“Adam, I know what’s wrong why we don’t see the light!”
“Okay let’s hear it then.”
“It’s the guilt that’s keeping us here…because I think we both killed ourselves.”
He stormed off leaving her to grab everything and catch up, fleeing through the trees with Summer hot on his heels calling repeatedly for him to stop he ignored her cries. He told himself that the further away from her he went the more the problem would go away smarting all the while at her words. He was unable to face the damning word ‘suicide’ that spun round and round in his thoughts all the while the fear increasing when he figured out that maybe he’d be punished for an unholy deed. That thought propelled him to run even faster.
“Adam…stop!” She called out in desperation.
But he didn’t stop and frightened that she’d be left alone in the forest she did her best to catch up, all the time angrily thinking what she’d say to him when she did. Suddenly out of the blue a figure stepped out from behind a tree stopping her dead in her tracks. It wasn’t Dave or Caesar. It was the lone figure of a fair haired woman.
“Who are you?” She asked not sure if she was imagining things.
“It’s time to follow me little one.” The figure replied.
“I’m done going off with strangers so I’m not going nowhere with you.” She replied with gusto. “I’m catching up with my boyfriend and when I do and he finds out you’re stalking me, he’ll kick your ass.”
“Summer, sweetheart, my baby girl…its mom, give me your hand.”
She looked carefully at the woman who stood right beside her, suspiciously searching for signs of recognition. She was beautiful with shiny blonde hair cascading down to her shoulders, a peachy completion and a bright blue aura surrounding her. She was wearing white jeans and a blue shirt and looked like someone’s soccer mom-nothing like the skinny burned out alcoholic that Summer remembered.
“Cool trick you’re playing huh? My mom looked nothing like you, she was a mess. You’re not my mom, so fuck off!”
“It’s the spiritual change honey, I’m healed now from all the pain and addictions and I’ve been watching you for such a long time trying to get your attention, but you don’t ever hear me, until now.”
“Give me a clue that it’s you…something from when I was younger that only the two of us would know.” Summer suggested.
The woman leaned closer gently putting an arm around her as she whispered in her ear,
“Snow white…she was your fairy princess I had to read that story to you every night.”
Summer pulled away in shock and surprise, not feeling comfortable she retaliated.
“I’ve heard of some cheap tricks but this is the worse!” She screamed.
“Summer Haze you’re my baby born on a hazy summer day in 1958…you’ve been drifting sweet girl, for far too long now.”
“That would make me ancient, and I aint old I’m only sixteen!”
“No baby you were sixteen when you died. But it wasn’t yesterday, it was decades ago.”
There was a motionless silence between them, Summer tried to digest the words unable to comprehend the truth.
“I’m going to find Adam…I…” She stammered. “I need to go now, please leave me alone!”
“Give me your hand and I’ll bring you into the light, it’s that simple…give me your hand.”
Summer had become accustomed to the fact that her mother had first neglected, abused then abandoned her; the sight of her coming to the rescue was too unbelievable for words. It was made even more complicated by her new almost angelic appearance that she refused to accept as being a vision of her mother so, deciding to ignore her pleas, she turned on her heels to continue the search for Adam.
He was way ahead pushing his way through the dense thickness of brambles and fallen trees relentlessly trying to blot out the memory that loomed large in his thoughts: The moment on the bridge…
Traffic was streaming past underneath with vacationers on road trips, SUV’s and the occasional Saturday trucker working his way from state to state. Climbing onto the rail making sure there was no other foot traffic to stop him he told himself that he had chosen the perfect bridge. Positioning himself on the edge of the rail he closed his eyes and took a deep breath determined to see it through.
Leaning forward he loosened his fingers one by one until there were no more and jumped-landing on the road with a thump. He died instantly before he was inadvertently run over by an oncoming car- the driver unable to avoid him. His crumpled broken body lay there as traffic stopped and a thoughtful driver covered him with a blanket while someone else comforted the shaken driver. A hysterical woman called franticly for emergency services.
“They need to do something with that damn bridge, make it more difficult for jumpers. It was only last year that another young guy did the same. It’s a miracle that no drivers have been killed by these maniacs.” A shaken driver commented to the paramedics as soon as they’d arrived.
Rone had been the last jumper before Adam. Devon had jumped not long after Summer, and in-between there had been a few others but they’d all made it into the light. This was a small drifting group of stuck spirits, inexplicably entwined who had refused to accept that their deaths had occurred in the same place and believed they were alive and well-Adam included until now.
The moment of realisation had come. Defeated and weakened he called out,
“I give up, come and get me…take me anywhere you want but bring me my dad!”
He could hear Summer calling out in the distance and was relieved that she was still around but there were other things on his mind. Now he’d fully accepted the truth where was his father?
But then there was his soul mate. He couldn’t leave without her and real concern swept over him that she’d refuse to go with him forcing a dilemma; stay to protect her or leave to search in the light for a father he loved and missed so much.
It wasn’t long before she found him. They hugged. They cried. She explained everything.
“Seems I’ve been having a thing with an older woman.” He said trying to break the emotional moment.
“I’m forever young or haven’t you noticed!”
“So when did you die then?”
“I guess it was 1974, that’s what I think I remember. I’d been homeless for too long and was taking loads of drugs and throwing up way to much. I’d had enough and one bad day I went to the bridge…that’s all I remember. It stopped there.
“What stopped there?”
“Memories, it got confusing. Guess I got used to it in the end and drifted all over the place. Then I met you and everything changed.”
“Will someone tell me how long I’ve been dead then cause I’m freaked out!”
Summer couldn’t help but be impressed with the sight of a tall handsome man coming towards them. He was wearing a check shirt and jeans and he smiled warmly as he approached.
“Look up Adam, is this your dad?” She said pushing him towards the vision.
The sight of the lumberjack shirt evoked an instant memory. Standing before him was the man who told him a bedtime story almost every night and hugged him on a Sunday morning when he wore his casual clothes- the lumberjack shirt.
“Son it’s time to go.” His father said gently.
“Where have you been, I stopped hearing you, why was that?”
“Because the moment you died you were blocked, I couldn’t get through.”
He’d forgotten how kind his father had been, a man with love in his heart who lived for his only son from the moment he was born. He never wanted to leave him so young and did everything he could to make his presence felt. Sometimes Adam picked up on it and spoke to him, but when his home life deteriorated it was almost non-existent.
“What about mom, I’m upset with what I did. Is she okay?” He asked.
“She’s dealing with it Adam…it was a year ago and she’s not with Roy anymore.”
“That ca
n’t be? I’ve only been drifting for a week or so.”
“That’s what it feels like, time has no meaning when you’re dead.” He replied.
Summer took his hand. She knew only too well that the living move on while the walking dead stay trapped in a split second of time.
“Adam my mom’s here as well. Seems they both showed up at the same time so I guess that means we’re ready.”
“To go into the light you mean?”
“Or…we stay here.”
“To do what? I’m so done with wandering around where no-one sees us except other dead freaks and weirdoes. I never want to cross paths with any of them again, ever. I figure its best we go.” He replied feeling that choices were limited.
“Take a long look over there.” Summer said pointing to a tree close by. “That’s my sheepish reformed mom-hiding from us.”
He was struck by the sight of a beautiful young woman smiling sweetly and he could feel the love she had for her daughter. In spite of Summer’s bitterness and mistrust he knew that deep inside she was yearning for her love-if only she could let her guard down.
“She’s really lovely now, look at her. Maybe you should give her another chance. How many did I give you, remember?”
Her stubbornness worried him. It was possible that it could keep Summer where she was and had been for far too long. Unbeknown to Adam this was not the first time she’d seen her mother who she’d deliberately ignored for years until this moment.
“Do you remember I told you we were dreaming, that it was a dead dream? Well…so is she. Wishful thinking of what a mom should be!”
“She’s real alright look at her. We’re not dreaming this.” He answered doing everything he could to convince her.
It was stalemate. Adams father stood patiently waiting while Summer shot glances at her mother preferring she kept her distance. They had reached a crossroads and Adam knew that if they deliberated for too long they would be left alone to continue where they left off. It seemed that going into the light would be a piece of cake. All they had to do was take the respective hand of their loved ones and walk with them, straight into it.
How do I get this stubborn girl to see reason? If she keeps on like this I’ve no choice but to stay with her cause I love her and can’t abandon her to God knows what!
It was time to take charge. No more messing around. No negotiating.
“This is it Summer, make your choice. Either you take my hand or your mom’s and we go, or I leave you here.” He stated clearly.
“I’m so frigging scared…what if I’m gonna be punished for what I did!”
“That’s not gonna happen, will you trust me for once?”
She looked straight into his eyes, her own welling up in tears searching for a sign that told her she was safe. He’d protected her and got her away from Dave and Caesar. He’d found her food when she was hungry and ignored what happened with Devon and Rufus showing no real sign of anger. He believed they were soul mates. She loved him as he loved her.
“Okay maybe it’s time. But promise me you won’t leave me wherever we’re going to and maybe just maybe we can come back and rescue Devon.”
“I promise, as if I could get rid of you even when you’re a pain in the butt, as for Devon we’ll see.”
Her mother moved slowly forward. Confident that she wouldn’t be rejected she felt her daughter soften. She was determined to put things right between them on the other side and give her the love and healing she deserved.
“Sweetheart please trust me. I promise you’ll be happy and peaceful and I won’t leave you ever.”
Summer began to cry as her mother reached out her arms to comfort her. Adam knew he had to keep a distance as it was his time to go-his dad was waiting.
“I guess I’ll see you on the other side.” He told her.
“Guess so.” She replied through her sobs.
“Don’t let me down, I expect to see you there.”
“I’ll be right behind you, I promise.”
I’m gonna go with dad, wherever it is I’m going. Scared shitless I might be but I know he’ll take care of me and help me to deal with this mess. I’ll miss you mom and I’m sorry for all the heartache I put you through. Maybe I can come back and see you sometimes and hey, I’m pleased you got rid of that waster Roy. What did I learn from the mess I put myself in? I don’t know yet but one thing’s for sure, Summer and me, we’re gonna be okay.
*
“I’m so scared dad, I did such a bad thing am I gonna be punished?”
“No, not all…there’s nothing to fear.”
“I tell you what Adam, we’ll wait for Summer, see what she thinks okay?”
He’d forgotten how kind his father had been, a man with love in his heart who adored his only son and would go to the ends of the earth to make him happy. He never intended to leave him alone so young but it was his time to go leaving Adam to struggle on. Now when he needed him the most there he was.
“Yeh I know that, I know everything but I was so scared of what I’d done that it kept me here, meeting you and feeling what I did…that changed everything.” She said avoiding eye contact.
“Guess you gave me quite a run around.” He replied.
“We did it to each other on account of being so screwed up about what we did to ourselves.”
“What happens now then?”
“I dunno ask your dad or my sheepish mom who’s hiding behind the tree over there.” She replied pointing to the vision of a fair haired woman partially hidden from view.
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Dead Dreams ((Young Adult Paranormal Romance) ( Dead Dreams Trilogy)) Page 14
