For Always (book one)

Chapter 22: Confusion

Malyn

Once I was awake, I realized the screaming I heard was my own.

"MALYN!" I heard Beau yell as he came flying up the stairs. He burst into my room with Grandmama right behind him yelling my name, too. Realizing I wasn't being murdered, came around the bed and sat down beside me. "Ya okay? What's wrong?"

When my eyes adjusted to the light, I noticed that Grandmama had sat down at the foot of my bed and had a concerned look on her face. She rubbed my foot through my blanket, not saying anything.

"Well...." I didn't know what to say. The dream I just had felt so real that I was still slightly bewildered.

As I remembered my dream, I dropped my head. Beau gently wipe my cheeks, which I hadn't noticed were covered in tears. I couldn't remember ever having cried in my sleep.

"It's okay. We're here now," he said softly. He looked back at Grandmama, concerned, as if he wasn't sure what to do.

"Honey, did ya have a bad dream or somethin'?"

"Yeah, I guess." My heart was finally starting to beat at a normal speed again. "It just seemed so real." I shook my head and looked at my blanket. "Sorry I scared you."

"What was it about?" she asked.

I debated on telling them, not wanting to hurt Beau, but he seemed even more anxious to know than Grandmama did, so I took a deep breath and began to tell them. "I was in the yard, down by the river, and I was so scared." I looked at Beau. "Your mom was there. She had on a blue dress and a white apron... and her hair was pulled up. She was beautiful." I realized, then, that Beau looked a lot like her. "She was sitting on the ground, holding Thomas in her lap, crying."

Beau shifted slightly on the edge of my bed and quietly encouraged me to continue. "It's okay. What else did ya see?"

"I heard a noise behind me." I turned toward Grandmama, knowing that if I looked at Beau I'd start crying. "I saw his dad carrying him," I said as I motioned toward Beau. "He was dead. James was walking behind them and they were both crying." Remembering their sadness made me start to cry, myself. "He went over and sat down by your mom, still holding you, and was crying so hard. When she realized you were dead, she screamed. I guess that's when I screamed." I wiped my eyes again. "It was so awful."

They were quiet for a minute until Beau stood up. "For the love of all that's holy." He walked toward the window, looking out toward the river, before turning around to look at me. "That's what I was just dreamin'. And when Ma screamed, I woke up and heard you screamin'. It scared me for a minute 'cause I thought it was still her, but when I realized I was awake and that it was you...." He just shook his head.

Grandmama turned to face him. "So, you were dreamin' about that when ya died? And so was Malyn?"

"Yep." He came back over and sat down on the bed again. "You described it right down to what she had on." He shook his head again and rubbed his hands across his face like that would somehow erase the memory. "I know I told ya about it before, but not all of it. Especially not how she looked, so there's no way ya'd know. You were seein' my dream."

This was slightly freaking me out. "So, I not only see the dead, but I can also get into their dreams?"

"Well, we got somethin' else for Max to research," she laughed.

"I wonder if that would happen while I'm awake, too?"

"I doubt it. But maybe y'all can test it and see. Maybe Beau can sleep while ya stay awake, if ya can. That way, we'll know and can tell Max."