I Dream Of You

Chapter One

Gallons of rain fell in sheets drenching any object that had the misfortune of being out at this time of night. Howling wind slashed through the town aiding the sting of the rain. Lightning lit up the sky; throwing itself into trees, telephone poles, and roofs. Following it came thunder that rumbled young babies awake and sent children running to their parents’ room.

It was a miserable night.

But not for one adolescent. He was literally in his own world. The recess of his sleepy mind had summoned a vast expanse of field. Thinking with care, he pulled up a single tree behind him and dotted the hills beneath with wildflowers. Mountains peaked with snow were pulled from the ground and clustered at what was presumed to be the distance. He was God of this land, changing it at his will. This was his dream world where he could make false identities for himself and create people from a storyline for his amusement. This was his sanctuary.

Well, almost. One thing was missing. The one thing he couldn't summon or create. In time, this object would come at its own free will and so the boy sank beneath the giant oak to wait.

This object was, in fact, another adolescent his same age. One he had become accustomed to seeing in his dreams since they were children. He reflected on the first time they met. He must've been only eight then and well into third grade when he'd gone to bed that fateful night. Had it been fate? Or some strange accident? In any case, he had been swept into a mall filled with children of all ages. They ran the shops, raided the cash registers, and swung from the framing.

He wandered around, gathering information from various characters on the direction of the exit. Finally, he was pointed in the right direction. He started to the exit when a small body pushed through the glass doors and came face to face with him. Right away, he knew this girl was not another character created by his mind. The girl started for a second before looking past him for someone. She looked near frantic, calling out various names he could only guess were her sisters. A child, that resembled the frantic girl before him, popped up next to him. He grinned and led her to the girl.

Upon seeing one of her sisters (as they were really images created by her mind), the girl smiled largely and thanked him before disappearing into the crowd of kids. The dream shifted and he found himself in a more comfortable one; one that was his own.

After that incident, the girl would appear once or twice a month in his dreams or his in hers. He learned the feel of her dreams and, when he found himself there, he occupied himself with watching her. She did the same and sometimes they’d exchange a sentence or two. This became routine for about four years until he entered seventh grade.

The year started as a runaway snowball with a deadly downhill descent (which crashed into the neighbor’s kid) and continued as such. It seemed to get just worse. The girl hadn't shown up at all either and, for some reason, he felt bad about that. The feeling had irritated him beyond belief. And to make matters worse, when he saw her in summer before eighth grade, for the first in months, his heart swelled.

The feel of that dream had told him it was hers, although it wasn't the type he expected. Instead of being, fast-paced and adventurous; it was quiet, calm-like. It was dark, blank except for the place around her. She stood quietly beside a rocky outcropping overlooking a murky pond when she sensed his presence. They had stood for while, staring at each other in silence before she attacked him with a hug.

After that, they saw each other in their dreams more frequently. Almost every night, one would show up to spend an hour or so with the other. Some nights, one would take the liberty of creating a dream sequence for the other making them into fairy-tale characters.

The boy was suddenly called out of his reverie when he felt a familiar presence taking shape in his dream. Leaning against the tree, he watched as she materialized; her body becoming less transparent and more permanent.

As she took in the scenery, he could feel her aura grow so light with excitement that it filled the air of the dream-scape. Sparks flew around her, blocking his view, as she was stripped from her regular clothes into a blue summer dress. When the lights died down, he watched her stand for a while before he felt a recognizable prick in the back of his head. She was searching for him; trying to locate his aura.

The girl picked it up soon enough and upon spotting him by the tree, plowed him over with a hug. When she finished, she settled herself by the base of the tree. He seated himself beside her and together they sat in comfortable silence. The tree’s leaves rustled as a breath of autumn air brushed past them. This place could almost be real.

“It‘s perfect here.” The sentence was so soft and short; it seemed as if she hadn’t spoken.

He nodded; his chest swelling from the compliment. “We should spend more time here,” he said motioning to the place he’d created.

She nodded a bit snuggling into him making his heart race and turning his cheeks red.

“How long?’ She asked with her head buried in his shirt.

“Hmm?” He responded while trying to fight off the blush just in case she looked up.

She pulled away and walked a few feet from him. Spreading her arms out, she turned round. “How long will all this last?”

He stood up, somewhat confused. “You mean the dream?”

She didn’t make any move to correct him; just looked expectantly.

“Until one of us wakes up.”

She shook her head furiously. “No, this!” She spun around with her arms spread. “Everything, the dreams, seeing each other, you…” her voice trailed off and she stopped spinning. Instead, she let herself fall backwards onto the grass.

He stood over her. “Me?”

Frustrated, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I don’t know if any of this is real. What if it’s all my imagination? What if you’re not real at all? I’d be labeled insane.” She gave a bitter laugh and wiped her eyes.

He hovered over her, unsure of what to do. With his concentration focused on her, the dream setting slipped away leaving a vast darkness around them. Silence captured the air around them for a considerable time.

“Why isn’t this real?” He finally asked, taking a seat beside her.

She rubbed her eyes and pulled her knees to her chest. “Tell me, do you remember all this when you wake up? Do you remember my face clearly? My voice? The feel of my aura? Even my name?”

He didn’t answer; sitting there with a scowl.

“If you did, then why haven’t you looked for me?” She paused waiting for him to deny it, but he remained silent.

She turned away, staring into the darkness. “That’s because this is just a dream. A series of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations occurring involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. That’s all this is.” She took a shaky breath and buried her head in her arms. “And it hurts so much.”

His heart clenched painfully as he watched her cry. “It’s not just a dream.”

She hiccupped, lifting her head to see if he had said that.

He sat there; brows furrowed in concentration. “It’s not a dream,” he repeated, “I know I’m real. I have memories of my own life and of you too. I promise I’ll find some way to prove it’s real,” he paused, “For starters, dreams can’t hurt you.”

She smiled through the tears and wrapping her arms around his waist, she buried her head in his chest. “Thanks for making me feel better,” she mumbled.

He smiled, returning the hug and called the dream setting back. Leaning against the tree again, he relaxed feeling the girl rest against him. All was quiet until the she jumped in his arms and started to fade away. Two solid words gave him the answer he needed.

“My alarm…,” she whispered before disappearing completely.

He sighed. She always was an early riser. Shutting the dream world down, he closed his eyes determined on getting more sleep when he remembered he hadn’t told her something.

Oh well, he thought, I’ll tell her tomorrow.

!&!

Asia turned the alarm off and took time out to stretch. She was upset her alarm had woken her up, but she knew she’d regret breaking it. If not, it’d be in many small pieces right now. Besides, she’d see him again tonight, right? Right. Now was time for another day of the torture called school. She stumbled downstairs, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes when her eyes landed on her homework which had been torn up and scattered all over the living room. Somehow, I think the dog ate my homework, just won’t buy it again. Asia took one last good look at it before turning around and heading back up the stairs. Flicking off the light, she got under the covers and rolled on her stomach.

I think I’ll use one of my sick days. And promptly fell asleep.

!&!

Seth sat at the lunch table, totally oblivious the conversations going on around him, and tried to figure out a way to prove the dream was real. But how could he prove it when she was right?! Try as he might, he couldn’t remember her. Only a blurred image of brown hair, tanned skin, and dark eyes made up her face. The fact her name started with an ‘A’ was his only other clue. The situation seemed hopeless.

He was about to slam his head on the table in frustration when his friend nudged him. Seth looked up just in time to see a blond beauty wink as she passed them. The friend that had elbowed him in the ribs was his best friend Joey.

“Is she hot or what? You should go-”

“No,” Seth cut him off and then berated himself for his stupidity. Ah, here we go again, he thought taking a bite of his sandwich.

Joey stared at him incredulously. “C’mon, look at her.”

“No, I’m eating.”

“Are you kidding?”

Seth swallowed and shook his head.

“What’s wrong with you? You never seem to be interested in anyone. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you had a girlfriend.”

I wish, Seth thought.

“Or…,” Joey paused as something came to him.

Seth picked up his milk as his friend peered at him strangely. Slowly, Joey leaned closer to him and whispered something in his ear that would scar him for life.

“You aren’t gay, are you?”

Seth reeled back and inhaled sharply causing him to choke on his milk. He shook his head wildly and as soon as he regained use of his throat, he answered with a firm, ‘Not on your life.’

Joey, the nice guy he was, leaned back in his chair and smiled. “That’s good. For a second, I thought you lost your mind.”

Seth sighed. You have no idea how close you are.

Seeing his friend had gone into depressed mood again, Joey threw out his trash and turned to go. Before he did though, he looked back at Seth.

“Just try and have a good time on your last day, Seth. It’s really depressing me seeing you in this depressed depressing depression. When your ready to have fun, you know where I am.”

Seth looked up with a smirk. “Skipping class?”

Joey nodded. “On the roof today, too.” And with that he strutted around the back of the school.

Seth took one last look at his food before throwing it away and chasing after his best friend. It was his last day at GHS. He might as well make the most of it. Tomorrow, he’d be three hours from here attending a new school in a new town with new friends and new rules.

“Hey, Joey! Wait up.”

!&!

Tapping her pencil on the desk, Asia sat in her bedroom at home trying to repair her homework. She had been at it for hours and, after a long stare at the clock, found it to be 11:30pm. She sighed heavily tried to concentrate on the page in front of her. Her hand was cramping and her back ached from bending over. Her eyelids kept closing on her and she had to jerk awake. Over and over this war continued until Asia unwillingly gave up. Her head hit the desk with a dull thud as the clocked struck 12:00.

Asia lifted her head from the desk where she had been all night. She had slept in a blank space last night. No dreams, no Seth, no alarm clock. She paused a moment a rewound her thoughts. No alarm…clock….Schist.

Racing to get to school on time, Asia rushed her shower and a caught a slice of toast for breakfast. Then, she was out the door and running down the street to catch the bus.

Sure enough the noisy yellow bus pulled up with her usual bus driver; a man with gray, thinning hair, and soft smile named Charlie. Asia climbed on the bus and Charlie looked at her oddly.

“Well, well, well,” Charlie said, rubbing his eyes, “Do my glasses deceive me?”

Asia smiled at the driver. “No, Charlie. It’s just me. I didn’t have much time to get ready this morning.” She motioned to her inside out shirt.

“Now, little lady, you look fine to me. I was just meaning I thought I’d never see the day when you got detention?”

Ash looked surprised. “What do mean? Who told you that?”

“Little lady, you caught the morning detention bus. It’s 6:30 and school don’t start for another hour.”

Ash groaned and flopped into the seat behind him. Charlie watched her and offered a ride back to her house.

“No, thanks. Knowing my luck, I’d probably miss the next bus.”

Charlie nodded and closing the bus doors continued on his way with Asia snoozing behind him.

!&!

It was 7:30 when the bell rung. A young lady entered the Latin class and spotted her friend fast asleep in her chair. Cherry, as the young lady was called, took a deep breath and tip-toed over to Asia’s desk. With a large smile, Cherry slammed her Latin book on the desk next to Asia’s head.

Asia jerked her head up and would have glared at Cherry if a yawn hadn’t gotten her first. Cherry laughed and sat down with an inquiring look. “Where were you yesterday?”

Asia lifted her head from the desk long enough to answer, “My dog ate my homework.”

Cherry’s lips twitched into a smile. “No, really. Where were you?”

Asia scoffed. I knew she wouldn’t buy it. “I was sick.”

“Yeah, you look it the way you were sleeping.” Cherry tapped her on the head and Asia swatted her hand away.

“Thanks, now I really feel like crap.”

Cherry laughed for a short time. “Oh yeah, did I tell you? We’re getting a new student.”

Asia buried her arms in her head as the late bell rang. “Uh huh sure. Whatever you say. Copy the work for me today and I’ll pay you,” Asia managed to mumbled out before falling back asleep.

!&!

Seth looked up at the tall school building and shifted his backpack on his shoulder feeling a bit nervous. Okay, here we go. And he trudged up the steps to his new school. The lady at the office handed him a pass and his schedule while rambling off directions Seth would never remember before strutting down the hall for her ‘coffee break’.

Seth walked out of the office alternating his line of sight from the schedule, to a map, to the hallway, and back to the schedule.

Finally giving up, he decided to wander until he found the room. He passed the science wing when he felt something he never thought he’d feeling his waking days; the oh-so-familiar prick in the back of his head. Seth paused just for that instant and looked down the other hallway. I could’ve sworn I…

Although he shook his head, Seth turned and walked down the hallway where he felt the prick growing stronger. The prick was exactly like the one he got when the girl from his dreams went to sleep. But that makes no sense. Why would she sleep during school?

Before he knew it, Seth found himself outside room 229, Ms. Radar’s Latin Class. Checking his schedule, he found this to be his first classroom and took a deep breath before entering. Immediately, the class stopped and turned their eyes to him. He could already feel the heat crawling up his neck. He never did like being the center of attention.

A small, kind lady that just happened to be the teacher strode up to him with a slight limp and held out her hand. Seth handed her his schedule and pass. Ms. Radar read over it with a smile. “You must be the new student. Welcome to my class.”

Cherry watched with swooning eyes as the boy conversed with the teacher and jabbed Asia in the arm with her pencil. Asia could only mumble an ‘Ouch’ before Cherry grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her.

“Asia!” She whispered excitedly, “The new student is here and he’s hot!”

The other girl’s eyes drooped and her head started to fall forward. “Uh huh, I’ll look at him later. Now let me go back to sleep or I won’t pay you.”

“No, now!” Cherry said forcefully. She didn’t usually get overly excited about these things so Asia decided to take Cherry seriously and let her head turn set on glancing at this ‘hot’ guy before going back to sleep. When she spotted him, though, her heart stopped for a split-second.

Seth was explaining his previous education in Latin when heard her voice. But it couldn’t be…

“Oh my God,” Asia stated again and, like it was scripted, Seth turned slowly to look at her. Their eyes locked and time froze. Asia felt her heart stop while Seth’s face drained of color.

“Oh my God,” they said in unison and froze again.

The whole class was watching them now like some sort of reality show. Even the teacher hadn’t moved while Seth and Asia remained rooted to the spot. Finally, Asia stood feeling woozy. She was hyperventilating.

“Ms. Radar?” She asked without taking her eyes off Seth.

“Yes?” the answer came from the very concerned teacher standing next to Seth.

Asia’s head was spinning and her heart beat wildly against her chest. “Nurse,” Asia whispered before darkness overtook her vision.

Seth held site of Cherry bolting to catch Asia before he found himself too slipping out of reality. “Teacher!” Ms. Radar’s head snapped in his direction and found him as pale as a sheet and losing consciousness.

A senior stood from his desk and caught Seth while Cherry struggled to support Asia. The teacher looked back and forth between the two students and ordered another classmate to call the office and ask for the school officer’s help. The officer arrived swiftly and with help from the first senior carried Seth and Asia to the nurse.

AN: This is a new story I’m working on. Please Read and Review. I’ll try to update faster.