'The dream was real!  Why don't you believe me?' cried Alex for the fifth time.  Susan shook her head and flicked the car's windscreen wipers on       

'I hate driving in the snow,' muttered Susan, whilst peering into her rear-view mirror.

'Mum!  Answer me!' screamed Alex.

'Alexandra, it was just a dream-'

'It wasn't a dream!  How many times do I have to tell you?  It was real damn it!  I felt it!  The fear, the flames, the children ... why don't you believe me?'  Susan stayed quiet and focused on the road ahead.  She couldn't answer her daughter; she couldn't let her know the truth.  Alex sighed and looked out of the window.  Streetlights flew past and Alex realised begging her mother for answers wasn't going to get her anywhere.  For years Susan had mastered the art of dodging awkward questions – why her father abandoned her for example.

'We need to go to the police,' stated Alex.

'No,' retorted Susan.

'What?' cried out Alex and she spun back round to face her mother.  'Are you serious?  Glen was kidnapped!  We need to tell them!  Isn't that where we're going?'  She looked outside the car window and realised they were nowhere near the police station.

'The police can't help us,' began Susan.  Alex didn't understand, the police helped everyone.  Then Susan added, 'those men have tried to take you and Glen before.'

'What?'

'You were very young!  It's lucky you don't remember it but the thing is those men who took Glen will be back for you,' explained Susan.  Alex didn't say anything, she was utterly speechless.  How had she not known this?  'Those men have access to government intelligence and that is how they found Linda's address.  We can't trust the government, nor the police.  Fortunately, I do know of someone who can keep you safe.'

'How come you never told us?' screamed Alex, furious. 

'Don't you dare say that!  It was for your own good!'

'This is your fault!  Why did they take Glen?'

'I can't tell you-'

'Yes you can!'

'I don't know, alright?' yelled Susan.  Alex glared at her mother.  She wasn't telling the truth.  Alex's super power always knew when people lied.

'I can't believe you never told us,' whispered Alex.  Susan briefly took her eyes off the road and glance at her daughter.  There were tears falling down her cheek.

'I'm sorry.  I regret it now.  I do.  For some reason I always thought you'd both be safe from him,' answered Susan.  Him...

'Him?  So you believe me, my dream, was it real?' demanded Alex.   

'Alex, I don't know!' cried Susan, breaking down as well.  'This man I know will give us answers.  And this time you deserve all the answers.  And so do I.'  Alex stared out of the window and watched the other cars drive past.  It was way past midnight.  'Get some sleep Alexandra, it's going to be a long drive.'

Alex didn't reply.  She hated her mum right now.  This was all her fault. 

* 

'Alex, darling, we're nearly there.'  Alex opened her eyes and was surprised to find it was still dark.  She glanced at the car's clock and saw that it was just past five am.  Three hours had passed and a glance at her mother told Alex that she was knackered.  Her stubborn mother had driven the whole journey without a break.  Alex stretched and saw a sign ahead reading "Welcome to Glenhue".

'Glenhue,' she said aloud, 'where's that?' 

'On the border of Scotland,' her mother replied, 'I think we take a turn to the right soon.'

'You've been here before?' asked Alex quietly.

'A long time ago,' her mother answered.  On cue, a junction appeared and Susan twisted the steering wheel.  Five minutes later, the mother and daughter arrived at what appeared to be an old industrial estate lit up with hundreds of spotlights.  A large metal perimeter fence with barbed wire on the top stood surrounding the estate.  Turning into the entrance, Susan slowed the car down and stopped outside a huge metal booth, similar to one at toll junctions and Alex saw two men standing inside.  They wore black compacts and each had a radio earpiece dangling from their collars.  Peering into the booth, Alex saw two small desks, three filing cabinets and a television showing an episode of The Simpsons crammed inside.  The two men took one glance at Susan and Alex and it was obvious they looked shocked.  Susan wound down her window.

'Susan Ramsay, concerning Alex Ramsay,' spoke her mother, strong and confident.  The two men regained their posture and finally remembered the protocol.

'I.D. please,' asked one of the men.

'I do not have I.D..'

'I'm afraid ma'am I cannot allow you to pass these gates-'

'John, let me through!' demanded Susan.  Alex was shocked.  It was rare for Susan to lose her patience like this, and how did she know the man?  The man called John, the older one, quickly glanced at his partner, who shrugged his shoulders.  He sighed and nervously scratched his head.

'Alright,' he said, and flicked down a switch built into his desk, 'but this is just because I know who you are!'  Susan gave a nod of thanks and watched the gates in front of her electronically slide apart with a loud buzzing noise.  Alex watched her mother slowly drive forward and stop again at another fence.  The loud buzz returned and the fence behind them slid shut and seconds later the second fence opened.  Now Alex was really nervous.  Where were they?  Some headquarters of somewhat?

'Soon darling, you will understand everything,' spoke Susan.  Why not now mum?  Alex wanted to say.  Driving through the second gate, Alex began to understand a little.  At first sight, anybody would claim the buildings belonged to an ordinary industrial estate, but with a closer glance, Alex realised that the whole estate was more of a compound.  A compound built to keep enemies out, and secrets in.  Yellow lights beamed down on men walking and patrolling the grounds, armed with rifles and German Shepherds.  Alex's friend Jake had a German Shepherd called Echo, which was the friendliest dog Alex had ever met, but these dogs, they had been trained from the day they were born to attack unwelcome strangers.  Driving on, Alex looked up and saw CCTV cameras bolted into every corner of every building - the man who ran this place took no chances.

Up ahead was a building made out of solid steel, definitely bulletproof.  No windows were to be seen, probably for the safety of the people inside, but despite all this Alex felt no comfort.  Without a doubt, Marco would be strong enough to fight his way through this without a problem, if he found men to kidnap Glen he'd find men to blow this place up.

The car came to a halt and Alex looked out to see her mother had parked the car right outside a steel building.  She heard the click of her mother's seatbelt but Alex didn't move.  She couldn't.  Everything, it wasn't normal.  Glen had been taken, killed, and her own mother who had been one of best friends, had been lying to her, her entire life.  She didn't like it, she didn't like it at all.  Alex could feel her mother's eyes staring at her.

'Alexandra-'  Alex shook her head.  No.  It wasn't right, it wasn't normal.

'I know you're scared,' she whispered and reached out to touch Alex's hand but stopped as Alex wriggled away.  'This man will be able to explain everything.'

'I want you to mum-' Alex began.  She owed it to her.

'I can explain some bits, but for you to understand completely you need hear the facts from this man.'  Alex turned to look at her mother.

'Who's this man?' she asked.  Susan took a deep breath, Alex could see the pain spread throughout her face.  Then Alex felt it, her super power told her a millisecond before Susan opened her mouth in response.

'Your father,' she stated.  Alex immediately began crying.  When were the lies ever going to stop?  'I'm sorry!  I always let you believe that your father walked away from us but that was a lie.  I forced him to leave.  I thought those men wouldn't try to kidnap you again once he left but I was wrong, they took Glen and it was luck they didn't take you.'  Alex looked deep into her mother's eyes and immediately knew she was lying again.  The last part was a lie.

All of sudden a glow of light appeared from the building and a door opened.  A silhouette of a man's figure appeared and Alex immediately knew it was her father.  Susan sadly smiled at her daughter and turned away to climb out of the car.  Alex watched her mother step inside the building with her father.  They would be back out in a minute to get her.  

Alex was furious.  She needed out.  She needed to get away as far as possible.  Quickly glancing back at the building's door, she slowly pulled the car's door handle towards her and pushed the door open, careful not to make a sound.  As swift as a ninja, Alex slid out of the car and ran out into the darkness. 

*

Oliver had his eyes closed.  This way, he couldn't see the room he had been locked inside for four days now.  This way, he didn't have to look ahead and see the one door that prevented him from escaping the horrible smell of strong disinfectant surrounding him.   This way, Oliver instead could close his eyes and pretend he was back home with his family.  Where he taught his little brother how to make the perfect balls of mud and raced his sister to the end of their driveway to see who would see their father first arrive home from a hard day at work.  But now, his home was just a memory.  A memory that gave him false hope every time he dreamed or even thought of it.  He hadn't been home for a long time. 

Guntur always told Oliver to get his head out of the clouds and focus on the real world, because the real world was where he belonged.  Through many years of beatings after beatings, and constant harsh words spoken to him, no matter what the situation was, Oliver began to realise that there was no point hoping.  Happy endings did not exist.

But there had to be something, a reason why he was taken from that wretched farm Guntur owned and brought to this awful place.  And last night, Oliver had found the answer, or rather, the answer had found him.  The two words held power, fear, hope and happiness all twisted together to produce: Seven Children.  Oliver had seen them, last night around the fire!  He was one of them!  But five of them died.  That beast threw them all into that fire and laughed as their bodies turned to ashes.  Oliver knew what he saw last night wasn't just dream.  It was real.  The fear, heat, anger and that heartless man who laughed so cruelly had all been real.  All of those children were burnt alive and Oliver had been powerless to do anything. 

Oliver lunged forward and pounded his fists against the white door.  He banged them, again and again and yelled and screamed for somebody to come and release him.  He had to get out of this room and run fast, that man would be after him next. 

Knock!  Knock!   

Oliver immediately fell silent and waited for that man who always talked to him to walk in.  But no, the door didn't open.

 *

 Alex studied the building made out of metal that stood before her.  Strange.  A second ago somebody, a child, was screaming from inside.  But now, it had stopped.  Alex turned round and looked into the night, no guards were to be seen.  That was strange also, when she had arrived with her mother, there were hundreds of guards patrolling the grounds but now there were none.  She turned back to the metal building and raised her fist and tried again.

* 

Knock!  Knock!

Oliver turned and looked at where he thought the sound was coming from, the wall?  Curious, he took two steps forward and knocked back.

* 

Knock!  Knock!

Alex stepped back amazed.  She gave a small smile and knocked three times instead.

* 

Knock!  Knock!  Knock!

Oliver couldn't help but grin.  Who was knocking on the other side of the door?  Somebody else, locked in a room, not allowed out?  Oliver raised his fist and answered with three knocks.  And then ... nothing.  Nobody knocked back.  Oliver knocked again, hoping this time whoever was on the other side would answer him.  But no, nobody knocked.  Oliver backed away from the wall confused.  Then the sound of a door handle twisting and rattling, forced Oliver to spin round.  Who was trying to rescue him?  

*

'Damn it!' Alex whispered to the night.  The door wouldn't budge.  Suddenly Alex had a sudden urge to batter the door down, just like that man had done to Aunt Linda's door.                                         

*

'There are two bolts!' Oliver yelled out.  Hoping it would help his rescuer on the other side of the door.

*

Alex heard the boy's advice and quickly looked over her shoulder to make sure no guards were to be seen before she searched for the bolts.  There, they stood out in the dark like white against black, how obvious it was.  Two sliding bolts sat screwed into the door and wall.  Alex crouched down and slid the bottom bolt across, then reached out on her tip toes and unbolted the top lock.  She took a deep breath then opened the door...

*********************

I love Oliver!  He has such an interesting background and I hope you'll love him too