Silver Lining

Chapter Four

When I set foot in my house, it's completely dark and silent. Amber closes the door behind her, before I stroll into my bedroom. I strip down to my underwear and wrap a black scarf from my nightstand around my head. The dark blue curtains in here are suddenly wide open, and the owl from Orion's contact photo is perched on the tree outside my window. I close the curtains and lay down under the covers on my bed. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day. I close my eyes and fall asleep.

I ended up in a black and blue bedroom with a brown skinned little girl with long light brown hair in low ponytail. She patted the skirt on her yellow sleeveless dress. I slid off the edge of the bed and walked to the dark blue floor length mirror. The girl in my reflection was short, had dark skin and her curly hair was in pigtails. I lifted the skirt on her pink short sleeved dress from the side. The other girl stood behind me and rested her hands on my shoulders.

"It's okay, Ella. Luna and I will be with you."

A small smile grew on my face. "Okay. But where are we going?"

"A safe house, where the shadowman won't find us."

The shadowman was a monster my mom said I could avoid if I kept my windows and curtains closed. Except, she said he would only haunt me.

I smiled. Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door. The other girl let go of me long enough to open the door. A dark skinned man with a beard in a navy blue suit entered the room. He looked familiar.

"Before you and Ambrosia leave, I want to give you something."

He gave us two silver hand mirrors. We both hugged him when he crouched down. A scream and a thump came from the hallway, yet I was the only one who flinched. The man kissed us high on our foreheads and stood up.

"Bye, daddy." I said, holding the mirror close to me.

He beams at me. "Bye, sweetheart. Stay safe."

He left the room in a hurry. The only thing I knew about my own father was the fact that he witnessed a murder and had to go into witness protection. This little girl is lucky she knows her dad. Ambrosia turned to the door, with a blank expression. A dark skinned woman in a white lace halter dress stood in the doorway. She came in, holding two black and gray polka dotted backpacks.

"Your safe house is a red and white cottage in Northwest DC. Just meet Vanessa at the door."

Ambrosia put on one backpack and gave me the other one. "When is it safe to come back?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe when they stop watching us." The woman anwered. "Bye, girls."

"Bye, mommy!" I yelled, waving at her.

Ambrosia waved at her with one hand, and held mine with the other. In the blink of an eye, we appeared in front the cottage the woman mentioned. A woman who looked exactly like my mother was waiting for us on the sidewalk. She greeted us with open arms, showing a friendly smile.

We both hugged her tightly. "Ice cream!"

"We'll have that after lunch. Come on."

She squeezed us and walked inside the cottage. We followed closely behind her and put our backpacks on the floor in the living room. We sat on the orange tufted couch, while the woman we were staying with was taking something out of the oven. Two brown candles were burning on the white and rectangular wooden coffee table. The room was huge, and a painting of a starry sky with a crescent moon hung on the wall above the fireplace.

Ambrosia looked up at the painting, but I was focused on the bright pink flower bracelet she had on her wrist. They resemble the flower tattooed on Amber's lower back. The bracelet on my wrist had butterflies and purple beads. That's when everything faded.

I wake up shivering. The sheets are only covering my legs now and my window is open. The wind blows through it, making the curtains move forward. I crawl to the foot of my bed and close the window. After locking both of the windows in here, I lay back down on my bed and pull the sheets back up to my neck.

It's strange how everyone in that dream called me by my middle name. I don't remember me and my mom ever staying in a cottage. Why was I calling the Warners mommy and daddy? They don't even have a daughter.

My tattoo shimmers from under the sheets. I couldn't go back to sleep. Not after the weird shit that just happened.