Dreams. XOXO, Alex

Before my parents were captured I'd have nightmares at least once a week that sent chills down my spine and my screams out into the air. But when my parents were gone and Nanny McFiggins took over, my nightmares went away and my dreams became peaceful, a lot like the old times. I think a lot of that was because I was already living my nightmares. This made it even harder to wake up. This night was no different, if not even harder. My dreams were better than ever, dreams where we were all together again, and we all were able to fulfill our dreams and smile without fear of losing each other again. Then someone shook me awake and that serenity was shattered and I was hit with bullets of pain and sorrow. Still half-asleep, I followed my unknown leader through the dark maze of cells, gagged and chained, but too tired to fight. I heard the whimperings of my sisters, but I was too emotionally exhausted to tell whether or not it was all in my head. Emotions boiled up inside of me and escaped in cascades of tears that sped down my cheeks, wiping grime and sweat from my face, and pooling around my gag. My guard shoved me roughly along the maze until we got to a big, black door. Through the entrance and up the stairs beyond we went, until we reached a stuffy room. The sounds of engines clouded my brain, but I hardly noticed. The guard removed my chains and buckled me into a seat, all rather quickly, as if there wasn't time to lose. Once his job was completed, he looked me into the eyes, a little too sympathetically for a man who could possibly be leading me to my death. He bent down and whispered to me, "It's all going to be okay," before smiling and rushing out. Up, up, up into the air I went, exhausted and befuddled, trying to decide if the scene with the guard was reality or another illusion. It wasn't long before I quickly fell asleep, slipping back into sugar-coated dreams of scenarios that seemed just beyond my reach.

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I woke up in what seemed an entirely different world. My ears no longer detected screams or crying or shouts, but instead welcomed melodious and mother-like laughter. My eyes, so used to the darkness that dissipated every corner of my cell, blinked against a brilliant natural light. My grimy fingers were once again clean, although cuts still remained deeply on them. This simply can't be real, I thought to myself. Surely it's a dream! Reality just couldn't be this good. But the feelings of kind hands helping to scrub my body clean told all: this really was reality. My brown eyes met the blue ones of a smiling and plump lady who was washing my hair. "Your hair sure is something!" she said in a cheerful tone. "My 18-year-old self would give away all my worldly possessions for this thickness. But alas, I was not so fortunate." I gave her my best smile, although she could easily read the confusion in my eyes. "Don't worry, love," she whispered, "It's all going to be okay." She winked and handed me a towel and helped me out of the bathtub. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I noticed three or four more women laughing and cleaning my clothes or laying out fresh ones for me around the room. Feeling refreshed, I wrapped myself in my towel and stared at the figure in front of me. It had been months since I had seen a mirror, and it took me a minute to realize that the girl in front of me was, in fact, myself. My hair had grown a great deal, and thanks to the help of the lady who washed my hair, it was getting its curl back. I was terribly thin. My love-handles were long gone and, oddly enough, I missed them. I used to hate them, but looking back on it I realize how blessed I was to be fed, even if it meant having a little fat here and there. My small, almond eyes were puffy and had dark circles underneath them. But as beat as I looked, something told me it was a step up from how I looked before. So I counted my blessings.

"Now, love," said the lady, "It's best time you go dress." Her voice sounded... different. I had heard many accents in the past few months, but this one was different. At this point, all the ladies in the room were smiling at me. I smiled too, without even knowing for sure why. I gave the first lady a slightly confused look, silently asking her what the rush was.

"We mustn't let your family wait." (She said in her lovely Irish accent.)

XOXO,

Alex