Exclusive Supernatural, Birth by Sleep Sneak Peak: Episode I-The Great Escape

The full episode will be released 1/1/11. But, as a promotional stunt, I've decided to release the first chapter. A word of caution though: if you're under the age of 13, I really don't want you reading this. My story uses mild foul language and some humor you won't understand and aren't ready for yet. If you would, think of my story as rated PG-13.

***

“Thinking of you, wherever you are.
We pray for our sorrows to end, and hope that our hearts will blend.
Now I will step forward to realize this wish.
And who knows:
starting a new journey may not be so hard,
or maybe it has already begun.
There are many worlds, but they share the same sky —
one sky, one destiny."

--Kairi, Letter to Sora


Episode I: The Great Escape

Chapter One

Two men sat playing checkers on the bamboo patio of ParadiseMart—a small, crudely stuccoed general store run by Selphie’s folks and complimented by two postcard-worthy palm trees. It was pretty much the only hub of activity (if it could be called activity) on Destiny Island worth mentioning.
“King me!”
The first man, Dean—a guy in his early thirties with a deep, gravelly voice, short, sandy-brown hair, piercing green eyes, a perpetual smirk, and a pretty-boy physique—skipped a red checker over three black ones. His steel-toed cowboy boots thunder-clapped the floor as he examined the game board, anticipating the next move. Reckoning his enemy was done for, Dean pulled his arms free from a leather jacket and crossed them. Dean’s opponent—a huge, shirtless, muscular man whose sweat-soaked red headband dammed back a torrent of wild, jet-black hair—sniggered.
“King you? Gladly!”
The giant reached over with a tattooed arm as thick as a cedar and as hairy and swift as an angry bear. He flipped the lone, red intruder hard, then jumped five other of Dean’s checkers.
Dean slammed his fist. “This is bull-crap!”
“What, can’t take the pressure, crybaby?”
Dean whipped the board around and reset the pieces. “Five times in a row, Jecht! Trust me, it ain’t over!”
Jecht cackled. “Bitch.”
Dean snagged a beer bottle from an ice-pale beside him, popped it, and gestured in a mock toast.
“Yep, that’s what you’ll be when my pieces ride you to victory!”
Jecht cocked his head, his two black eyes glaring like twin pistol barrels. A toothy grin broke out from ear to ear.
“Hey Dean, by the way, how’s your sissy, Kairi? Still playing Ophelia?”
Dean froze.
“You know what man? You’ve got some nerve...”
“I only tease because I care.”
“I’d punch you in the face, but I don’t wanna get shit all over my hand.”
Jecht’s smile faded. Dean had switched from playful aggression to full-throttle rage in five seconds flat. And it was the worst kind of rage, too. Cold, silent, poised, absolutely unnerving. A snake waiting to strike.
“Eh, so it’s that bad?” Jecht murmured.
Dean took a swig of beer. “Yeah, it’s that bad! Mom’s death really affected her. So ease off, okay? She can’t even sleep at night. The dreams hit her like hard liquor. Her grades are slipping, friends are leaving, and damn it, I can’t do jack-shit for her!”
“Tidus went through his own little phase back when my wife died,” Jecht reassured. “He was eight. I’m sure it’ll clear up.”
Dean watched the fan inside the shop circulate. The two men sat in silence for a long time. Finally, the patio door screeched open and Selphie—a fifteen year old girl with wide green eyes and brown hair styled in one large curl on the back and one on each side—pranced out in a blue and white school uniform.
“Hey guys!” she waved with a smile.
Dean and Jecht nodded, only half-acknowledging her presence.
“My parents tell me you two are scaring away business again.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Dean muttered. “We’re about to go. I don’t feel like playing more anyway.”
Jecht folded up the game board and handed it over along with three gold coins.
Selphie giggled. “Thanks for the tip!” The girl disappeared back into the shop.
Dean chugged the rest of his beer and pitched the bottle in a second pale reserved for cleaning. He and Jecht trudged out to a ragged, dinged-up truck stacked heavy with bundles of plywood.
“A tip?” Dean inquired after the two got out of earshot of the store. “Seriously? Ain’t it enough we gotta rent the damn checker board?”
“Hey, it’s Selphie. She’s a good kid.”
“Yeah, but why is she home so early? Doesn’t she have school?”
“Oh, it’s half-days right now, up until the Paopu Festival.”
The Paopu festival? It had completely slipped Dean’s mind! Was it tomorrow!?
“Son of a bitch!” Dean took off running.
“Hey, where you goin’ chicken legs?”
“Gotta get Kairi! I’ll meet you in two hours over by the mayor’s house!”
Jecht shook his head, cackling, and slammed the truck door. He sped off in a cloud of dust, the stale drone of ukelele cords wafting out from his stereo through an open window.

***​

Kairi—a petite sixteen-year-old girl with a pleasant, heart-shaped face and flawless skin—leaned against a locker, head down, with one arm to the side and the other gripping its elbow. She could see her classmate Rydia’s high-heels clacking back and forth through a curtain of dark, auburn hair.
“If your lazy brother doesn’t show up in five more minutes,” Rydia sighed, “I’m gone. There’s no pay in this, so I’m not going to be your babysitter.” She swept back some stray, green curls from her forehead.
Kairi pursed her lips and locked her sea-blue eyes on the girl.
“He’ll be here. I know he will.”
“Hmph.”
Clop clop clop. Dean’s boots echoed as he jogged toward the duo.
“Hey,” he wheezed, “sorry I’m late. Tried to get here as fast as I...”
“Thank God,” Rydia rolled her eyes. “Here’s your little freak. She was starting to creep me out.”
Dean stood silent as Rydia strutted away.
“What the hell’s wrong with Cinderella?” he whispered. “She got a glass slipper up her ass?”
Kairi cracked a smile. “I’m glad you made it. We need to hurry so we’re not late for our appointment.”
Dean scratched his nose. “Appointment?”
“Yeah, I scheduled a counseling session for us? To help us sort out our feelings about mom’s death?”
“We have to go?”
“You already paid for it.”
“Well, okay then. I guess so.”
Dean took his sister’s hand and the two trotted out into the hot, noon sun. A strong wind met them at the door, tousling Kairi’s hair. Dean squinted, the pungent smell of salt and fish flooding his nostrils. On the horizon, he could barely make out a dark ring of clouds.
“Looks like a storm’s comin’,” Dean muttered.
“Oh I hope not! It might rain out the fireworks for the festival.”
“Yeah, maybe it’ll all blow through tonight?”
“We can pray for that.”
Dean smiled at his sister and gave her hand a squeeze.
“So, how’d it go at school?”
Kairi kicked the sand. “I’d rather not talk about it.”
“No, you would. You’ve got that pouty-eye look.”
“Well, it happened at lunch. Jennifer said that Selphie told her that Rydia thinks I’m crazy, because I draw pictures of this boy all the time and write stories about him.”
“The spiky-haired boy plastering my fridge?”
“Uhuh. I named him Sora.”
“So, teenage girls write stories and draw pictures of boys. It’s what your species does. I mean, other than eat, sleep, poop, and whine. What’s the problem?”
Kairi looked at him, eyes distant. “They made fun of Sora. And I love him.”
Dean swallowed hard. Sometimes, she’d seem all there and he’d forget.
His sister looked away. “I’m sorry. I said something wrong.”
“No, it’s ummm...”
The two didn’t speak a word the rest of the way. Dean stared at the surf. Some gulls flew overhead. Wasn’t he good enough? Why did Kairi have to make-believe people to love, when he was right there? Couldn’t she see him?
“Up ahead!” Kairi pointed to a concrete-block building with paned windows yellowed by age.
“My, how charming,” Dean sneered. “Let’s go check if the good doctor’s in.”
Rinoa Heartilly, Psy.D., announced a wooden plank nailed to the wall. Dean peeled back the loose screen door and the two entered the musty air inside. A spindly old man with thick glasses looked up from a desk.
Dean grabbed a crinkled piece of paper from Kairi. “You Cid Kramer?”
“Yeah. Dean and Kairi Winchester? Rinoa’ll be right out. Take a seat.”
Dean glanced at the dilapidated couch in the corner. He spotted a cockroach scurrying across the stained seat cushion.
“Actually, my sister’s been sittin’ down all day. We’ll just stand. Hope it don’t creep you out.”
Cid furrowed his brow. “Whatever. Magazines are in the basket.”
Dean scrounged for some reading material while Kairi picked her nails. Home and Decorating, Cooking, Bath and Spa, Sports Illustrated, Busty Asian Beauties...what the hell?
A small, melodious voice squeaked from a back-room. “Go ahead and send them in, Cid. I’m...I’m almost ready.”
Dean tossed the buxom cover image of Ms. China 2010 back in the basket. He nodded for Kairi to follow. As they passed Cid, Dean leaned in real close.
“You are one, sick puppy.”
The bespectacled man grinned.
A sunny, well-kept room painted in swirls of pink, blue, and yellow greeted the pair. Stuffed animals lined the shelves and mobiles of fish, stars, and tugboats swung from the ceiling. They could hear a faucet running.
“Sorry about the wait area,” Rinoa called from the bathroom. “I only service this island two weeks out of the year. And Cid...well, he’s Cid.”
The door swung open and a young, shapely woman in her mid-twenties with an exquisite blend of caucasian and oriental features emerged dressed in a bright blue kimono embroidered with snowflake patterns. She wore bunny-ears and sported magic-marker whiskers on her face.
“And you must be Kairi!” Rinoa chirped, pinching the girl’s cheeks. “You are so adorable! Here, hold Mr. Lopsy. He’s a teddy bear! You can tell him anything you want, anytime you want. I’ll be right back!” Rinoa winked and went to get some paperwork.
“You look sixteen, right?” Dean whispered.
“I thought I did.”
“You know you don’t have to do this? We could just walk out.”
“Yeah, but she’s cute. And probably single.” Kairi smiled at Dean.
“I love you and I owe you.” Dean slipped her a gold coin. “Treat yourself to some sea-salt ice cream later.”
“Thanks!”
“Okay,” Rinoa hummed as she waltzed back in. “Sign here, here, and here, and we’re done! You can wait outside.”
“Wait.” Dean grabbed her arm. “We were supposed to stay together. And what is this about Thorazine?”
Rinoa smiled nervously at Kairi and took Dean out in the hallway. “It’s nothing to worry about. It’s just a mild antipsychotic.”
Dean pulled at his chin. “You wanna put my sister on drugs? You haven’t even...”
“Look, I don’t think it’ll come to that, but I took the liberty of speaking with some of Kairi’s teachers and...”
“...without telling me? Or her?”
“I...I thought...”
“No, no. It’s fine.”
“I just want to see how she tolerates it, in case I have to prescribe it.”
“Kairi told me this was supposed to be a counseling session!”
“It was, I mean, it is...I’m just, from the reports, her trouble sleeping bothers me most. And I’d like to administer a tinny bit of the drug and some mild anesthetic and observe her for about thirty minutes. Okay?”
Dean massaged his temple. “Call me when you’re ready.”
Rinoa fluttered away.
“Damnit!” Dean tromped to the wait area.
A fly as big as a horse was whirring around Cid’s head. The old man scribbled on some time-sheets and medication forms.
Dean cleared his throat. “Miss me?”
Cid let out a raspy laugh and flashed his rotted teeth. Dean shifted, eying the magazine basket. With a small groan, he reached in.
“Well, let’s see who Ms. Korea is this year.”

Chapter Two

“You’re being so brave!” Rinoa brushed Kairi’s hair as she eased an IV into her forearm. “You might feel a pinch.”
Kairi winced.
“There, there!” Rinoa cooed. “All better. You’ll feel drowsy soon, and...”
“I know what you’re doing. You’re checking to see if drugs will help me sleep better. I hope they will.”
Rinoa blinked. “You heard...?”
“Everything. It’s okay. My brother is kind of a loudmouth.”
“Hmmm.” Rinoa looked to the side.
Kairi reached out and grabbed her hand. “Why are you scared?”
Rinoa gasped. “What?”
“You feel others look down on you. It’s why you try so hard at your job. But Rinoa, you have a beautiful heart. Stop caring so much what others think.”
“Excuse me, dear.” Rinoa hurried to the bathroom, closed the door, and sank to the floor. Was her fear that obvious? She sat dazed for several minutes.
“Get yourself together!” Rinoa hissed. Standing up and straightening her clothes, she forced a smile and went out to face her patient again. Kairi, of course, would be asleep by now. That would make things easier.
But she wasn’t asleep! Kairi sat fully alert, tapping her foot against a cushy chair.
“Oh!” Kairi giggled. “I thought you were going to tell me when to go to sleep!”
Rinoa puffed out her lips. “Let me check the IV drip.”
It was fine.
Kairi piped up, “Mom used to tell me when it was time to go off to dreamland. She’d sing a lullaby. I know it’s childish. You don’t have to do it. I just feel like, I need permission.”
“Why don’t you sing it? I bet you have a lovely voice.”
Kairi nodded. “The melody was composed by a man named Johannes Brahms a long time ago. That’s what Mom told me.”

Roses whisper goodnight

Neath silvery light
Asleep in the dew

they hide from our view

When the dawn peepeth through

God will wake them and you
When the dawn peepeth through

God will wake them and you

Slumber sweetly my dear

for the angels are near
To watch over you

the silent night through

And to bear you above

to the dream land of love
And to bear you above

to the dream land of love

“That was,” Rinoa stammered, “beautiful.” She’d never heard such an unearthly, ethereal voice. It engulfed and entranced the heart.
“Hey Kairi, you can...”
The girl was fast asleep. Rinoa patted her hand.
“I hope you turn out okay. Thanks, for what you said to me.”