Aubrey, the Star

14: magnetic field

Aubrey

★

magnetic field - "the space around a magnet where the magnetic force is active."

The ghost was more silent that the grave it arose from - staring with heavy lidded eyes and a slack mouth. The sharp, hollow cheekbones accentuated its skeletal look and in its gaze my mind was robbed of emotion. I couldn't run or scream. Instead, I stood more still than the gravestones themselves and just as cold.

It called for me, beckoning with fingers that rapidly faded. I walked towards the phantom, passing each gravestone without taking account of the path until I reached a space that was unrecognizable.

The form was becoming more solid by the second. Her arms were brittle bones in my hands. The touch felt so disconnected. Her skin, the brown of Earth was stained with many fine punctures that had scabbed over and scarred.

I didn't want to leave her. Not like this.

My desire was soon realized - I wanted to stay with her forever. My heart lit with great intensity as I fought to make it possible. I fell to the dirt and my body crumbled. The leaves and mud caked the side of my face while my knees curled towards my chest. Tears were streaming suddenly.

She watched me. Her mouth began to open wide. I flinched at the suddenness of her shouting.

"Don't forget to remember," she yelled.

I clamped my hands over my ears, screaming for my life and her own.

★

A nudge to my ribs made me jerk awake.

My eyes took in every ray of bright light and, without a doubt, I knew I fucked up. The sound of students moving through the hallways told me the day was in full swing. Though my eyes are open, I couldn't think of why. My heart was pounding, mind scattered.

It's one thing to leave a nightmare and enter another one.

My cheeks were wet and my body was heavy with a coat of cold sweat. I felt my collared shirt cling to my back while the khaki pants I had one were tight and more uncomfortable than before. The remnants of the nightmare clung to my mind. I couldn't control the trembles rolling through me. I swallowed once, and then again, trying to rejuvenate my dry mouth.

"You missed math," Jameson said. His eyebrows pulled together tight. His jaw was clenched, and his face showed what looked to be more concern. Honestly, he was more confusing than my nightmare.

"I'm guessing you came to look for me?" I wiped the sleep and remaining tears from my cheeks with rough hands. Surely, I looked a mess. My hair was in a big, puffy ponytail that weighed my head down significantly. That was the reason I put my head on the table in the first place. I began to massage my temples, the small ache in my head threatening to grow.

"Believe it or not, I don't center my entire existence around you," he said. His hand gestured towards the laptop he was holding. "I had some work to finish and decided to come to the library to do it."

"Are you skipping class?" I eyed him suspiciously. He was a student-athlete - the star athlete. If he got caught skipping class, then it would be his ass. Not that it mattered to me what would happen to the King of Chellgren. He could hold his own better than me. I was just pointing out an obvious fact.

"No, I'm skipping lunch," he pointed out. I looked at the clock on the wall. 12:15! We were halfway through the lunch period. How was that even possible?