Free Once Again by Amy Durham Page A

awake, just
enough to realize I was dreaming and remember the evening we’d just
spent together.
    I was quite sure the smile was present on my
face even as I slept.
    Images of us from the game morphed into new
images. The two of us walking along the beach, the cool fall air
whipping around us. Running along the water’s edge, cold salt water
splashing our bare feet and dampening the bottoms of our jeans.
    Suddenly I was running alone, my dress soaked
with the cold rain falling from the sky. An urgency clawed at me,
and I pushed my legs to run faster. Fear coursed through me as I
called for him, though the screams that left my throat were
silent.
    I had to run harder. If I wasn’t fast enough
all would be lost. I would not be able to save him.
    An outcropping of rocks came into sight,
jutting out from a hillside that almost reached the water. Though
my dream was soundless, in my mind I could hear voices on the other
side of the rocks. Angry voices. Violent voices.
    I opened my mouth to scream at them to stop,
the noiseless action ripping from my body. The men with angry
voices could not hear me over their own shouting.
    I neared the rocks, terrified of what I might
find on the other side.
    My mind heard the pounding sounds, a beating
thud that happened over and over again. And I knew.
    They were hurting him.
    I dropped to the wet sand and shrieked.
    I wasn’t silent anymore.

CHAPTER 13
     
    The
shaking woke me up. At first I thought it was because of the cold
rain and the grief in my heart. It took me a few seconds to realize
it was my mom.
    “Layla, wake up!”
    My eyes finally unglued. Mom sat on my bed,
arms on my shoulders, and when she saw my eyes open, she gently
framed my face between her hands.
    “Since when do you have nightmares?” she
whispered. “What in the world were you dreaming about?”
    I blinked my eyelids in an effort to clear
the fog from my brain. “I can’t remember.” It was a lie, and I felt
bad about it even as the scratchy words left my mouth. But I
couldn’t tell her the truth. It would sound ridiculous. Not only
that, but the pain that was still slicing through my heart would
make it impossible to contain my anguish if I tried to talk about
it out loud.
    “What time is it?” I hoped I hadn’t woken my
parents.
    “It’s almost nine,” she answered. “Your dad’s
almost ready to go open the store.”
    Work! I was supposed to be there in an hour.
Enduring my five-hour shift at the store suddenly seemed like a
colossal impossibility.
    “Don’t worry,” Mom said. “Your dad said he
could handle it himself today. I told him you deserved a Saturday
off. I thought you might want to see Lucas.”
    Yes, I thought. Mom was exactly right. I needed to see Lucas.
    Once I convinced her I was fine and the
nightmare was nothing to be concerned about, Mom left me alone. I
rummaged through the shelves in my closet until I found my black
Vanderbilt sweat suit. After throwing it, and a pair tennis shoes
on, I sprinted to the bathroom. I twisted my hair back into the
clip from last night, but didn’t bother with the loose strands
around my face or with make up. I did manage to brush my teeth and
use deodorant.
    Mom didn’t look twice at me as I left, and I
knew she thought I was anxious to see Lucas. Which was the truth,
but she had no idea why.
    I had to make sure he was okay. Healthy.
Unharmed.
    I’d been to the beach once with Jessie and
the girls, and I had a vague idea of where there was an outcropping
similar to the one in my dream. I would start there. Find the place
and assure myself that it had just been a dream. Then I would call
Lucas and come up with some excuse to see him.
    I parked in the small, public lot that served
this part of the coastline. I shoved my keys and cell into the
pocket on the front of my sweatshirt, and walked as fast as I could
across the wooden walkway that led to the beach.
    Stepping on to the sand, I looked to my left.
The rocks were maybe a hundred yards