"I know what you're thinking, and to prove to you that I'm trustworthy, I'll go first. Just watch."-Aiden walks slowly but determined towards the voluminous portal.
I am completely at a loss for words, so I just observe the sight before me. The slim boy is absorbed by the light purple fumes until he completely disappears. A second later, a little monitor I hadn't noticed before turns on, revealing a blurry upper view of him in some sort of hallway. It looks like the footage of a security camera, at least quality-wise.
Unsure and hesitant, I go near the screen and continue watching. Aiden seems to be in a house, with carpeted floors and pictures hanging from the walls, he looks lost and a little scared. Then, a brunette woman appears, holding a baby in her arms, Aiden looks at her, and even though I can´t really appreciate the details, I can sense a glance of nostalgia, of longing. He reaches his arm to touch her, but her figure turns more and more blurry as he tries to go closer. She doesn´t seem to see him, and that is clearly making him upset.
Suddenly, wilder and denser smoke comes out of the weird machine accompanied by a loud chime. Startled, I step back, my heart is beating so fast I feel it trying to pump out of my chest. Aiden comes crawling out of the smoke spiral, panting. I reach out to him and help him get up, his face turns into a smile as soon as we fix our eyes on each other. For a moment, our gazes deeply stare into one another. For a moment that feels like a whole lifetime. I finally understand the soul I have before me. He has just shown me a way to enter my dreams, my visions, which he also experiences. The Passage is the connection between dreams and real life, between life and the unconscious.
"That was your mother, wasn´t it?"-I softly mutter. He nods. - "And that baby was you, wasn´t it?"-He nods again.
"You get it now, right?"-He asks quietly, I nod back. - "You understand this has to be kept a secret, right?"-I nod again.
"Can I try it?"-I query, he takes my hands in his and holds them tightly, not breaking eye contact.
"Only when you're ready to face your truth. It can be really appalling, and you must learn to control your night or normal dreams first. I'll teach you how, every day, here at this same hour, no one will disturb us."
He lets go of my hands and tidies everything up, pulling the lever back up and covering the machine with the thick fabric. He comes back to where I am standing and leads me out through the old garage door.
"See you tomorrow, Princess,"-He gently leans in and kisses my right cheek, making me flush. Before both sides of my face turn bright pink, he's already gone.
. . .
I immediately returned to the apartment, feeling dizzy from that intense event. Kat had just called me saying she wouldn´t be here until very late. I'm on the balcony, feeling the cool breeze of the sea and watching the sky turn various flamboyant colors as the day's coming to its end.
My mind has never been so crowded with thoughts, there were on a battlefield, fighting to see which makes the most effect on me. I still can´t believe what happened in that run-down lab, the huge machine, the lavender portal, Aiden being engulfed in the spiral, the monitor showing Aiden's expression of agony, him crawling out of his dream, a dream I had seen with my own eyes. It was all very overwhelming, but even more intriguing at the same time.
Was Aiden like me? Were there more like us? Would he be able to show me how to control my power?
Power, huh, I had never thought of it that way, I have power. The only thing I need now is to master it.
. . .
*3ºperson POV*
Aiden walks at a slow pace toward Victor Atlas' office, definitely wanting to be anywhere else but here. He knocks and a voice he dreaded with his whole soul lets him in.
"You're late Aiden, again."-Victor was standing behind his desk chair, facing the balcony and turning his back to the younger man.
"I was busy."-He responds, noticeably fed up.
"I see you're smoking again. I don´t really mind it anymore. What I do mind is that you're hanging out with newbies, especially with our newly rescued girl."
"You mean Bianca?"-At the sound of those words, Victor turns around to face him, showing a face of disapproval.
"Yes, you're not a good influence on her, so I'm kindly giving you the warning to stay away from her. I don´t want you to give her false ideas of this organization."-He skirts around his table to lean on the front part of it, crossing his arms.
"I'm not giving her any fake idea. I'm showing her what she can be able to accomplish, and you can't control who I talk to anymore."
"Yes, I can. Don't doubt me and my ability to make you not see anyone for a long time. You know the rules like the palm of your hand, start acting like a prosperous leader."
"I won´t hesitate to keep disobeying your stupid rules, and if you still think I'll take over your fucking organization then you're very wrong."-Aiden spats furiously, his hands forming into fists, clenching tightly.
"I expected your time in confinement would've taught you something, but you're still as immature and ungrateful as before."
"How do you expect me to act when you've been oppressing what I'm able to do my whole life? What kind of dad do you think you are?"-Tears of pure frustration are threatening to come out of Aiden Atlas' eyes, those same green eyes he had inherited from his cruel father.
"You're dismissed. This was my last warning, son."
"Don´t call me that, you're not my father and I'm not your son anymore. Just wait 'till I find the way to get out of this hellhole."-With those irritating words filled with hate, Aiden storms out of his father's office, who's now left alone, staring at the just-slammed wooden doors.