Almost Normal

"And what if we fail? Do you want us to leave our people to die? Just like that?"

"You didn't seem to care when we manipulated and killed them to suit our needs. Why care now?"

"That was a mistake, sister. A mistake that cost us dearly."

"I know that better than anyone alive, Geron… Now... Now, just pray this works because if we fail, it'll be the end of everything."

~ Nikra and Geron, ages ago.

Leo awoke with a gasp, sweat pouring out of his body as he instinctively rolled to the side. "Bloody hell," he groaned, his back meeting the hard wooden floor of his bedroom.

Disentangling himself from the fallen covers, he climbed to his feet, rubbing his shoulder where he just added yet another bruise to the collection.

'Another day, another fall.' He scowled. 'Stupid dreams.'

Oh, how Leo hated those things. They crashed into his life with the subtlety of a sledgehammer and refused to leave for almost two weeks now. Unlike any other nightmares, he could remember them all perfectly: the conversations between two siblings, the bloodshed their battle caused, and then, of course, the damned crimson flash.

For some reason, his body always decided to wake up right after the explosion of light and use some kind of fight-or-flight response to dodge it. Spoiler, it never worked, and only ended up with him on the cold floor. At this point, just sleeping on the ground seemed like a good idea. Maybe this way, he could get some proper sleep.

Like that's going to happen. Not with my luck. Leo snorted, throwing on a new shirt and sweatpants before leaving his small bedroom. It only took a few steps through the house's only corridor to arrive at the way too-large living room.

"Dreams aside, I really need to clean up this place," he grimaced as his eyes scanned the various clothes and dirty dishes scattered across every surface of the mostly bare room. Hell, he could barely see his couch.

'What can I say, it's been a long week.'

For the record, maybe Leo shouldn't have listened to his sister and become a reporter just because he wanted to have some impact on the world. As much as he loved his job, sometimes it just became too much.

"At least it's Friday, and my new story is finished. No more all-nighters," he muttered, his eyes darting between the arch leading to the kitchen and the mess around him. Mom and Lily would kill me if they saw this, but… breakfast or rather dinner first, cleaning later.

"This got to be some kind of a joke…" Leo muttered as he scrolled through a web forum his foster sister sent him a few days ago.

Just like Lily mentioned, he wasn't the only one who suddenly went on a wild trip during his dreams. Hell, some of those people even managed to describe parts of his dreams perfectly.

'But come on. Another pandemic? We're having some weird dreams, not falling ill left and right.' He shook his head, running a hand through his short, black hair.

As much as the journalist within him wanted to figure out this mess alone, the rational part of his mind knew that there was not much he could do. While he doubted it was a pandemic, there were people out there who were better qualified to prove or deny those claims. He was no scientist.

'Still quite interesting.' Leo mused as he closed his laptop and leaned back in his chair. Sometimes, he really hated Lily for putting her conspiracy theories in his head. One had to wonder where she even got some of her ideas.

"Bloody woman," he grumbled, even as his lips formed a small smile at the thought of his sister. His eyes closed, memories resurfacing, but he didn't have much time to enjoy them because his phone decided to ring right at that moment.

Glaring at the small device, he sighed. "Speak of the devil, and she shall appear," he murmured dryly, putting the phone beside his ear. "Lily?"

"What's up, little brother!" Leo winced as his sister's all too cheery and too loud voice came from the speaker.

"Hello to you too. And for the record, I'm older. Really, how many times do we have to do this," he rolled his eyes, his voice as dry as the desert. Sometimes, he wondered how this woman managed to help him recover from the darkest period of his life. "Any particular reason you called me?"

"I hear you're as rude as ever. Can't I just call to talk with my favorite brother?"

Leo shook his head. Lily just loved to provide him with free ammunition against her with each sentence that left her mouth.

"Yes, you can, but I hope you don't mind me telling Nick that I'm your favorite. I'm sure he will be delighted," Leo smirked.

"You're mean, you know that, right?" Came the instant response, and his smirk widened even more.

She huffed into the microphone, "Anyway… Any plans for the weekend? Finally decided to leave the house?" She prodded. "Maybe you found a date?"

'Not this again', Leo almost groaned as he stood up from the lone dining table in his living room. He still had to get ready for his daily run.

Entering the corridor, he answered slowly. "Lily, how many times do I have to tell you that I don't care about dating or going out in general? I have better things to do."

A loud groan echoed from the other side, "Bloody hell. Leo! You're twenty-five, and you live like some ancient hermit!" She promptly ignored his shout of denial and continued. "For the love of God, live a little! If it wasn't for us or your work, you'd practically never leave the house!"

"That's just not true," Leo scowled, approaching the wardrobe in his bedroom.

"Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but my point still stands. And let's not forget your freaky dreams. How am I supposed not to worry about you?" Lily said, her voice as soft as fresh snow.

'Of course, she had to bring this up.' He sighed and sat on his soft bed, running shorts and shirt in hand.

"I'm fine, Lily. Really," he almost whispered, lying down on his covers. "The dreams are weird, sure. But there isn't much we can do about them. Just have to wait for people smarter than us to figure out what's going on."

His sister breathed into the microphone. "I hate it when you're right… Anyway, are you ready for tomorrow?"

Sitting up, Leo blinked in confusion.

"Tomorrow?" His brow furrowed. Was he forgetting something?

"Yes, tomorrow," Lily repeated as if talking to a child. "Remember, the tournament that takes place in London? Do I really have to remind you each time we talk?"

'Right.' Leo almost facepalmed. How could he forget? His sister, Lily Hale, athlete extraordinaire — her words, not his — had advanced to the regional finals that would take place in London.

Tomorrow.

'Fuck.'

"No, I remember. I'll be there, no problem," He spoke up instantly as the realization hit him. "I already finished the story for Monday, so I have the rest of the weekend off."

God forbid he even thought about missing the event. Lily's rants were legendary, and he had already gone through enough of them to last a lifetime. Enough was enough.

"Good," she replied, and Leo could feel her smugness even through the phone. "Once I crush everyone, we can hit a bar or a club. I know a few around here. Hey, maybe we'll even find you a date. What do ya think?"

'Again, really?' Leo groaned as he changed into his running clothes. His sister was on a roll today. Though her constant shots at his love life were getting quite old lately. He expected more from his little sister.

Well, not really…

"Confident, aren't you? Last time you said this, I had to spend the entire day watching you brood," he shot back, ignoring her teasing. That was the best way to deal with her.

That or mentioning her very successful love life, which Lily just loved to rant about — to her brother, no less.

'Fight fire with fire as they say.'

Thankfully, his usual method worked perfectly. "Rude," she grumbled. "I'm going to win this time. I need this…"

Shaking his head, Leo, now dressed, put on his headphones and slipped out of his room. "Right... I was just kidding. I believe in you."

"Thanks," Lily beamed, and he could almost hear the soft smile on her face. "Oh, I almost forgot," she suddenly chirped. "Nicky is coming too. It has been a while since we three had some fun together."

His hand froze as it reached for the doorknob.

Nick coming to London? Alone? Lily had to be joking. Nick's lovely wife barely let the man out of her sight. The thought of him traveling over a hundred kilometers without her seemed impossible.

"Lily," Leo said as he stepped into the scorching sun, locking the door to his bungalow. "How the hell will Nick manage to get away from Ava for an entire day and drive to London? With they way they are, it should be impossible."

Silence fell upon the line as he scanned the neighborhood and waited for the miraculous explanation.

Living on the outskirts of the city really had its advantages. Cars just didn't drive around here, and he could count the houses here on the fingers of his hands. For such an old street, it was incredible that so few people decided to settle here. Add the lush clearings and forests nearby, and it was heaven on Earth.

Or at least it was to Leo.

Here, he didn't have to worry about people bothering him about each new story. He didn't have to listen to the constant noise of the city. And what was most important, he didn't have to worry about groceries thanks to the small shop at the beginning of the road.

There was also the fact that he could go on a run, work outside, or just take a nap in the backyard without anyone trying to waste his time. That was definitely a plus, even in a city as small as Wolford.

"I have no clue," Lily chuckled sheepishly, snapping him back to reality. "I was too excited to ask."

You don't say. Leo shook his head, stepping on the sidewalk.

"Hey, maybe they wrote down a contract. Or he found something to bribe her with?" Lily giggled.

"Bribe? With what? Being back before ten?" Leo snorted.

"Maybe," Lily continued through her giggles. "They are weird like that."

Letting out a long-suffering sigh, he ignored his giggling sister and the elderly woman sitting in the garden in front of a house he just passed. A woman that was waving right at him.

'Oh hell no. I'm not stopping so Gibson can interrogate me.' Thinking quickly, he waved back and pointed at his headphones with the other hand. Now for the kill.

"You know what, Lily?" Leo spoke again, raising his voice so even Mrs. Gibson could hear him. "We will just get the answer out of him tomorrow. Nick could never keep any secrets from us… He is hopeless."

"Bloody hell! Why are you screaming? Do you want me to go deaf?" She growled.

Like you are one to talk. He rolled his eyes, finally getting past Gibson's house. "Stop being dramatic. I was just dodging Mrs. Gibson. No way in hell I'm wasting ten minutes for a useless talk."

Leo easily imagined Lily's face scrunching in a grimace; they had both been in similar situations in the past.

"Ohh, all forgiven then… Anyway, as you've finally left your cave, you can tell me if it's so hot in Wolford, too. For God's sake, we're in the middle of October, and it's almost twenty-five degrees outside."

"Please. Don't even get me started on the weather," Leo grumbled, shuffling forward as the forest grew closer and closer.

Lily snickered. "That bad, hmm?"

His shoulders slumped. "Yeah. I swear, if it goes to shit tomorrow after an entire week of this heat, I will murder someone," he scowled, stopping where the sidewalk ended and the dirt track leading into the forest began. "And to make matters worse, I have to meet with Edward later."

She hummed. "Oh, right. He is coming today… Are you ready? He hasn't been there for what? Two, three weeks?"

He sighed, leaning against the nearest tree. "What is there to be ready for? We've been trying to mend our relationship for over two years now. At this point, those meetings are like a chore, not something to be afraid of."

"I wish you tried at least a bit harder. He is still your biological father after all," Lily said softly after a moment.

'I will try once he does too.' Leo scoffed, though he didn't voice his thoughts. He was a grown-ass adult, not a five-year-old kid. Besides, he already had this argument with both Lily and his therapist in the past. It was probably the only matter they never managed to truly solve.

"That he is," Leo murmured instead. "It's just hard. Every time I see him, I remember the day when everything went to shit. And well, I'm all about letting your past go, but when it comes to Edward, I just can't... Pretty hypocritical of me, eh?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Lily answered after a longer pause. "No one is perfect. But as long as you try, it will be enough. Just don't push him away. He really regrets everything."

Leo snorted. "Look at you, giving good advice."

"Oh, shush," she huffed. "Who was the one to stop your brooding again?"

"Whatever." Was Leo's mature response. His sister exploded in laughter over the line while he just stood there scowling. "Ye, ye, laugh it up. We'll see who laughs last when I tell Nick who is your favorite."

"Rude. Again. That's number three today."

"Anyway," he interjected before Lily could try anything. "Got anything else? I have a run to finish before Edward gets here."

"Nope, that's it from me. Just remember to at least try, okay?"

He heaved a sigh. "I will, I promise I will. See you tomorrow then."

"See ya!"

Shaking his head, Leo took out his phone and put on his favorite playlist. The soft tunes and birds singing always put his mind at ease throughout his runs. He definitely needed to relax a bit before this evening.

He took a deep breath and stepped into the embrace of nature, forgoing the past as his shoes trampled upon the dirty track faster and faster. Edward might be a problem of the past and future, but here and now, far away from civilization, only the present and the road ahead mattered.