My body felt exhausted and I was severely fatigued. I couldn’t focus on anything around me. I felt as though someone had drugged me. I was beginning to panic as the restraints around my wrists tightened.
“Ariana,” a muffled woman’s voice spoke softly.
I tried to answer her but I couldn’t get anything out. I couldn’t understand why she was calling me Ariana either. Maybe it was just a mistake and I heard it wrong.
“Ariana, try to stay calm. We are all with you. Try to focus sweetie.”
I wasn’t wrong; she was calling me by a name that wasn’t mine. I could feel my heart rate spike. The sound pounded in my ears.
“Her heart rate is accelerating! Everyone needs to get out of here right now,” another woman ordered.
That was the last thing I heard before the void took me again.
~
When I woke back up, I was laying on the floor in Mr. Keitz’s office. I slowly began to get up.
“Whoa there Aidriana, slow down,” he said as he ran over to my side.
“I don’t understand.” I said confused.
“Just relax Aidriana. You blacked out. It is completely understandable considering the stress you must be enduring,” he said trying to comfort me.
“Where did the woman go? She was calling me a different name,” I asked in confusion.
“I’m the only one that has been here. Maybe you dreamed something while you were passed out,” he offered.
I sat there and looked at him, still clearly unsettled about what I had just heard, or believed I had just heard anyway. “I think I need to go home,” I finally admitted.
“That is probably a good idea. I already called your mother. She is already on her way.”
“She is?” I asked.
“Yes, she is. It sounds like you have had a very tough day so I think you should go home and rest. I want you to come to my office tomorrow though. I will send a pass for you when I have some open time,” Mr. Keitz explained.
“I really don’t know what’s going on Mr. Keitz, so I think that will just be a waste of our time,” I argued.
“Well think long and hard about it while you enjoy the rest of your day off. We are past me asking now. Your mother has requested that you to come in to talk to me tomorrow also. If it takes me the entire year to figure out what is going on in that little head of yours, then so be it,” he said.
I was past arguing at this point so I just agreed. He smiled at me and looked truly concerned. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“Until then,” he said as he walked me out of his door. My mom was walking down the hallway and she smiled at me lovingly.
“Sweetheart!” She yelled.
“Hi mom,” I said back softly. Could this day possibly get any more embarrassing?
“It’s okay sweetie. Let’s go home now,” my mom said.
She pulled me into a hug and we turned toward the doors. I didn’t even bother to get my things out of my locker. I was ready for this day to be over.
Chapter 7
I sat alone in my room after my mom and I got home. The ride home was silent and awkward to say the least. I could tell she didn’t want to push the issue with me so she just kept quiet. I put my head down on my soft pillow and curled into a ball. I felt sick. I couldn’t understand what had happened. The first dream had seemed so real, but more of a foreshadowing of the future. When I passed out, that seemed completely real.
I closed my eyes and savored the nothingness while I turned my thoughts off. The blank darkness behind my eyelids didn’t last long though. I was once again hurled into my nightmare. I woke shrieking the same horrifying cry. I looked at my phone to see 4 am again. I broke out into a sudden sob and felt completely helpless. What was happening to me?
~
When I got to school, I walked straight to my locker. I kept my eyes on the ground below me and didn’t pay any attention to those looking at me in the halls. I had committed social suicide without even trying. I could hear the hushed whispers of my classmates as I moved and the tears began to rim my eyes. I began to put my combination into my lock and suddenly couldn’t remember it.
“Aid?”
I turned around slowly and saw Ethan standing behind me. He looked like he hadn’t slept and concern was radiating off of him.
“Hi,” was all I could manage to spit out.
“Aidriana, I called you ten times last night. What happened?” he demanded.
“I passed out in the counselor’s office and my mom picked me up. I’m sorry Ethan; I never even heard my phone,” I explained.
“This isn’t like you at all. You’re seriously scaring me. I hate to ask because I have a feeling you won’t tell me, but what’s going on?” He asked sounding worried.
I sighed and looked at his eyes. They were almost grey and the bags under them were dark and prominent. “I know you’re worried. I’m not trying to be distant or hide anything. I honestly don’t know what’s going on. I am just as confused as you,” I assured him.
“Is this about the dream you had yesterday?”
“It’s much more than that,” I admitted.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“That’s what I don’t know. I feel off today. I feel like something bad is coming.”
I looked away from him. I couldn’t bear to stare into his eyes and see them glaze over again. I kept seeing death everywhere I turned.
“Do you remember at all what it was about?” he questioned.
I couldn’t tell him much. I felt selfish but I wouldn’t have him looking at me like I was insane. “I remember one thing from it and it’s only because it is happening now.”
“I don’t get it,” he said, clearly confused.
“In the dream, Alexa has cancer. She called me yesterday morning. She has a brain tumor,” I told him.
He stared at me and his face began to turn ashen. “You’re trying to tell me that Alexa claims she has a tumor in her brain? She never told me.” He sounded offended.
“Claim? She’s not claiming anything Ethan. She was at her specialist appointment yesterday. What do you think she’s been seeing her doctor so much for?” I hissed.
“Are you sure she isn’t just messing with you?”
“I never said a word about the dream to her,” I said slightly irritated.
“I’m sorry. I’m not trying to make her out to be a liar or some shit, it’s just, what are the odds that none of us knew and then you have a damn premonition about her having that?” He said.
“Exactly!” Point proven, I wasn’t crazy for thinking that this may not be a coincidence. “This is why I feel so freaked out. She called me not even five minutes after I woke up from that damn nightmare. Again, tell me the odds!” I yelled.
He was clearly scared now. I didn’t feel so bad for reacting the way I had been after seeing the blank stare on his face.
“Whoa now, what fun filled conversation did I just walk into?” Ryder waltzed his way over to us and smirked. “Looks like you saw a ghost bro. You two fighting?”
“I am standing right here,” I said astonished. “And no, we’re not fighting for your information.”
“No need to get your panties in a twist there, Aid. Man if you could see both of your faces, you’d know why I said that,” Ryder said.
“No need to be a douche, Ryder,” I shot back a little too snarky.
“So what’s this business I’m hearing around school about you screaming in class and passing out?” Ryder asked.
“Come on man, not cool,” Ethan said irritated.
“Just a little curious is all. I’m not trying to be mean,” Ryder stated.
“Well if you must know, that is what we were talking about. If you didn’t barge into our conversation like a dipshit, I may have shared that with you earlier,” I explained.
“My bad,” Ryder admitted. “So what’s going on then?”
“She had this nightmare last night and doesn’t remember many
details of it but it’s scaring the shit out of her,” Ethan explained.
“And?” Ryder said.
“And the only detail she is sharing with me that she remembers is one about Alexa,” Ethan answered.
“What about her?” Ryder asked.
“Aidriana was dreaming that Alexa has cancer,” Ethan explained.
“So your point?” Ryder said in confusion.
“She called me five minutes after I had the dream and told me she was going to her appointment. She told me yesterday before I left that she has a brain tumor,” I trembled.
“Excuse me?” Ryder looked even more confused.
We all stood there silent, when the five minute warning bell went off. I was determined to not make this day like yesterday. “I’ll explain more later,” I said while beginning to walk away. “I can’t be late for this today after screaming in that wenches class.”
Ethan and I both walked to class quickly. I walked into class only to be stopped by Mrs. Benett. “Mr. Reynolds, please take your seat. Aidriana, I would like to have a word with you quickly.”
“Okay?” I said.
We stepped out into the hallway alone while the other students began sitting in the classroom.
“After speaking with Mr. Keitz, the faculty and I have decided that we would like you to stay close to Mr. Reynolds as much as possible. Mr. Keitz is going to send a pass down for you in a half hour so take a seat up front by Ethan please. You may discuss the rest with Mr. Keitz,” Mrs. Benett explained.
“Mrs. Benett, that is really nice of all of you, but not necessary,” I argued.
“Mr. Keitz feels that you need to be around someone close to you. Again, you can discuss it with him during your session. Now take a seat,” she urged.
I sat in the desk next to Ethan and smiled. “What are you doing?” he asked quietly.
“I’ll explain as soon as I get the chance.”
~
Twenty minutes into class, my little pink pass came for me. The office aide handed it to Mrs. Benett, who in turn excused me from class. Ethan looked more worried than ever. I got up and walked out to the hall. Mr. Keitz was standing outside to collect me. There was no escape, no excuses, no nothing.
“Aidriana, how are you feeling today?” Mr. Keitz asked.
“I was fine. You realize that I don’t need you to escort me right?” I asked him.
“I do. Although, I am almost positive you would have found a way around this had I not come to pick you up myself,” he explained.
He was right, no denying that. I wanted no part in being his psychological guinea pig. I didn’t want everyone knowing my business, nor did I want everyone catering to me like some kind of breakable china. I followed him to his office regardless of my feelings of this insensibility. I sat in the same chair as last time.
He looked at me intently, like he was waiting for me to spill my life story to him. I didn’t say anything still. I honestly could say that I didn’t even know where to start. I didn’t even know what was going on.
“I’d really like for you to talk to me, Aidriana. I just want you to talk about anything really. If you’re not comfortable sharing much yet, that’s fine. Just something would be a good start,” he said trying to comfort me.
I huffed, “this is a waste of time.”
“Why don’t we start with answering this; have you had the nightmare since class yesterday?” He inquired.
“No,” I lied.
“Was that the only time you had it?” He asked.
“Yes,” I lied again.
“And what do you remember from it?”
“Nothing,” I answered bluntly.
He sighed and looked irritated but also defeated. “I think you may be right.”
“About what?” I asked.
“This being a waste of time,” he admitted.
I already knew I was right. I pretended like I just didn’t care but I was enjoying that he wasn’t breaking me. “Yeah, probably.”
“Since you won’t talk to me, I hope that you talk to those close to you. If you ever become ready, my door is always open,” he offered.
“Thanks, but I doubt I’ll be coming back.”
He frowned at me, “I had a feeling you’d say that. I switched your schedule around so that you are in classes with people I know you are close to. Whatever it is that you are going through, I feel that you need some support right now.”
I looked at him completely speechless, “You’ve got to be shitting me.”
“I’m not shitting you. Until you decide to either share with me, or share with them, this decision stands,” he said as he slid me my new schedule.
“You do realize that I have been the main source of laughter in this school since yesterday,” I shouted.
“I was not aware of that but this is high school and people will forget about it soon enough,” he stated.
I huffed loudly at him, “Whatever, great load of damn help you’ve been.” I stood up and walked out.
He let me go without a word but I think that was his intention. I would either work this out by myself or I was going to be forced to come back to work it out with him. Talk about dedication to students. He always had a plan to help.
I looked down at the new schedule and laughed slightly. I was now in 3 classes with Ethan, two with Alexa and one with Ryder. Why he put me in a class with Ryder, I wasn’t particularly sure. I wasn’t really close to him and only hung out with him because he seemed to be part of Ethan’s package deal.
I began walking to second hour. I now had Mrs. Aress for my second hour teacher and began to shudder. I looked down at my schedule again and realized I had Mr. Harolds for my third hour. The only two teachers that showed up in my dream had conveniently become two of my new teachers. I was once again late for class thanks to Mr. Keitz.
I got up to the door and tried to open it as quietly as possible. The door squealed loudly at me and Mrs. Aress looked at me with a small amount of pity. She was not the type of woman to address your problems in front of everyone, so she treated me just like she would have treated any of us.
“Ms. Masters, I believe this is your second year in my classroom and you know my rules. Get in your seat before I change my mind,” she barked.
My seat was the only one left and I was placed right next to Alexa. She looked at me with uncomfortable eyes. I sat down and zoned out for the last thirty minutes of class.
~
“So would you care to share with me what’s really going on now?” Alexa said as we walked out into the hallway.
“It’s complicated,” I answered her softly.
“Come on, Aidriana. There is nothing too complicated for you to tell me,” Alexa argued.
“That isn’t quite true in this situation,” I said.
“What do you mean? I can’t understand unless you try to talk to me,” she urged.
“It’s the dream I was telling you about. There’s something about it. I’m afraid something bad is coming,” I softly explained. As I looked in her eyes, the blank stare of death greeted me. I blinked it away and began to tremble.
“What do you mean, Aid? What kind of bad things?” she asked.
“Your tumor is one,” I admitted.
“What the hell do you mean?” She asked.
“I had that dream the morning you called me. You had cancer in my dream.”
“Excuse me,” She began to shiver. “What else happened in the dream?”
“That’s my problem, I know what happens is bad, but I can’t bring myself to remember the details of it,” I lied.
She looked at me thoughtfully. At first she thought I was lying, which I was, but then the look disappeared and she sighed heavily. “Maybe this is just a fluke. Maybe you were subconsciously worried because I was seeing my doctor so often and the worry manifested in your dream to create what you thought was a subconscious reality.”
I looked at her in disbelief. “And when the hell did you get so damn smar
t? That actually makes some sense!”
“Just because I act like a blonde ditz doesn’t mean I really am,” she laughed. “You’re supposed to be the genius around here. How didn’t you come up with that idea on your own?”
“Fear seems to shut my genius off,” I said smiling.
“Obviously!” she exclaimed. “Why don’t you just give it a little time? See if the dream keeps happening and see if you can remember anything else if you have it again.”
“I think that might be a good idea,” I agreed.
~
I continued to have the dream and it never changed. After a week of horrible sleep, I began to look partially dead. My eyes were surrounded by the purple circles under them. I was so exhausted but I couldn’t sleep unless I wanted the dream to creep up on me again.
My classes were going much smoother now that I had the constant support of my two favorite people. Third hour with Ryder was awkward and he was my new science partner. He was constantly asking me questions about this dream and seemed to be overly worried about the subject when it pertained to Alexa.
I honestly could say I just didn’t want to know things anymore. If I were to pretend things didn’t match the dream at all, it would feel less like I was spiraling into a dark abyss of my unfortunate reality. So that is exactly what I was doing; pretending.
Alexa brought it to my attention during second hour that she was getting the tumor removed as soon as next week. I was beginning to worry more about her as time was passing. She seemed detached and secretive. Since school had started, we hadn’t hung out at all, which was unlike her. She hadn’t even asked. Since I had Ethan, I had more time to split. She was busy all the time now. Paranoia was getting the best of me, while I was getting stuck with the worst.
Chapter 8
I felt surrounded and claustrophobic. My shoulders were tightly squeezed in between Ethan and Ryder. I was panicking as the seconds passed with no word.
“Aidriana, relax! She will be fine!” Ethan said while trying to comfort me.
Alexa had been prepped for her surgery over an hour ago. I waited for someone to let me know she was fine. Mandy sat on the seat opposite of us. She smiled at me reassuringly.