Dreamcatcher

9

The next day many people go home. My parents are away once again so I'm stuck here at school. I spend days following the same routine: read, eat, computer, eat, computer, eat, walk outside, read. The bags under my eyes from the sleepless nights only grow more obvious, and what's worse? More cracks.

They're spreading. Quickly. I could be walking through my daily trail across the 70 hectare campus, walled off from the outside world, but still dangerously littered with cracks in the ground. Though, none are as as worse as the crack that swallowed that boarding house. Every time I go past it, an ache swells up inside me as I picture what happened that night. As much as I don't want to pay attention to it, it's pretty hard to ignore the opening into the abyss and the ruins of the house.

The reason I don't sleep is to escape the visions. They feel so real and I can't wake up until it's over. It's still the same disturbing version of the end of the world and I'm horrified that it's turning from a nightmare to a reality. When I think about it, the ruins smothered in overgrown vegetation from my dream are clearly the house that collapsed a week ago. And, in the visions, there's still Lapo, whose murmur is always distinct: 'Bind your fate to mine.'

I have no idea what it means, but I do know that our fates are already bound. It hurts too much to even consider visiting all the victims who are healing in the health centre and local hospital, but it's obvious that Lapo is still in lots of pain. Every so often, a horrible pain comes, and then goes, but the only thing it could be is Lapo. 

I've also been ignoring the piles of texts and calls filling up my phone from my dorm-mates who are all at home, my parents, who are definitely worried, and my siblings.

I'm just surprised that the school still aren't teaching or anything. They say it's going to still be a lot of time until everything will get back together.

A sharp knock at my bedroom door knocks me out of my train of thought.

'Come in...' I mumble, opening my book to the page where I left off.

'Aislinn.' It's not a question, or a fact, or anything that could be replied to. It's simply there, said by one of the voices I'd recognise anywhere.

I whip my head around to look at my sister. Why would she be here? She never visits me unless it's something incredibly important. Her coppery curls aren't perfectly plaited back like usual, but instead very messy. Her own eyes also have bags, and her clothing looks creased and roughly put on. It seems like I'm not the only one who's had a rough week.

Suddenly my eldest brother walks - or should I say he drags his feet - through the door and stands beside Magnolia. They look so similar, stood next to each other, their eyes the same warm brown -  you could tell that not only them, but Ben, Magnolia, Liam and I were siblings. Boring, brown eyes but eye-catching hair that went in a gradient from age: Ben, oldest, with strawberry blonde hair, Magnolia, with her bright coppery curls, and Liam and I, with auburn hair that made it impossible to tell the difference between us until we were four.

Ben flicks a couple of strawberry blonde strands out of his face, a habit he always does when he's not quite sure about what to do next. Magnolia, however, had a confident posture and made the next move: 'Aislinn, why are you ignoring us?'

'Ignoring you? Can't I have some privacy in times like this? I don't have to listen or speak to you at all, you know. And this is my dorm, my boarding house - go back to yours because I am not in the mood for you guys.' My voice thunders much louder than I intended it to, my words much more hurtful than I wanted them to be, and my tone was rudely dismissive.

'Woah, Aislinn, we just want to make sure you're okay,' Ben says, holding his hands up. 

'Well now that you've seen I'm perfectly fine, I'd like you to go now,' I say as politely as I can in my annoyed mood. I then pause. 'However, you obviously didn't bother to come up to my boarding house just to check on me, so I'm guessing you need something from me.'

Ben glances at Magnolia, who stays silent, before he gives in: 'Well done, Linn. If you want us to go, we will.' He heads toward the door.

Before I can say anything, Magnolia speaks. 'Liam asked to see you.'

'Liam?!' I am shocked. Why would Liam want to see me? 'He's in the health centre isn't he...'

'The other boy in your year wanted to see you, too.'

Lapo? Is that who she's referring to?

'Lapo, I think,' Magnolia confirms. 'Come with us. We were planning on giving Liam a little gift so I was wondering if you could still bake those delicious cookies.'

'See you there in a couple of hours,' I say and walk out of the door to the house kitchen. One hour and 20 cookies later, I am in the health centre with my siblings.

'Aislinn!' Liam's voice catches my attention. I run into his room and close the door. His brown eyes look so serious for someone who enjoys making jokes so much. 'Their plane cr-crashed. It-' His voice breaks. 'We don't even know where th-they are... Mum and Dad c-could be...' A tear rolls down his paler-than-normal cheek. 

'Dead.'