You can't escape Death <Frans>

CHAPTER 13: Dreams

Upon walking outside, Blake clutched her books firmly as we walked slowly towards the courtyard. I trudged along the pavement at a sedate pace, my mind focused on the gentle footsteps that seemed to echo throughout the noisy schoolyard. They were the only thing I could focus on, second to the strange dreams I had been having lately.

"Frisk?" Blake asked, looking at me with troublesome eyes. "Are you even listening to me?" She asked, as we neared the wooden picnic table underneath the large oak tree we normally sat on when lunch time came around.

"Huh?" I asked, rather dazed. I noticed the bright, green grass that the school had managed to keep this time of year had begun to turn a horrid brown color, and the leaves were beginning to fall off of the trees.

Nothing had ever been so dead at this time of the year. Not with spring approaching. You would think that the trees would have stayed in bloom all throughout the summer year, however, this was oddly strange, and it felt like something was missing from this.

"You've been really out of it today. Is everything alright?" Blake asked, as we sat down at our usual picnic table. It seemed to blend in with the shaded grass, with it starting to die. Blake sat next to me, rather than across from me, just to make sure I was okay.

"Yeah. I'm fine." I smiled, obviously breaking one of the rules. Lying was forbidden in Ebott City, however, I couldn't help but feel that something was in fact wrong with me. Something strange is going on, and I wasn't sure that I would be able to share it with any one.

"Frisk. Lying is against the rules. You're not a rule breaker!" She exclaimed, rather quietly, as if an adult was watching. All school teachers report to the higher officials to handle the discipline of the society. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"I've just..." I cracked easily under my best friend's pleads. "Ive just been having these strange dreams lately." I said, looking down at the table, unable to look her in the eyes. "They just bring me an euneirophrenia, Blake." I sighed, thinking of the wonderful place, yet again.

"Strange dreams?" She asked, now intrigued by these strange dreams I have been speaking of. "Is this why you've been so out of it?"

"I'm in this strange, beautiful land." I said, nodding, and gleaming with happiness as I recall. "Oh. It's so beautiful, Blake. I haven't ever seen anything like it." I said, almost in a state of sophrosyne. "There's gorgeous walls and architecture, rose petals scattered across the ground..." I waved my hands across the wooden table, reenacting the room, almost. "There's even a skeleton there who talks with me." I laughed a bit, sighing, and looking into the distance with it in my subconscious. "I really do love it." I grinned.

"Frisk.." Blake said, in a worried tone.

"What's that look for?" I asked, knocking myself out of my daze. "What did I do?" I asked, as I soon remembered the exact words I had just said out loud. "Blake—!" I tried to make an excuse, but everything would just be lies once more. I couldn't take back my words, because they were true.

"Listen, Frisk," She said, sighing a bit, and putting a hand in my shoulder, before looking around a bit. "You might want to get some help. Those dreams aren't normal. Those words are very strong." She said, looking around cautiously.

"I don't need help!" I exclaimed, almost offended she would dare say something like that as my closest friend. "They're real! You've got to believe me!" I said, scoffing and flailing my arms.

"Frisk! You're going to cause a scene!" She hissed, looking towards the adults who had grown a liking to us for a past few minutes. "I do, Frisk." She assured, "Trust me, I do believe you." She looked back, only to see one of the teachers walking her way over here at a calm, yet brisk pace. "Just swear to me you won't tell anyone else about this?" Her face was serious, yet I just couldn't understand why.

After a moment of hesitation, I glanced at the teacher, she was moving closer. It was obvious she was going to our spot. "I swear." I said, looking Blake in the eyes.

"You could get really hurt, or even released if you're not careful." Blake said, in a hushed tone as the teacher came up. I could hear her footsteps at this rate, her black flats pressing lightly into the grass.

"Is everything alright here, Ladies?" The teacher asked, obviously from another class. "You two seem to be having some trouble." She smiled widely and sweetly. It was almost fake upon seeing it, and everyone else seemed so strange as well, after seeing that place. "Do I need to have a talk with either of you?"

I tried to speak, but Blake immediately spoke up. "No! Ma'am." She said, smiling, and rather nervous, but only I would be able to see that. "We're fine." She said. "We were just telling of how important our class was today. It was on the important foundation of our society." Blake said, not even hesitating.

"Are you now?" She said, grinning widely still. Her mouth never faltered, her wide, fake grin plastered onto her face. After a moment of hesitation, it seemed like her smile faltered slightly, but it perked right up when she spoke again. "Well, that's good to hear you good children are doing something so educated outside of class." She smiled, patting each of us on the shoulder, before turning back.

Blake sighed, after she was a bit far away, and muttered "Thank Ebott" under her breath.

"What was that?" I asked her, rather concerned now. "You told nothing but lies! To a teacher!!" I hissed under my breath as the school bell rang to come inside from the courtyard. "Are you crazy??"

"Would you have told the truth?" She asked, standing up quiet suddenly. "Come on. It's time to go back inside." She said, moving at a brisk pace towards the building again.

Sighing, I got up from my spot and walked over towards her. For some reason I looked back at our small table and was surprised to see something very strange underneath the table.

I could see a small patch of fresh grass from underneath of where I had been sitting, and it was prominent with all of the dead grass everywhere around it. How long had it been there? Was it there before? It was quite queer of it to happen to grow in that particular spot.

"Peculiar." I said under my breath, hoping Blake wouldn't hear. "Very peculiar."