The Young Guardians

Chapter One: Eiran the Dream Guy

What's up, Kartar?

There's no adventure left in this world.

Let's go find another one.

* * * 

"I keep dreaming about this guy."

Evan's head snapped up from his chemistry homework and then stared at the back of someone who had just walked down the hallway where we usually eat lunch. "You're dreaming about Kevin Mueller?!"

"No! I meant some guy, not that guy, it's not just any guy! You don't know this guy!"

Evan's eyebrows crinkled up and he looked at me in confusion. "Uh. Okay then. And why is this distracting you so much?" he asked as he clicked his mechanical pencil and looked back down at his homework.

I shrugged and looked around to make sure no one had mistaken my dream boy for Kevin Mueller. Thankfully the hallway was fairly empty; only a bunch of ninth graders at the other end. "I don't know. I guess because I've been dreaming about him a lot."

"Hmm," Evan murmured. "Describe this fellow to me."

"Okay," I said. "Well, this fellow has dirty blonde hair. His eyes are like, hazel or amber, I don't know, but they're really super beautiful. He's got great eyes. Oh, and he has the sweetest smile I've ever seen. White teeth, like a freaking photoshopped supermodel or something." I trailed off, trying to remember the details.

"Hmm," Evan said. "Continue."

"Right," I said. "Anyway. He's a few inches taller than I am, and he's got like a golden bronze skin. He's our age. Maybe a year or two older or younger. And it really is like I've seen him before, but I just can't remember if I have. I mean, you can't dream up a fake person. Well you can, but not multiple times, right Evan? You're taking psychology, is that right?"

"Yup," he said absentmindedly. "It's normal to dream about rainbows."

I elbowed him in the ribs. "You're not listening!"

"Ow!" he exclaimed and clutched his side. "Yes, I was! I was just making a comment on the side about rainbows! It's normal, you know. To dream about rainbows."

"Who cares about rainbows, I'm talking about a boy!"

"I care," Evan muttered. "I dream about rainbows all the time."

I sighed and leaned my head against the wall behind us. "Well, when you're dreaming about rainbows, you know it's weird, right? When I dream about him, I think it's normal, that's it's totally normal that he's in my head and that I know him. And then I wake up and... the normality changes. It's different when I wake up. Like he's a very faint memory from another life. Something that's stuck in the back of my head but now is trying to get out."

"And how does this make you feel?" Evan asked. 

I thought I detected sarcasm in his tone but I kept going before I could stop myself. "Happy. Smiley. When I wake up, the few seconds I realize it's all just a dream, I feel all...warm and fuzzy inside." I said, with a bit of disgust. "He makes me feel really, really sappy. A stupid hopeful, everything's going to be all right in the end kind of feeling."

"Why's that so bad?"

I shrugged again. "I don't know... because I don't believe life is like that."

"You act so jaded for someone who's so not."

"I'm a realist, okay," I said defensively, crossing my arms.

"You're a pessimist."

I ignored his comment. "Evan, it's really annoying. I think about him when I'm in class when I should be doing math or writing an essay or something like that, but I always go back to this vision of my head of his smile. He's happy, I'm happy, the sky's blue, the sun's shining."