The Dream Catchers

Black

"Tell me, mother 

                    Which I should regret

                                                     What I became

                                                                                  Or what I didn't."

Eadan spent the evening in the library, studying the book he'd taken from Felix. 

Stolen was more probably accurate. He'd taken it while his friend was nose deep into something he'd been reading. 

"Uh..." he grunted audibly in the silence. The books contained millions of spells, a huge number of which made no sense at all or talked about stuff he had no knowledge of. 

Lockjaw had taken his usual spot in the corner of the desk, watching him.

Silently judging him. 

"I'll give it back, I promise." 

Eadan said and turned back to the book. 

He finished the chapter on Celtic magic and closed it when he reached the parts, describing different blood magic rituals. 

Felix had been right. 

Besides, that was insane and he felt like an i***t going through some grimoires he'd literally stolen. 

It was dangerous and he knew he had to find other ways.

Practicing with his father and the other dream catchers was one thing, but delving into the forbidden spells was another. 

No matter the possible result- and he had no proof what he wanted was achievable, could still potentially cost lives. 

"Ok, whatever. "

Eadan shut the book and headed upstairs. 

He checked the time once he was back in his room. A little after eleven. 

His room was warm, the only light coming from the dying fire in the fireplace. The maids hadn't entered and everything was left at its place. 

The way he'd left it before going out. 

Eadan knew they probably found him weird anyway. 

And the fact he insisted on taking care of his own things most likely didn't surprise them either. They'd never shown what they think of him, though. 

Eadan headed to his bed when 

Lockjaw landed heavily on his desk and flapped his wings. 

He began taking his blouse off when Lockjaw made another croaking sound. 

"What is it, Lock?"

He tuned and saw the bird was standing next to a plain wooden box. 

Lockjaw pushed it lightly towards his owner. Eadan dropped his hands and moved closer. 

"Who brought this here?"

He took the box in his hands and opened it.

 There was a beautiful dagger inside.

Eadan took it out and inspected it under the moonlight, the only source of light in the room. 

The cross handle was made in the shape of silver wings , while the blade and the handle were made of a deep black material. 

There was also a note and he took it- a plain sheet of paper, folded into four. 

"Next time I see you, I expect you to be able to at least know how to use it. " 

There was something else, written with the same crooked handwriting on the back of the note. 

"I have nothing in pink for Birdie."

Eadan folded back the paper and left it on the table. he put the dagger back in the box and closed it. 

He went to the glass door, leading to the big balcony and opened it. 

Once he was already out, Eadan looked up at the full moon. 

Its silver light was washing everything around, making it look magical. at the same time cold and distant. 

Eadan took a few breaths and felt the wind playing with his hair. Lockjaw followed shortly after from inside and landed on the rail.

Eadan took out a cigarette and lit it. 

He stood quiet, just gazing at the darkness ahead. 

Then his voice traveled in the silence, asking no one in particular. 

"I guess it's decided, yeah?" 

Lockjaw jumped a few times and tilted his head. 

Eadan finished his cigarette in a short while in silence and went back inside. 

He opened back the book of spells where he'd left off and continued reading. 

                                                                         ****

Candice heard her phone buzzing but ignored it. It was a little after eleven, but she knew she had to finish her homework. 

Maths is this cursed dark magic Lazar warns us about. I swear, she muttered to herself as she was trying to solve the same problem she'd had in front of her for the past thirty minutes. 

Eadan had been right, she couldn't gather her thoughts recently. 

Almost two weeks had passed after her last dream with him, and she still had the feeling it had happened not long ago. 

 What was strange about the dreams where the red-haired boy appeared was she felt like it was something familiar. 

And way too real. 

Candice realized she had begun secretly hoping she'd meet him again when her phone buzzed again and she flinched. 

Focus, Candice, what's wrong with you, she thought. She checked her phone and saw it was a message from Tyler. 

Colder here. 

After a few seconds, she got another 

sleep tight.

She shook her head. 

That was the second time her brother had sent her a message after he'd left for Canada and it was this...at least this time there were two messages. 

So she quickly typed

Here's kind of nice. Didn't rain

oh, forget weather talks. 

then she sent another

It's not the same without you. How are things? Text me when you can. Can I call you?

Tyler's message came ten minutes later and it was only a 

No. 

She was typing, when her phone buzzed again.

 Candice wrote only one word and pressed send. 

and then

Oh, no...she muttered. 

She'd replied to the latest message, which wasn't from her brother. 

"f*****g. s**t. " She said aloud looking down at her screen. It showed 

Keith: hey, what's up

Candice : JERK!!!

Keith: Yeah, I don't get a lot

Keith: Surprisingly :D 

Candice ran her hands through her already messy hair and leaned back in the chair. 

"OK, be cool. You've actually had a knife fight, 2:1, you can do this," she told herself. "Now I'm talking to myself. Perfect. "

She started typing, then deleted it. 

Then again. In the end, she decided to just be done with it and sent a 

"Sorry, it wasn't for you."

keith replied right way 

"Now I'm more worried. what kind of people do you talk to"

"just my brother"

"oh, ok. hope everything's fine. "

Candice paused and realized she hadn't really talked to anyone about how she felt after Ty had left. 

He was, in fact, one of her favorite people in the world, and not that she'd hoped for him to call every day, but she at least wanted them to spend more than a minute on the phone talking to each other. 

But then, Mia was with Jamie and she didn't want to trouble her, and she hadn't seen Eadan in a while...

Which reminded her she had to talk to Eadan. 

She promised herself to check on him tomorrow and typed a message to Keith

"All cool. kind of"

"What happened?"

"no, nothing, just..."

"You miss him?"

"maybe, I don't know. I guess I do. "

"Are you close to each other?"

"very, but didn't realize it until he left. And now he doesn't even pick up his phone."

Candice didn't receive a reply for a while and decided Keith had gotten bored. Who wouldn't, she thought. 

She finished her homework and got up to go brush her teeth. 

Her phone beeped in her pocket while she was putting the toothpaste.  It was from Keith again. 

 "Come outside?"

She dropped the toothbrush and smudged some of the green paste on her sleeve. 

damn it. 

"None of this is real," she said. "I'm actually dreaming. "

 She washed her hands quickly and tried to wash away the stain. She checked herself in the bathroom mirror.

 She was wearing her oldest and widest hoodie, her hair the usual mess.

"Forget it," she said and hurried down the stairs. "He's probably not even here. "

But he was

. She saw him from across the street. 

He'd parked nearby, leaning against his car door. She paused and wondered if he'd notice if she just went back inside and changed and...

"Hey" he said and smiled- that wide smile all the girls were talking about. 

"Okay, too late, "

she thought and crossed the street. 

"Hey, Keith, what are you doing here?" 

He pushed back from the car and searched the pockets of his hoodie. 

The hoodie of the team with the words Captain written on the back. 

Keith took out a small box of peanut butter pops and held out his hand.

"I've noticed you like those. I was planning to give them to you at school sometime, but I thought maybe now's the time. Chocolate always helps, right?"

Candice just stood there. 

"if you don't say anything soon, I will feel even more awkward."

"Uhh..."

"Sorry, is it stupid?" He asked and looked away. 

"What, no?"

Candice took the box quickly and looked down at it. Those really were her favorite. 

"I can't believe you've noticed," she said. 

"You thought I only care about the team?" he joked. 

"No, no. I'm just surprised. And it's late. I still can't believe you're here."

"You sounded a bit down, and you're always so cheerful, so I thought really something might have happened.  " 

Keith smiled at her again. Candice knew she was blushing, and it was probably obvious even in the dark. 

"Thank you. "

"No problem. Anyway, " Keith took a step back and said "it's really late and I don't want to trouble you anymore."

"You aren't, and really- thank you. "

"I hope it helped. I'm sure everything will be fine with your brother, it's just- we are sometimes like that."

Candice laughed. "I know, guys hate phones."

"Kind of, so yeah."

They both paused and just stood there in the middle of the street. 

He was so cute, Candice almost said it out loud. 

" Okay, then. " Keith nodded. "I'll see you around." 

He opened the door of his car and turned to look at her one last time "I like your hair, by the way."

"Oh, no..."

Candice's hands flew to her hair right away. "Sorry, I..."

"No, I'm serious. it suits you, but you're always pretty, so..." He smiled and got on "Good night, Candice."

"Good night." 

He drove off in the quiet of the evening and she stood a good few minutes on the road before she got in. 

                                                                       ****

"He knows where I live!" Candice was telling Mia on their way to history class.

"Come on, Candice. Everyone knows everyone here...We live in the most god-forgotten place in the world."

"We don't." She said. 

"You know what I mean, like- it's normal for him to know. And you're paranoid."

"I'm not."

"You are, but maybe it's understandable." Mia paused before they got in "I was serious that time- promise me you'll at least try to give him a chance. "

"Candice only huffed. Or made a sound that resembled it. 

"Do you like him?." Mia asked.

Candice bit her thumb and looked at Mia

"Ohh, my god!" her friend exclaimed. "You do!"

"Shhhh, don't shout. "

"Finally, Candice likes someone!" Mia almost started jumping.

"If this is some kind of way to get me back for all the jokes about my brother, I take them back and I apologize."

Mia hugged her and said

 "No, I'm just happy I finally hear you talk about a guy. "

"But I don't like him. "

"Yet." Mia laughed "Let's go in now. "

Candice followed her, guilt strangely filling her in. 

It wasn't that she didn't like Keith, maybe she did. 

But there was someone else she couldn't stop thinking about. 

The problem was that someone probably didn't even exist. 

And if he did- he was god only knew where in the world. 

  She took her seat, which was the one before the last by the window. 

The last seat was always reserved for Eadan, who'd sent her a message he might not come today. 

Candice opened her textbook and Mr. Anderson began speaking. 

At some point she stopped listening and began tracing invisible lines around the room, or cracks on the walls, scribbling things in her notebook when she looked out the window..

Their room was facing the backyard and Keith's class had PE. 

He was running, much faster than the others, but she noticed how he slew down so that the person next to him could catch up. 

She leaned closer to the window unconsciously and the next thing she knew was that Keith was smiling up at her. 

Candice quickly looked away and set her eyes on something on her desk.

 She leaned her forehead on her palm, knowing she might be actually starting to get in real trouble. 

And when later Keith sent her a message 

"We have a game next week. Would you come watch me.?"

 "Maybe?"

She said 

"Yes :)"