Black Sheep

We should be afraid of being like everybody else

I once read that we shouldn't be afraid of being different. We should be afraid of being like everyone else. Ever since that family reunion dinner, my mind has been swarming with questions. Why am I so different compared to my family?  What makes me so different? How can I change? That was all until I read the above quote. I probably sound like a hypocrite because I'm afraid to be different compared to my family. I'm afraid to be different compared to everybody else. 

Anyway, if you haven't realized by now, this is another one of my dreams. I've successfully hit my head against that damned rock and the boy beside me is mangled under the red bicycle. I pathetically reach out once more, despite knowing that my efforts are futile but this time the dream doesn't end there. 

A voice calls out to us, urging us to stay awake. "The ambulance is almost here", he yells vigorously shaking our shoulders in a fruitless attempt to keep us conscious.  "Stay awake for a little while longer! I know you can do it! Please Vic!" 

Vic is unresponsive and my vision begins to darken. "Even you!" The voice instructs. "Please! Stay awake," it pleads. 

Vic-Vic-Vic. That's his name, the boy who I try to save every night. The boy who haunts my dreams. The one who I hope is still alive. 

I groan as I sit upright in my bed. The pounding in my head grows worse by the second and an overly concerned Caleb looms over my bed. "Forgot to take your meds?" He questions, handing me a glass of water, and the red pill. 

I flash him an appreciative smile before popping it in my mouth. "Whose Vic? Your boyfriend? I thought you and Austin were an item."

Vic? Who's Vic? Is he someone I'm supposed to know? "V-vic?" I stutter. "Who is he?"

His eyes momentarily widen and he takes a step back making me question his actions. "You w- Nevermind", he shakes his head. "Austin told me about your obsession with Milk Tea, there's this good place ten blocks up the road."

I grin. "Henceforth you are my fav brother."

He flashes me a shit-eating grin. "You're my fav sis." He pecks me on the forehead, before carefully tucking me in bed. 

"Get some sleep."

Thanks, Caleb, thanks for making me feel at home. This place is just home in name, not in feeling. My home was back there. With my aunt, Mavis and Austin, not here with my family. This family makes me feel out of place. They make me feel like the dreaded Black Sheep.