u n r e a l • b o o k t w o ✓

four

↞ FOUR ↠

M Y leg began to bounce out of nervousness. Lies kept pouring out of my mouth. I was paying this man to care was what I was doing, so why not just tell him the truth?

"And you're saying this job you have? It's causing you some stress also?"

"I'm a marketing manager, so yes."

Dr. Campbell scribbled in his notebook. I felt like I was living a part from every movie that had a scene involving a therapist in it. Crossing his leg over the other, he repositioned himself and placed his pen up to his chin.

"Mr. Schultz, forgive me, but I must say that your eyes tell me otherwise. I see that you love your life, but I also see something else. I see that you're taking advantage of what you have because you don't posses something that you want."

I looked away. When people said that emotions are able to be seen through the eyes, I never really believed them.

"I don't posses something I need," I corrected quietly.

"And that might be?"

I tensed up. "If I tell you the truth would you believe me?"

"I am a wide believer in many things Ezra. If you were to lie to me, well, then I would know it," Dr. Campbell stated.

I fumbled with my fingers, question crawled up my spine. I could tell him, and he could believe me. But then again, I could tell him, and he could deem me psychologically unstable and diagnose me with some type of illness.

I pursed my lips. "You know what lucid dreaming is right?"

Dr. Campbell nodded. "Yes I have many patients who are in fact lucid dreamers."

"Right, well I've been one since the age of thirteen, but I can't exactly control the scenes that happen in them. Besides that, about a year ago my lucid dreams had changed for the first time and had stayed the same up until five nights ago. The dream, in it was a girl. Dr. Campbell she seemed so real that it hurt."

Dr. Campbell sat up in his seat, appearing more interested than before.

"You fell in love with this girl in your dream I presume?"

"Yes," I answered. "She was always telling me that I would meet someone and forget about her. I would always disagree. I think that she had decided to let go for me, if that's even possible."

"If I'm being truthful here too Ezra, I have never heard a story like this. Falling in love with a girl through a lucid dream? Her initiating the stopping to these dreams of you and her? Would you like to know what I think?"

"Sure," I decided.

"I think that the girl represented what you don't have. And that's someone to share your incredible life with. She was trying to show you that. I think that she was not the one who stopped your dream with her, you were. I think that it was a sign that it's time to finally find what you don't have but claim to need. And it just so happens to be love."

It took everything in me to not jump up and walk right out of his office door. To not take his notebook at the same time and tear it up.

I'm not real.

I'm not real.

I'm not real.

And that's my problem. You aren't real and slowly I was starting to believe that. I looked up at the wall clock. I was five minutes over.

"Thank you for this session, you've helped me figure out the truth," I lied, and he knew.

"This is only the third session Ezra. Next time," he smiled lightly. "Next time."

I cracked a grin and exited the office. I entered the large waiting room and stood in front of the front desk. Quickly, I signed my name out. The secretary, Anna, waved me goodbye and bid me a great day. Next destination, Eliza's house.