Andy: A world unknown

Chapter 8: A dream, A nightmare

She violently woke up and realized it was all a bad dream. Nevertheless, she was still very much scared. The thought of Stefan aiming at her along with other soldiers, with the aim of sending her to her early demise, sent a chill running through her spine. She was quickly yanked out of her thoughts when she heard a loud knock on the door. Whoever was at the door, kept knocking furiously every passing second.

She slowly got out her bed and stood for a while, as the knock on the door intensified. She couldn't think of anyone who would be at her door and knock so violently. She could also see the shadow of the person outside from where she stood. Picking up courage, she walked slowly towards the door. When she got to the door, she turned the doorknob, with both her hands shaking vigorously. Trying hard not to waste anymore time, she heaved a breath and gulped her saliva as she pulled the door open. Immediately she realized the door was completely open, she stared in fright at the one who had been behind the door. It was the elder Stefan, and he was bearing the same knife from her dream.

"There you are" Stefan spoke sluggishly, raising an eyebrow after he raised his head. This was the only sentence Andy heard before he ran the knife through her tummy and Andy woke up, again.

It was a false awakening all along, from one horrific nightmare to another. Not quite long after she had just sat up on her bed, she heard a knock on her door.

"Andy?" Raphael called out.

"Come in dad"

"I heard weird noises from up here, are you alright?" he asked as he walked into Andy's room to find her still in bed, looking worried. He walked closer to her bed and sat by her side.

"I'm fine dad" she smiled

"Are you sure everything's alright?" he asked again, not feeling entirely comfortable with her response.

"Well...it was just another bad dream" she told her dad

"What was it about?"

"Boogie bears?..." she said, trying hard not to reveal the actual truth. She wasn't ready to tell him of her present suspicions concerning Elder Stefan.

"... nothing serious pa" she joked about it

"Oh, those guys are back," he chuckled.

"Alright then..." he stood up from her bed "...take care of yourself honey" he said as he leaned forward and gave her a peck on her forehead.

"Dad?" she held one of his hands as he turned to leave.

"Yes my little princess?" he replied

"What do you think will happen to me?" she asked him, as he sat down to give her a proper reply.

"We still have to give it time princess. You're gonna be in full shape, we'll find a way. I just need you to trust me okay?" he said as he pecked her forehead again.

"Now freshen up, and come downstairs for breakfast" he said, running his fingers through her hair and then he left.

Andy's family had their daily meal in a way that made their lives seem perfect. Alex would create illusions of a perfect and quiet environment, with its surroundings filled with flowers or something more serene. Raphael loved listening to birds chirp, so Cisco's part was to get all the loved animals in place, but this morning it was different. The whole house looked like it was covered by a dark cloud, or some kind of sad magic had been casted on everyone at home.

"What's going on?" Andy asked as she slowly came down the last two steps of the stairs, staring at everyone and taking notes of their facial expressions.

"It's nothing love" Rachael said, feigning a smile as she walked to the dining table and placed a bowl of rice on it.

"Where's dad?" she asked after she had noticed that the one person who had called her down for breakfast was nowhere in sight.

"Well," Rachael tried to explain when she was cut short by Cisco.

"Someone needs to tell her" he said, his face looking more unpleasant than his earlier expression.

"No!..." Alex yelled.

"...Dad specifically asked us not to" he continued.

"She's still gonna find out" Cisco tried pointing out to both his mum and his elder brother, who stared at him in fury.

"Find out what?" she asked, but everyone kept quiet

"What did dad tell you all not to say?" She turned to look at her mother, yearning for a reply to stop her endless worry, but in turn all she got was her mother's continuous silence.

"Can someone tell me what's going on!" she said, growing impatient and waiting for someone to break the sudden silence.

"Dad was called to the elders room again today" Alex spoke immediately after she asked in fury again, cutting her short of whatever she wanted to say after her last question, that is, if she had any.

"What do you mean by he was called again?" she questioned.

"Before the coming-of-age ceremony, he was summoned by the other elders to pass a final judgment on what to do with you" he said, lowering his head

"But the elders adjourned their judgment until after the ceremony" Cisco cut in as Alex heaved a breath

"So he was instructed to report back this morning, to finalize the judgment that will be passed, today" Alex concluded, as he watched his sister melt into the chair next to her, dumbfounded. She looked like her entire world had just crumbled before her eyes and there was nothing he could do to stop it from happening.

Total silence filled the room but was slowly enveloped by Andy's soft sobs. Tears rolling down her cheeks, the little vibration her body made in rhythm to the flow of her tears. It broke everyone to see her like that.

"Andy?" her mum called out, walking towards her. Instead of giving a response, Andy stood up and ran out of the door. There was nothing else she could do. No one else she could turn to for help. She ran as fast and as far as her legs could carry her, until she stopped at the same river where she had heard the strange voice for the first time. The same river that gave her hope and made her believe there was still something she could do.

Just like that day, she asked the same questions. Why was she created? Why she was not gifted, an anomaly. She buried her face in her palms, with both her knees on the ground, letting out as much tears as she could. She had forgotten about this for a few weeks and she hated herself for that, for not giving up and for thinking there was some kind of hope for her.

"Andy" a soft voice from behind her called out. It was Derrick. He was on his way to see her at her place, when he saw her running out of the house, looking like everything had just broken the few pieces of herself she had left and decided to follow her.

"What's wrong?" he asked Andy, as he squatted behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder, who in turn hugged him so tight as she cried the more.

She finally got a grip on herself and explained everything to him.

"I should've told you earlier"

"You should've?...wait, you knew about all of this!?" she asked in anger, letting go of whatever part of her body was in contact with him.

"My mum told me about it, and believe me, I wanted to tell you about it the other day but..."

"But what Derrick?" she asked again when Derrick was trying hard to explain himself.

"I need you to leave right now" Andy told Derrick in her state of fury.

"But..." Derrick said but was cut short again by Andy.

"Just leave right now!..." she yelled "...please" she said, trying hard to control her anger at that moment.

"Okay, okay..." he said, confused on what his next action should be. "... I'll leave" Derrick spoke as he walked away, turning back after every few steps to see her break down even more.