Shut Up and Kiss Me

Chapter 1: Finding My Way

 "Ben? Ben, where are you?" I hissed from my usual crouching position in front of the stairs in the entryway.

  The house was dark and quiet. I glanced at the old, wooden hickory clock.

  Twelve-thirty. 

  Just like last time and the time before that.

  I surveyed the living room next to me, then peered upstairs and finally down the hallway to my left. The house looked just the way I remembered it....before it burnt down three years ago.

  "Ben." I hissed again.

  If this was like all the times before, he wouldn't acknowledge me unless I could get his attention.

  "Ben, run!" My aunt screamed.

  I snapped my head in the direction of the sound and sprinted down the hallway to my left where I reached the kitchen. My aunt stood there, fighting a dark, shadowed figure. I tried to make out a face or anything that could tell me who the attacker was, but nothing stood out. I whipped my head around as soon as I heard the swoosh of the sliding glass door behind me.

  "Ben!" I called, hoping he would hear me and stop. HIs figure stumbled and fell before picking itself up again, searching with terror-filled eyes where my voice had come from.

  "Marissa?" He sobbed.

  He heard me. But then my uncle yelled at him from my left to run again just as he threw another unknown attacker into the wall. Ben's eyes glazed over back into the nightmare. He turned to run again. I glanced back over my shoulder where my aunt still stood fighting her attacker. I had tried to help her and my uncle many times before, but nothing I ever tried to do changed what was happening. Ignoring her screams and my uncle's cries as well, I raced after Ben.

  "Stop! Ben, you have to stop!" I cried, needing him to hear me.

  I could still hear him sobbing as he stumbled through the trees. I pushed my legs faster to catch up with him. We were nearing where the attackers would finally catch up with Ben. The gunshot rang out and I couldn't help jumping at the noise once again.

  "NO!" I screamed as Ben tripped forward and slid across the dirt and rocks. He screamed in pain and turned to stare at the attackers with wide, pained eyes.

  I reached him and pulled him into my arms. "Ben, listen to me. This isn't real! None of it is real! You have to wake up!" I shook him until he finally looked into my eyes.

  "Marissa?" He whispered fearfully.

  Then the entire dream world disappeared as Ben and I woke at the same instant. He was breathing heavily and sweat covered his forhead and torso. I breathed a sigh of relief. He'd woken before the worst part of the dream could happen. Ben had been having these awful nightmares for three years now and they always happened the same way unless I stopped them and got him to wake up.

  We've had to share the experience of every dream we've ever had since the day he was born. It was a connection we both shared. If he had a particularly strong dream, I would get sucked into it and vice versa. Of course, that only happened when both of us were sleeping. We'd learned long ago that we could wake each other up from a dream if we tried hard enough. Ben only woke me when I'd have dreams he deemed too "girly." Other than those and nightmares, the both of us loved sharing our dreams with each other.

  "Are you alright?" I asked him.

  His eyes studied me for a moment, pondering his answer. "No. I thought the nightmares were starting to go away. It's been months since the last time."