The Dream Scape

Run

And then we ran. I had no idea where I was, it was the middle of the night and I was being chased by something. What was it? No idea. Never looked back to find out. But, I knew it was fast and didn't have good intentions, so I ran. I ran with all my heart and soul. Oh, and another thing. There was this figure running with me. The person was running a little ways ahead of me but they sure never slowed down to wait for me and honestly, I wouldn't have waited for them either. We ran through an alley way and found ourselves cornered at a fence. Without thinking, I started to climb the fence. The others followed. Looking back, I couldn't have told you what a single one of them looked like or what they said. Yet, I had this feeling... I don't know. But whatever, it was just a dream, right? At least it was a new dream.

Chapter One: I Run Down the Street Like a Maniac

It was odd, but sometimes I felt more awake while I was dreaming. My everyday life seemed bleached and boring compared to where I went in dreams. Not that I ever understood the dreams. They never made any sense and the scenes moved very quickly. Not to mention how blurry they always were. See, what happens is, I have these reoccurring dreams, but every few years or so they stop. Then a new dream comes and I forget the details of he old ones. It happens just like the other ones. It replays in my sleep, leaving me to decipher what was in my own head. I just couldn't quite shake the feeling that I had about them. Something was off, and I wanted to know what, but even after 15 years, I hadn't gotten any closer to figuring it out.  None the less, I still, unfortunately, had to go to school.
It was one of those mornings where everything is foggy and dark. You know, that kind of morning where you wake up and immediately wish you had stayed asleep. The world is quiet and everything looks like it's covered in a hazy, sleepy dust. Just thinking about that morning makes me tired.

I bolted out of my house. I hadn't realized how late I was. I usually took the bus, but it had already gone and I had slept through it. Luckily, I didn't live very far from the school so I just sprinted to the front door. My hair was a mess and I'm pretty sure the rest of me had looked like one too. My back pack was barely slung over one shoulder and I saw a few people drive by with happy looks on their faces, until they saw me, and then their faces turned to an expression that looked like something between confusion and amusement. I blew through the hallways and into my first period class. Mr. Hopling, a teacher I had never particularly liked (the feeling was mutual), stopped what he was teaching to frown at me. "You're late." He said, clearly not very amused by my appearance. Well, the rest of the class made up for that. They snickered and smirked at me.
"I-I know sir. I'm really sorry. I slept through my alarm."
"I've already counted you absent. Now take your seat." I sat down in my assigned seat, which was, unfortunately, next to a boy named Daniel who never, ever knew what was happening. I sat through the dull (as usual) class period, occasionally answering whatever question Daniel asked every three seconds. The answers were always simple, but I tried not to sound annoyed. After all, I'd already had a bit of an irritating morning.
After a long, torturous class period, the bell finally rang. I got up and started to walk out of the class in line with the other students when Mr. Hopling stopped me at the door.
"I want a detailed explanation for why you were late to my class. On top of your other homework." He handed me a few pages of math problems I didn't know how to work out.
"Yes sir, of course. Sorry for the inconvenience." I said with a bit of an "accidentally" insincere tone. For a second I thought I was in trouble, but he just frowned at me and I walked out the door.

I trudged sulkily to my next class. I was almost at the door when I heard someone shout my name.
"Wren!! Hey, Wren wait up!" I turned around to see my best friend Ben running towards me. This school was so gray. The people were gray. The walls were gray. Even the floor. And then there was Ben. He was like this crazy, spirally rainbow that never did anything but spread positivity and kindness. We'd known each other since the second grade. To this day, he's still one of the best people I've ever met. Seeing him bounding down the hall like a puppy instantly made my day about 600% better. I laughed.
"Where were you? You didn't meet me outside like you usually do."
"Sorry, slept in again."
"More dreams?"
"Yup. And a new one this time."
"Tell me everything." He said. I explained my latest dream. Recounting each detail perfectly as if were seared into the back of my head. He had made comments before about how there was no way he would ever be able to do that. Before he said anything, I had just decided it was normal. I didn't have a photographic memory or anything, I just remembered all my dreams.
"Wow." Ben said in awe, "I think that was the most detailed one yet." He grinned at me. "You should write a book about this."
"Maybe I will," I said, laughing.
"Uh-huh. You do that." I had gotten to the doorway of my next class. "Okay, see you at lunch? I asked. He had the next two classes on a different floor. We agreed on lunch and went our separate ways.