Fang Marks

**Chapter 6 Dreams and Reality**

Lila Bennett held up his phone, searching for a signal in his room.

He stood on the bed, climbed onto the windowsill, and then moved to the hallway, dining room, parlor, and front yard.

The signal bar continuously displayed an exclamation mark. The internet only flickered briefly, and then all he had left to entertain himself was his offline puzzle game. He asked Sebastian about the signal on the island. With a kind smile, Sebastian suggested he try by the lake but advised him to be cautious.

Lila had a mental block about going near the lake, but after two hours, he couldn't resist the lure of the internet and grabbed his phone, making his way through the woods.

It was his first time walking outside during daylight, and he moved slowly, leaving uneven footprints in the snow, becoming a small moving dot in the woods.

"He's a good kid," Dr. Ling remarked casually. "So well-behaved, with those puppy-dog eyes. Hard to imagine he has a tattoo on his arm, in memory of his mother, no less. Quite nice, actually."

Alexander Reed stood by the window, looking down.

The thick curtains were parted slightly, allowing daylight to spill in and fall just a foot away from where he stood. His eyes reflected the snow outside as he spoke. "He also has one behind his right earlobe."

Dr. Ling was surprised. "Behind his ear?"

In the forest below, the small dot of Lila Bennett slipped and fell, but he quickly got back up, adjusted his hat, and continued, moving clumsily due to the rough path.

Alexander Reed closed the curtains, his voice calm. "A heart shape, very small."

Dr. Ling chuckled.

The room returned to darkness.

The chandelier's shadow cast a tall, silent silhouette of Alexander Reed across the room.

He strode over to the table, picking up a small bottle filled with red liquid—just a few milliliters. After examining it briefly, he set it down. "Take it away."

Dr. Ling's smile faded as he spoke seriously. "If it weren't such a severe case... what you're doing might not be the best for them. If you ask me, everyone should be more cautious."

Alexander Reed didn't respond to the topic.

After a brief silence, he asked, "Is it almost time?"

Dr. Ling checked his watch. "About an hour. How are you feeling?"

"Nothing unusual," Alexander Reed replied.

Dr. Ling said, "The meeting is in April. Xiao Ning will come again in a month." He hesitated before adding, "Have you considered letting him stay on the island? We have excellent resources here; he won't be treated poorly."

Alexander Reed's long black hair fell over his shoulders, his expression indifferent. "It's not necessary for now."

Lila Bennett didn't find any signal by the lake either.

He thought of a possibility: perhaps the only place with a signal was in Alexander Reed's room.

But he quickly dismissed the idea. If that were the case, then the area directly below his room should also have a signal, given the proximity. But it didn't.

Perplexed and disappointed, Lila felt defeated.

Taking away a young person’s internet access is like taking away their soul.

The puzzle game no longer brought any comfort.

At least the view by the lake was beautiful.

Apart from nearly falling in, which still left him feeling uneasy, the scenery here was perfect.

The lake had frozen over, trapping a boat in its center.

The dock was covered in snow, surrounded by towering fir trees.

Lila returned to his room to grab his guitar, then headed back to the dock by the lake. His injured hand hurt less now, and he only planned to strum a bit. Having something to do was better than just waiting around.

The music he had listened to on the bus ride to Ferry Island was still cached on his phone.

He played it a few times, strumming along, and in the peaceful, undisturbed environment, with the breathtaking scenery, he quickly became adept at playing the melody.

Just as he felt the urge to play more songs, he stopped.

Practice abruptly halted.

Lila Bennett stared into space for a long time.

When his hands and feet grew numb from the cold, he packed up his guitar and headed back to his room. He lay in bed for a while, staring blankly at the ceiling, not even playing his puzzle game.

For the remainder of his time on Ferry Island, he never saw Alexander Reed again.

*

On Monday morning, before dawn, Lila Bennett was already up and ready, waiting in the dining room.

The kitchen had prepared oatmeal and sandwiches for him.

He ate every last bite.

The thing Lila Bennett enjoyed most about Ferry Island was the food. Each meal was distinct and delicious, and it seemed the injury to the kitchen helper hadn’t affected the kitchen's operations at all.

Sebastian personally escorted him.

As they reached the dock, light snow began to fall again.

The sky was still dim, and the white boat, anchored at the dock, was just a hazy shape in the early morning light.

There was no wind today, so the boat didn’t sway with the waves. A figure stood on the deck, likely Uncle Ping.

Before boarding, Lila remembered something. “Grandpa Kang!”

He pulled out the warmed headphone case from his coat pocket and said, "These are Alexander Reed’s headphones. I won’t have trouble sleeping when I get home, so I won’t need them. Please thank him for me."

Sebastian didn’t take them, smiling instead. “When Mr. Reed gives you something, it’s yours to keep.”

Lila Bennett didn’t want to keep them.

He had already received a large sum of money.

Seeing his hesitation, Sebastian added, "Come back as scheduled next time. Consider it a small gift of thanks. Now go on, I hope you don’t get seasick this time."

Lila bid Sebastian farewell.

Onboard, Uncle Ping was dressed the same as he had been on Friday.

There was no fierce wind on the sea this time.

And the boy who had accompanied Lila on the trip to the island was no longer aboard.

Lila asked Uncle Ping about him, but Uncle Ping didn’t give a direct answer. “You’re only coming a few more times. He won’t be riding with you again.”

The boat sailed smoothly over the sea.

They reached the Ferry Island dock without incident.

“Be on time next time,” Uncle Ping said. “I’ll be waiting for you here again.”

“Okay,” Lila Bennett replied. He waved goodbye as he disembarked. “Goodbye, Uncle Ping!”

Uncle Ping stood on the deck, looking a bit uncomfortable with the farewell.

After a long moment, he waved back at Lila, then quickly retreated into the cabin.

Lila stepped onto the mainland, once again seeing the old boats covered in graffiti piled up by the shore.

He passed through the woods and reached the asphalt road where he had waited for the bus on his way there. This time, he stood for half an hour without seeing the return bus.

So, he decided to walk.

After walking two or three hundred meters, his phone finally connected.

Ethan Cheng’s voice came through the line: “Ning Ning, let’s get barbecue tomorrow after work. I’ll meet you at the bar.”

Lila replied, “Sure.”

Su said something to someone nearby, sounding cheerful, then turned back to Lila. “I tried calling you yesterday but couldn’t get through. What were you up to?”

“I went to Ferry Island. The signal there is bad,” Lila explained.

Su paused for a moment, then swore at himself. “Oh, right. I completely forgot.”

Lila responded, “I know,” but surprisingly, he wasn’t angry.

While he was on Ferry Island, the strange atmosphere had made him lose the urge to call Su to vent.

He felt like he’d grown up.

After finalizing their plans, the morning bus emerged from the fog.

Lila boarded. The driver wasn’t the same one from before, and the bus was much more crowded, with every passenger looking half-asleep.

Lila sat by the window, listening to a little girl in the seat ahead of him beg her mother to play a finger puppet game with her.

Behind him, a couple whispered to each other, while the man next to him snored loudly.

Lila scrolled through all the messages and news he had missed over the past few days.

Suddenly, he felt like he had returned to reality.

*

That night, Lila Bennett had a terrible dream.

He’d had dreams like this before, but never one that left him drenched in sweat when he woke up.

He gasped for air, clutching the blanket. Embarrassed, he squeezed his eyes shut, but fragments of the dream continued to flash in his mind.

In the blue water of the lake, a small boat floated.

Moonlight bathed them.

They were tangled together like inseparable fish.

“No betrayal, no running away, no fear.”

He cried, tears clinging to his eyelashes, as he promised again and again to the man beside him.

Long hair brushed against his earlobe.

Breath lingered by his neck.

Behind him, a low, rich voice whispered an incantation: “Give yourself to me.”

Devoutly, Lila repeated the words, over and over, fearing he wouldn’t prove his loyalty enough.

The scene shifted, and they were now in a room.

Alexander Reed sat on the couch, his glass already empty. His pale skin, dark eyes, and lips were tinged with the color of blood.

“Get up,” Alexander Reed said coldly, as if granting a favor.

Lila Bennett replayed the ridiculous dream in his mind, burying his face in the pillow. His heart pounded