Dreamer

Chapter 2: I Must Be Dreaming

Jamie laid on his bed staring at the ceiling. His eyes burned from crying for the last hour. Everything had been going so well for a while and he was at his happiest but now he felt crushed. All the happiness he had felt before was gone and all Jamie wanted was to be alone. "Jamie?" His mum said softly, pushing his bedroom door open. Jamie didn't reply or look at his mum. "Are you okay?" She asked. Jamie just shook his head slowly in response, turning his head away to hide the fact that he started crying again. There was a pause as Jamie's mum tried to figure out what to say next. "We're going to bed so... Goodnight" She told him as he nodded back in reply. His bedroom door closed and Jamie rolled over onto his side and curled up as he began to cry quietly. Some time went by and before long, Jamie fell asleep.

In a seamless jump in time, Jamie's awareness changed from being in his bedroom to stepping through a giant doorway with a blinding light beaming out into the darkness where he was coming from. As Jamie's eyes adjusted, everything became almost real to him. The difference between both worlds was almost impossible but it was there. No explanation could be made on the surface. It was just different. Real yet fake. The world revealed itself to Jamie and he recognized it as not only a mirror of the real world but of a place he recognized. The park he had been at earlier that day with his friends and Charlie.

Slowly, Jamie took some steps as he took in everything. Sounds were muffled in different ranges and he couldn't smell anything. At first Jamie noticed the lack of life around. No people or cars on the road in the distance. No squirrels or birds. No insects. As he noticed this, slowly they revealed themselves as people came into view on the long stretch of grass. Everyone didn't have distinctive features but they were moving around normally. Some ran, some were sitting on the grass. It was the perfect day to do so with the sun high in the sky and a clear blue sky. Birds could be seen flying over Jamie's head. Jamie turned his head to a nearby tree in which he saw a squirrel run up it.

Jamie continued to walk as he saw the cars on the road. He began to see the area he was hanging out at earlier that day. The closer he got the more he wanted to turn and walk the other way. As he approached, Jamie stopped and tears began to form in his eyes. In that moment he felt truly alone and all he wanted was someone there. Someone to be sitting at the same bench he was sitting on before and to invite him over. Jamie's head lowered, trying to fight back the tears. He prepared to walk away but he looked over one last time and froze.

Someone now sat on the bench. A teenager around the same age as Jamie. Jamie was confused as to why he could make out what this mystery teenager looked like. His gaze stared right at Jamie but it wasn't unfriendly. In some way, the expression somehow felt welcoming to Jamie. As if it were someone he knew. Jamie made his way over, taking his time. When Jamie got within a few feet of the mysterious figure, the teenager smiled at Jamie. "Hello" the soft voice welcomed warmly to Jamie. "Hey" Jamie replied shyly. Now stood in front of him, they stared at one another.

"My name is Chris, what's yours?" Chris smiled. "I'm Jamie..." Jamie answered. Their eyes scanned one another, taking in each other's features. Chris had short blonde hair and dressed in simple clothes similar to Jamie. "Do you want to sit down or something?" Chris asked, shuffling up a little to make more space for Jamie to sit down. "Uhm, I-I don't know" Jamie admitted honestly. Chris glanced around as an awkward silence fell upon the pair. "Well this is awkward" Chris chuckled, gaining a small smile from Jamie. "I'm just really confused" Jamie told Chris truthfully, looking around at the world around them.

"What do you mean?" Chris questioned, tilting his head a little. "Uhm, I'm not sure. It's a bit hard to explain" Jamie answered, looking at Chris once again. "I'm all ears" Chris responded eagerly, edging forward on the bench. "Well this place... I know this place but it's not real" Jamie told him which made Chris frown a little. "Feels real to me" Chris stated. "No, no you don't understand" Jamie said with a little more confidence as he moved to Chris and sat on the bench. "This place is real, I've been here loads of times but right now it's not real. I-I didn't come here" Jamie explained. "But, you did?" Chris questioned, very confused by what Jamie was trying to explain.