Ryan

'Ryan'

Chapter One

The sea blanketed him with undeniable force, such as that the icy water burned his skin. As waving seaweed pulled him further down into the darkness, his struggle went un-noticed by the woman on the hill; she was picking heather, her back turned. Grappling for the surface of the sea, he lashed out with his arms and legs, his lungs threatening to burst from the pressure. He tried to cry out for help but his efforts were drowned by the rushing wind. Knowing finally that there was no more air to breathe, he rested gently underneath the crashing waves and breathed out his last breath.

Ryan's eyes flew open, his body hurtled forward in a mixture of terror and relief. He was alive, his bedsheets soaked with cold, damp sweat. Having dreamt these dreams for nearly two months, he had taught himself not to shout, but to stay calm and breathe deeply.

He clambered slowly out of bed, careful not to wake his younger brother Dougie, and walked silently over to his bedroom window. Outside he could see the waves lapping the shore, barely making a sound; the sea was unusually calm for this time of season, Winter normally brought about offshore gales; causing the waves to hit the crumbling hill where Ryan's house stood. As he watched the ocean, he realised he was shaking, not from cold, but from the intensity of the scene he had just witnessed in his sleep. It had seemed so real, as they always did. He had been able to smell the salty ocean air, taste the water on his tongue and hear his brother calling his name. At first, Ryan had dismissed the dreams as childish nightmares, he made excuses for them, as if they were neglected children who were behaving badly. Soon, however, he began to dwell on them and believed them to be something more sinister than a night terror. At school his mind would slip from his lessons, only to find himself underneath the water or surrounded by a ring of fire, until someone said his name or caught his attention. The truth was, Ryan was scared of what would happen when he slept, and delayed going to bed as long as possible despite the overwhelming tiredness he would feel the next day. He wouldn't confide his night-time secrets to anyone, he was a sixteen year old boy, he wanted answers rather than help.

He turned from the window and looked at his bedroom; it was shabby, but homely. The door was battered, the blue paint peeling from the frame and the brass handle worn and dulled from the years of use. The dark wooden flooring his father had laid down was scuffed; the vinyl peeling away from the boards like dead skin, the blue rug in center covering the worst parts. The two identical beds were placed side by side against the back wall, separated by a table displaying a blue lamp and a silver framed photograph of the two brothers. Ryan's half of the bedroom was unusually tidy by the standard's of a teenager, his brother's tidier still. No books or clothes littered the floor, no empty cups or bowls were hidden, there was no visible uncleanliness to the shared bedroom. The shared wardrobe was only half full, neither of the boys owned masses of clothes; only the garments they needed. And in the center of the opposite wall was a mirror, once belonging to Ryan's uncle. The mirror was a prized posession for the brothers as they had inherited it after their uncle's death - they kept it in prime condition, always polished, never dusty. Ryan sighed and walked slowly back to his bed where he sat down on his faded sky blue quilt cover. He took one quick glance around the bedroom again, and then another at his sleeping brother. The shock of the nightmare had disappeared and so Ryan laid his head on his pillow and stared at the ceiling until he dozed off to sleep.

Chapter Two

Ryan woke early the next day and was greeted by the pale sky shining through the window onto his bed. Dougie was still asleep so Ryan grabbed his chance and headed straight for the family bathroom. It was his first day back at school, he had to make an effort. He stumbled out of bed and his feet landed lightly on the floor, making minimal sound. He creeped over to the door and opened it to reveal the landing of their family home. The bathroom was directly opposite the boy's bedroom and as Ryan silently moved over the flowery wallpapered landing, he checked behind him to make sure he was the only one awake. As he came closer to the door he glanced at the clock on the wall, it read 6:15, that gave him plenty of time. He opened the white bathroom door expecting to find it empty; instead his only sister Grace came stumbling out in her nightdress and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She stared at him for a moment and then asked, "What are you doing up? It's only early." Her tone was accusing as if her oldest brother had done something wrong and her eyes narrowed as he paused in his reply.
          "I'm just up early that's all. First day of school so I figured I should make an effort. Got to look good haven't I? I need to make a good impression on my new tutor." He spoke gently to his sister, he couldn't face an argument at this time. She looked back at him and smiled, the crinkles around her eyes defined as she did so.
          Whatever you say Ryan, but if you're sneaking out again i'm telling Mum".
He looked at her in disbelief. He had left the house unnecessarily early the previous morning so he could go and pick some heather for his mother, who had been feeling ill recently. He had bumped into his sister on the way out and told her where he was going. It was now obvious that she didn't believe him.
          "Ok then Grace, you do that," he said a little angrily, "But first of all, can I please just get into the bathroom?" She stepped sideways obligingly and walked back to her bedroom after stealing a quick glance back at her brother, who stuck his tongue out at her.

Ryan entered the bathroom and locked the door behind him quickly and quietly and then stood with his back against the door. Grace was obviously suspicious of him, although she had no reason to be. He shook the thought out of his head and headed for the sink. After brushing his teeth he looked into the mirror hanging opposite to him and looked at himself carefully.

His thick brown hair was sticking up awkwardly at the front where he had slept on it and his pale blue eyes were sticky, itching to be cleaned. He wiped them and as his vision improved slightly he noticed a small cut to the side of his neck that had certainly not been there the night before. He looked at it curiously for a moment before dismissing it as nothing to worry about - he must have scratched himself in his sleep. After washing himself and combing his hair the cut had gone from his mind and he walked his skinny frame back into his bedroom to get his school uniform.

He made his bed silently as Dougie was still asleep, and then tip-toes his way back over to the wardrobe and opened the door. His uniform was hanging there neatly, his trousers pressed and his shirt smooth. He took them off of their hangers and put them on quickly, tying his tie so that it was right up to his top button - he didn't want his mother to be nagging at him at this time in the morning. He looked at himself in the mirror, decided that he liked what he saw and then made his way over to Dougie's bed; it was about time he woke up. Ryan and Dougie were completely different in other ways than the time they woke up. Dougie was fair, whereas Ryan was dark, and both of the boys had completely different interests. The only thing that indicated that the pair were brothers were their eyes. They were a strange, pale blue; watery and almost transparent and yet so strong that their glare was piercing and often looked stern without the boys meaning it to.

As Ryan walked over the room to wake his brother he noticed a book lying on the table between the boy's beds. At a closer look he could see it was called "The Canterbury Tales" by an author called Geoffrey Chaucer. Ryan had heard of him breifly in a Literature lesson at school and wondered why his brother was reading this rather than his usual science fiction novels. He placed the book neatly on the table and leant over his brother, shaking him slightly and whispering his name.

As Dougie woke, Ryan made his way downstairs to the family kitchen, because he figured that he might as well start on the breakfast so that everyone was fed by the time they set off to school.

At eight o'clock, the entire family was ready to set off to school both well fed and clean. Ryan and Dougie were in their grey school uniforms and Grace in her red gingham summer dress. Their mother was waiting for them to set off before she got herself ready for the doctor, she was never keen on her children seeing how much pain she was in. Her appearance showed a healthy, happy woman with clean clothes and a big smile; but underneath this exterior was a woman who needed help and support in every shape and form. She was scared as she kissed her children off to school, wondering if she would have bad news for them when they returned.

Chapter Three

Heatherfields High School was an impressive building, surrounded by sweet smelling honeysuckle and rose bushes. The front door was tall and made of hard, dark oakwood and had a large brass handle set right into the center of it, casted in the shape of a woman's head; her eyes shining brightly and her smile never faltering. The door was surrounded by dark green ivy, twisting and turning in a never ending spiral of leaves; and with the windows at either side made of stained glass the building looked almost like a grand church.

The path leading up to the door was Ryan's favourite area of his school. It was formed with crushed white shells from the beach down to lane and made a deafening crunch when the students were dismissed from their lessons and sent home. Ryan loved this sound because it reminded him of his father, who had worked hard for his family on the shingle beach collecting large shells and rocks to sell. Ryan often received one as a gift, he had loved listening to the sound of the waves inside the shell and up until the age of about thirteen, he had always carried one with him for comfort.

As Ryan climbed the three white steps towards the door, he heard a gentle cough behind him. He whipped his head round quickly and saw nobody there. All he could see was the shell path and outline of the sea past the playground where he stood. He closed his eyes and counted slowly and steadily to ten, wishing he knew where the sound had occurred from. He wrenched open his eyes to the crisp sunshine above him, and blinked away the thought he had. Shaking his head, he looked behind him again and then faced the huge door before him. He took a final step and climbed over the doorstep. He glanced around and brushed the stray hairs out of his eyes, biting his lip with nerves.The noise had a familiar ring to it, something that Ryan couldn't place. It seemed as though Ryan had stepped back in time, to somewhere that felt like home for him. Treading carefully in case the noise coud be heard again, he walked towards the center of the entrance hall. He felt out of his body, scared and as if he was the only one there despite the scurrying feet around him. Time stood still as Ryan strained to remember, his thoughts ticking over in his mind like the grandfather clock in his house. Only when his well of thoughts ran dry did Ryan move. He was late for registration, and his panic took over the wonder he felt. His feet echoed around the hall as he ran towards his form group. Arriving, he took his place feeling rushed and sat down heavily. The cough could wait, he thought as he read his timetable. His next lesson was taught by Miss Blue.