The Fortress

IT ALL BEGUN like a dream. You know that type of dream that seems to have emerged from nowhere even though you have always been aware of it's existence. It could be felt, it could give a sense of direction, unconsciously at first, till it becomes a reality."The fortitude." Jared had muttered under his breath that morning while simply replying with a nod."It's going to be the best for you baby, I've done all the necessary findings on the institution and they specialize in taking care of people who have situations like yours, we can trust them honey," Jared's mom said to her son leaning closely to him and stroking his hair in an affectionate way.Jared on the other hand, had a lot going on in his mind and so many questions unanswered. It had been approximately five years, twenty six days he lost his father to a fatal accident which almost had him traumatized as he was in the same vehicle and witnessed his father being ripped in half—a sight he wished he never beheld.Barely two years

"DO YOU THINK we made the right choice?" Joanne asked her husband Bennie who didn't look bothered about their son leaving under their care as she made her way to the bed to join him in her light pink lingerie. "Bennie," She called out facing her already dozing husband who felt exhausted from driving almost all day. "I think he will do just fine," Bennie groaned without opening his already tired eyes. Joanne wasn't satisfied with the answer she got. "You know, he has never been on his own before, without me and there are so many strange kids...." "Trust me, he will be fine. Did you see the excitement in his eyes when he saw that kid with wings? I've never seen him look like that. He will have a sense of belonging and most importantly, he will be able to control those constant noises that pose as a problem for him. You don't have to worry, we made the right choice for him. Come over here," Bennie replied stretching out his hands for her to curl in with his eyes half opened. "Did yo

JARED WAS AWOKEN by a resounding synthesized female voice coming from a speaker located at the edge of the high walls of his room."How come I didn't notice that?" Jared grumbled as he sat lazily on his bed. He took a quick peep at the table clock beside him and dashed into the bathroom. He didn't hear what the synthesized female voice had said but it woke him anyway. He could find out from Alex later in the day.Just as he came out clean from the bathroom, there was a loud knock on the door."Jared are you ready?" Alex asked, raising his baritone voice a little bit high.Jared looked at the table clock before him. It read seven fifty. He was supposed to be awake since six forty-five. "Give me ten minutes," he yelled back.Exactly ten minutes after, Alex was about to knock again as he had not expected Jared to keep to the time he gave, the door swung open."Good morning, Mr Alex," Jared grinned."There's nothing good about the morning boy, you woke up late.""I couldn't sleep last ni

IT WAS NOT difficult locating the tavern as Sarah could remember Riley's Bar like it was yesterday. It was where she had her first kiss as a teenager, a feeling that still made her knees week. The outer view of the bar had not changed much from the years past. Although, it looked smaller than she could remember, she wondered if the interior of the bar was still the same picture she had in her head from years ago. She kept scanning the bar as she crossed to the other side of the road."Oops, sorry," She let out as she almost bumped into an old lady with a bag of groceries. Just a few more steps, she could tell where the accident involving Ian and his family had occured. She lowered to the ground inspecting the floors as if she could feel something beneath the hard tar floors. She slowly let her palm reach for the surface of the earth. As she came in contact with it, she transitted. But, this time, it came in flashes. She saw a male paramedic checking Ian's pulse and declaring him de

A CUP OF warm coffee lifted Sarah's spirits that morning even though she wasn't a fan of caffeine. Her eyes felt heavy and she felt drained, she wondered why. She had a nightmare that had her gasping the moment she woke up. She had seen herself in a forest, stuck to a tree like she was tied to it but there was no visible rope used in holding her back to the tree. She struggled so hard and screamed, but, her body wouldn't just come off the tree. It felt like someone else was in control of her body making sure she couldn't move an inch from the tree. She saw Ian and the bearded man from her transition few days ago approaching her. "You finally found me". Ian had said smirking in her dream before she woke up. The dream felt so real and she didn't know what to think. She couldn't say if it was an ordinary dream or it meant something. At this point, she had no idea what her next step should be. There was no possible way of finding Ian without a clue or something that could transit her to w