Fallen Memories: Book Two

Fallen Memories - [2]

Fallen Memories - 2 

    “Colton,” I whispered. My chest tightened at the sight of him standing there. He was here, and he was real. It was then that I realized he had been in my dream. I grabbed the outer edges of my desk, attempting to steady myself before I lunged out of my seat. I couldn’t recall most of the dream, still, but more and more pieces of it were coming back.

    My head was spinning. Heart pounding, banging against my ribcage furiously. What was going on? Dreams weren’t real. They were fragments of our imagination and memories combined. So how was he here? How had he been in my dream? Most importantly: how did I know him? Too many questions. My head was beginning to hurt. I wanted to believe I was dreaming again. I knew that was impossible. I had woken up.

    Did that mean everything I had thought was real in the dream, had been a false sense of reality? The feeling of his skin on mine...the way he had held me when we’d danced. It had all seemed too real.

    “What is your name, sir?” Mr. Pyress asked Colton. Another image from my dream clouded my mind. Bullet man. Clairvoyancy. Angels and demons. Mr. Pyress could see Colton, and that meant everyone else could. Was he still a fallen angel? Was he still my guardian angel? Then again, if it had been a dream, was all of that a lie?

    No. He couldn’t have made that stuff up. It was too deep. Too real.

    “Colton Jameson.” Colton flashed a dazzling smile. “I apologize for my tardiness. Something came up this morning. In fact, I won’t be able to stay.” As he said this, he looked back my way. Our eyes locked and something jolted through me. Something made of an emotional matter, with a physical effect.

    My fingers were beginning to hurt from clutching the desk so hard. He’s leaving, my mind whispered. What could I do, run after him? Mr. Pyress would certainly think I’m insane. So I watched as he handed Mr. Pyress a slip of paper. Mr. Pyress nodded in farewell, dismissing Colton. Colton turned, grabbed the door and pulled it open. Once it was shut behind him, my fellow peers returned their attention to Mr. Pyress.

    As he opened his mouth to yet again begin the lesson, his phone rang shrilly. I jumped in my seat. My head felt light and airy as I sucked in a lungful of air.

    “Ivy Goodwill?”

    My head snapped up.

    “Yes?”

    “The office needs you.”

    As I gathered my things and made my way toward the door, I knew that was a complete and utter lie. And yet, when I was in the hallway, I still had to swallow a yelp of surprise when a hand gripped my wrist, dragging me back toward the lockers.

    “Ivy,” Colton said. When I spun to face him, my heart nearly rocketed out of my chest.

    “What’s going on?” I whispered, feeling faint.

    He glanced over my shoulder. “We need to talk.”

* * *

    Colton’s Mercedes sat in a parking space. We got in wordlessly. I waited for him to begin talking, to explain everything. When he didn’t, I sat back in my seat. Making sure he wasn’t looking, I pinched my thigh. Hard. Pain shot up my leg, tingling along my skin. There was no way I was asleep. I refused to believe that I was caught in yet another dream with him, and that everything wasn’t actually real. Then again, in my dream, there had been no people...no sign of life.

    Colton drove us toward the beach. He parked in one of the patron parking lots. We got out and I followed him. He crossed the street, heading toward a line of trees. I could hear the waves crashing in the distance; a very relaxing sound. My nerves continued to jump, full of life and energy. I was jittery and nervous. Colton seemed...off. It was only when we were deep in the thick of the forest that he spoke.