unconscious, she had not seen him once while she had been awake.  She had texted him, called him and he had not answered back.  She tried to not let this bother her; perhaps Rowan was busy, but it didn't take that long to quickly shoot a message to someone.  It left her feeling jilted and confused.  For the last six weeks they had been nearly inseparable.  Rowan had unintentionally filled the gap her mother left when she passed away.  Was he distancing himself because he wanted more and she wasn't ready?  Nia chewed her bottom lip as she read his text message.  She
could
be ready for a relationship.

Nia
, the message said,
come to the Meeting Grounds.  I need to talk to you.

Frowning, Nia stared at her phone and quickly pulled her fingers through her hair.  A familiar tug of urgency played at her heart as she reread the message over again.  Something...there was something.  The anxiousness she felt wasn't bad; a small part of her felt giddy and excited.  With a sigh, she slipped her phone into her pocket and left her house to meet Rowan. 

She set off into the woods, careful not to step in anything particularly mucky; the place was riddled with swamp and water pockets.  Her stomach flipped anxiously as she slipped through the trees, watching as the sun’s rays shimmered through the forest, glittering like gold through the brown and green trenches of trees.  A few birds chirped in the distance; Nia inhaled deeply, to calm her flipping stomach and to breathe in the new life that was spring.  The air was fresh and flowery, chilled yet warm.  Since she had cried for the loss of her mother, just days ago, the world seemed to shine with a new light she had missed seeing.  Everything was new again.  There was no gray or black or white; only color, bright and vivid and inspiring.  Her mother would have craved for her happiness, she would have wanted Nia to settle with a level head.  The Meeting Grounds were now visible through the thin birch trees...

Nia broke through into the clearing, holding her breath tight in her chest.  The Meeting Grounds were covered with blooming wild flowers and the trees were beginning to bud and all of the pines were a vivid green.  Quinn and Fiona’s old tree house still sat nestled in its ancient oak tree, creaking gentle as a gust of wind blew.  Rowan was crouched down by the crystal pond, twirling a twig between his fingers.  Nia noticed that all of the flowers seemed to open up when he was around, arching towards him with content.  Rowan looked over his shoulder as she approached him, and quickly rose to his feet; the heels of his shoes snapped together and his chin was acutely perpendicular with the ground, his hands held respectively behind his back.  He wore a royal blue button up, with the sleeves rolled-up a quarter of the way along his forearms and casual khaki pants.

He smiled at Nia, inclining his head forward; the smile that graced his face made Nia grin back.  He made her feel comfortable.  Safe.

“Hey,” she softly said as she reached his side. 

“How are you feeling?” Rowan began, sounding hesitant.  Nia noticed the deep purple circles that were hollowing out his eye sockets, intensifying the deep blue color of his unusually wavering eyes.  With the simplest touch, her finger tips grazed the soft skin under his eyes.  A rush of emotion flooded her body and she pulled her hand away before she could get a proper reading from it.  She stared at him, soaking him all in, right down to the last freckle on his face while her smile slowly evaporated into nothing. 
He was afraid.  He was worried.  Why?

“I’m fine.”  Her voice sounded strangely disconnected from her body.  For a moment, she thought that she hadn't been the one to speak.  "How are you?"

Rowan didn't answer.  He looked pale, standing before he with his hands shoved into his pockets, his foot nervously toeing the bit of earth he stood on.  “I need to tell you something,” he said instead, avoiding her bewildered gaze.

              “Mmhmm...” she slowly nodded, unable to find her voice for a moment as a sudden swell of tears found their way to the brims of her eyelids.  Her stomach did a bizarre series of flips before it just dropped out of underneath her, into nothing.  "What's wrong?"  Her heart was beating unevenly in her chest, and she was baffled as to what was happening.  "Are you...moving away?"  That was the worst thing that could happen, right?  Without Sapphire Warrior, the Mystical Knights wouldn't fit together as they did.  And without Rowan... Nia squeezed her eyes shut and reopened them; without Rowan, her heart would surely never beat the same.  He had become her dearest friend, and although they had only met a few months ago, she knew that her life would never be the same without him in it. 

              “No.  I'm not moving away...Nia,” Rowan didn’t know where to start.  His eyes kept darting around, suddenly paranoid.  He ran a flustered hand through his hair and took another deep gulp of spring air.  “There is something you need to know.  About me.”

              Nia's brow furrowed.  “You can tell me anything,” she protested earnestly, her trembling voice just above a whisper.  "Anything," she repeated.

              Rowan carefully shook his head and Nia could see distress flooding across his cautious face.  “I've done something bad.”  He paused, watching her with those beautiful blue eyes, careful not to meet her bewildered gaze.  “I haven't been fair.”