Chapter 49: Rude Awakening
Derek was floating, maybe he was a piece of paper floating high above the clouds, carried by the wind. Or maybe he was the clouds, weightless simply because he existed. Or perhaps he was neither paper, and nor was he a cloud, maybe he was the wind itself. Going wherever his heart desired.
It was a wonderful way to feel, and Derek leaned into that feeling, smiling in his sleep. And to make it all even better, he still had the spring and sunshine in his hands.
That bit of goodness adding to all that was right with the world and making his first real sleep in years that much sweeter. It was a lot of complex thoughts for someone sleeping to have, and Derek was not really having them, just impressions of them.
As far as he was concerned in his slumbering state. There were only two universal truths in the world. Sleep was good, and the piece of sunshine and spring that he held in his hands was just divine.
How people existed without their own little piece of sunshine and spring, he did not know. And how he had gone so long without it was a true mystery to him. Now that he had it, he was never, ever letting it go.
But no sooner had he had the thought, the decision was taken out of his hands. His sunshine left him, Derek’s sleep drunk body unable to do anything but just lay there, not even able to lift a single finger or to cling tighter, to hold on so that his sunshine did not leave him.
He lay were he was, caught between sleep and waking. Derek no longer had sunshine in his arms, but the smell of spring was still there, it surrounded him. And that was enough to settle him somewhat. The only reason he did not wake up the moment his sunshine left was because he could still smell the scent of spring in the air, and that made the sense of loss a bit better. But then things fell into place, his stars realigning again, his sunshine came back! And feeling that sweet yellow bathing him in its rays once more Derek drew deep within himself and forced his body to move.
He managed to get an arm up and around the sunshine, and the moment he did, he pulled it close. This time, he was not letting go for real. He would hold his sunshine close and spend the rest of his days feeling as wonderful as he did in that moment.
But it seemed that it was not meant to be, that there was something out there in the universe that was totally against him getting some sleep while holding on to his sunshine and enjoying himself for the longest time in years.
And whatever that something was, it most definitely had banshee blood flowing through its veins. There was absolutely no way that any human being could be that loud. It was just impossible.
That was all that Derek could think as the wonderful calmness of his sleep was mercilessly torn away by the banshee’s cries. Before he could fully process, there was movement at his side, followed by what felt like something hitting the ground. But Derek could not be too sure, since he was still fighting off the clutches of sleep. He tried to form a sound of annoyance but his body would not cooperate.