Part 439: In Dreams

Mia slowly opened her eyes. The soft warm sun shined down on her from above. The sound of the tide coming in woke her up as it did many times before. She stretched her aching muscles and as she did, her hands caressed the cold sand under her fingers. The Lakota gradually lifted up and looked upon the great ocean horizon. The waves rocked back and forth before her eyes. Mia felt her heart begin to race. The Island. She was back on the Island.

She turned toward her right and saw the sleeping form of Shanna. Her redhead friend was curled up in her sleeping bag; making the cute sleeping noises she always made. Above her was Seth, asleep on his side and Walkman still resting in his hand. She always told him to make sure he turned it off, considering batteries were a monopoly on the Island. Mia then looked above her, expecting the find the great expanse of trees that always surrounded them. However, she found Brendon instead.

And he was chuckling at her.

The Asian man calmly smiled, wiping his eyes. Mia winced a little; confused by his reaction. She remember him fondly but also remembered things a little different than what they were at that moment. “Brendon . . .are you . . .are you still . . “ she tried to find the right words.

“Dead?” the Asian man chuckled.

Mia just raised her eyes wider.

“Yes, Mia, I’m still dead,” he said, standing up, and brushing the sand off his pants, “You are having a dream.”

“I am?” she gasped.

“If you need further proof, look at what you are wearing.”

Mia then stood up and looked at her sleeves; recognizing the familiar leather overcoat worn by her father. The Lakota shrugged and took a deep sigh; rubbing her hair back. “The look on your face is priceless.” Brendon smirked, “For a few seconds . . .you actually thought you were back on the Island, weren’t you?”

“It’s a been a long time since I had a dream about this place, Brendon,” Mia said, pulling out her bandana from her father’s coat, “It’s natural for me to have a little bit of confusion.”

“Well, please get your bearings. You don’t need to be confused about what we are about to show you.”

Mia tied her bandana over her head and looked at her Asian friend. She grew more and more frightened by having this dream. Usually Brendon didn’t show up unless he needed to tell her something. Something important and vital; which often involved risk and danger to those around her. “Why am I here, Brendon?” she asked him.

The modern samurai said nothing. Merely held out his hand to give Mia a sense of where they needed to walk to. Mia blinked for a few seconds, then proceeded to walk toward the woods. Shortly Brendon followed her. The Lakota girl looked toward her right and stopped. It was their beach; the beach of the people of the tail section were on. The Medical tent was flapping in the wind and before that was the fuselage known as The General Store. The Nerd Box rested off shore next to the giant rocks where everybody went to the bathroom. Most of her friends were sleeping on the beach, like they had done so long ago. Mia gently smiled, as a soft tear flowed down her cheek. “Admit it,” Brendon smiled, “You miss it.”

“All right, I admit it.” She grinned, wiping her cheek, “It was a source of great joy and adventure in my life. But . . .it was also a great source of pain.”

She place her hand on Brendon’s chest. His heart wasn’t beating and Mia could tell that. The Asian man gently took her hand and held it for a brief moment. “I gave my life so that another man could live,” he whispered, “I have no regrets.”

“Seth owes you everything, Brendon.” She told him.

“He knows that. That’s why he was the truest friend I’d ever known.” He then started to walk back toward the woods, “Come. It won’t take long.”

Mia took one final look at her beach and then followed Brendon. The Asian man pushed the bushes aside as they started to walk among the trees. The hard dead leaves could be felt below the Lakota’s feet. That crunching of leaves then changed to the soft feel of tall grass. The wind started to blow a bit, as Mia held up her hands to blow the slow bit of debris. Then as she lowered her hands, she looked ahead to see Brendon smiling back at her. Once again, Mia felt the soft touch of sand under her feet. She didn’t know that was possible, thinking briefly that they had gone in circles. The sun shined down on her once again; flooded with the noise of low tide. The Lakota understood where she was.

She wasn’t on her beach. She was on THEIR beach.

The massive amount of homemade tents and shelters stretched as far as she could see. In the distance she saw the familiar bungalow where Sawyer stayed. The tents of Hurley and Joscelyn rested in the hilltop, along with countless others. She looked over and then saw the handful of people walking by her. She truly was back on the side of the beach where the main survivors were. “I never knew how much I missed this place.” She whispered.

“It was the place where you all came together,” Brendon said, placing his hand on her shoulder, “ This is what we wanted you to see. It was the one place we’d knew you understand what must be done.”

Mia placed her hand on her friend’s hand and held it there for a few seconds. The Lakota then blinked and then turned to face him. His words were causing her to be a little bit confused again. “Brendon?” she asked him.

“Yes?” he raised an eyebrow.

”Whose WE?”

Brendon smiled at her, glad to see she was catching on. The Asian man then pointed toward the distance behind her. She turned and saw the lone figure standing in the sand with a purple sleeveless shirt and light brown khaki pants, with his hands stuffed in his pockets. Mia started to approach him and the closer she got to him; the more she recognized him. Especially his unique hair. “Boone?” she gasped.

The young man looked back at her and smiled. Then he looked back into the distance where he was looking before. “They look so happy, don’t they?” he commented.

Mia looked into the distance where Boone was gazing. Mandy was smiling as she was laying on the beach in a yellow and white bikini. In front of her was Alexander, holding little Bridget by the hands as she bounced around in the shallow water. Boone took a deep breath and exhaled through his nose. “I’m so glad she’s got a family.” He whispered.

“It should have been you, Boone, “ Mia sniffed.

“It wasn’t meant to be.” He then pointed toward the little girl, “SHE . . .was meant to be.”

“Mandy loved you so much.”

“I know. There is still a part of her heart that belongs to me but I’m happy that’s she happy. It’s all that matters.”

“Boone . . .why are you here?” Mia asked him.

“Because I want Bridget to have a happy life. And I need you to make sure that happens.”

“Me?” the Lakota gasped, “What . . .what do I have to do with it?”

Mia then shook a little bit as Brendon took her by her left arm. Boone then took her other arm and the two men began to lead Mia down the beach. She past by several people, survivors she recognized before. Hal and Chance were sitting together, both loading guns. Before Mia could say anything, Brendon patted her on the arm. “Don’t worry,” he assured her, “Hal’s got it covered.”

As they kept walking, Mia then turned and noticed a flag pole. It was poking out of the water and the flag atop it was flapping heavily in the offshore wind. It was a white flag with green shield and a green fist in the middle of it. Again, before Mia could say anything, Boone and Mia continued to lead her down the beach. They paused for a second, near the familiar tent they made while they camped on Jack’s side of the beach. John was on the ground with a blanket over him, jolting back and forth. He was clearly dreaming. “He won’t be able to understand his dream, Mia,” Brendon told her, “You’re going to have to talk to him.”

The two men then continued to lead her own. As they did, she looked down toward the water; seeing Eddie as a child once again. Bonnie is holding him like a big sister as the little boy wept in her arms. “He’s just upset,” Boone mentioned, “He’ll be fine. He just really shouldn’t believe everything he sees.”

The trio continued their walk. Mia tried to keep it thoroughly in her head what she was seeing. She was doing that because she knew she would have to interpret the dream when she woke up. The next image showed Tony chopping down trees with a chain saw. “It’s pretty cool to see a man fight so hard for what he wants.” Brendon smirked.

“Huh?” Mia replied. The statement was confusing because Tony wasn’t fighting anything; he was chopping down trees.

Mia then looked toward a wooden crate with Kate sitting on it. She was laughing to herself with tears rolling down her eyes. As she was laughing, she was also loading up a pistol. The Lakota shook her head at the strange image. “Why is Kate laughing like that?” she asked.

“Because, after years of running, she finally knows what she wants,” Boone told her, “ However, she also know she’s going to have to fight to keep it.”

Mia then continued to walk along. Then she was taken back by the sound of a child crying. What made her panic was it was a sound she was all too familiar with. She quickly scanned the area and then saw her daughter in the distance. The little girl was leaning up against a tree, hugging her knees and crying up a storm. “SHELLEY!!!” Mia tried to run toward her but the two men held her back.

“No, Mia!” Brendon said, pulling her toward him.

“What do you mean, NO?” she struggled, “Let go of me! That’s my daughter!”

“She’ll be fine, Mia. You have my word on that.”

“Then why is she crying?” Mia demanded to know.

“There is nothing you can do about that, Mia,” the Asian man pulled her along, “Besides, it’s not even your decision to begin with.”

Mia didn’t understand what was going on but then she also knew that Brendon wasn’t allowed to tell her everything. Certain things were never meant to be, even to those who were looked favoriably on. But she was still worried about her daughter. She wondered what would make her cry so much. “Mia.” A female voice echoed behind her.

Mia turned around and saw a kind, black woman she hadn’t seen in a long time. A woman who willingly gave her life so that the majority of the survivors could live. “Rose.” Mia whispered.

The older black woman held out her hands and Mia rushed over to embrace her. The Lakota girl cried in her arms, as Rose stroked her soft jet black hair. “I’m sorry,” Mia whimpered, “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, child,” she smiled, “I wasn’t meant to live past that day. I wanted to make sure you all survived and you did. You made me proud, Mia.”

“Thank you,” she said, kissing her on the cheek.

“Sacrifice is the ultimate nobility for mankind. For those who chose it, understand that is their choice.”

“What?” Mia backed away from her, “Whose choice?”

The Lakota girl was interrupted by the sound of digging. Someone was digging into the sand. Mia turned around and gasped; slamming her hands over her mouth. There was a black man digging huge graves into the sand. When the black man turned around, she was expecting to see Micheal. However, it wasn’t him; it was Martin. The young black man then pulled himself up out of the sand. He brushed the sand off his chest, looking at her. “Medger Evers last words were, turn me loose.” Martin whispered.

“What?” Mia gulped, “What does that mean, Martin? Who are you digging these graves for?”

Martin just looked at her, then back at the graves and then held up three fingers. Mia felt a chill shiver down her spine. Was he telling her that three of her friends were going to die? She jolted at the touch of a hand on her shoulder again. Brendon looked at her, then pointed out to the ocean. “Remember, Mia,” he said, “It’s only temporary.”

Mia looked out into the ocean and saw the limp form of Raven floating out into the distance. He was moving gently to the right but he was moving as if he was swimming but he wasn’t. The Lakota woman was confused by what Brendon meant by temporary but figured it would present itself when the time came. Boone then gently touched her other shoulder. “It’s almost over, Mia,” he assured her, “But one more person need to speak with you.”

He pointed toward the other distance of the long access of the beach. Mia then felt tears swarming up in her eyes at the side of her grandmother. Granny smiled with her white laced pupils. The Lakota girl then ran toward her and embraced her. She wept in her arms, knowing what was going to come but she begged her grandmother to prevent it. “Please, Granny!” she cried, “I don’t want anybody else to die!”

“None of us do, Sunshine,” her grandmother whispered, stroking her hair, “But we can’t stop the inevitable. People die as people live. The cycle of life must continue. You must be strong, Mia. You have always been the strongest one.”

Mia parted from her and looked at her grandmother. The old Lakota woman smiled, moving the wrinkles on her face as a result. “It’s been such a joy watching Shelley grow up, as it has been a joy watching you and John raise her.” She smiled.

“I wish you . . .you could have been there with her.” Mia sniffed.

“It wasn’t meant to be. But it’s okay, Sunshine. We shall all meet by and by.”

“Of course we will,” Mia felt a warmth wash over.

“Now, remember what I told you, Mia,” she said, taking her by the arms, “Your fate is yours to choose.”

“I remember.” She hugged her.

“You remember what else I told you?” Granny stroked her hair, “About wisdom?”

Mia opened her eyes. She was no longer crying, as her brain was flooded with the teachings of her grandmother. She looked up toward her grandmother again, and sniffed. “Wisdom . . . . I will find alone?” she asked.

Granny then turned her head behind her. Mia looked in the distance and saw a woman standing by herself. What made this woman unique was that she was clad in golden flowing robes. She was also wearing a shining Greek helmet, from the ancient times of gladiators and conquests. Mia didn’t understand this imagery but knew if her Granny was showing her, then it must be important. “Mia,” her grandmother called to her.

Mia turned around and saw all the people looking at her. They all had mixtures of sad faces and happy faces. Granny was not on the land but on Micheal’s raft. She stood upright, despite the swaying water. “Time to go.” She told her.

Mia paused for a moment, then began to head out toward the raft. She waded through the water, feeling it soak up her denim dress. She reached the raft and climbed up with her Granny’s help. The moment she was on, the raft began to venture out toward the ocean. She held on as the raft continue to sail forward. Her granny calmly sat down next to her. Mia held onto a wire railing to the side as Micheal held onto the rudder. By the time Mia blinked, they were far away from the Island. She looked out of the distance, remembering how the Island looked from the Butterfly Rogue. She then winced at the sight of the Island.

It wasn’t the right one.

The trees were different. The shoreline was different; even the size was much bigger. Mia pointed at the island in the horizon. “That’s . . . .that’s NOT our Island.” She pointed out.

Granny looked at her with a grin. “You’re right,” she smiled, “It’s not.”

Before Mia could say anything, she felt her grandmother place her hand over Mia’s eyes. The darkness was brief and then she felt the gentle touch slip away. Then the Lakota girl opened her eyes.

And stared at the ceiling above.

Mia slowly leaned up and looked around. She wasn’t back on the raft nor the island; she was back home. She had returned to her married life and the house that John had secured for her and the family they would make together. The coolness of the January air echoed slightly in the room, despite the heating. Mia leaned back and rubbed her eyes. She was then taken back a bit by John twitching next to her. She leaned over and looked at him.

Amazingly, he looked like the exact same minor thrashing he was doing in her dream. “John,” she shook him, “John, wake up.”

The archer grunted as his eyelids shot open. He took a deep breath and coughed. As he leaned up, he saw Mia looking at him with concerned eyes. She winced a bit as he leaned up and embraced her. He kissed her on the cheek and held her closer. “Oh, God, Mia,” he coughed, “What a terrible dream.”

“It’s okay, John,” she rubbed his back, “It’s just a dream. It’s over.”

“Oh, Mia,” he said, as he let her go and wiped his eyes; sitting up, “It seemed so real and so crazy.”

“Let’s go downstairs and get some milk and cookies,” she said, getting off the bed and putting on her robe, “And you can tell me all about it.”

“Mia, it’s okay. It was just a dream,” he said, leaning back,” Let’s go back to sleep.”

“NO, John,” she said, grunting a bit, “YOU need to tell me about this dream.”

John opened one eye lid and looked at his wife. The seriousness in her voice alarmed him. The last time he followed her dreams, they led them across a magical Island to other people. Mia was now insisting on hearing about his dream.

Did that mean there was something more to it?

----------------------------------------,

Down in the kitchen, in the middle of the nice sat the Riggs couple. Mia gently sipped on her milk, while her husband dipped his cookie into the liquid and then took a bite of the soggy treat. He finished his four cookies and then took a big gulp of the milk. Mia had been writing a ton of stuff down in one of her journals. She then looked at John, waiting patiently for him to tell her about the dream. “It was an insane dream.” He whispered to her.

“How did it begin, John?” she asked.

“I was on a horse, riding into a river. I was being followed by other men on horse back,” he said, taking a swig of the milk, “When I saw the other men, I recognized Tony, McKay, Sawyer, Jack, Seth and Eddie. They all wore just blue jeans and they had . . . .uh . . . .they had white and red marks on their faces.”

Mia blinked. “War paint?” she helped him.

“Yeah, yeah, war paint!” he said, pointing at her, “ Then as we continued on this river, we came across a carriage. In the back of this carriage was you and Shelley, surrounded by . . .by . .wild west military men.”

“Go on.” She told him.

“I immediately pulled out my arrow and shot the guy nearest you. My friends began to attack the other men. One of the men was firing a weapon at me but I still managed to fire the arrow right into his throat. I leaped onto the carriage and fought with this one man, who had taken you away from me. I grabbed a blade by my side and plunged it into his chest.”

“So . .you . . .and a war party . . came to rescue me?” she said, rubbing her lips, “You were acting like a Lakota, John.”

“I guess,” he said, finishing his milk, “ After I cut your bonds, I held you and Shelley; making sure you were okay. I remember Tony hollering like an Indian over securing one of their weapons. Sawyer was screaming like a mad man because he had scalped somebody. Jack was even hooping and hollering too. It was completely chaotic.”

“Not really for a war party,” she said, taking his wrist, “If it makes you feel any better, John. I’m happy you’d come and rescue me and our daughter.”

“I’d travel through the mouth of Hell if it came to that, you know.” He smiled, “I just . . .wasn’t expecting such a dream.”

“It’s okay, John. I don’t know what it means yet but I will. And when I do, I’ll let you know.”

John rubbed his wife’s hand and then looked at her with concerned eyes. “Something’s going to happen . . .isn’t it, Mia?” he asked.

“Yes, something will happen, John,” she replied, not lying to him.

“Will we be able to handle it?”

“Yes, we will. We’ll handle it the way we’ve always handled it, “ she said, touching her upper chest, “With Faith, Heart and the bonds of family. In the end, . . . we will always be survivors.”