Search For The Truth (On Hold)

It All Begins

Scott

That night, it all started. For some reason, I didn't want to sleep. Mom kept nagging me to turn off my light, but I never did.

However, I still fell asleep. And that was where everything began.

*

"Mommy! Daddy! Help! Help, we're being kidn-"

"I will find you, Teddy! I will find you!"

*

I jerked awake, breathing heavily. The dream...

What did it mean? Another boy and I had been talking, but just as we were about to go inside a large house, someone had snatched me from behind and started dragging me away. The other boy, who looked like an older version of myself, pushed away his captor and placed something in my hand. I had begun opening the paper when the dream ended.

There was no way I was getting back to sleep after that. It was only two a.m. I sighed.

Surprisingly, I heard Mom and Dad whispering downstairs. They would be wondering why I was up, but... it would be pointless to tell them in the morning why I wasn't as energetic as usual.

Reluctantly, I slipped out of bed and cracked my door open quietly. My footsteps led me down the stairs and into the living room, where the TV was on but muted, and where my parents were snuggled up and murmuring to each other.

Now I didn't want to interrupt. I did anyway. "Mom...?"

Both Mom and Dad turned to me. Dad shut off the TV while Mom got up and came over to me, the worry clear in her expression. "Scott? You okay, honey?"

I sighed and rubbed the back of my head. "I sort of had a nightmare..."

That seemed to catch Mom off guard. "That's strange. You've never had nightmares before, correct?" She placed her hand on my forehead.

"Not as far as I remember," I answered. Dad sat back and listened to the conversation without interrupting. "I don't even remember seeing the other boy in my dream from real life. It was so real, though."

Mom brought me over to the couch and made me sit down. "Why don't you tell us what happened?"

I did. Carefully watching the expressions on my parents' faces, I recounted every detail I could remember from the dream. When I described the other boy in my dream, I saw the discreet glance Mom and Dad gave each other. It was barely noticeable, but it was there.

Something was going on that Mom and Dad weren't telling me. Perhaps my friends knew what was happening. I promised myself I would ask them about it as soon as possible.

*

"Uh, whoa! Did you die and come back to life last night or something? You look like a zombie."

Michael confronted me at the secretary's desk the moment he saw me.

I thanked the secretary for her help and slung my backpack over my shoulder. Michael caught up with me. "Hello? Did you hear me? Or are you going deaf as well?"

"Rough night," I muttered, not even bothering to greet my friend. Mainly I was just looking for Caleb. It ended up he was waiting for me at my locker.

He seemed startled at my appearance. "You okay? You're dragging yourself around like you didn't get any sleep."

"Because I didn't," I snapped, then immediately regretted it. "Sorry. I just... Could I talk to you about something?"

Caleb was clearly confused, but he kindly stalled his questions and merely said, "Sure." He led me to a private room in the school, used for the janitor. It was the only place in the entire school where no one could eavesdrop. As soon as the door was closed, he spoke. "All right, so what's up? You wouldn't be looking like this unless something was really bothering you."

"Just stop with the appearance, okay?" I demanded. "We've established the fact that I didn't sleep well. What matters is the reason why I didn't get much sleep last night."

"So what is the reason?" my best friend inquired. His arms crossed over his stocky chest. "This better be good because I don't want to get detention for being late to class."

Anger coursed through me, but it vanished almost instantly. Who could blame Caleb for being angry when he thought I was just teasing him?

"Caleb, do you know anybody who looks a lot like me? Brown hair, blue eyes, maybe a couple inches taller?" There. I'd started. I wasn't going back.

The question rendered Caleb speechless for nearly three minutes. So much for not getting detention, I couldn't help thinking. Finally he managed to say something. "Uh... Well, I'm not quite sure where this came from, but since you asked, no. I don't recall ever meeting someone who has your looks."

Something inside me seemed to shatter. I didn't know why I wanted to find out who this strange person was so badly. They might not even be real for all I cared.

But I knew whoever it was, he was real, as real as Caleb standing there in front of me. However, I only said, "Oh. Thanks anyway, Caleb."

The door was open and I was halfway out of the janitor's closet when Caleb touched my shoulder. "Wait, why are you so worried about this?" He waited for me to turn back before he continued. "I may not be an expert on feelings, but I can tell this is upsetting you. What started this?"

Good old Caleb. This was why he was my best friend. Even if he didn't understand, he was there for me. "It's just... I kinda had a dream," I admitted, biting my lip and glancing down at the floor. All of this would seem absolutely weird to Caleb.

His reply surprised me. "Happens to people all the time. Some are significant, some aren't. If this happens to be a significant dream, then maybe we should talk about it." Caleb definitely didn't seem worried about detention now. In fact, he actually seemed interested. "I can't promise anything, but I'll see if I can figure anything out. I'll even keep my eyes open for anyone that looks like you. If I can't tell you anything, don't give up. If this is important to you, then keep pursuing until you figure things out or it becomes insignificant." Gratitude swelled up inside me. "First things first. What happened in your dream? Tell me everything you remember."

As the bell rang for the start of school, I quietly recounted the events of my dream to Caleb. He listened just as a good friend should. When I finished, he let out a long sigh and leaned back against the wall.

"It does seem like an odd dream," he admitted. "I won't say anything now, but if I come up with any clues I'll be sure to let you know. For now, I suggest we get to class and make up an excuse as to why we were late."

Together, we exited the closet and wandered down the school hall until we came to our classroom. Just before we entered the room, I reached out and pulled Caleb into my embrace. "Thank you. You're the best friend I could have asked for."