Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 01:59:13 +0800 From: YoDawgs Bl.net Subject: The Search For Conscience 3 "Okay, you're going to be sharing a room with Sean, I'm afraid. We don't have any spare rooms, and besides, Sean's sister always shared this room with him." They were climbing the stairs after dinner, and it was about ten o clock at night. Sean had already made his way upstairs and was clanking about in the adjoining bathroom. The wall of the magnificent wooden staircase that they were ascending had beautiful works of art adorned. The creak of the oak staircase emanated throughout the works of the house, penetrating the silence that now enveloped them. They thumped up to the first floor and Cody noticed that there were three rooms. One room was at the end of the corridor, its door was open; he had a glimpse of boxes and guessed that it was used as a storeroom. The other rooms were located along the corridor, and each of them had an expensive mahogany door as their entrances, with intricate patterns carved upon them. Taking him by the shoulders, Regina led him to the room further down the hall. With a smart rap on the door, she called out. "Sean? You've had enough time by yourself in there now. Let Cody in now to share some space." Having said that, she turned the wooden black doorknob and pushed open the door to reveal a double Decker bed in the centre of the room and a standard sized bed located at the far end of the room, beside a window that had been draped with beige coloured curtains. "Sean has always slept on the second storey of the double-decker bed, so I'll let you decide which bed you want to use. Goodnight, Cody." She kissed him on the forehead and went over to Sean to do the same. After that, she exited the room, closing the door silently behind her. Cody could hear her demure footsteps all the way to the room beside them, and the door closing, followed by a muffled exchange of words between Regina and John. Cody made his way to the bed beside the window and decided to settle there for the night. He did not choose to sleep on the bunk under Sean because he was not aware of Sean's sleeping habits and wished to monitor them for the first night before making the crucial decision. "Wanna play XBOX? I've got HALO 2 and a couple of other games you might find interesting." Sean beamed down at Cody from the double-decker bed. "Normally, I would. But today was a really big day for me and I'm just so tired now. Don't get me wrong, I love this family, but I really can't keep my eyes open. Thanks for the offer, Sean. I appreciate it, bro. Maybe tomorrow, huh?" "Sure, Cody! To be honest, I'm feeling kinda pooped out as well. Goodnight!" It was partly the truth, but honestly, Cody wanted some time to mull things over in his head. A lot had happened in the past few days, and today was a day of new beginnings. He waited till Sean turned off the lights before changing silently out of his uniform into something more comfortable. Following that, he lay still in bed, pondering the events of the few days. His thoughts drifted back to the orphanage just three days ago, where he was informed that a new family had agreed to take him in. He remembered his emotions during then; partly excited, partly dread-filled. Was this family going to be like the rest? He recalled saying goodbye to all the other children at the orphanage on the last day he was staying there. His luggage had already been transferred to the Williams' but he had insisted on staying one more night and going to school the next morning, one last time. Alice, in particular was extremely heartbroken to see him go. Throughout his short stay at the institution, he had got to know her in a more personal detail. She was eleven years old as well, and had lost both her parents at childbirth. She was curious about Cody's parents and wanted to know how it was like to have loved and lost rather than to have never loved at all. She was rather tearful on the last night and accentuated on spending the night in his bed. He was grateful for her company. He was back at the hospital, staring over the bodies of his parents. The kind doctor who had brought him in had left him alone, with his request. Tears welled up in his eyes, as he just stood and stared. He felt a tap on his shoulder. He spun round. There was his mother, smiling down at him. There was a sudden flash of white light, and Cody found himself spinning in a neverending circuit. A scream pierced his ears. He jerked awake, cold sweat making its presence known on every single area of his body. His shirt was sticking to his back, and soon the bitter English cold began to chill his nerves. He was about to drift back to sleep when he heard a soft cry coming from the direction of the double-decker. Bumping noises suggested that Sean was thrashing about on his bed. Slowly, Cody made his way over to the double-decker, his vision clearing as his pupils dilated, getting used to the darkness. Adrenaline pumped through every single blood vessel in his body as he inched closer and closer to the double-decker. His feet touched something soft, and he nearly jumped, but quickly realized that it was Sean's shirt, which he had adorned before going to bed. Another series of quick bumps and a panicked whine from Sean made him regain his composure and make his way up the bed ladder haltingly, his eyes jerking to every shadow in the room. As he reached the top, he braced himself for what he may have had to witness. In a swift motion, he lifted himself over the guardrail and swung his entire self over it, landing silently and softly on the bed spread. There lay Sean, his eyes closed, but with a look of trepidation and anxiety on his face. He had kicked the covers off, exposing his half-naked body and Cody noticed that he was breathing rapidly, because of the rise and fall of his breast. He murmured soft words, and Cody leant forward in order to ascertain them. "Please, leave me alone. Don't come near me! You're not real! You're not real! Get away from me!" He squirmed slightly and the entire double-decker shook with his force. Knowing that waking a person in such a situation would likely cause harm to the victim, Cody hesitated to touch Sean. But after approximately five minutes, the squirming got progressively worse, and the murmurings soon became loud sobs of fear. Cody tried placing both hands on Sean's shoulders and shaking them slightly, to no effect. Then, he tentatively laid a hand on Sean's sweating and heaving stomach. It felt hot as a boiling kettle. Sean immediately placed both hands on Cody's hands, as though willing him not to let go. But it seemed to help calm down Sean a little. Slowly, Sean's breathing became more controlled, but he still did not cease the nerve-racking sobs of terror. Cody then began rubbing Sean's chest in the hope that it would somehow arouse him from his slumber. Sean's hands remained on his stomach right stacked on left, on top of his belly button. After five seconds of massaging Sean's half-developed chest, Cody witnessed Sean's eyes flickering open with a gasp as his body reacted to the touch. For a minute, both of them just stayed where they were, looking at each other, Cody's hands still on Sean's chest. Then Cody realized that he had achieved his objective and started to make his way to the edge of the bed to descend the ladder. "Please don't go." Cody turned around. Sean was sat upright on the bed, sweat still shining on his body, with an expression of sorrow and loneliness. "Ever since I could remember, I always dreamed about this black-robed man with glowing Blue eyes, who said that he would torture me for eternity if he ever got hold of me. I was always alone at night, coz my sister is an even heavier sleeper than I am. This is the first time someone ever did that to me. Please don't go, or else I think I'll start dreaming about that monster again. When I felt your touch, I knew that I was not alone, and that someone out there would save me. I refused to let go, and when I woke up, I thought I imagined it until I saw you. Please don't leave me alone" Sean pleaded. He stretched out his hand toward Cody. "If it makes you feel better, then sure! I just hope you don't think sleeping in the same bed with another boy is wrong." Cody replied. "Please don't worry about that" Sean said. "I'm not attracted to you in any way, and all I need is someone to keep me company. I don't wanna spend every night suffering in my dreams." Doubts set aside; Cody took Sean's hand and settled back down in the bed. He smelt a fragrance of pine, possibly from the car, and a distinct aroma of hair conditioner. He lay down on the pillow while Sean shuffled about on the bed. Presently, Sean plopped a pillow down beside Cody and rested his head on it. He found Cody's hand and draped it over his bare chest. Cody knew this because of the two distinct bumps that his palm felt, along with a couple of moles at his fingers. After a few minutes, Sean's hand became fatigued and he moved it to a more comfortable position. This caused a chain reaction of goose bumps forming under his hand, while Sean squirmed a little, giggling. "That tickles! Stop that!" "Sorry" With a contented sigh, Sean closed his eyes and soon drifted off into dreamland. Cody just looked at his step-brother for a minute. He noticed the fatigue lines on his face, from the faint creases on his face to the bags under his eyes, which implied lack of sleep and stress. The expression on the face was pure calmness, however. A steady rise and fall of Sean's chest and stomach suggested a fitful slumber. Cody decided to go to sleep as well. Accompanied by Sean's monotonous light breaths, it wasn't hard.