Remember Me

Chapter 6

Ava

An eagle swoops lazily about the overcast sky as I watch him. It is math class, but because it is exam review day, we aren't doing a lot. Moira left this morning to go camping in the Catskills with her father, leaving me lonely and bored. It's been three weeks since our camping adventure, and Lupa and I talk much more often now.

"Ava?" I hear Mr. Osborne's voice cut through my reverie. I blink a few times.

"Hmm?" I reply. There are some stifled chuckles and I blush slightly at being called out.

"You're like, a gazillion miles away. You all good?"

"Yes, sorry. Just tired is all." My sleep had been broken up the night before by vivid dreams that seemed more like memories at the time.

Mr. Osborne turns around, satisfied, but I see Lupa tilt her head in front of me. I know that movement. It means there is something I have just said that she is considering with great detail. I know she doesn't like to talk in class, though, so I don't inquire anything about it.

As usual, a moment before the bell rings Lupa packs up her stuff and leaves. I follow shortly after, when the bell rings, heading to my locker to unload everything. I open the door and shove my math books into the crammed space before grabbing my history textbook and shutting the door.

Lupa is standing right behind me, staring at me intensely with her ocean eyes from behind her mask. I yelp in surprise and jump a little.

"Jesus Christ, Lupa!" I exclaim. "At least make your presence known!"

"Sorry," she replied. "I've just always learned how to make myself invisible."

"Well make yourself visible sometimes!" I re-lock my locker and wait for the other girl to tell me what's on her mind.

She hesitates for a moment and then says, "You were having dreams again last night, weren't you?"

"Of course I was! Everyone has dreams." What is she trying to get at here?

"No, you had another dream about Ella, didn't you?"

I stop moving. Lupa sees me stop and stands close beside me so that the herd of unruly boys that run around the hallways on a daily basis won't trample me. I look up at Lupa, searching her eyes. I don't know how she knows I've had more of those dreams, but I feel like it is important I tell her.

"I want to tell you about this one," I say slowly and quietly, "But not here. There are too many people around. Later, in spare, I'll tell you."

With that, I turn on my heel and walk away, leaving Lupa staring after me as I disappear around the corner.

Lupa

With nervous anticipation of what Ava has to say making my stomach flutter, the day passes very slowly. Finally the bell rings to symbolize the beginning of the last period. I practically race to the student lounge, to find Ava already there. She's sitting on one of the couches, her green-brown eyes staring down at her hands which she is nervously fiddling with.

I set my guitar down carefully by one of the couches and take off my mask, sitting on the couch opposite of Ava. She looks up at me and then down at her hands.

"Ava, what's wrong?" I ask her, concern making my voice deeper.

"Nothing," she replies, "It's just that these dreams feel like memories, and they are getting worse! I feel like I've been there before. Like they've happened to me. Does that make sense?"

"Of course," I say, pulling over my dark brown-and-black backpack and taking out my lunch I forgot to eat. "Some Native Americans believe that when you dream you're going back to the past."