The Dream Catchers

Bullets

Keith stopped the car in front of Candice's house and looked at her. 

 "You look very pretty."

 Candice felt uncomfortable, she always did when someone said something like this to her. 

She wasn't sure whether to thank the person making the compliment, or tell him the truth- that she didn't think she was and actually looked stupid.  

 Candice rarely wore dresses, but Mia had insisted she wore the short green dress with a ribbon on the back, matched with figural tights.  

 At least she'd won the battle against wearing different shoes from her Converse and Mia didn't try to put her in heels or anything like that.  

Mia had helped her straighten her hair now that it was put in order, Candice thought at least that didn't look that bad.  

 "I look like a girl. And my hair's too long, I'll have to cut it."

 She'd told Mia when she'd checked herself out in the mirror.  

 "Candice. You are a girl."  

"Yeah, but..." 

Candice had made a gesture around the room and Mia had said, all her seriousness mastered then, in the small frame of her friend:

 "You are. I know it's hard to try and be like us, but why not just go out with him and have fun?"

 "It's not going out, I'm just going to see a game of his?"  

"Right. Call it however you want and just relax. Okay?" 

 "Okay?" 

 Candice realized she'd trailed off and it was already too late to thank Keith, or reply, or anything.

 She turned to him. he had tilted his head, regarding her. 

"By the way, thanks. For coming. I know you probably don't like basketball much." he said. 

  "No, I do . I mean, I don't know much about it, but you're very good." 

He laughed.

  "Okay. Honestly- I don't know anything about it, but seeing you score most point probably means you are?" 

Candice tried to explain. 

 "It's not just me, we're a team, so yeah." 

He smiled at her and Candice felt her heart speed up. 

She wriggled in her seat and put her hand on the door handle.  

 "Okay, so ..." 

She was just going to tell him bye when Keith moved closer and Candice flinched.   

Despite that, he moved even closer. 

Candice caught the faint scent of his perfume and felt herself somehow relaxing towards him too, closing her eyes.  

Keith kissed her cheek and pulled back.  

 "Uh..." she opened her eyes and saw him smiling, the dimples made him look even cuter. 

Not that he wasn't normally. 

 "I'll see you at school, then?" he said.   

"Yeah. Yes. Right." 

 "Good night, Candice." 

 "You too."  

 She got out of the car and shortly after she heard Keith drive away. 

Candice headed blindly to her house, stumbling on a few invisible stones on the path.  

That was the first time a guy had seen her off to her house. 

Ever.  

 He had kissed her cheek. 

Which was another thing she tried not to freak out about. 

Maybe he'd just been nice?

She reminded herself this wasn't a date or anything when suddenly she felt like someone was behind her.  Candice turned abruptly, but there wasn't anyone. 

She paused to listen, but there wasn't anything. 

Candice wondered whether to go back the way she came and looked around, but thought there was no point and got inside.   

She went to her room and when she began changing, she realized the entire time after she'd gotten off Keith's car, she'd been waiting for her phone to buzz.             

                                                                         **** 

 Candice opened her eyes and found herself sitting on the stone floor, her hands tied behind her back.

 She quickly took a look around - the place looked like a warehouse. 

Or something very close to it. 

Then she noticed the person, tied together with her.

 They were sitting back to back and when she looked behind her again, she saw it was a woman. 

  Candice could usually feel something in the dream. It could be the person's presence, but not their touch, or warmth for example.  

 The woman was trying to set herself free, screaming into the empty place. 

After a few seconds, she gave up.  

 "I can't get away, "she pleaded.   

"Hey, " Candice tried to sound casual. 

"We'll get away soon, don't worry. "  

 The woman burst out in tears, 

"They have my child!" 

 "Everything will be okay, we'll find it. Is it a boy or a girl?" 

Candice was keeping her distracted while trying to find something she could use to cut the ropes.   

  Too bad I can't bring anything from the real world with me, damn it, she thought. 

She saw a  piece of glass lying nearby and tried to reach it with her foot.  

 She was almost there when suddenly a man appeared out of nowhere and kicked it away.

 Candice looked up and saw him. 

He was huge and was wearing a face mask. 

He was also pointing a gun at her.   

  s**t, she muttered. 

The woman tied to her began moving frantically, crying and pleading with the man to let her go and give her back her son.   

"You can't take him away! He's only a baby!" 

 "Tell her to shut up, or I'll shoot you both." 

The masked man told Candice. 

She felt her heart stutter but had no idea where it came from.   

She looked around.

"Why do you keep us?" 

Candice asked, hoping for some kind of an answer, or a way to get him to calm down.

 Instead, he switched the gun in his left hand and hit her with it. 

She couldn't smell the iron scent of the blood or its warmth, but Candice could feel the liquid trickling down her cheek.  

 "Touch her again and I'll rip you apparat." 

The voice sounded from somewhere behind the masked man.  

And it was him. 

 Candice almost gasped when she saw the red-haired boy, standing behind their abductor. 

He was entirely dressed in black, the dark clothes making his bright red hair even more noticeable.

 His green eyes had a strange glimmer, to them Candice thought beautiful, at the same time so intimidating it was scary.   

"Who the f**k are you," the guy said and got up, lunging towards the red-haired boy. "And where did you come from ?"

 The boy ducked the hit and only a second later the kidnapper was lying on the ground, his gun lying on the ground. 

It had happened so quickly Candice wasn't sure how it had.  

 The boy was crazy fast.   

He kicked the gun away and stepped on the man's chest with his foot, looking down at him. 

He pointed the gun at the man's leg and said.   

"Where's the boy?" 

 "I...." the man tried to get up and then Candice noticed he was bleeding. The boy had not only taken him to the ground in seconds but had also managed to wound him. 

 "I'll ask only once again- where's he?" 

 "f*****g get away from me, you redheaded..." 

 He couldn't finish because the boy shot his leg.  

Just like that.

The sound of the fired bullet echoed loudly in the huge, empty space and the man cried in pain.

The red-haired boy didn't even flinch.

 The woman next to Candice was shaking so hard,  Candice almost forgot her heart was beating so fast . She could swear she felt the pain.  

 "Last chance or I'll just kill you."   

The woman had stopped crying and was now only trembling next to Candice. 

  "He...he's ..."

 The man on the floor was trying to take a breath, his blood making a pool around him. 

 The boy aimed at his forehead.

  "No, no! Please don't- I'll tell you. He's in the car outside." 

The boy lowered the gun and said flatly. 

 "If he isn't, I'll kill you when I come back." 

  Candice knew the criminal had no chance of getting up, so the boy kneeled next to her and whispered hurriedly, untying her wrists.  

 "You stay and keep an eye on him. I don't know if he's alone. I'll search outside and take the mother, the kid shouldn't see this." 

He glanced at the woman, but she hadn't heard him

 " Let's hope it's really outside. I don't have any more bullets." 

He untied them and looked up at her. 

A slow smile spread on his face

 "Okay?" Candice nodded.  

 He took out a small knife from his jacket 

"Just in case. "  

She felt her pulse pounding so loud in her ears she was afraid she'd lose consciousness when he took her hand and placed the knife in it. 

Then she looked up and the green eyes pinned her.   

"That would make a cool scar in real life," He said and wiped away the almost dried blood from Candice's face.

 He got up and went out.  

 Candice looked back ahead, but the man on the floor was gone.

She shhok her head and tried to clear her mind. 

and then she saw the mother, kneeling on the ground, kissing her boy. 

She was hugging the child and laughing through tears, no trace of the criminal. 

Or the boy.                                       

                                                                                  **** 

 He heard his phone buzzing and looked around.

 Eadan had no idea where the buzz was coming from,but considering the hour, whoever was calling, probably it was because of something urgent. 

It was a little after five and he also realized he hadn't gone to sleep yet. 

  Eadan managed to dig his phone out from under the scattered sheets all over the floor.

 Lockjaw stirred, but remained where he was-  resting on the floor close to Eadan. 

He picked up.  

"Yes?" 

 "Hey Eadan"

 "Candice? "

"yes, hi.

"Are you ok?" 

 "yes, just. ..." 

She sounded confused. 

"Candice, what happened?" 

He tried to sound even although if Candice was calling him at that time, it couldn't be just for anything.  "Nothing, I'm at your place, actually..." 

 He got up and headed to the front door  

 "Okay, I'm coming in a second. "

  "Okay, yeah. I'll be here." 

 He ran down the stairs, hoping everything really was all right.