Unbeknownst

A Nightmare to Remember

     A dark sound ruptured from the darkness. It was a thunderous crash, and it scared Sirus to his very core. It was a sound that went beyond what any living animal he knew was capable of. It was a sound that went beyond that of a god.

     Sirus woke up. Sweat coated his limbs. However, even as he sat gasping, he knew he was safe. He was in his own bedroom. This was the third time this month he has had this dream. However he had no clue what it meant. The terror of being far below ground, chained to a wall dripping with blood, and listening to a creature of which the likes had never been heard of, had stretched his terror to its very limits. Mother wanted him to go see the doctors. For some reason, that felt wrong to him. He didn't need a doctor to tell him something or another was wrong with him. Sirus needed answers. He needed them quickly, too. The glass of water to the right side of his bed sat with a gleam from the moonlight. Before he could think about it, he reached for the glass, gulping down its contents. Refreshed, he laid back down. The moon stared back at him through the far side window in his room. It seemed to wink at him. To lure him to the answer that the question of his dreams presented. He definitely didn't want to go back to sleep, however. So he sat, awake, pondering. 

     Perhaps the answer would come in time, he thought.

     Morning came quickly. Birdsong was the first hint that the morning sun was about to make its appearance. Soon after, his alarm clock went off. Signaling that it was time to shower, eat, and get on with his day. So he did. He rose and stretched, getting all the remaining sleepiness out of his limbs. Then, after grabbing clothes, Sirus made his way to the shower. The water was cool on his back, how he liked it, and the smell of moon rocks, or at least that was the name of his soap, took away the remains of fear that haunted his mind.

     A gentle knock sounded on the door, "Sirus, breakfast is ready."

     "Okay I'll be out shortly mother," Sirus replied, a little discontented about getting out of the relaxing atmosphere his shower had created. However, he soon was dressed and went to the kitchen. The kitchen, as his mother liked it, was a big room, filled to the brim with plants. Stone counters were polished to precision, and wood floors croaked under his feet. Breakfast was simple, a large dragon fruit, scambled eggs with irish butter, and some buttered whole grain toast. Most kids his age ate sugary cereal, large glasses of juice, pancakes draped with loads of syrup. They bragged about it, even. They had bacon and sausage, bleached toast, and any other number of foods that screamed unhealthy to him. It was the way his mother had brought him up, so this was the way he ate. He was grateful for it too, as for some reason the foods others ate just weren't appetizing anytime he had tried them.

     Sirus quickly sat down, gazing at the food gratefully. "This looks amazing." His mother smiled warmly at him. She was always like that. So filled with love for everything. So concerned for his well-being and safety in this lackluster world that was created for them. So he ate every bite she gave him. He didn't want to waste the food, nor his mother's time in preparing it.

     After breakfast he got his backpack together for school, and waited for his mother at the front door. It was his first day of his senior year. This was his last year of highschool, and he didn't think he'd ever been so glad for anything in his life. He soon got to get away from the drama, the lies, and everything in between that highschool brought. Soon after this thought hit him, he also got a little sad. This meant his life was also about to change. He would have to leave his home and go find his own way through life.

     His mother walked past him and held open the door for him. "Ready to go sweetie?" She asked him. 

     His smile was faked. "Yes, let's get it over with." 

     So, they went to the car and started the ten minute drive to school. Mom's car was a nice one. A newer model that had large leather heated seats. During the drive he zoned out, only thinking of what was, is, and might be. His thoughts often wondered like that. He was a deep thinker, and not always in the best of ways.

     When they arrived at the highschool, it was bustling with activity. Teachers were already in their respective classrooms, however all of the students were rushing like bees trying to find their respective home rooms. Sirus' ended up being the same as last year, and he went straight to it. He had no friends, and he didn't think he would be understood by any of the other students anyways. This made it easy to learn what school taught it, but it also made the experience very lonely. Lonely in a way that he hoped no other person would grasp.

     The homeroom was the same as always. The teacher went over their classrooms rules, explained this year's lunch schedule and programs, and set up a get to know me game. Of course, most everybody knew everybody, but there were still a few new faces. It was a pretty big highschool.

     The rest of the day passed without event. Sirus ate his lunch outside, reading while eating. He was aware of a couple kids making cruel jokes and snide comments about him, but they didn't phase him. Those kids simply didn't understand. So he went back to his book, getting lost in the page after of page of the multiple uses of medicinal plants. This kind of book was most likely boring to most people, but Sirus was enthralled. 

     At the very end of the day, when the bell rang to signal it was time to go home, Sirus went outside to look for his mother's car. However, she was late.

     That's unusual, he thought. She's always on time. Maybe her work kept her over today. A particularly needy client. So he waited. And waited. An hour slipped by. Almost all of the other students were gone by then. Then two hours. Where was she? A teacher on the way to his car asked him if he needed a ride, and he gladly accepted. Mr. Thompson was his name.

     Sirus slipped in the car, feeling a bit awkward being in a car that wasn't his mothers. "What's your address Sirus? I need it for google maps," Mr. Thompson chuckled, "I may be a geography teacher, but my direction skills could still use a little work." Sirus smiled at that. 

     "I live on 5280 Wilburn road. There is a quick turn around a bend though, so I'll point it out to you when you're close. I appreciate you doing this for me," Sirus answered back.

     Mr. Thompson smiled brightly back at him, "It's not a problem. I know you're normally home by now, so something important must have come up, huh." They spent most of the rest of the drive talking about how Sirus was feeling about being back for his senior year. Sirus expressed his relief that this was his last year of highschool, which Thompson returned back with his memories of his senior year. After almost missing the turn by the bend in the road, they quickly approached his house. Oddly enough, His mother's car wasn't in the driveway, so she still wasn't home.

     Thanking Mr. Thompson again for the ride, Sirus quickly got out of the car. He didn't know what was going on, but cold dread was eating at his very soul. Something was wrong. Something was horribly, horribly wrong. Mr. Thompson left his driveway, and Sirus stood by the front door. He went for the key hidden under the doormat and let himself inside. "Mom?" He called, his low voice bouncing around the house. There was no answer, so he decided to look around. His steps led him through the living room and into the kitchen first. There wasn't so much as even a note left anywhere his eyes could see, so he moved on, searching the bedrooms, bathrooms, basement, and his mothers office, but nothing. She was not here.

      Sirus pulled out his phone. He didn't like calling her while she was at work, but he considered this important enough to risk bothering her. Each number he typed increased his dread. She wasn't going to pick up, and he knew it. He pressed the call button anyways, and the phone rang softly. The confirmation that something wasn't right was confirmed when the voicemail played back at him. Why wasn't she answering and why wasn't she home? 

     With nothing else to do but wait, Sirus went to his room, sliding grabbing the backpack he had dropped by the door on the way. Homework was as good of a way as any to pass the time. Time passed slowly as he worked on his assignments. Project after project got finished, yet still the front door never opened. This was getting more and more weird by the second, as this never happened. 

     He decided to pull out his book next. He thought maybe he could read to pass more time. However, he soon found out he couldn't focus on reading. His thoughts kept drifting to where his mother could be, and what could possibly be going on. The clock next to his bed read 10:00 P.M. With anxious thoughts clouding his head, Sirus slowly drifted off for a very restless night of sleep.