The Black Doors Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Broken Dreams

From the hilltop, Destiny watched the windmills spinning. The summer breeze was brushing against her face. She could feel it through her thin top. Tyler was a little ways off, flying a kite, smiling where he held it at the end of its string. His face looked so young, and free, as if he were the one gliding through the sky instead of the kite.

She felt like sleeping where she lay in the grass. The paper fans kept circling in the wind. Bees buzzed nearby, and birds were chirping. Before long, Destiny left the hilltop, and went back inside. It was hard for her to sit in one place for too long. Dishes were piled by the sink, so she started washing them, one by one.

A dog was barking in one of the neighboring houses. Looking out the window, she could see that the sun had almost entirely set, and since no one was home yet, she began working on dinner. By seven thirty, both her parents had returned. They ate together quietly in the small dining room. Then a few more hours passed, and it was time for bed.

Crickets were chirping out her window. Her ankles clicked together uncomfortably as she lay on her stomach, thinking. Summer would be over soon enough. Then school would start again. School. It was something to do. Something she was good at. But she could have done without all the stress it gave her.

Hugging her pillow, Destiny rolled over onto her back, feeling lonely. The sound of the TV playing downstairs made its way up stairs, playing in a muffled tone against her doorway. It was only a faint noise. It reminded her of her childhood. When she was younger, she used to go to bed long before her parents ever did. She’d fall asleep to the sound of the TV playing low out her door, hearing her parents talking. But tonight Destiny knew that she would just lie awake. She really didn’t feel much like sleeping at all.

Destiny turned off her overhead lights, and lay in the darkness for a while, until she heard the sound of her parents going to bed across the hall from her room. The silence did nothing better to help her sleep, and it was hot inside their summer home. Walking to her window, she tried to breathe in the breeze outside, but it was no good. Soon, she had changed into her jeans, and slid out onto the ledge outside her window.

The ledge felt solid beneath her feet. Gently, she closed the window behind her, and began figuring out the best way to climb down from the second story of her house. Gripping the ledge for support, Destiny dangled her feet over first, and then closed her eyes as she dropped. The impact caused her knees to flex, and she stumbled a little before righting herself and walking down the path away from her cozy, country home.

The air was cooler out in the night than it had been in her stuffy little room. Her arms were crossed over her chest. Her face was set, her eyes flitting here and there as she caught glimpses of shadows passing through the darkness. Ahead of her was the familiar hill she always visited. She walked to its top and gazed out at the moon where it shone from the dark curtain of stars.

“Couldn’t sleep either?” Tyler asked. He was standing nearby, gazing out over the valley of hills. Destiny watched him in the darkness, noting how different he looked now than he had those summers years ago.

“No,” she said, “I couldn’t.”

“Seems funny that we won’t have many more summers like this, together,” Tyler said. He’d walked over to her, and stood next to her, seemingly lost in gazing upwards towards the sky.

“This was our favorite place, when we were younger,” Destiny said, “Do you remember?”

“I remember,” Tyler said, smiling at her, and he took her hand, and squeezed it, “I made you that wreathe out of wildflowers, and put it in your hair.”

Destiny sat down in the grass. Then Tyler joined her. Slowly, she leaned back in his arms, and felt safe from the cold outside.

* * *

At night, as Destiny lay awake in her bed, she heard loud knocking coming from the entry room that made her start. Adriel was already home, last time she had checked. Besides, he wouldn’t have knocked. Gathering up her night gown, Destiny went over to the door, and peered outside. Then she went over to the banister, trying to get a good look at the front door.

She felt slightly childish at that moment. The last time she had hid behind the banister to look downstairs she had been very young. But, then again, she was just as young and unsure in this new place as if she were still just a little girl.

The door had been opened, and voices were talking excitedly. Not altogether loudly, however. There was a strain in them, like they knew people were sleeping inside. Adriel stood there in the entryway, greeting them. As Destiny watched, a tall girl with long dark hair ran into his arms, and they were embracing.

Suddenly, Destiny no longer cared who the newcomers were. They were all teenagers, and they couldn’t be any more dangerous than Adriel. Feeling hurt, she went back to her room, and lay awake, still hearing the voices every now and then coming from beyond the door.

The next morning she was up early to make breakfast. Adriel, however, wasn’t even the first one downstairs. Nor was it Markus, but the tall girl from last night. She came walking into the room wearing slippers and a nightgown, and looked surprised to see Destiny cooking.

Destiny forced a smile, “Good morning,” she said.

“Good morning,” the tall girl said, returning the smile for a moment. She looked to be about Destiny’s age. “I’m Amber, one of Adriel’s friends.” she held out a hand, “It’s so nice to meet you.”

Destiny nodded, “Nice to meet you too,” she said, shaking it.

Amber sat at the table. Clearly no one in this house felt the need to lift a hand with the cooking, Destiny thought. Amber didn’t say anything else, and soon she was joined at the table by another one of the teens that had come in late last night. He was a tall boy, around Adriel’s age and height, with dark, tanned skin. He glanced shyly at Destiny once when he came into the kitchen, but didn’t say anything else before sitting down.

When the rest of them were gathered around the table, Destiny served them breakfast. Each of them thanked her in an honest, grateful way that made her just a little bit happier to be serving them. Then she sat awkwardly at a chair next to the tall boy who Adriel had called Dylan.

“So you’ve met my friends, right Destiny?” Adriel asked. His eyes looked at her unsteadily. Suddenly, Destiny wondered why someone like him would ever have trouble meeting her gaze.

“Yes I have, thank you,” Destiny said. Amber smiled at her for a moment awkwardly before taking another bite of pancakes.

“They’re going to be staying for a while,” Adriel said, smiling that innocent smile of his, “But don’t worry. I promise they’ll be cleaning up after themselves so it won’t add to your work.”

“Adriel!” Amber exclaimed, a sudden glint of realization born in her eyes, “Have you been making Destiny clean up after you?” A guilty look came over Adriel’s face that forced Destiny to stifle a laugh.

“No! Of course not,” Adriel began, “She wanted to do it...”

Dylan laughed softly.

“Destiny’s a great cook!” Markus piped in. Destiny smiled warmly at him, “And Adriel would never make her clean up after him. It’s just her way of being grateful. You know, for letting her stay with us. Adriel pays her!”

“Well I think you’re probably in over your head with these two,” Amber said, “I would never agree to clean up after them.”

“They aren’t so bad,” Destiny said. She felt more warmly toward Amber in that moment. It seemed quite likely that there wasn’t anything romantic going on between her and Adriel.

Later that day, Destiny went on a walk through the garden outside with Dylan. He was a quiet, thoughtful type, and there was something quite strong in the way he carried himself that had nothing to do with the pair of strongly muscled arms he kept folded behind his back.

“I’ve known Adriel for a very long time,” Dylan answered her when she asked.

“Before you came to the city, you mean?” Destiny asked.

“Yes,” Dylan replied, “We knew each other across the track.”

“Do you ever go back over there?” Destiny asked, “The night I met Adriel, he was on a bus in my home town. Do you ever do that? Go joy riding on the buses?”

“No, never joy riding,” he said, “There would be no point in me doing that.”

“Does your sister?”

“No, she wouldn’t either,” Dylan said simply.

“But then I don’t understand why he would.” Destiny said, “Does he not like it here?”

“I doubt that has anything to do with it.”

Destiny felt exasperated now with her tall, not particularly loquacious, new friend. They came up to the fountain towards the center of the garden, “Beautiful place,” Dylan said, “I remember when he drew up his first plans for it. He designs beautiful things.”

“Markus told me he designs things,” Destiny said, “Unfortunately, I haven’t had much of a chance to see any of them.”

“They don’t take you out much, then?”

“No; not at all.”

Dylan looked thoughtful, “Well we’re here now,” he said, “And I don’t mind taking you places. There’s somewhere I think you’d like to go tonight.”

Destiny gazed up at him excitedly. That night came too slowly, but when at last the lamps inside were turned on, Dylan, Markus, and  Amber took Destiny away from the house and out into the night.  How strange, she thought, that destiny had brought them together in this way. She took it they were all lost, like she was. The only way you could stay in a place like this was to have nowhere else to go. This city, The City of Lost Dreams, or whatever you wanted to call it, was for all intents and purposes their never-land.

But Adriel hadn’t come with them that night, even though he had spent most of the day with them, he was nowhere to be seen when they left the mansion. She’d seen his studio. It was beautiful, just like everything else that had been touched by him. It was like Adriel breathed beauty. The only place she still had yet to see was beyond those black doors, in the hallway upstairs.

That first day, Adriel had taken her to the trains, “Can you honestly look this man in the face, and tell him from the bottom of your heart where it is you want to go?” he had asked her, his voice serious, and edgy.

“Yes!” Destiny had said, “I want to go home!”

But the man had just stood there. He hadn’t said a thing. Just stared blankly out across the platform.

“I didn’t think so,” Adriel had said. That was the only time Destiny had ever seen him like that; so serious and intense. Most of the time he seemed so gentle and aloof.

The night was misty and cold. Destiny wore the winter coat she’d been supplied with tightly around her. Looking around, everything seemed startlingly in focus. Every footstep, every shadow. Lights shone from town house windows. The buildings loomed up above them in the distance: tall, imperial, and menacing.

They weren’t headed for the city, however. Dylan and Amber were taking them away from it, up into the hills and brush. She did feel safe with them, almost as safe as she felt with Adriel. They seemed to be full of purpose when they walked, like nothing in this city - in this world for that matter - could surprise them. When they had reached the top of the hills, and she could see the city below them where it was behind them, Dylan pointed ahead, and said, “Look.”

She could see the very edge of a calm lake jutting out between the trees. Her four new friends’ faces were illuminated by the light reflecting off of its surface. As they stood together, Destiny realized that they knew little more about where they were and what they were doing than she did. It struck her how much like stars they were, falling, if not colliding, through infinite space. And they all had met here, fragments of stars, pieced together by this lake.

Dylan looked down at her. She felt his aura of serenity wash over her as his warm eyes passed over her in the dark, “It’s a nice view,” he said in his gentle voice. It really was a nice view.

The others didn’t seem to be paying attention to them as they leaned over the railing that separated them from the cliff. Destiny pointed to the small portion of the lake that was concealed by trees.

“What are those lights,” Destiny asked, “Down there?”

Dylan’s eyes were smiling in the glint of moonlight, “That’s the Night Bridge,” he told her, “Want to see it?”

The others were drifting away slowly down the railing. Something about the lights were intriguing to her. She wanted to see them closer. Dylan led them away from the path, down through the brush, “This way,” he said in almost a whisper, like the darkness held something sacred that he didn’t want to disturb.

“Dylan...Dylan? You’re too far ahead. I can’t see you,” they had gone deep into the brush, and Dylan had almost entirely disappeared ahead of her, when she drew back one last branch, and gasped.

The light met her, and shined all around her. The bridge was just ahead, and Dylan was already there waiting for her. He smiled slightly when he saw the amazement on her face. Little orbs of light like shining rain drops were floating all around them. They looked like stars hanging above the sky, with the lake there, a symbolic atmosphere.

“They’re like rain drops,” Destiny said.

Dylan took her arm as they crossed the bridge together. The countless orbs of silver light hung glistening in the air. It was beautiful, unnatural, yet natural, “It’s so beautiful,” she said, “How is it possible?”

“I can’t tell you,” Dylan said, “It’s an illusion.”

They stopped at the middle of the bridge, and Destiny peered over its side, and down into the water, “It’s so beautiful,” she repeated.

“Adriel thought so too when he made it,” Dylan said, reminiscently.

Destiny’s jaw dropped, “Adriel made this?” she asked.

“Of course,” Dylan said with a knowing grin on his face, “He calls it the Fragments of Broken dreams.”

Destiny shook her head, “What’s the matter with him?” she blurted out all of a sudden, “With Adriel I mean?”

“There’s nothing more wrong with him than the rest of us,” Dylan said, “Just because he’s interesting to you doesn’t mean he owes you any explanations.”

“But he’s hurting,” Destiny told Dylan, “I get the feeling he’s hurting and I don’t know why.”

“He’s an artist,” Dylan explained, “He’s always hurting. But if there’s anything about him you want to know, you’ll have to find that out on your own.”

Destiny stood there in the darkness. Her eyes were fixed on the drops of silver rain that hung like mist on the air all around them.  She had been so happy to meet someone new that she had made Dylan out to be a friend in her mind. But as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, she realized that he was really little more than a stranger. Then, staring at one of the single orbs of light, in her mind she saw the lamp post on the edge of town back home.

The lamp post she and Tyler used to meet at on nights just like this.

Oh Tyler, she thought, I wish you were here.