Remember

Chapter Four (edited)

Unblinking eyes stared at her as she opened the worn, wooden door to her home. They stared as if they had just watched a stranger, a monster even, walk into the safety of their house. But Colette was no monster, even if the dirt that riddled her clothes and the splotches of her pale face that could be seen between the hairs that were wet and sticking to her forehead and cheeks suggested otherwise.

"Colette!" Her mother sounded as if she were on the verge of tears. Her face was as pale as Colette's, streaks donning the skin under her eyes where it looked as if maybe she had been crying for hours. Yet Colette did not understand what could have made her mother so stricken with sadness. The more Colette studied her mother's face the more worried she became. She didn't know if she could handle another horrible moment that day.

She was pulled into a fierce and tight hug, her mother's arms wrapped around her waist and near suffocated her. Colette just barely gave into the hug, patting her mother on the back softly. "What happened? Is Dad alright?" Her father worked for an overseas company that dealt with computer software, building different and new technology for other companies which meant he traveled a lot and was hardly ever home.

Colette felt her mother rip away from the hug and hands gruffly grab the sides of her face. "Your father is fine." Confusion crossed her mother's features as if there was something Colette was missing. "You were supposed to be home hours ago and now y- are you hurt?" Tears began to fall down her mother's face again.

Hours ago? But Colette had left work early, hours early. Of course the confrontation with the man in the suit — she never did get his name even though he had known hers— may have taken an hour of her time but not long enough to make her as late as her mother was suggesting.

Colette opened her mouth as if she was going to explain everything that had happened -- the man, the secrets, the barrier that she still did not understand -- but she stared at her mother for a long moment, the concern that was already painted thickly on her face was enough. She didn't need to worry her more.

"I'm sorry, I stayed late at the clinic helping around other nurses." She paused. Colette hated lying to people more than anything and felt as if her mother could see clean through her lies as if they were a piece of plastic. "There was some old equipment that needed to be hauled outside and trashed and then when I realized I was running late I sprinted all the way home." That was a good enough lie... right?

Her mother nodded slowly, taking a deep breath in before deciding that she wouldn't ask any more questions. If she suspected Colette was lying she did nothing to indicate it. "Find a way to contact me next time. I was worried sick. We thought something had happened to you." They were right but how exactly was Colette supposed to tell her family that some mysterious man in a suit was stalking her but not to worry because the wind had saved her? They'd think she was insane.

For the first time, Colette took a look at her younger brother who looked even worse than their mother did. Lawrence's hair was a wild mess from his fingers running through it and pulling it in various directions. His face was wet and sticky from the streaks of tears on his cheeks that were starting to dry and crust over as he sniffled like crazy. He looked up at her and sniffled.

Colette walked over to him and bent down, picking him up. He was a lot lighter than a kid should be at his age. It was not from lack of nutrition or sickness but only because his metabolism was too fast for his body to keep up with. Lawrence ate even more than she did and still gained next to nothing. She wished it was the same for her.

"It's going to be okay." She held him tightly as she began walking up the stairs, and took him to his room. "I'm not going anywhere." The more she tried to reassure him the less she knew if it was more for the sake of her own sanity or his. In all honesty Colette was terrified. How many others were out there trying to keep the government's secrets? Where did that wind come from? What was that infernal barrier that kept popping up?

There were so many questions that she had no answers to and the thought of not knowing what she was supposed to do was beyond horrifying to think of. At this rate she was going to end up paranoid in the hospital if she didn't get some answers and soon.

She set her little brother down on his bed, pulling the covers over him and tucking his small figure in. His room was only just across the hallway from hers. As she turned to leave and shut the door behind her, she heard Lawrence's voice calling her name. "Letty, please stay." He had been calling her by that little nickname since he was able to speak, not able to quite pronounce her full name for the longest time. He never did stop using it.

Colette looked across the hall to her bedroom door that happened to be wide open -- probably from her mother searching it while frantic, and forgetting to shut the door. She sighed and turned back around to crawl on top of the covers on the other side of his bed.

So many nights she could remember hearing Lawrence crying from across the hall and running into his room to make sure he was okay. It almost made her wonder if he had nightmares like she did. Ones about darkness encasing him and intoxicating his mind. She wondered if the wind looked after him too. If he dreamt of those things he never told anyone.

Lawrence was passed out by the time Colette climbed into the bed but she stayed longer anyways, until she had drifted to sleep as well.

The nightmare did not come that night either.