A Horrible Dream (Post Four)

It was quiet on the second floor, any sounds of the chase having died out.  Beth had scampered into one of the rooms, intent on joining the action.  “Jack?  Jack, I’m sorry.  I failed.  Beth got loose but I’ll get her again.  Hold on, man!”  The door to the first room was ajar, no one apparent inside.  The other two bedrooms were sealed, leaving room for investigation.

The door creaked open, its old hinges sticking from the humidity.  A twin-sized bed with a green comforter could be seen in the corner of the room with a stained wood nightstand quietly keeping it company.  A small armoire stood guard on the other side of the room, an oversized doily draping off the top.  Unfortunately, no one was inside.  That only left one other room.  “Alright, why is everyone so quiet?”

The last room held a similar scene, only this bed was pink.  Still, there was no one inside.  “Sam?  Jack?  Beth?... Where did you go?  Marla, where are you guys?”  He stooped to peer under the bed, doubtful that they could hide under there.  It was only a twin-sized bed after all and these were a couple of grown adults.  “C’mon, hide-n-seek?  Really?  I thought we were past those kinds of games.”  He went back out to search the bathroom down the hall.  It was the only place left.

It was a large bathroom for the size of the cabin.  Sam’s grandparents had had wanted to be able to relax in the tub after a day out on the lake.  However, the years were starting to show.  “Hmm… Not in here, either… Where could they-The closets!”  He felt like an idiot, he really did.  He was going to have to get them back for this, especially since he was the one driving.  It looks like the drive home is going to be filled with horrible music, no matter how much they complained.

The closet in the room with the green bed yielded nothing so he moved on to the room with the pink mattress.  It, too, was empty.  That just left the closet in the master bedroom.  “Okay, there is nowhere else for you four to be.  You're not going to scare me."  He pulled the door to the closet open, fully expecting to find everyone crammed in there.  Besides Sam's bags, it was empty.  He took a step back and closed the door, more than a little confused and frustrated.  This wasn't fun anymore.

Moving back out into the hallways, he rubbed his neck while contemplating where to look next.  He wasn't sure how, but apparently they had suck past him and got downstairs.  They had to have done it while he was investigating one of the rooms.  There was no other explanation.  Suddenly a noise came to his attention from down the hall.  It sounded like scratching.  He slowly made his way towards it, stopping outside the room with the pink bed to see if it would happen again.  It did.  It was inside the room.

He slowly entered, listening to pinpoint where the sound was coming from.  It led him back to the closet.  Opening the door, he still found nothing but Jack's messily unpacked bags stacked next to Marla's neat pile.  However, there was something else he hadn't noticed before; a small door was nestled on the side wall of the closet.  It had to be where the sound was coming from.  He bent down to grab hold of the little pull-knob to slide the door out of place.

Closed Eyes - 3

The man turned and headed toward the main land, not even making sure that Cece was following. She glanced quickly around in the sand, trying to see anything that might sparkle in the glaring sun. Her ring had to have simply come off. Or maybe my subconcious just wants me to be free of my current life for a while! Cece wasn't sure she liked the idea of not having her ring on her finger, but at least knew it was on in the waking world. Patrick won't ever even know!

After another desperate look around the sand at her feet, Cece bounded after Jeroff, now several feet ahead of her.

The wind was growing even stronger, making Cece thankful that they should be heading into a building soon where someone could hand over some clothing for her to wear. The cool air was a stark contrast to her burned skin. I must look like a lobster! No wonder this guy thinks I'm so strange!

Jeroff said nothing to Cece as she caught up to him. As they moved further from the supposed cursed water, the sand transitioned into tall patches of grass that came to her knees and felt like tiny papercuts across her sunburned skin. The grass seemed to grow around sharp rocks that cut into Cece's bare feet no matter how carefully she placed them on the hard surfaces. Jeroff never noticed, his clothing giving him plenty of protection against the grass and his shoes- boots, rather- making it easy to maneuver over the angled rocks.

After a short distance, Jeroff stopped suddenly, nearly causing Cece to run into the man. There was nothing to be seen anywhere except grass that grew more thickly and seemed much taller than what they were currently standing in. Forest lay several miles away from where they stood, the trees eerily still despite the whipping wind. Behind her she could still hear the waves splashing against the beach. The wind was howling now, making the blades of grass sway and dance furiously. Cece felt as if the wind was starting to turn her body to ice.

"Why did you stop? I thought you wanted me to talk to this Loyie person?" Cece asked, though her voice seemed lost in the brisk wind. This time it was Cece who garbled the strange name of 'Loyie'. It certainly was quite foreign. How her subconscious mind ever came up with it, Cece didn't know.

Jeroff only held up a hand. He stood stock still as if waiting for something to jump out at him.

"Well Jeroff, seems like you always bring back the interesting ones," a smooth voice said, easily carrying through the wind to reach their ears.

Peeking around Jeroff's shoulder, Cece could see a tall, very tan man seemingly materialize out from the grass, as if he had been riding with the blowing wind. His hair was the color of mud and eyes greener than she had ever seen before. He looks like he was carved from stone! Cece felt herself drool slightly at the well-built man. At least with dreams I can drool all I want!

"Prince Bramaad," Jeroff said, bowing formally. "I did not realize it was your turn to set the traps."

Prince? Cece raised her eyebrows, impressed at her dream. Now she was making very good-looking princes up that actually did some work!

The prince only smiled and winked at Jeroff before glancing toward Cece. His beautiful green eyes seemed to weigh and measure every part of her, making her blush. For the first time in her dream she wished she had on some sort of clothing, but decided against trying to cover herself. This is just a dream. Who cares if this gorgeous man sees me naked? This is just a dream…

"Where did you find her, Jeroff? You're certainly not one to go to the hells and pick out a pretty lady to take to our camp," the prince was saying, a teasing grin on his face as he turned to face the other man.

Jeroff's cheeks reddened and shook his head. "No, Prince Bramaad, I found her," he hesitated, clasping his hands behind his back and standing even straighter, "I found her in the water."

Bramaad's expression hardened and Cece could see him clench his square jaw. His green eyes returned to Cece's dark gray ones, caution filling them as he weighed and measured his options. His eyes glided down the length of her body, but he looked to be assessing her for threats, rather than for the fact that she was completely naked.

"She seems harmless enough for now," Bramaad started slowly, "but we can't take any chances. We need to talk to Loyie."

The prince turned briskly and started to weave through the grass. Cece was surprised to notice a long bow attached to his back. She hadn't noticed the weapon sticking above his shoulder before, though she supposed that her subconscious mind just now imagined it on him since he suddenly became a more threatening character. Patrick had gone bow hunting once, but beyond that, Cece had no knowledge of how useful the weapon was. It seemed like it would be a very hard weapon to learn.

Why in the world am I even thinking about this!? Cece shook her head, trying to get such thoughts out of her mind. She shivered, though this time it wasn't from the freezing wind.

Jeroff glanced over his shoulder at Cece before murmuring, "Follow my exact footsteps. There are traps everywhere in this field and you could get hurt." His voice was firm and strong, making Cece more than eager to comply.

Cece followed closely behind Jeroff, afraid to let him get too far ahead. The prince was wading his way through the tall grass, casually making wide circles when there was no visible reason to do so, and walked through a rock patch just before they reached the tree-line.

Cece's legs burned from the long walk, feeling tense and nervous to make sure she was following Jeroff exactly. Her skin felt too hot and too cold all at the same time, her sunburned skin feeling pulled and strained while the wind whipped and wound its way around her, making her teeth chatter. What I wouldn't give for some soft clothes right now!

She couldn't understand why her dream was taking her in an extremely uncomfortable direction. She had heard that dreams were supposed to teach you things about your life, but the only thing Cece felt that she was learning was that sunburn in certain areas of the body was extremely uncomfortable and that maybe she had always been too modest in her life. Being naked in front of two guys wasn't too bad, though Cece didn't think she'd bring that practice back into her waking hours.

Finally the small group reached the line of trees that seemed untouched by the wind. Bramaad carefully looked around before ducking underneath a low branch, which they could have easily gone around, but Cece didn't argue the fact. She didn't know what sort of "traps" the prince had set, but considering how much her sunburn hurt, she didn't want to find out how much one of these traps would hurt.

Once past the branch, the bitter cold wind immediately died, as if the trees somehow blocked any speck of wind that should have been able to seep through. The forest seemed to make way for a small village. Scattered around the massive trees stood small huts obviously made from a mixture of mud and branches. It was crude, but would be easy to tear down in a case of emergency moving. There were clear paths, proving the group had been there for some time, but Cece couldn't help but notice how temporary everything felt.

Looking behind where the three passed under the low branch, Cece was startled to see how the branches of the tree made an almost perfect gate, as if you could just push it open and walk straight into the grass fields.

"I'll take her from here, Jeroff," the prince muttered, his eyes darting around the camp as if making sure no one noticed the strange naked lady in their group.

"But-" Jeroff started in protest, but one look from those sharp green eyes silenced the man.

Prince Bramaad grasped Cece's arm and began pulling her around the outside of the huts, tucking her behind trees when he saw someone meandering around their little village.

"We have come too far to let someone like you ruin everything," the prince growled at Cece, no longer acting the calm and collected "nice guy". The hand clamped around her arm caused her eyes to water from how it felt against her sunburn.

"I don't even know what you're talking about. This is just a damn dream to me!" Cece growled right back, clearly frustrated. She was sick of this dream and just wanted to wake up. How hard was it for someone to just shake her awake and make this whole thing end?

Cece tried to yank her arm from Bramaad's grasp, but his hand held strong and only made her skin protest even more as he tightened his grip.

He slowly pulled her closer to him, making her stumble slightly, his green eyes locking onto her gray ones. "You will not hurt my people. You will not bring death to us. I will make sure of it."

 

Previous   Next

A Horrible Dream (Post Three)

"You boys having fun?"  She went to stand next to Jack, leaning against him as he put his arm around her shoulders.  Marla's already short 5' stature was dwarfed by his 6'2" body but she didn't seem to care.  In fact, visually, she seemed the polar opposite of Jack.  He was tall, pale, and spindly while Marla's short, elegant frame and dark brown skin made her seem exotic in comparison.  "It has to be more fun than what's going on out there..."  She made a gesture towards the other room with her head.

"Oh, you know, just making plans for what will happen next on this exciting excursion into the wilderness."

The three of them shared a brief chuckle before Jack chimed in: "I was hoping that the sun might come out tomorrow or something.  I want to use that boat!"  He pounded his fist on the counter a little harder than intended, judging by the wince and startled look that jumped to his face.

Marla broke out in laughter, wiping a tear from her eye before gaining her composure.  "Aww, what's the matter, did tough guy get a boo-boo?"  She formed a pout and laced her voice with mock concern.  Jack stuck out his tongue in retort.  He received a finger jabbed in his side for his efforts, causing him to flinch before turning to go after her.   Marla squealed before running from the room, taunting him with every step.  The two of them never seemed to be able to act their age for long when together.

Soon, Jack let out a cry for help as the sudden activity seemed to awaken everyone else.  Sam came to Marla's rescue, latching on to Jack's waist in a feeble attempt to weigh him down.  Beth, the final companion on the trip, had a death-grip on Jack's right ankle.  "Hey, no fair, three against one!"  Jack struggled against the two girls while Marla made faces and taunted him from the landing of the stairs.

Placing his beer down, he ran into the room to Jack's rescue.  "I got you!"  He grabbed Beth by the waist and hoisted her, trying to free Jack's ankle.  She screamed and struggled against him, finding a new anchor on the arm of the couch.  Marla yelped and bolted up the stairs as Jack charged her, Sam hanging on for dear life and laughing all the way.

Beth wiggled and squirmed, trying her best to slip free.  Her flailing feet came close to connecting with his head several times.  He struggled to contain her, determined to keep her out of the chase.  After a while it became clear that drastic measures were in order and the bare soles of her feet presented the perfect target.  Beth is a very ticklish girl and he was determined to take full advantage of it.  As soon as she realized what he was trying to do, she redoubled her efforts, screaming between peals of laughter.

It didn't take long for Beth to give up, crumpling to the floor in a panting, still giggling heap.  "That was a totally uncalled for cheap shot!"  She glared up at him between gulps of air, taking a moment to brush her now messy brown hair out of her face.

"You gave me no choice!  What, are you going to write to the Geneva Convention and complain?  'Cause I don't think it would do you any good."  He sat back on the floor and folded his arms across his chest, watching her closely.

She huffed and glared at him harder, holding her breath as she squinted at him.  Suddenly she burst into motion, pushing him away with her feet and scrambling towards the stairs on all fours.  By the time he righted himself, Beth was upright and rushing up the stairs.  He made haste after her.

Closed Eyes - 2

As if from a distance, Cece could feel a cool sensation spread over her body. It somehow felt familiar, as if it were waves of water washing over herself.

Sitting up with a start, Cece pressed a hand to her forehead to try and stop the world from spinning. Well this is an odd dream…

Looking around, Cece could see that she was no longer at the formal dinner, but instead on some sort of beach. The sand was hot beneath her skin and the waves were lapping against her bare legs. She was glad that her subconscious mind took her to somewhere warm, but everything felt so clear and vibrant, almost too real. The water reflected the sun brilliantly, making her shield her eyes.

When the ground finally stopped rocking, Cece glanced down at herself. She wasn't wearing the brilliant red dress any longer. In fact, she was concerned to find herself wearing nothing at all. Her skin looked red and tender, as if she had been laying out in the sun far too long.

"Jeeze…" She winced as she cautiously pressed a finger to her thigh. Why am I feeling this stuff? This dream is a little too realistic for my liking!

She supposed it was possible that because she had passed out from exhaustion that her sleep was much deeper than normal, though she had never heard of anyone feeling pain during their dreams.

Frowning, Cece looked behind her toward the main land to get her bearings, but was surprised by a figure standing not too far from her.

 "I'm… I'm sorry, miss," the man stuttered, suddenly very nervous.

Instinctively, Cece through an arm over her chest, though her back was still toward the strange man. "Who are you?" she demanded, glaring at the man as if he were intruding upon her.

He shifted from one foot to the other before respectfully looking away from her naked form.  "I'm Jeroff, son of Arethon, high seat of Nahm," he bowed formally, though not in her direction. "I thought I saw someone out here, so I came to look."

Laughing, Cece shook her head at herself. Apparently I'm very creative when I'm dreaming! "high seat of Nahm"? How do I come up with this stuff?

"Well Jeroff, son of Arethon, high seat of Nahm, is it a crime to be sitting on a beach, or are you thinking that I'd be a damsel in distress?" she asked, amusement clear in her voice.

She slowly stood, dusting sand from her tender and wet skin. She winced in discomfort as her skin felt tight from being roasted by the glaring sun. Even the bottom of my feet feel sunburned! However, Cece no longer felt embarrassment at having no clothing on, though knew it would have probably helped prevent some of her fake sunburn. It was just a dream, after all, so why not have a little fun before she woke up and lost the dream forever?

Jeroff cleared his throat and did his best to try and not glance at Cece. His face was unusually red, and not from just the hot temperature and the sun. He ruffled a hand through his raven black hair, a gesture that seemed more of a nervous habit than anything.

 "Well miss, we just haven't had anyone go near this beach in centuries. The water is cursed."

Pulling a long strand of silvery hair off her face and tucking it behind her ear, Cece could only laugh and shake her head. This dream truly was a very unique one. "Is that so? And how is it cursed?" Cece planted a fist on her hip and tilted her head in a curious gesture, though amusement played across the smirk on her lips. She could only imagine where this dream was taking her next.

For the past few days, she had been having extremely strange dreams, but all of them were just her standing in something cold with dense fog all around. Cece had tried and tried to see through the fog each and every time she had the dream, but it never gave way. Even when a strong gust seemed to whip her hair around her face, the fog never shifted. Whenever she had woken from these strange dreams, her eyes felt exhausted, as if she had been straining them all night, but she knew she was just being silly and the stress of traveling was getting to her. It seemed to happen every month during her travels, but this month seemed so much stronger. Maybe it's time for a career change…

Brushing the thought aside, she watched as Jeroff glanced in her direction, his cheeks darkening to an impossibly deep red. She caught a glimpse at his pale green eyes, eyes that showed just how uncomfortable he was this the whole situation.

"Yes, cursed. It is said that anyone found in these waters is not from this land. There are ancient writings proving that the people from the water will bring death or gain death by entering into the water by foot or by ship. So we do not take any chances, and there is always someone guarding these waters."

Cece strode toward Jeroff and circled around him until she was standing directly in front of him. She was usually a very private person, not even one to wear v-neck shirts for fear of showing too much cleavage, but she didn't consider herself bad looking either. She was fairly athletic, though shapely and could stand to lose a few extra pounds, but all in all she was fine with the way her body looked. This was a dream, after all, so took the chance to do something she would never, ever, ever, normally do. Hell, I won't even let Patrick see me being like this!

Jeroff quickly closed his eyes and turned his head away. Cece could only laugh as she leaned forward and whispered in the man's ear, "You got one thing right. I'm certainly not from this land."

The man paled and visibly swayed on his feet. He took a step back as if her presence was too much for him to be near. A strong wind was beginning to blow, causing the man's white cotton shirt and wide pant-legged trousers to ruffle. Cece's own hair was dancing in the wind, making her realize her neat spiraled bun was no longer.

"Then… then…  ," Jeroff began before finally opening his eyes and forcing himself to meet Cece's own dark gray ones, "then you must be here to bring death."

Cece shivered, the wind growing chillier and chillier against her sunburned skin. "No," she said slowly, "I won't be here long enough for that. This is just a dream. Patrick will wake me up any moment now and I probably won't even remember any of this."

Jeroff's eyes never left hers. They hardened, and even his stance took on that of someone who felt threatened. "Pa-tri-ck? Is this person the one that sent you here?" Patrick's name came out unnaturally, as if he had never formed such a word before.

Rolling her eyes, Cece could only sigh. This dream was getting a little old. For some reason, she felt she had no control over what was happening. She kept expecting Patrick's stocky form to take the place of the lanky Jeroff's, but no matter how much she willed it to happen, Jeroff still stood in front of her, his eyes locked on hers. Maybe my subconscious is just too strong still. Deep dreams can really be strange!

"No, Patrick is my fiancée that is probably extremely worried about me right now," she said impatiently, waving her left hand in front of the man's face to show off her-

"My ring!" she cried in sudden surprise. Cece's eyes grew wide as she stared at her bare ring finger. "It's gone! What the hell is going on?" She knew this was a dream, but why would her subconscious be telling her that she shouldn't have her engagement ring on her finger?

Jeroff only shook his head, confusion clear in his expression. "Fiancée?" Again, it seemed as if he had never formed such a word before. He clearly did not understand the importance of this ring to her, but before she could demand they search for her ring, he continued, "I'm sorry, but I need to take you inside with me. I think it's time you talk with Loyie."

 

Previous   Next

Closed Eyes - 1

"Cece, wake up! It's time to go. You know this dinner is really important to me. Hurry up!" a gruff voice sounded deep within Cece's mind. She felt herself stir before slowly opening her eyes.

Groaning, Cece reached over to the bedside table and twisted the clock to face her. It was 4:30pm, only a half hour before they were supposed to be at the Riverside Dinner Hall for a formal dinner with all the policemen her fiancée served with.

"I'm sorry, Patrick. Why didn't you wake me up sooner?"

Cece let her hand fall from the clock. She was still exhausted from having driven nearly 20 hours just to make it home in time for this special dinner. She had spent the last week traveling from state to state, speaking at motivational concerts and doing individual sessions with young teens struggling with the loss of a loved one. Cece was all too familiar with loss, so once out of college, she had set out to make an impact on those who shared similar experiences.

Patrick sighed, straightening his bright red tie as he sat at the edge of the bed. "Because I was worried about you. You looked beyond exhausted."

Cece stretched briefly before sitting up and yanking the covers off her. She swayed slightly, waiting for the room to stop spinning. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time I've only gotten a few hours of sleep before going to something important," she murmured, leaning over and kissing Patrick on the cheek.

She then stood quickly and made her way over to the tiny closet, throwing the door open, letting it bang against the wall.  She still felt as if cotton balls were filling up the space in her head, but ignored the sensation, knowing it was only because of how exhausted she was. She couldn't shake off her strange dream, but then again, it was happening more and more recently. She supposed with only a few hours of sleep under her belt, it was bound to happen.

Rummaging around toward the back of the closet, Cece finally came upon what she was looking for and quickly yanked it off the hanger.

"I'm going to go pull the car around, Cece," she heard Patrick say before hearing his muffled footsteps grow quieter as he exited the small apartment.

Cece had pulled her strapless bright red dress on and was zipping up the side when he left, but she paid him no mind. She was trying to hurry, not wanting Patrick to be late for this dinner. He had wanted her to meet the Chief, as well as his patrol partner. They were his second family while she was traveling a week out of each month.

Shoving her feet into her white pumps and throwing a white shawl over her shoulders, Cece then threw her nearly white hair into a neatly spiraled bun. She dared not look too closely in the mirror, knowing it would only show her tired, puffy eyes and a red spot on her cheek from her pillow. Cece also felt very shaky, though decided that it was probably from not having eaten since that morning. She looked awful, but decided it would have to do considering the time restraints. No time to put on make-up now!

Hearing an impatient honk from beyond the apartment window, Cece rolled her eyes and grabbed her small clutch from the closet, shoving her keys and her ID inside.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," she grumbled under her breath and rushed to the front door. She wiped sweat from her brow, pausing a moment to catch her breath before exiting the apartment and locking the door behind her.

***

"See, we made it on time," Cece said with a smile to Patrick as they entered the Riverside Dinner Hall. She scanned the room, taking in the large banner hanging at the front of the room by the stage that read, 'Riverside Police Department Annual Formal Dinner'. The room was filled with round tables covered in silvery tablecloths and purple orchids had been chosen for the centerpieces. It was beautiful, making the room feel iridescent without being overdone.

The tables were already filled with men in their uniforms and ladies wearing beautiful dresses that made Cece wince over the state of her own dress. These women looked elegant and well rested, something she severely lacked at the moment. At least I have a good excuse for not looking the most pretty!, she couldn't help but think sourly.

Cece's eyes felt blurred, however, as if she were looking through fog. She knew it was a sign of just how tired she was and couldn't help but scrub her eyes in the hopes of clearing them up.

"I know, but you know how much I hate being late for things," Patrick said. He nodded at a few passing men while leading the way to the sign-in table.

Cece only nodded as she allowed herself to be pulled toward the table. She suddenly felt very unsteady, as if the ground was rocking beneath her feet.

"Patrick, I don't feel so well," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. She knew she was tired, but she had never felt this sensation before. Her stomach felt as if it were jumping into her throat and her legs felt wobbly beneath her. She pressed a hand to her stomach as if in hopes of helping her regain her balance.

Concern filling his hazel eyes, Patrick pulled Cece to the side of the table, letting other couples pass them. "Do you need to sit down?"

"I don't know, I just feel so tired…" Cece's voice drifted off weakly. She could no longer focus on anything around her. She could feel Patrick's strong hands grip her arms but could not see his face any longer. Her vision had gone completely black, causing a swell of panic to ram through her body.

"I can't see!"

Patrick's arms enveloped her protectively, as if those arms could keep anything from truly harming her. "Just close your eyes, Cece. I'll get you to the hospital."

Closing her eyes in compliance, Cece suddenly lost all sense of feeling. Even the sensation of collapsing was not felt within her and the gasps of alarm did not fall upon her ears.

 

Next

A Horrible Dream (Post Two)

Sam smiled again hopefully before dipping her nose back into her book, leaving him to his boredom once more.  He flicked at a piece of cat hair that had attached itself to his chin as he stood to get himself something to drink.  "Anybody else want something?"  A brief motion towards the kitchen and a shrug seemed enough of a pause before continuing on.

Popping open the fridge in the little kitchen revealed the unopened package of hotdogs and some wrapped buns that would be their dinner for that night.  Sadly, they would not be grilled but instead boiled on the stove.  He grumbled as he reached past the dogs to grab a beer from the back of the chest.

"Hey, toss me one!"  Jack sauntered in from the other room, pushing his glasses back up on his nose and straightening his shirt.  His blonde hair was a mess and there was a red mark on his cheek from the rug where he had been passed out.

"Have a nice nap?" Grinning, he tossed Jack a bottle before rummaging through a drawer to find an opener.  Cranking the top off, he leaned against the counter and took a sip.  The rain still pattered against the cabin with a steady drone but it seemed to have let up a little bit.

Jack screwed up his face and made an obscene gesture as he scratched the mark on his cheek before opening his bottle and taking a healthy swig.  "You think we'll get to use that boat at all before heading home?" Jack set his bottle down and rested his hands on the countertop, peering out the window over the sink into the growing gloom.  His lanky frame still seemed half asleep the way it drooped to support his casual lean.  "I mean, I'll take this over going back to work any day, but that lake is just taunting me!"  He threw his hands up in a gesture of mock desperation before smoothing his hair and grabbing his beer with a huff.

"Your guess is as good as mine.  We could look at the weather, but there's hardly any cell signal out here.  One of the curses of being out in the middle of nowhere!"  He laughed before taking another sip.  Not having a signal was one of the things that he liked about being out here.  It meant he could really get away for a while.  As far as he was concerned, the world ceased to exist until he was back within range of the nearest cell tower.  It was really relaxing to him.

Jack grunted.  He wasn't as keen on being completely cut off.  However, his frown turned into a smile as Marla walked in to join them.

Fear

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Elise murmured, waving off her concerned friend. He was hovering over her like he always seemed to do when he sensed her fear.

"I don't know, Elise, you certainly don't seem fine." His brown eyes were wide with concern, a frown chisled into his expression.

"You're not my father, John. Just go away!"

Elise was clutching her stomach so hard, afraid that if she let go her stomach would drop and fall right off her body. It certainly was a new type of pain she had never experienced before. The doctors had warned her she needed treatment right away, but what good would that have done? It could have bought her an extra day, but when it came right down to it,  she didn't want an extra day. She wanted to just be done with it all.

John shifted uncomfortably, hesitating before taking a few steps closer to her crouched form. "I know I'm not your father, but I'm the only thing you've got. You're dying." He chocked out the last word as if by saying it she would die on the spot.

Groaning in pain, Elise couldn't get out a reply. She was crouched in the corner of her room, forehead against the wall and hands clenched even tighter around her stomach. Sweat beaded her brow and soaked her once beautiful auburn hair.

"I'm afraid to die," she whispered, fear taking over her pain. She almost felt herself drifting, losing herself and her earthly body. Elise could feel tears rolling down her cheeks as she wondered what was happening. She would never be able to travel like she had once planned, or accomplish becoming the first female supervisor in her company. She had wanted to do so much...

John ran to his friend, wrapping his arms around her. "Don't worry Elise. I'm here for you. I'll make sure nothing happens to you. I love you so much, you know. You have always been my best friend." John burst into tears as his friend slowly slumped more heavily in his arms.

Elise smiled sadly at her friend. It was strange seeing him hold her body, but not actually her.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she whispered, "I love you too, John. Don't worry, I'll wait for you."

A Horrible Dream (Post One)

Fingers drummed on the old wood of the windowsill as he stared out into the rainy dusk with a whist-full eye.  In the growing gloom, the boat bobbed next to the dock, its cover keeping what it could of the deluge out.  It hadn't seen any use despite the best of intentions.  Even the tall rectangle of the grill taunted him.  He would have gladly traded the hiss of the rain for the welcome sizzle of kebabs or burgers underneath a bright blue sky.  Yet it had been a soggy, rainy day without so much as a hint of dry air.

He spied the cat crouched on the porch, just out of the wet spattering of rain, eyeing a splashing puddle with contempt.  In spite of his glum mood he stifled a laugh, caught off guard by the cat's startled reaction as a particularly strong gust of wind blew big, cold drops all over the feline.

"Hah, Millie just got soaked!"  He turned to the room, but didn't find much of a reaction.  His friends were spread out and too busy dealing with the washed out day how they could.  He crossed his arms with a huff and settled back into his chair, forgetting about the dark window for the time being.

Sam smiled at him from behind her book, "Maybe tomorrow won't be so wet.  It'd be nice to actually get out of the cottage for once."

He sighed, "Yeah, some vacation this has turned out to be.  Here for almost a week and so far we've only had two nice days."  Sam had invited him and three other friends to her family's cottage on the lake.  They'd been there for five days and so far all but the first two were damp if not all out soaked.  There was only one more day left before they had to pack up for the long drive home.