Off To Wonderland

Wet Dreams

Amber sat up stuttering and coughing, she was soaking wet, cold and her head throbbed. She touched the side of her face and felt a large bump. She looked up to see a very pissed off Jimmy staring down at her, a ten gallon buck in his hand. At least it explained why she was wet.

“Get the hell up! You’re late for school!”

“But its Sunday!”

“no you stupid bitch, you slept all Sunday and now its Monday, so get the fuck up and get dressed!” his hand came down hard against her cheek, and it stung terribly. He turned and left slamming the door. Amber hurried out of her sopping clothes and pulled on black skinny jeans and a dark green long sleeved sweat shirt that fell just past her butt. She slipped on a pair of black skater shoes, grabbed her backpack, her phone, and left for school.

She walked down the hall making sure her damp hair fell in front of her swelling cheek. She got to her locker and started to pull out books for her first class. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Rocky and Sparrow walking toward her. She wasn’t in the mood to chat right now, but she knew that they wouldn’t leave her alone.

“Hey A how’s your morning go-“ Rocky stopped mid-sentence when she turned and she saw the large purple bruise.

“Like shit. How’s yours?” she hissed before pushing past them and heading to class. She kept her head down the whole time during periods, and avoided eye contact with teaches. Lunch came and she picked a table far away from every one. She stared down at the mash potatoes and weird piece of meat on her plate. She had checked her phone on the way too school. 37 text messages asking where she was from both Amber and Rocky, plus 20 missed calls, 10 calls for each of them. She was still wondering how she had slept a whole day, when someone sat across from her. She looked up through her lashes and saw Sparrow sitting a crossed from him.

“The fuck do you want?”

“Nothing I was just wondering…”

“If I was ok? Well I am so piss off.”

“Hey I am just trying to be nice.”

“Did I ask you to be nice? No I didn’t! I don’t want you stupid pity. I can look after myself for five and a half years.” She went quite looking down at her tray. It hadn’t always been this bad, she had an older brother once; he made sure that she was taken care of. Always stood up and protected her from Jimmy’s drunken beatings.

“I will always be with you. And I will save you from any monster who tries to hurt you,” he had whispered to her every night before she fell asleep. But he didn’t. He left home one day and never came back. As she got older the beatings had become more frequent and brutal. And then it escalated in the worst of was. She pulled her mind from where that train of thought was headed. She looked up at Sparrow and saw his face was a mixture of sadness and anger. Somehow he looked familiar. His brown hair had a tint of red to it, and his eyes were a tropical sea blue, with tints of green. They were almost similar to her eyes; if it hadn’t been for the little brow blotch in his left one. He caught her staring and his eyes shifted into a relaxed look and his lips turned up into a warm smile.

“Here,” he said taking out a pen and writing something on her hand.

“What is it?’

“It’s my number. Call me if ever you need anything.” He gave her one last smile before getting up and heading to sit with Rocky and some other boys. He seemed like a nice guy; to bad she had sold him out to Trent, and most likely had a hit out on his head. Oops…

The rest of the day pasted by slowly, Rocky had tried to talk to her several times asking if she took the pill, and what she had dreamed about. She kept shrugging him off saying ‘I don’t remember’. She didn’t want to talk about it. They may only have been in her head, but Emma, Chalet, and John, was the only thing she had close to a real family. And now they were dead. She wondered if she took the pill again, would she wake up in the circle room and all the doors, or, she shuttered, back in Emerald city just as she had left it, or worse to go back and just see bodies and ash.

“I think it’s time for a break from drugs for a few days.” She mumbled to herself, walking down the hall and out of school. The swelling in her cheek had gone down nicely and had been easily coverd up with a bit of makeup, done in the bathroom before last period.

“Amber!” Kimmber’s voice rang out loud and angry. She stormed over to Amber, blue eyes blazing. Here it comes. She thought bracing herself for the impact of a rambling rage, and a worried-sick speech. “why haven’t you answer any of my texts or calls? I was worried sick! I didn’t know what had happened to you. I didn’t know if you were dead or alive or half dead on a street somewhere!”

“I’m sorry Kim I was a sleep all day Sunday.”

“Who sleeps for a whole damn day, and doesn’t hear their phone go off!!” she huffed

“Apparently I do…” Amber muttered annoyed.

“How did you sleep through my calls?”

“I was on something ok? And it knocked me out for longer than normal is all. Stop freaking already.”

“You’re still doing SAND aren’t you?” her eyes widened as Amber nodded. Kimmber groaned, “Amber you’re going to kill yourself if you keep using it every night! You have no idea what that drug is capable of.”

“Oh and you do? Why do you care so much about this drug? Why this. One. Drug? How come not cocaine? Meth! Heroine? Where was the voice of reason when I was doing those? Tell me Kimmber because I’m dying to know when you became so God Damn concerned with my life.” As soon as the words let her mouth, she knew she made a mistake, and Amber instantly regretted it. Kimmber’s lovely blue eyes filled with tears.

“Kimmber I’m so sorry.” Amber begged, “I didn’t mean it I promise. I’m just having a really shity morning. Please don’t hate me.”

“Your right…” Amber looked at her friend astonished.

“I haven’t been the voice of reasone when I should have been. I haven’t been a real friend to you at all.” She covered her face with her hands and sobbed. Amber reached out and hugged her friend. She stood several inches taller but a hug was still comforting no matter who gave it.

“No no. You’re my best friend Kimmber. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have you to keep my life interesting.”

“Really? You mean that” she sniffled moving her hands from her face.

“Yes Really! I really mean it. With all my heart.” Kimmber smiled through watery eyes then rubbed them with the back of her hand.

“Let’s get out of here.”

“Yeah lets.”