That night, Grey dragged me into another one of his dreams. Palm trees surrounded me, along with discomfort, as I sat down on the ground beside him. The sky was dazzling, but debris lay all around us. It looked as if a tsunami had torn by here.
"Why are we here?" I asked Grey, who leaned his back into a tree.
"This is where she drowned," Grey said. My throat tightened as I glanced around me. "She drowned in the tsunami."
"Who?" I whispered. His eyes watered, but not a single tear touched his face. Instead, he suddenly gazed at me. "Sasha."
I expected her to be behind me, but she wasn't. So I returned my focus to Grey, and his soft lips suddenly encased mine as his arms wrapped around me.
Surprised, I shoved him away. "What... what are you doing?"
"What do you mean, Sasha?" he asked. His dream was a bit erratic that night. One moment he's talking about someone who drowned; the next, he's thinking about Sasha.
"I'm not Sasha," I said slowly. "I'm Hazel."
"Hazel," he said and smiled. "What brings you here?"
"You," I said. Being that Grey was dating Sasha, I was in no mood to entertain his subconscious. His girlfriend treated me nastily for no reason, and I didn't have any time to waste on them. "Wake up."
"Don't leave," he pleaded. Stunned, I eyed him warily. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward the tree. The scenery around us shifted. The tree melted into the ground and, in its place, formed a pool. It grew dark around us, and stars replaced the sun in the sky.
We no longer looked like we were tropical but local. I think we were at some part of Grey's house.
Grey was in swim trunks as he jumped into the water. This sudden switch in moods was startling, but I took it on the chin, knowing this was to be expected in the dream world.
"Join me," he coaxed.
Reluctantly, I dreamt up a dream one-piece bathing suit.
"A one-piece? What are you, a mom?" he teased playfully.
Before I could stop myself, I blurted out, "I have a birthmark on my upper hip that I hate. So I don't wear bikinis."
"Oh," he said, "I understand. You don't have to be self-conscious, though. It's a birthmark; it's natural."
I barely processed his words as I chastised myself. How could I let such a valuable piece of information about myself slip through? Why was I so stupid?
Nobody had ever seen my body on social media, not from how I dressed, essentially from absolutely nowhere; I kept it hidden to the point where nobody even knew I had a birthmark except my close friends, and even they forget about it most of the time.
I couldn't stay any longer for fear of what else I would say. A hole formed in the pool, dragging Grey down with muted cries into the depths and breaking me free of his dream.
***
Surprisingly, the week passed without incident and without me getting dragged into more dreams with Grey. On the contrary, I actively fought to prevent it from happening, even keeping myself up at night for as long as possible so our dream spheres wouldn't cross paths.
"You look tired," Ana said as I forked through my Friday lunch. I looked up and shook my head, offering her a smile. "Seriously, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," I signed and meant it. I didn't know where Ana's comments were coming from, and I was slightly frustrated, signing, "I'm fine." I could tell she didn't believe me. Everybody at our table looked at me like a puzzle with a missing piece. "Honestly!"
Grey said, "Everybody, shut up!" We all looked and saw him standing at the table. I immediately cringed in horror, knowing someone would eat on it after him. Of course, that would be your first thought. I laughed at myself internally. "I'm having another party at my house tomorrow. Juniors and seniors are invited to join us." Oh boy, another one?
"Get off the table," one of the teachers shouted from across the room. Grey hopped down nonchalantly.
"We have to go," Mindy said as everybody resumed talking. "We'd be lame if we didn't."
"I'm not going," I signed. "I need a break."
"She said she's not going," Blake translated.
"You have to go," Mindy whined. "I need my party, buddy!"
"Your party buddy will be home, getting work done," I signed as Blake translated.
"I'll change your mind, my sweet, I promise."
"She doesn't want to go," Andy insisted. "Don't pressure her." She winked at me in response. She and I both knew that I was going to end up going.
***
"I'm sorry. Oh, God, am I sorry..."
I woke up, sweat drenching my body and tears escaping my eyes. I bit my lip and closed them, willing the harsh memory away. I didn't want to think about it anymore—I had gotten so good at forgetting it, but it seems right when I think I've made some progress, that dream returns.
My dog stirred in bed next to me, his tail wagging as I sat up. I gave him a reassuring pat before walking off into the bathroom.
Water soaked my skin as I splashed it onto my face. It was cool and refreshing, aiding the slowing down of my heart; the sting of the dream and memory seemed to be fading.
Gunfire rang out again as my dad crumpled to the floor. I shook away the image, not even having enough energy to cry. I had cried so many times over it, and it never made a difference; the robber took my father's life, and he'd never come back.
The cops tried hard to communicate with me at five years old, asking me what he looked like and if I could remember the color of his eyes, hair, and skin. But I couldn't answer. The more they pressed, the more distressed I got. My mom finally gave up for the sake of my mental health. Once they finally got the CCTV footage, they realized it would've been impossible for me to see him. He wore a mask and sunglasses.
The case was hopeless.
I went back into my room, tears threatening to spill as my chest ached with pain, but I sucked them back in. Tears wouldn't bring him back.
Nothing would.
He's dead.
Desperately, I wanted Grey to drag me into one of his dreams because I couldn't think about my dad anymore. The thought of him burned me. It's almost like I was less capable of handling it at seventeen than five.
Finally, after laying back in bed, tossing and turning, I shut my eyes and got some peace.
YOU ARE READING
Little Sweet Dreamer - Wattys Edition
Teen Fiction"Oh," he said, as my back hit the wooden wall. Damn it, of course. With nowhere to go, his arms locked me in between him and the wall. He stared down at me as he said, "So you're trying to piss me off?" His lips were surprisingly close to mine. No g...
