Shattered Illusions

Chapter 5

~Nyx~
Dreamworld

I am walking, alone, down an empty hallway. There are lockers running down both sides of the walls. A few people rush past me. I walk but the hall just keeps going, I’m going nowhere. That’s when I see her, standing in the middle of the hall hugging books to her chest. 

“School? Do you miss it that much?”

She jumps at my voice.

“Not exactly. Where have you been? I was starting to think I was crazy and truly dreamt you up. Part of me still does.”

“I assure you I’m real.”

“I haven’t seen you all weekend.”

I lean against a locker and slide down to the floor. She looks both ways down the hall. She decides to join me. I watch her move to sit across from me.

“I work third shift on the weekends. So my sleep schedule is off.”

She nods like it makes perfect sense when I know this all must seem crazy to her.

“Did you miss me?” I tease.

“I’ve been too busy this weekend to even think about you. Just seeing you now reminded me about your little visits.”

That hurts, but I just shrug it off like it doesn’t bother me.

“What did you do this weekend?”

“I spent all weekend with my boyfriend and friends. We went out and celebrated my birthday. It was fun!”

She has a boyfriend. I shouldn’t be surprised. Why should I care?

“Boyfriend, he was the guy at the ball?”

“Yes!” Her smile grows. “He's great!”

“How long have you been together?”

“We met in middle school but we started dating four years ago.”

This surprises me. Four years is a long time to date someone. I’ve never been with anyone that long.

“Wow, impressive.”

“What about you?”

“What?”

“Do you have someone waiting for you to wake up?” She asks.

I let out a short bark of a laugh. She smiles.

“Only my sister, and she doesn't wait for anyone. She'd pull me from a dead sleep if she could.”

“No girlfriend?” She asks me.

She seems almost shocked!

“Nah, my lifestyle doesn't exactly encourage a social life.”

I think back to when I dated more. It never worked, for many reasons.

“Sooo…how do you dreamwalk? How does it work?” She pulls me from my thoughts.

“I guess like everyone else when I fall asleep I am pulled into the Dreamworld. Only I don't create my dreams, I become immersed in someone else's dream.”

“And you've never visited the same person?”

“Not that I can remember, and never in a row or so many times. I've been like this my entire life so it's hard to be sure it's never happened though.”

“So like over the weekend…if I'm asleep and you're awake nothing happens?”

“It would seem so.”

“When you sleep and I'm awake do you visit someone else's dreams?”

“Yes I did. I was kind of surprised to see you again tonight.”

“What happens if your sister were to wake you up?”

“Nothing, she could try but as long as you are dreaming I'm stuck here.”

Her eyes shoot open wide.

“So you're trapped?!”

“Yeah, it has been known to scare my family over the years, me not waking up. And some people and their dreams are pure torture. I once had to sit through an entire 1D concert!”

She laughs so hard she grabs her sides.

“Oh my God, you poor thing.”

“There are some nightmares I care not to have witnessed.”

The cold tone to my deep voice and the hard look on my face at the memories seems to cause a shiver to run down her back. I look up at her and smile to reassure her.

“Only you can set us free Little Bird.”