A Series Of Short Stories (Complete ✓)

Dreamchasers

Sometimes dreams can overpower reality. -

Axel -

The clouds a soft pink, and the hills a soft green. The birds chirped softly as the soft smell of dew drowned out my senses. It had just rained and the clouds had made way from the bright sun. It reflected off the clear water of the lake to my right. The flowers in my right hand violet and honey yellow.

To my left, was hell. Loud screams and echoes made shivers run up my spine. It smelled like smoke, suffocating my lungs. The fires blazed so hot that I felt like I was being burned alive. The rocks were rough and sharp to a point. My eyes burned and I forced myself to turn away. I sat in the middle of two worlds that were tearing me apart.

My body was being forced to the right, where peace and serenity laid. To the left, my soul was being pulled to terror and ruin. I clenched my eyes shut and clenched my hands. I brought my knees to my chest as I sat there. I felt tears running down the right side of my face, but the left side they evaporated too quickly for me to feel anything.

There, in the inferno, was a boy fighting a dragon. He was screaming, and holding a pistol, deep gold markings running up and down his arms. They glowed as he continued to fight the dragon, letting out battle cries as he did so.

To my right laid a boy in the treetops. He was fast asleep, with vines and flowers sprouted around him. A bunny laid next to him, fast asleep as well. Then he woke up, his eyes a brilliant green. He turned and looked right at me. His lips began to move, but no sound came out.

"Axel, wake up! Wake up!" I was ripped away from the world, and I was spinning. Then, I crashed into my world, before I sat up in my bed.

My older sister looked down on me, her red hair hot like her anger. She huffed and put a hand on her hip. "You know, dad's going to kill us both if I can't get you up. So get your lazy ass out of bed." She held a frown, but her brown eyes showed her inner delight.

"It's been a long time hasn't it? 5 years if I'm correct?" My response was my sister smiling back at me. She pointed to a stack of pancakes on my bedside table with a glass of orange juice next to it. Her back faced me as she let out a frustrated sigh.

"You know it, college sucked because they only gave us a few days of vacation time, and I couldn't afford to come back to the states." I nodded while I sat up. She left the room, allowing me to finish my breakfast.

I walked downstairs in a deep green t-shirt, just like the boy's eyes from before. The dream's meaning hung above me like a weight, and I felt my body stiffen when something poked my side. I looked to my right to see my dad making pancakes for the rest of the week. He was smiling as he moved swiftly through the kitchen.

I sat down at the island and went through my backpack. My father finished up in the kitchen before taking off his hat. He smiled and looked at me before he looked at a picture of our family up on the wall.

8 years ago...

I sat in my chair, clutching my teddy. A man was coming to adopt me and another girl today. My body shook in fear, because I had only met him a few times.

"Hello kiddos!" A twenty-two year old man came in, a wide smile on his face. I smiled slightly as I stood up. He ran over and picked me up and I giggled softly.  His arms were comforting and I allowed him to hold me. The girl sat away from us, texting on her phone. I clutched onto the man, afraid of falling over. Eventually, the girl came up towards us.

A few minutes passed, a lot of smiles exchanged, and the girl came over and we did a group hug. My eyes filled with tears, I would finally have a family after years of nothing.

"It's been a long time hasn't it?" He looked back at me, picking up his briefcase and suit jacket before work. I nodded and looked up at him. Adopting two kids had put a lot of strain on him, but he loved us dearly. Today he looked more chipper than usual and I decided to comment on it. His hair was slicked back, losing its curls.

"You're rather content, got a date tonight? Who's the lucky man?" He blushed a light pink before clearing his throat. Once I turned 13 he decided to come out to us because he had been dating a man. It was a joyful day and we welcomed him with open arms.

"Well- that's not important. You're going to miss the bus at this rate. Get out here you rascal." He laughed before I ran out. Along the way I tripped three times, my shoelace got caught in a twig, and I had successfully lost a few wordless pages as they had flown out of my bag.

I let out a tired sigh as I collapsed on an empty bus seat. I jumped when I felt the weight shift, and I clutched my bag to my chest. I noticed the boy had green eyes, just like the ones from last night, and sat down next to me.

"You new here? I'm Tristan." He extended a hand towards me and I took it. I looked out the window, not wanting to answer at first.

"No, I came from a private school." It was true, but I didn't want to tell him the part about how I had been expelled. Trying to end a fight, and the blame being placed on me hadn't sat well with the principal. Tristan just nodded and didn't pry any further.

I did notice there were flowers, particularly roses, all over the bus. It brought a smile to my face, but I said nothing the rest of the way to school.

The first period dragged on, and I struggled to stay awake, my thoughts drifting to the night before. Mr. Charles lectured about the importance of proper grammar when writing essays. To my right was someone named Das, and he sat next to Tristan. I did my best to refrain from staring, but I noticed how the flowers near Tristan were bright and full of life, while the rest looked wilted.

By next period I still couldn't stop thinking about it. The dream was too real, and it made me shiver. A boy in the front row was wearing long sleeves, even though the school was blazing hot. He looked oddly familiar but I couldn't put my tongue on it, until he talked to me at the end of the period.

"Cat got your tongue? I saw you staring during class," he chuckled a bit before leaning against the lockers. "I'm Parker, what's your name newbie?" I rolled my eyes and let out a soft sigh.

"Axel, and could you leave me alone? I don't need your over inflated ego near me." I turned to walk to lunch but his hand grabbed my wrist. Turning around, I saw the gold markings from earlier. My eyes widened, and I ripped my hand away from him, and sprinted away.

Tristan-

"You're a big idiot aren't you? You know the kid visited last night, why didn't you try to talk to him?" I glared at Parker, while Das walked quietly on my left. Parker let out a huff while he ran a hand through his hair.

"I talked to him, he said I had an over inflated ego, and sprinted away after I grabbed his wrist to stop him." Das snickered and I punched his shoulder, not wanting Parker to get upset again. "I think he recognized us from last night, and I'm concerned that he's going to figure out his-" screams cut him off and we looked at each other before we all ran to the cafeteria.

Axel-

The lights slowly begun to dim, my hair whipping around me. Everything was slow and spinning. I was delerious to everything that was going on around me. My body began to sway before I felt someone's arms wrap around my waist.

The lights short circuited, sending shards of glass and sparks shimmering down. The water pipes burst and water floated in the air and I shivered. I noticed the gold markings on Parker's arms and I squirmed, but there was still a storm raging around us.

"It's alright, I'm right here."