ILLUSION?

Running for a bus

Sure enough, Arya did a great job at being a bad dream repellent. I woke to the alarm clock blaring on the bedside table. Arya was nowhere to be seen. I shut the alarm off with one hand and rubbed my eye with the other. As I kept the alarm clock back in its place, I saw his photo -Dad.

I tried to shake the thought of him out but it returned again. His brown curly hair was shining in the morning sun as he threw me up. I was a child again. I felt like I was flying in the moment I was suspended in mid-air, then gravity took control. I laughed with childish glee as he caught me and wanted to tell him to throw me up again but I couldn't find the right words to convey the message.

Tears started forming in my eyes as I looked into the framed photo knowing it and the memory of playing with him was all I remembered of him. I felt the blame set over me for not being there to warn him that his car was going to crash, that he was going to die. But what could I have done.

Common sense never won over emotions when I saw that photo. I put the photo front-down on the table so I wouldn't have to look at it again. Great way to start the day, I thought, remember your father and blame yourself for his death.

I got up and sat with my legs dangling over the side of the bed. I stood and stretched, then drowsily walked to the bathroom. I saw my reflection in the mirror just to gaze at the wonderful mess the bed had turned my brown hair into. I didn't look too good, if you had looked for me in a crowd, I could've blended in easily. But opinions varied from person to person. If you asked my mom I would be the most handsome boy she had ever seen, but if you asked Billy Stroughton, he would describe me as a personal punching bag.

After I had brushed, bathed and dressed, mom called from below, "ZACH! Are you ready? I can hear the bus", it was more of a shout than a call.

I looked out of the window and saw the bus approaching from a block away. I cursed, jumped down the stairs, grabbed two slices of toast, pecked my mom on the cheek and ran to the bus like the Lightning McQueen I was

Thankfully, the bus stopped in front of my house so I joined the line of kids climbing into the bus. I was the last to get in. I found my seat on the third to last row and sat down as I heard Arya barking at the gate of the house and mom standing at in the door waving goodbye; I waved back.

》》》》》》

School.

Where kids pay to hate people. Doesn't really scream enthusiasm and fun, sounds more like irony and nap time.

Well it was the same routine everyday – wait class after class for recess then sit through a few more classes till you get to go home. Well today was slightly different, it was the last day of school before summer.

The moment the bell rang announcing the end of school...it was pandemonium. Kids who were asleep two seconds ago could be seen dashing their way through the hallways. The teachers didn't even try to stop us because by the time they realized what was happening, half of the school was outside.

I searched for Edward McGuire outside the school campus. He wasn't hard to find being almost a feet taller than everyone around him. Once I was able to break him through the circle of fangirls around him, we got some breathing room.

Eddy was the captain of the school soccer team which I was part of. He could be an idiot sometimes but you couldn't find a friend more loyal. He had been my friend since I could go to the toilet alone. He was mostly known for his looks and gameplay but nonetheless was a great friend to trust.

Terra Smith walked towards us with a book in her hands as usual. We had become great friends in the book club. The three of us were inseparable. It was known in the school that nothing could break our friendship.

Terra wore large circular glasses which looked nice on her. Wearing a yellow blouse over which her long golden hair flowed, and pair of denims, she approached us. "Hi guys!", she exclaimed, "What have you been up to?"

"Oh the usual, saving Eddy from a ravaging group of girls", I said, smirking at Eddy.

"What can I say", said Eddy, "I'm naturally attractive". He shrugged and made an I-don't-know face.

"That, you are", said Terra, "Anyways, you guys have any plans for the summer?"

"None"

"Nope"

She looked at us like we had just saved her from drowning, "Thank God, I thought I'd be stuck all alone in this stupid town, now we can be stuck together"

"Fascinating", I said.

"Guys", Eddy said pointing behind us, "Was that our bus?"

We looked around and saw the bus, it was leaving. The engine had revved up and the bus was starting to move. Terra cursed and we bolted.

Eddy easily overtook us and got near the bus; he was waving his arms and trying to catch the attention of the driver. We screamed but the bus kept moving. Finally, as a last resort I positioned my wristwatch in such a way that it would reflect the sunlight onto the side-view mirror.

It worked. The bus slowed down and came to a halt. I bent down and held my knees. Terra caught up and literally sat down on the spot. Our breathing was slowly stabilizing when the driver yelled, "Well you stopped the bus, if you aren't gonna get on I might as well leave"

We got onto the bus and sat down in the last row. Heads turned as we walked down the aisle, but we didn't pay attention. After my heart stopped trying to escape my rib cage, I looked over at them. We looked at each other for a few moments and Eddy started giggling which set us off.

The rest of the bus ride was just small talk and gossip. I talked to Eddy about the current status of the FIFA selections and we argued over which teams would qualify. Then I talked with Terra about the current books we were reading and Eddy just looked at us like, You guys sure you're not from mars.

Then out of nowhere Terra asked, "Did you have one of those dreams again?"

I was silent for a moment trying to comprehend what she had just said.

"Terra", Eddy argued, "We're not supposed to talk about it he-"

"It's okay Eddy", I said, "Yes, I did have a dream"

"Were you there?", asked Terra

"Of course I was there, but if you're asking that if there was another me...yes"

"What happened then?", asked Terra, now intrigued

"Well he was just suspended in mid-air, over water, and then he started moving like he was trying to fight something, then he opened his eyes and I woke up"

"What could be the meaning of these dreams?", asked Eddy who looked quite unsettled

"I've read many books which portray dreams as prophecies", added Terra

"Books which were in the genre fantasy", I said, "Look guys, they're just dreams nothing more nothing less, we don't need to talk about them, they don't mean anything"

"You sound like you're lying to yourself", worried Eddy. He was right.

"Yeah, and they're so repetitive", said Terra, "They've been happening for what now – a week?"

"Like I said, I doesn't matter, they're just dreams", I argued, "It's just a scenario my brain created which contradicts the real world, we're overthinking it"

Even after sounding completely firm on my thoughts, I was not. There was always that tiny voice in my brain which said – What if, Or, But...

"Alright, if you say so", said Eddy, "But at least tell your mom"

"Don't you understand, they'll go away"

But they didn't.