Torn

by Shelli Bowers

  ” I didn’t have much choice. Night before last I woke up screaming and crying and she came into the bedroom. It was a really bad dream. When I woke up I was in my underwear and I was covered in mud.”

  “Covered in mud? You mean like you brought it back with you from your dream? Camille asked, shaking her head in disbelief. “That’s not possible Alex.”

  “You think I’m lying?” I said with a note of anger in my voice.

  “No, no, no. I don’t think your lying. It’s just, well, I’m trying to make sense of it. How can this be possible?”

  “I don’t know, but you know why I’m scared now. I’m afraid to go to sleep. Things that happen in my dreams are really happening to me. Mom is trying to find any information anywhere on this. She’s never heard of it and apparently no one else has either.”

  “Oh Alex, I will do anything I can to help. If you need me to stay with you or anything.”

  “Thanks Camille, I might take you up on it. But I’ve got to figure out how to stop it.”

  “Yeah”

  “Has Devin been in school?” I asked her

  “Yeah , he’s been here. Why?”

  “Because he’s been getting the short end of the stick in my dreams lately. Stephen is always killing him. I was worried that he had been hurt.”

  “Oh. Why don’t we ask Stephen or Devin if they’ve been having weird dreams. Maybe it’s all connected some way.

  It may be, but I don’t want to be any where near them right now”

  “Well, I can have Mike ask Devin and I could ask Stephen, if you want me to.”

  “Ok, but don’t tell them about my dreams.”

  “Ok Alex. Listen if you need anything please let me know. You’re my best friend and I love you.”

  “Thanks, and I love you too, but it’s time for class, and we’d better go. See what you can find out and I will talk to you at lunch. Ok.”

  “Ok.”

  41

  ALEX

  We slip in during the class change unnoticed. I head to my locker to get my books for the next class. I almost get there when I get that weird feeling again. I can’t breath. The floor is swimming under my feet. I’m sucking hard to get enough air into my lungs. I search frantically the faces that surround me. I know Devin is here somewhere. I need to find him so I can go the opposite direction. I’m looking but I’m having trouble seeing now. The voices around me are becoming distant. The lights are getting dim. I’m going out and there’s nothing I can do about it. I just hope I don’t knock my teeth out when I hit the floor. I see it coming up to meet me. But just before I hit, I feel arms circle my body and keep me from smashing the floor. At this point, I surrender to the darkness.

  42

  DEVIN

  “Alex, Alex can you hear me? What’s wrong.” No response. He called to Mike who was on the other side of the school right now. He didn’t have to yell only speak his name. Mike would hear him.

  “Mike, come to me and bring Camille if you see her and hurry.” Devin spoke as if to no one.

  “Alex, wake up.” Devin was frantically patting Alex on the arm and then the face. Everyone had disappeared when the bell rang. No one seemed to notice what had happened.

  Devin smoothed her hair off her face. He leaned close to her ear and spoke tenderly.

  “Please Alex wake up. I need you. I love you. I want to be with you. Please”

  Mike and Camille came sliding around the corner.

  “Oh my god, Alex. What happened?” Camille asked.

  “I’m not sure, I turned around just in time to catch her before she hit the floor.” Devin answered

  “What do we do?” Mike asked

  “She’s not been feeling good” Camille said. “Let’s get her to my car. I’ll explain everything, but I want to get her out of here first.”

  “Don’t you think we should take her to the nurse?” Devin asked

  “No, she doesn’t want any one else to know about the nightmares. Help me get her to the car.” Camille said as she started trying to gather the books that Alex had dropped.

  Mike and Devin just looked at each other not completely trusting Camille’s decision.

  “Help me get her to the car,” Camille demanded now. “I will explain when we get there. Maybe you can help her more than the nurse can.” She was glaring at Devin now.

  He picked her up and the four of them slipped back out the side doors and made their way to Camille’s car.

  “You get in back with her, Mike you are in front with me” Camille ordered. “And hurry it up.”

  “Where are we going?” Mike asked

  “We will go back to her house. Nobody’s home right now and I think we need some privacy.” Camille explained

  Devin climbed in the back seat with Alex still in his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear. “Please wake up Alex. Please.” He pleaded as he stroked her hair away from her face and ran his thumb along her cheeks. “What’s going on Camille? What’s wrong with Alex?” Devin asked in a pleading voice.

  Camille met his eyes in the rear view mirror and saw the pain drawn on his face. “She will kill me for telling you, but I think it’s the only way. I tried to get her to talk to you this morning, but she’s afraid.”

  “Afraid. Afraid of what? Devin asked

  Well, it started when you guys came to school here. Alex had been dreaming about you, Camille paused considering how much to say, and she looked up at Devin, for months before you got here. That’s why she acted so weird the first day we met you. She couldn’t believe it. She gets all these weird feelings when you’re around. It’s kinda creeping her out.

  “That’s the way it’s suppose to be” Mike said

  “What what’s suppose to be?” Camille asked

  “Please finish the story.” Devin asked giving Mike a look that told him to shut up.

  “Well, in short, Stephen eventually showed up in the dreams and they have turned into nightmares. She’s not been sleeping and when she does sleep she dreams. Then she’s afraid to go back to sleep. But that’s not the worst of it.”

  “Then what is?” Devin asked

  “She’s been coming out of her dreams hurt or wet or muddy. Whatever has happened to her in the dreams is happening to her for real. I’m scared for her. She said that Stephen is always killing you in her dreams, and there’s this big black dog that’s trying to eat her.”

  “Dreamwalking”, Mike said

  “What?” Camille asked

  “That’s not possible,” Devin said

  “It would explain what’s happening,” Mike said

  “Yeah, but when’s the last time you’ve heard of anyone doing it?” Devin asked

  “I know it’s been a long time, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not possible.”

  “But it would have to be Stephen doing it” Devin was getting angry now that he thought about it.

  “Who else would have better motive to figure out how to do it than Stephen?” Mike asked Devin.

  “What are you guys talking about?” Camille asked

  “I have a lot of things to explain to you,” Mike said in a sullen voice. “Some of it you’re not going to like, but please give me a chance to explain.”

  ”Not now Mike” Devin ordered. “Let’s get Alex better then I can explain to her and you can explain to Camille. Right now she’s the only thing that matters.”

  43

  ALEX

  I begin to stir from the darkness. I’m afraid that I’m in a dream again, but this feels different. Like nothing. The only sensation that I have is of something warm against part of my body. It’s a nice warm, a safe warm. There’s a smell now. A sweet smell. I know this smell, it smells like Devin. The light is coming back to me know. I can hear the hum of the car. That’s funny I thought I was at school. I can hear someone’s heart beating. It’s close or I wouldn’t be able to hear it. I can hear voices now. It’s Camille and Mike, but they are not close enough for me to hear th
eir heart beat. I make my eyes open just enough to see where I am. I look up into the most beautiful face I have ever seen. Those big brown eyes are staring back at me.

  “Alex, it’s ok. Everything will be ok now. Just relax.” Devin whispered against my ear.

  I couldn’t help myself. I wrapped my arms around his neck and snuggled into his neck. I could smell him, feel him, touch him. That’s what I have been wanting to do for so long.

  “Oh Devin” I whispered back

  He held me closer to him, and it was everything that I thought it would be and more. I felt safe and warm. I was no longer afraid of anything. This is where I am supposed to be. I don’t know why I have been fighting it. It feels right. I let the sleep take me again.

  “Her bedroom is upstairs,” Camille said. “Come on and I’ll show you. If you can get her to bed then I’ll call her mom and let her know we’re here. She knows what’s been going on she will understand.”

  “Ok, I’ll stay with her” Devin said

  Camille took Mike by the hand and said, “Why don’t you come with me so you can do some explaining?”

  “Ok” mike said. “We’ll be down stairs if you need me.”

  Devin gave Mike a nod and went to place Alex on the bed. Devin eased Alex down on the bed, but she wouldn’t let go of his shirt.

  I could feel Devin’s body pull away from me. I started to panic. I latched on to his shirt and wouldn’t let go. I heard a faint whimper escape my lips. That’s all I was capable of right now, but that’s all it took. I felt him curl his body back around me and I drifted back to sleep.

  44

  CAMILLE & MIKE

  Camille led Mike down to the kitchen and called Alex’s mom and let her know that Alex was home and that she had fainted. She wanted to come home and rush Alex to the hospital, but I convinced her that she was getting some really good sleep right now and that we should not disturb her. She told me that she wouldn’t be home til after 3. I told her that we would stay with her till then.

  I slid into the chair next to Mike and took his hand in mine. “Ok let’s have it.” So Mike started at the beginning and told her every last secret there was to tell her.

  “You’ve got to be kiddin me!”

  “No, Camille I’m not.”

  “Things like this don’t happen. Werewolves don’t exist.”

  “Things like this do happen, but we’re not werewolves. Our partner spirit just happens to be a wolf. It could have been any animal that the original chief had chosen. “

  Camille just gave him a look of disbelief. “I can’t believe this is happening to me. I finally meet the man of my dreams only to find out that he turns furry and grows fangs.” Camille was hysterically pacing in the kitchen. Her hands going up and down as she marched.

  “Please Camille, don’t do this.” Mike pleaded.

  Camille was muttering under her breath and not paying any attention to Mike and what he was saying. “Wait! Do you change every time there’s a full moon?”

  “No Camille, not every time. We have to change at least once a month during the full moon. It only has to be one night and some of us can change back very quickly. I can change at any time I want to now. I’m old enough and have enough rank in the pack. When we are younger we can only change during the full moon. Devin changes almost everyday so he can sneak here and see Alex.”

  “Wait, are you telling me that the dog Alex has been feeding in the back yard is Devin.” Camille said in a high pitched voice.

  “Shhhhh, you don’t want Alex to hear you do you? Yes, Devin’s the wolf that’s been visiting Alex.” Mike whispered.

  “There’s no need to whisper because either he tells her or I will.”

  “He will Camille. That’s why he’s here. To help. What’s happening to her is all a part of it. Our Alpha has to have his chosen mate in order for us to be able to change. I think that Stephen is intentionally messing with Alex because he hates Devin. Stephen has to find his mate in order for his tribe to be able to take the wolf form.”

  “What’s it like?” Camille interrupted him.

  “Being a wolf?” Mike asked. Camille nodded. “It’s the most wonderful feeling to run free. To have all your senses on full alert, to feel the ground pound under your feet as you run as fast as you can across it. It’s unlike anything you could ever experience being human. Mike reached out and grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. “Except for when I have you in my arms. Please Camille, I love you,” Mike said realizing that he had never told her before. “I don’t want this to come between us.”

  Camille just stared at Mike. Tears filled her eyes and began to spill over. Mike’s heart sank, he knew that this was the end.

  “Oh Mike,” Camille whispered. “I love you too.” She went to her knee’s in front of where Mike was setting. “I’m sorry Mike, I didn’t mean to over react to this. I get a little excited sometimes. I love you and I don’t care if you turn furry once a month. I don’t want to loose you.”

  Mike looked up to meet Camille’s eyes. The tears were streaming down his face. “I was so afraid that you would think that I was some sort of freak or something. I thought you would never want to see me again.”

  Camille shut him up with a kiss. It started as a small sweet kiss then blossomed into passion. Camille wrapped her arms around Mike tighter and made him forget that he was afraid of loosing her.

  45

  ALEX & DEVIN

  I could feel her begin to stir next to me. My arm was numb where she had laid on it, but I didn’t care. I slid my other arm around her and snuggled her closer to me. I wanted her to feel safe when she woke up.

  I started to come awake. You know that place between asleep and awake. My mind is trying to make sense of what my body was feeling. I felt safe and warm and I was cuddled up to someone. Oh no am I dreaming? Please don’t let me open my eyes and see Stephen. I can’t bear many more of these dreams. I force my eyes open just enough to try and make out who’s arms are around me. I could see long legs stretched down the bed. He was tall, so it was definitely not Stephen. I pulled in a deep breath and knew instantly who held me. Devin. I would know that smell anywhere. Oddly, I wasn’t panicking. This was where I wanted to be. I pressed my body closer to his and wrapped my legs in his. I felt his arms circle me and he snuggled me closer to him. He was rubbing his fingers along the skin of my lower back where my t shirt had ridden up. It was like electricity on my skin.

  “Hummmm, Alex are you awake?” Devin asked in a low sleepy voice.

  “Ummhuh,” Alex mumbled back.

  “It’s going to be okay now Alex, I promise.”

  “Do you know what’s wrong with me?”

  “I’m pretty sure I know, but lets not talk about it right now. Just rest.”

  “I think this is the best rest I’ve had in months.”

  “Good, try and sleep some more”

  “You won’t leave me will you?” Alex asked

  “No, I’m not going anywhere.” Devin told her and placed his lips to her forehead. “Sleep now”

  46

  MIKE & DEVIN

  Mike called Devin’s father and filled him in on the situation. He told him the theory they had about Stephen practicing dreamwalking.

  “I didn’t think any one knew how to do that any more” Devin’s dad said.

  “Well, it’s the only explanation that we can come up with right now” Mike said.

  “Where’s Devin, I need to speak to him.”

  “He’s with Alex right now”

  “Well, I need to talk to him, so take him the phone.”

  “Yes sir, I’ll go right now” Mike said adhering to the hierarchy of the pack.

  I heard a low rap on the door. It was quite enough for me to hear without waking Alex so I knew it was Mike.

  “Come in” Devin answered in a low voice. Mike came in and handed Devin the phone.

  “It’s your dad” Mike whispered. Alex stirred next to me. “Go ahead and take it, I want to get clean
ed up anyway.” Alex said

  “Are you sure?” Devin said

  “Yeah.” Alex got up and headed to the bathroom. Camille came in and shooed the boys out.

  “I haven’t told her yet”, Devin whispered to Camille as he left.

  “You can tell her after she’s cleaned up and awake. She’ll take it better then anyway” Camille told Devin.

  Devin and Mike headed downstairs so they could talk.

  Devin talked to his dad for about 20 minutes. His dad agreed to talk to the medicine man and get him to make Alex a dream catcher. He thought that would help with the dreams. He said he would ask him about the dreamwalking. See if there was a way to prevent Stephen from invading Alex’s dreams. Devin told him he would bring Alex by later that day.

  “How did Camille take it?” Devin asked Mike

  “At first really, really bad, but then she got a hold of herself and agreed to love me anyway”, Mike said with a sly grin.

  “Well, I hope it goes that good with Alex. She seems to be warming up to me a bit. I hope it lasts once she becomes lucid again.”

  “Ah man, how can she resist you?” Mike said as he chuckled low in his throat.

  “What’s that suppose to mean?” Devin snapped

  “Nothing,” Mike said grinning, “Absolutely nothing. I mean after all you have such a way with her. Every time she’s around you she passes out. It could make for a great relationship.” Mike chuckled.

  “Ha Ha” Devin said. “I think that will be different now. She actually wanted me with her today. That’s got to mean something.”