Brick By Brick (Sequel)

Prologue

•• just a few months after the end of Breaking Down Walls ••

I bolted upright in bed, startled awake by a nightmare; the man, the dungeon, you know, the usual. Over the past few months, they have become slightly more sparse, but haven't disappeared completely, and I've kind of accepted that they never will. The meds help a little, but not much. What meds, you ask? After a few more visits to Dr. Burke's office, he diagnosed me with some sort of PTSD thing and an anxiety disorder. I didn't bother to remember the names of my new diseases, I just took the three pills he prescribed for me every morning so I could function like a normal human being. It sucks a little but I don't complain. It's better than having minuscule events send me into panic attacks in public.

I turned my head toward the clock on my bedside table. 8:12 AM stared me in the face and I groaned, flopping back on the the pillow. It's summer break, I'm supposed to be sleeping in! Unfortunately, being awoken by nightmares has become the usual and I haven't been able to sleep much past 9 or 10 on a good day. I rolled to the side and slid my phone off the nightstand. When the screen blinked on, the date caught my attention. I forgot how to breathe for a moment, then I moved past it and tried to forget. Flipping to messages, I sent a quick text to Alexis.

Are you awake?

Then I proceeded to browse social media, not because there was anything important to see, I just needed to kill time. A few minutes later I received a response.

Yeah. Why are you?

He woke me up.

I didn't even need to explain, she just knew. She was good at that.

I'm downstairs.

I liked a few more pictures on instagram, then finally pushed the covers aside and swung my legs over the side of the bed. I picked my hoodie up off the footboard where I always hung it and slipped it on over my tank top and pajama shorts, padding over to the bathroom to pee and rip a brush through my tangled mass of hair. I shoved my phone and my hands into my pockets before leaving the room, watching my bare feet slide down the hallway and stairs.

"Surprise!" My eyes shot up, finding everyone waiting for me in the kitchen with balloons and big smiles. There was a pancake bar laid out on the table with every topping known to man, and I heard a sizzle from the griddle where Rick was still expertly flipping pancakes.

"What is this?" I asked, taking the last few steps down to the ground.

"Happy birthday!" they chorused.

I stood, shell shocked, unsure what to do next. I was frozen, with confusion or with happiness I'm not quite sure, I just know it took me a few minutes to respond. "How did you even know?"

Kate smirked, stepping toward me, "I have my ways." She gathered me up in a hug, but I was too stunned to pull my hands out of my pockets to wrap them around her in return.

She stepped away after a moment and I spotted the other three in the kitchen, smiling at me, waiting for my response. "Wow," I finally said. "Just...wow." I found myself grinning ear to ear without even meaning to, and the smiles on their faces grew as well.

Rick plopped the last few pancakes on a platter and walked to the table, setting it down. He slid out the chair at the head, which was decorated with ribbons and bows, and motioned to me with an exaggerated air. "Please, dig in."

"Why thank you, kind sir," I drawled, sitting in the chair. Everyone else took their seats - Kate and Rick on either side of me, and Alexis and Gram beside them - and piled plates high with pancake heaven. The warmth of the pancakes melted the chocolate chips and marshmallows I sprinkled on top along with strawberries and whipped cream. We talked and laughed and it was an altogether great start to what I had first thought would be a lousy day.