Present

7.1

Gwen

The world was white, bright white. I could hardly open my blue eyes against it. Why was it getting brighter? I forced my eyes open, my pupils dilating in protest. And then I saw her, her eyes widened like a deer in headlights, white light reflecting on her face getting bigger and brighter by the second, I moved to turn my head to see the horror that must have been behind me and it all went dark.

Crunch.

A car horn.

A siren.

Where am I?

***

I stepped forward through the propped open glass doors and looked around. The first faces my blue eyes landed on were my parents. My mom's blonde hair was pulled up in a tight bun, and her eyes were steely. My father's face didn't have the goofy grin I was so used to seeing the second I walked in the room. They didnt even look at me.

I looked down at myself, taking in my mustard sweater and blue jeans. I was underdressed compared to my mother in her modest, black a-line dress. I had never seen her wear that one before, but it wasn't like I came home that often.

I side stepped out of the walkway as several more people I knew walked in. All faces that I vaguely remembered; childhood "friends," that were never really more than kids I saw at school every day. The hardest revelation about graduating high school and going to college was that the kids that I thought would be in my life forever, were only in my life because they had to be. The moment we graduated, contact had shifted from talking every day to talking once every few weeks to not talking at all once we all moved into our dorms.

Among the shuffling bodies, one in particular caught my eye. Her brown, nearly black hair was sleekly straightened and her eyes were locked onto the floor, as if she were incredibly interested in the shoes she were wearing. She wore a black a-line dress with a scalloped neckline. Her waist seemed impossibly small, thanks to the slight flair of her dress. Audrey. She was stunning, even though I was incredibly jealous that her winged eyeliner always looked better than mine.

Behind her was her mother, and I squinted my eyes in confusion. Why were they both here? Why were my parents here?

Audrey paused, lining herself and her mother against the wall on the opposite side of the room. I walked over. It was unlike her to not speak to me.

"Audrey, are you okay?"

She didn't look at me.

"Audrey, what is going on with you? Talk to me," my voice began to rise. Audrey didn't even blink, eye eyes still glued to her shoes. I waited for the various people in the room to look our way but they didn't, likely too embarrassed to get involved.

"Audrey -," I started.

"Are you ready?" Her mom whispered, squeezing her upper arm. Audrey nodded in response. She looked up toward my mom, as if I weren't even there and took a deep breath.

Audrey took a step forward.

Audrey took a step right through me.

I whipped my head around, my eyes nearly bulging out of my head.

What. The.

I dashed after her, shouting her name. I dodged the various chairs and people throughout the room. Audrey made it to my mother, and they exchanged words that I could not hear. I stopped, standing six feet away from the pair. My father hugged Audrey as her eyes welled with tears. Icould hear the sharp intake of her breath as she tried to pull herself back together. Their embrace ended and I watched as she turned, and took a couple of steps to the side. To a box. Tears welled in my eyes. What was this? This had to be some freaky lucid dream.

I took my place beside Audrey to see just what she was looking at, resigning to her silent treatment. She would come around, wouldn't she? Audrey looked down and I followed her eyes. I rubbed my eyes, dreaming, yes I was dreaming.

In that box was a pale girl with a million freckles on her face. Her curly, carrot-orange hair contrasted against the olive dress she wore. Her eyes were closed as if she were sleeping. No. No way.

"Wake up," I whispered to myself.

I turned on my heel and shot through the crowd, unsure if I were dodging the people or just passing through. I was moving too fast to think. I bursted out of the door and ran straight into the middle of the street.

"Wake up, Gwen," I screamed.

I didn't wake up.

I slapped my hands to my cheeks, "Please. Please."

I sat in the middle of the road. A car approached, not bothering to honk. This has to be the way to wake up. You almost die in a dream and jolt awake in a cold sweat. I had done it a million times, it had to work. I stood up defiantly, my heart pounding faster. The silver car kept coming, it didn't even bother to honk. Five. Four. Three. Two. There was no impact. There was no jolt awake. I turned around, and my heart sank. The car kept driving through me, past me, and I was still standing in the middle of the street.