Drowning in Dreams : Chapter #10: What Forever Really Means

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“Are you sure about this, Shawna?” Lucas asked, concerned. When she didn’t answer, he glanced at her and frowned, noting the stubborn set of her chin. He sighed, and knew they weren’t turning back now.2

Shawna turned towards the window as Lucas started the car. She felt…she wasn’t sure exactly. A sense, maybe, that everything would be alright. She grinned foolishly. Everything was far from alright. She had tried to call Chase to talk, only to be told by his brother he was out with Josh, Madison and Sarai. ‘Traitors’ she thought viciously, wiping tears away from her eyes. 3

They started back down that California road in complete silence, just content to be escaping the place that had caused so much pain for everyone in the past few weeks. Shawna’s father didn’t even know she was gone yet. Shawna bitterly realized it wouldn’t be until the end of the day, dinnertime, when she was missed. She always came down to grab something to eat, and occasionally her step mother would wave or say hi, but otherwise Shawna was an alien in her own house.  4

Relived to finally be leaving that house, she settled in her seat and prepared for the long drive ahead. As she watched the hillsides go by, she noticed how beautiful it had become on the Californian coast, and was reminded of all the great times there. 5

The first day of kindergarten, the first day she met Lucas. When she was 5, meeting Madison and Sarai. All of those magnificent years on this very beach, and yet all Shawna could think of was the small home in Washington with peeling wallpaper in the kitchen, her stereo and a spot on her otherwise perfectly white rug. 6

Shawna thought about that all the way from California to Washington state. Though that “spot” had been painful, and left her with a scar, she realized it was only a spot, only a square inch on her carpet, only 5 minutes of her day, only these 4 weeks of her life. 7

As she passed under a large sign saying ‘Welcome to Washington”, she realized through all this, she had a much better understanding of what forever really meant, and for the first time that whole trip, she shut her eyes and faded into a sweat dream of tomorrow... 8