Dreamers- A Merome, Pooflan, Wroetostar and Minizerk Story

⋖Chapter 27⋗

Preston's P.O.V.

Something in my heart told me that Simon and Josh were gone. I didn't know how I knew, but I simply had this feeling that they were gone.

But those thoughts were quickly abandoned as there were more pressing things to do deal with. Winter was ending, the frost creeping away and it was snowing less and less- spring was about to arrive and we had to begin preparing fields, planting seeds that would grow into our food. The other thing to think about was, now that there were so many of us, was farming animals, penning them and raising them as our own.

I had talked to Rob and Mitch and Jerome about it one evening and they had all agreed we needed to started preparing fields at once, creating an animal farm could wait a bit. We needed to get the seeds into the ground just as spring broke if we wanted them to grow before it got too hot and now was the time for that, especially since we had no fields to plant them in. Josh had carefully explained to us what we needed to do before we left, even pointing on the land that would be the best for farming that we would need to till.

On top of that, Harry was getting worse. He had been bad before Simon and Josh but now, only a couple of weeks on, it was so bad that he couldn't even sit up without help. He slept, never spoke, never ate, never drank anything. He was essentially waiting for death, maybe praying it would come faster. I just wanted to see his suffering end.

Vikk and Lachlan weren't that much help when we started to prepare the land for farming, close to the river so it was near a source of water but not so close that it would be washed out if it happened to flood, so they turned their attention to the shelter. Vikk couldn't do the heavy work the farming required and Lachlan got bored too easily, so we let them. It was useful to reinforce the shelter and no one really cared.

Rob slung a long stick over his shoulder, hauling it off the area we were going to use for farming. It was quite a large area but if we planted it with different seeds and plants, including the wild fruit and nuts growing around the area and game we hunted, it would definitely be enough to feed all of us, no problem. My eyes shifted to my bow, lying almost discarded on the ground. I hadn't used it, like properly used it, for ages now other than to shoot the occasional squirrel or rabbit and I wanted to run my hands over the smooth wood, pull back the string and draw an arrow to my cheek, feeling the rush of adrenaline that came with releasing it. I missed the thrill of shooting but I couldn't right now, not when there were so many things to do here.

Just as he passed me, Rob pressed a gentle kiss to my cheek and I smiled. We hadn't had much time to spend together, alone, lately, and we both missed being able to have the others company in private. I missed a lot of things but I wouldn't trade what I had now for the world.

I would never trade it for anything.

-------------------------------------------------

"Preston!" Lachlan called happily, waving me over to where him, Mitch and Jerome were sitting on the edge of the river bank, dangling their feet in the cool water. We were all taking a break from farming and although I hesitated for a moment, I had wanted to go and spend some time with Rob, I eventually decided to go and hang out with the three. I knew that Vikk wanted to be alone with Harry and once Rob joined us we decided to just leave him be, let him have his time.

I leaned up against Rob, sighing happily at the cool water. He rested his chin on top of my head in return, his eyes occasionally glancing across at the others. Mitch and Jerome were whispering together, tangled up tightly, and Lachlan was inching slowly into the water as the minutes passed, his shirt discarded on the ground behind him.

I couldn't help it, I wanted to have a laugh, so I reached my arms out- and shoved Lachlan hard, sending him sprawling into the freezing water. He shrieked loudly and I let out an evil cackle, shuffling back as he tried to splash me and drag himself out of the water, and Rob burst into laughter too. Lachlan glared at me through a mess of wet hair, shivering and whining.

"Preston!" He yelped, playing slapping me with his wet hands. "Asshole."

I grinned and paid no attention for a moment, at least Lachlan launched himself at me, getting me absolutely soaked in the water I had pushed him in. I shrieked too, rolling back on the ground as the water chilled me to the bone and I struggled to push the younger boy off me- he was clinging to me now, determined to get me as covered in water as possible

"La-Lachlan!" I sputtered, shrieking, fighting my way out from underneath him. "It's cold! Staphhhhhh!"

"No." He said, giggling as we came to a stop with him lying on top of me, sky blue eyes with a cheeky look in them staring right at me. "You pushed me in, so now you get wet too."

And in one swift movement he grabbed me around my waist, moved backwards and pulled both of us into the river- the others howled with laughter as I was dragged into the water. I surfaced, laughing and Lachlan came up behind me, giggling.

I felt so happy, looking around at the others, but the holes in my heart also made me want to cry. Josh and Simon were gone, Harry was almost gone and Vikk was going to be an absolute wreck once he passed and I didn't want any of that for any of them, for us. Why couldn't we just be happy, no diseases, just us.

I wanted to build a home, a life for us. Rob and I, Mitch and Jerome, Lachlan and Vikk, I wanted everyone to be happy and I wanted Harry and Josh and Simon to be apart of it. But it wasn't going to happen, and I had to remember that.

So I would make do with what I had.