Chapter 7

Arder was terrified. She felt like she was going insane every time she thought about the dream. She was the only one who knew how real it all felt though; her throat was still burning from screaming. But she knew no one would believe her if she told them about it, which is why she didn't.

She got up from her desk and asked to go to the washroom. She had to know for sure that it wasn't real. Arder had to know if Sophie was okay.

~~~~~

The school building was silent. The only noise was the sound of her footsteps and the occasional faint voices coming from the classrooms. The hallways were covered in awards and posters for clubs. Arder didn't pay much attention to them, as she had never been the type to join such organizations.

She quickly ran out the back entrance next to the gym and headed for Cara's. It was a lot less busy on the streets in the morning, with everyone either at work or school. Turning onto the busy road she had met Grey on, she quickened her pace once she saw the café's large sign over the heads of the few pedestrians. She knew she wouldn't stop thinking about the dream until she knew if it was real or not.

The blinds of Cara's were drawn, but the sign was flipped to read "open." The light chime of the door rang out as she entered. Very few people were inside, and she easily spotted a boy with light auburn hair sitting on one of the couches, a pile of reading material beside him. He was one of their regulars, coming in with a stack of books every second day.

"Daniel?" Arder called to him. Startled, he abruptly lifted his head before setting down the leather-cased book.

"Oh, hey Arder," he smiled, taking a sip of the coffee he held. "Don't you have school?" he asked.

The girl nodded, returning his smile despite the situation. He just had that contagious easygoing personality. "Have you seen Sophie?" she inquired.

Daniel nodded, pointing towards the backroom.

"I think she went back there a few minutes ago," he said, returning to his book. Arder thanked him before taking off, running into the room.

"Sophie," Arder called out upon entrance. "Are you here?" she yelled. The kitchen was empty, and so was the small hall that connected it to the cafe and washroom. A flush sounded, and Arder ran back into the hallway. The handle of the bathroom door turned and Sophie walked out. The younger girl jumped into her employer's arms and hugged her tightly. "You're okay?" she asked in shock.

"What are you talking about Arder?" Sophie

questioned, stepping back to meet her fearful eyes. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Arder managed, even though her heart was still beating rapidly. She had been so scared that it was true, so scared that Sophie really was dead. "I just thought something did." Sophie stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out what was going on, but Arder didn't budge. She stayed silent and followed the blonde back into the cafe.

"Since you're already here, do you want anything?" Sophie asked, walking behind the counter. She picked up an apron out of its clean pile and took down a mug.

"Just coffee," Arder replied. Sophie handed her the steaming cup and continued serving the few customers who had entered.

Arder walked back over to Daniel and sat down next to him. She now knew the dream was just that: a dream. She had to let it go and forget about it. Nevertheless, she had no idea how she fell asleep in class. Arder had never done that before, just like how she had never had a dream so vivid.

Turning to Daniel, she asked, "What are you reading?" She took a small sip of the strong coffee in her hand and leaned against the couch. He scratched his forehead and turned the book over, reading its name.

"Under The Dome," he answered, showing her its cover. It was a large book, one that she had seen in Sophie's collection before but had never picked up. "It's by Ste-" he was cut off by the sound of her phone ringing.

"Sorry, one second," she said, reaching for the device on the side table. Picking it up, she saw it flashing with her mom's name. Arder sighed and walked outside to take the call.

"Mom?" she asked after pressing the large green answer button.

"There you are. I've been calling for hours," her mother said impatiently. Arder knew this but had wanted some more time to herself before she faced Aubrey.

"Sorry, I guess I didn't hear it," she lied. She leaned back against the brick wall, knowing this wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation.

"Okay. I was just calling to check in." This was unlikely. Arder knew there was an ulterior motive, be it coming home or doing something for Aubrey. There always was one.

"I'm okay," she trailed off, waiting for her mom to come clean. "How are you?" she asked politely.

"Great. Are you going to stay with Lexie or Sophie? We have another dinner, so I just think it'd be best if you stayed with one of them," she explained. There it was; her mom didn't want her to come home.

"I don't know, I'll figure it out," she replied, pacing the alley. She didn't want to get into an argument. "I'll see you tomorrow or something."

Hanging up, she heaved a sigh before walking back inside, only to find Lexie talking to Daniel. "Hey," she smiled, joining the two.

"Hey, where were you? I saw you when I was outside, but you just disappeared," Lexie commented, looking away from the stack of books she was searching through.

"My mom called. I was just out back," she answered, sitting down next to her friends. Lexie's face grew concerned at the mention of Aubrey, while Daniel kept his head in the large book.

"Are you okay? You can stay at my house if you need to," her best friend offered. The redhead hesitated, debating between saying yes or spending the night with Sophie in the upstairs apartment. The café owner knew about her employee's situation and alway welcomed her with open arms. The apartment was like a second home to Arder.

Finally deciding, she said, "Yeah, are you sure your parents wouldn't mind?" She picked up her now cold cup of coffee and went behind the counter to refill it.

"You know you're always welcome," Lexie stated, turning back to Daniel. "So I can borrow the book?" she confirmed. He slowly nodded, his eyes never leaving the pages in front of him.

Arder smiled at her friends and poured some sugar into her mug. She walked back towards the two but stopped before she sat down. Staring out the window, she tried to make out the dark shape she saw across the street. "Hey, do you see that?" she asked, pointing to it for her friends to see.

Lexie stood, her gaze following where Arder pointed. "What? I don't see anything." It wasn't just a dark shape anymore-- it was a man.

"That guy, right there," she persisted, gesturing in the direction again. Still, Lexie looked clueless. "I'll be back," Arder said, running towards the door and leaving her friend behind. The man started to walk into the dark alley across the road. Before she could follow, the street light changed back to green, leaving Arder on the other side.

She impatiently waited, urging the light to change so she could cross. "Come on," she muttered under her breath. The man left her sight, and she couldn't wait any longer. She sprinted across the street, avoiding the cars until she got to the opposite sidewalk. Arder didn't stop there though. She ran into the alley, seeing his retreating figure. "Excuse me," she called out. "Please stop."

The stranger obeyed, staying firmly planted in his spot before her. He didn't even make a move to turn towards her or to keep walking; he just stood there.

"Hello?" she asked. The man ignored her and quickly started walking again. He turned around a corner, revealing a glimpse of his face. "Cyrus?" she whispered in confusion. The man was long gone, yet Arder was positive of one thing: she had seen Cyrus. She didn't have a single doubt in her mind that it was him. She only wondered how, and why Grey had said he was dead. She had seen the large scar across the man's face and his crooked nose, the same features she had seen hundreds of times when she was a child.

It was Cyrus.