by E. J. Mellow
“How do you feel?” Mom takes my arm, helping me to the bed.
“Better,” I say, even as I let out a breath like I just ran a marathon.
Becca places a bag next to me. “I stopped off at your apartment and brought you some clothes. The dress you were wearing when you came in obviously isn’t going to make it back out.”
“That’s what happens when you splurge. God smites you down,” I retort. Becca and I both giggle, but our smirks are quickly wiped away by my mom’s disapproving eyes.
“I don’t know how you girls can joke about this.”
“You know what they say, Mrs. Spero—laughter is the best medicine.”
My mom shakes her head while reaching into her purse, and I hold back an appreciative smile when Becca sneaks me a wink.
That evening, I walk through the door to my studio apartment on the second floor of a small building on Jones Street. My mom fusses and flutters over me while Dad watches on, sympathetic but amused. The big jerk. Thankfully, after Becca ensures that I’ll be left in her capable hands and I promise that I’m fine and I’ll call in the morning, my parents leave with a teary-eyed good-bye, making their journey home.
I change into the coziest clothes I own, and Becca whips up scrambled eggs and toast for dinner, declaring that breakfast is the most comforting food in the world, and at this moment, I have to agree.
“Have you checked your phone, Mols? I bet you’ve got some messages waiting for you.”
I haven’t even thought about my phone, assuming everything that was on me was ruined when I got hit. But then I remember dropping my purse right before the accident, which must have saved it.
I carefully clamber off my bed, which also functions as a couch and dining table—studio apartments in New York are just the best—and find my phone in a plastic bag with other contents from that night. Plugging it in to bring it back to life, my hand vibrates with an onslaught of missed messages. I haven’t felt this popular since Amanda Reynolds told all the girls in our middle school class that I was the first to get my period. Flipping through a couple of texts from coworkers, I stop on one from Jim saying how worried he is and that I can take as much time as I need.
“Looks like Jim actually has a heart.” I glance at Becca, who’s scarfing down her food while watching a rerun of Friends.
“It’s because he has the hots for you.”
“Eww gross! Add nausea to my ailments, why don’t you.”
“Oh, sorry,” she says with false concern. “I meant to say he’s absolutely repulsed by your face.”
“Thank you—much better.”
I flip to the couple of texts from Jared.
Hope you got home okay, started raining pretty hard. Had a great time. Happy Birthday again!
Hey, just wanted to make sure all is okay. Didn’t hear from you last night.
You probably won’t get this until you’re back at apt. Went to hospital to see you. You were still asleep. Really worried about you. Pls let me know how you are.
I quickly text him back.
Hey, sorry I never got these until now. Thought my phone was toast. I’m doing much better. Bec is here w/ me staying the night.
A second after I sent the message I get another from him.
Good to see your phone is still up and running and so are you. Was really worried. Crazy night. I wish I could replace Becca’s spot right now.
The last comment has me smiling.
Yeah my birthday has a whole new event to celebrate w/ it now. And you can take up a spot tomorrow night :)
“What’s making you so happy over there?” Becca teases. “I think I can guess.” Before I can answer, my phone vibrates again.
I’d like to take up a spot permanently, but if it’s just tomorrow night, I’ll take what I can get. See you then.
My stomach tightens a little when I read the word “permanently.” Not really knowing how to respond, I text back the only thing that comes to mind.
Gnight.
“Wellllll?” Becca whines from the bed. “If you don’t spill, I’m going to eat the rest of your eggs. I’ve already started on your toast.”
“Jared texted me. He’s going to come over tomorrow night.”
Becca shoots me a wicked grin. “You guys are going to have the best sex. Nothing like a man thinking he almost lost a woman.”
I roll my eyes. “I don’t even know if I’m allowed to have sex. It’s only been three days.”
Becca gapes. “Well, you better call up Dr. What’s-His-Nuts and ask! That’s an important detail.” Ignoring her, I pick up my plate, shoveling the remainder of my eggs into my mouth, and give her a satisfying smirk as I chew.
After washing up and taking some pain meds, I crawl into bed. Becca wiggles under the sheets next to me. “It’s just like college days. Except the event prior would have been you holding my hair back over the toilet.”
“Ah, the memories,” I say, and we both laugh. A long pensive silence follows.
“Mols?”
“Mmm?”
“I’m really happy you’re okay.” She rolls over and puts her arm around me. “I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to you.” Becca hardly shows emotion like this, and when she does, I’m usually waiting for the punch line. This time it never comes.
“Love you, Bec.”
“Love you too, Mols.”
We both close our eyes and let the sound of honking on the streets below rock us to sleep.
—∞—
I begin to dream of something familiar. I’m floating over a nearly empty field at night. A solitary elm tree rests in the distance. My body’s warm with light, as bright as a star, and I move faster and faster, racing toward the tree. A shock of penetrating, ice-cold water bursts across my skin, and I smack down to the earth. My vision goes dark.
Gradually, I hear movement around me. Feet stepping on grass. The sound of crickets chirping. A soft, cool breeze brushes across my skin. I open my eyes to the sky, my view partially blocked by the leaves of a tree. The part of the sky I can see is streaked with white lights zipping past. I’ve dreamt of this place before. I’ve seen this tree and felt this grass beneath me. I’m so at ease lying in this familiar place. No pain comes from my head here, and I want to stay like this forever.
I’m brought out of my reverie by a girl’s whispers. I chance a look around to see two figures standing at my right, looking down at me. They are both completely dressed in black with some object strapped to each of their backs. One is a girl with almost white-blonde hair and fragile features. From the dark silhouette of her body, I can tell she’s as skinny as a stick. The other figure is a man with short-cropped raven hair and two-day stubble, which, coupled with his attire, allows him to seamlessly camouflage into the dark surroundings. His pale skin is what sets him apart from the backdrop, along with the brightest blue eyes I’ve ever seen.
Those eyes.
I stare into them, trying to stir up the memory that is swimming around in my head suggesting I’ve seen them before. All I can currently deduce from the rapid beating of my heart and the tense heat in my belly is that I must find him attractive. And if anyone else were seeing what I’m seeing, I don’t think they would blame me.
The girl next to the shadowed man whispers fervently in his ear as he stands still, arms crossed over his chest, studying me intently.
“It’s a Dreamer,” he finally says, his voice deep and rich. The girl flinches at his volume used but follows suit.
“I see that it’s a Dreamer, Dev. But what is she doing here?” The light, twinkling quality of her voice contradicts the vehemence of her tone. Do they think I can’t hear them?
The girl paces to his other side while gazing at me warily, her blonde locks pushing forward to cast shadows around her face. Even with her features slightly obscured, her beauty is obvious. I begin to wonder if this dream is going to be all about supermodels, which would definitely make it a nightmare.
“I’m not sure. Som
ething must have gotten crossed on the journey to her landscape,” he says while turning his attention to the night sky.
“That’s never happened before. It’s impossible.” The girl puts her hands on her hips in bewilderment and faces him.
Dev—I’m guessing his name—shifts his weight and scratches his stubble-filled chin, regarding me like I’m a car with a flat. “Well, it’s happened now.”
This whole time I’ve kept quiet, and I decide it’s time to say something.
“Excuse me.” I begin to sit up.
Dev stands perfectly still, his face subtly lighting up with curiosity. The girl, on the other hand, takes a step back, steadying herself like she’s about to throttle me.
“Whoa.” I put up my hands, indicating my nonviolent intent. “I’m not going to do anything but stand. Can I do that?” I fix my gaze from one to the other questioningly.
“She can hear us.” The girl tries to whisper sideways through her mouth.
Is she kidding me? “Of course I can hear you! What’s going on? Where am I? Who are you guys?” My numbness upon waking here has quickly evaporated and is replaced instead by slight hysteria.
“Inquisitive, isn’t she?” Dev arches one of his brows in amusement.
I let out a frustrated sigh. “Please stop talking like I’m not right in front of you. Like I said, I can hear you. And I have a name. It’s Molly.”
The girl is about to say something, when Dev puts his hand up to quiet her. “Hi, Molly.” He flashes a lopsided grin. “What’s going on is that you’re dreaming.” He elongates the word dreaming while wiggling his fingers as if he’s telling a spooky story. “Where you are is in your dream. Who we are… Well, we’re obviously figments of your imagination.”
— 4 —
IN THE BEGINNING of my junior year of high school, life decided to play a practical joke on me by hilariously messing up my schedule and placing me in advanced calculus. Now, I like to think I’m of reasonable intelligence, but ordinary differential equations and myself…we don’t really hang in the same comprehension circles. So, try as I might to follow my teacher’s logic in how he got 3f”(x) + 5xf(x) to equal eleven, I never quite understood. His answer in no way, shape, or form resembled mine, and this misalignment—this complete confusion of how point A got to point B—is kind of where I’m at right now.
“Dreaming?” I repeat dubiously.
The girl glances sideways at Dev and presses her lips together.
“Yes, dreaming. You know, a series of thoughts, images, sensations occurring in a person’s mind during sleep,” he says casually.
The three of us stare at one another, the background of chirping crickets providing the perfect sound effect for my skeptical silence.
Eventually, the girl shifts uncomfortably and peeks over her shoulder toward the glowing light in the distance. At least a mile away is a cluster of illuminated skyscrapers and other tall buildings jutting into the night sky. Something about it jars my memory.
As I wait for recognition, a slight breeze tickles grass across my bare thigh, and I realize I’m in my pajamas…braless in my pajamas.
Oh God!
I none-too-subtly cover myself with my hands, and Dev chuckles. All sorts of cockiness flows off him, and I’m not sure if I like it or hate it.
“We should go.” The girl adjusts the strap around her chest, showing me a glimpse of the object on her back. It’s an empty quiver, no arrows in sight.
Dev doesn’t move but rather continues to watch me with the same amused smile from when I first spoke. Squirming under his scrutiny, I’m about to tell him to take a picture because it’ll last longer, when his friend forcefully whispers his name.
“Aveline, we can’t leave her here.”
“And why not?”
“It’s not safe. We can’t have her wandering around. This has never happened before that either you or I can ever recall.”
“Okay, so what do you suggest we do?”
The tone they take with each other makes me wonder if they are brother and sister. But their drastic difference in hair color and size leads me to believe they aren’t. Maybe they’re dating?
Dev pensively rubs a hand over his short black hair. “We need to make sure she’s okay until she wakes up.”
“Ha!” Aveline throws up her hands. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? What even makes you think she will wake up? I for one don’t want to waste my day sticking around to find out. We have patrols to run.”
“Don’t you mean night?” It comes out of my mouth before I realize that I’m speaking.
Aveline flashes me a murderous glare. “Excuse me?” She sneers, the twinkling tone all but lost from her voice.
“Well…you said you didn’t want to waste your day, but it’s obviously night out.” I gesture at everything around us.
Aveline makes a weird snorting-laughing sound. “Yeah, okay, night…whatever you say, Dreamer.” She rolls her eyes and flashes a see, a waste of time face at Dev.
He’s looking at me with that smirk again, and I grow flush, then a little angry that this guy can evoke such an immediate reaction from me. What are you, thirteen? Pull yourself together.
Wanting to quickly change the subject, I ask, “Why do you keep calling me Dreamer?”
The girl ignores me. “Okay, Dev, I’ve obviously lost you. I’m going to finish the rounds because that’s what we are here to do. If you want to stay and play babysitter, be my guest.”
“This is what Tim would want us to do, Ave. You know if we leave now, with her still here, and something happens, we would get strung out by our toes in City Hall. Aren’t you in the least bit curious?”
Aveline flicks a glance my way. “No.”
Dev shakes his head in resignation. “Fine, go. But I’m staying put and making sure she gets back okay.”
“All we need to do is leave and then report this to Tim. He’ll take care of it.”
“We can report it after she leaves.”
I can’t stand it anymore.
“Uh, excuse me again, guys, but where am I leaving to? I still don’t understand anything that’s happening.”
“Whatever, Dev. I’m going. You have fun with that.” Aveline jerks her chin in my direction before turning and jogging toward the glowing lights of the city.
—∞—
As Aveline’s retreating form gets smaller and smaller, I slowly realize I’m now alone with this guy, practically in my underwear. Perfect.
Returning my attention to Dev, I find him leaning cross-armed against the tree, and something about his amused disposition and the way he regards me with a calculated fervor threatens any composure I might intend to have in front of him. He instantly annoys me.
With that realized, I decide the best course of action is to disregard his presence. Maybe if I ignore him, he’ll somehow vanish. A girl can dream, right?
Pushing myself up, I’m midway to standing when cool, strong hands clasp around my arms and help me the rest of the way. I jerk my head up—now inches away from Dev. He smells uniquely of night and spice, and I work hard not to lean in and breathe in his skin. His attention’s focused on my bandaged wrist, and I subconsciously hide it from view. His eyes lock to mine, the rich blue that fills them causing me to shiver.
“Are you cold?” he asks in a husky voice while still holding me.
I pull away, clearing my throat. “No,” I say and begin brushing the grass off my bare legs and butt.
“Need help?”
I glance back, a bit shocked at his candor. “No.”
He holds up his hands while taking a step back. “Just trying to be polite.” With the wry grin that grows, I highly doubt that’s all he was trying to be.
Turning away, I take a better look around, straining to find what’s beyond the rolling field. The only thing visible is the city straight ahead, its glow like a warm welcoming beacon. Besides that, there’s nothing but the endless field stretching to the horizon. I wonder which way the su
n will rise and search for the moon—there is none. The only illumination comes solely from the bright moving stars above and the distant metropolis.
“So, where are we?”
His answering silence has me glancing over my shoulder to him. He once again leans against the tree. All he needs is a cigarette hanging loosely from his mouth to finish the bad-boy vibe he’s exuding. I raise an eyebrow in an I’m waiting gesture.
“We’re in your dream,” he says casually.
“Really?” My tone still dubious. “Then who are you? I’ve never seen you before. So how am I recalling you here?” When I say I’ve never seen him, it feels like a lie.
“Isn’t it obvious?” He gestures with his hands, showcasing his body. “I’m the man of your dreams.”
My eyes snap wide as Dev works hard to suppress a laugh. “I highly doubt that,” I say dryly and turn away, annoyed. I need to go over my options. This guy, Dev, certainly isn’t giving me any answers. He says I’m dreaming, but I honestly can’t remember the last dream I ever had. I always just wake up blank.
Without returning my attention to Dev, I move forward, deciding I might as well walk around while I’m here.
“Where are you going?” He jogs up next to me.
“Oh, so you’re allowed to ask questions, but I’m not?” I study the grass for any rocks or weird night creatures I might unwillingly introduce to my exposed feet.
“If I recall correctly, you’ve asked questions.”
“Yeah, none of which you’ve answered truthfully.” I take a left, heading parallel to the city.
“Why do you think I haven’t answered truthfully?” He turns around to walk backward in front of me, forcing me to look at his smirk, which I’m starting to believe is his face’s default expression.
“Because I don’t dream.”
He stops abruptly, and I almost walk into him.