"Hurry, Juliet!" I call over my shoulder, looking back at a young six year old girl who looks exactly like me. She huffs and nearly trips over her feet as she tries to keep up with me.
"I'm trying, but you're so," she huffs, leaping over a rock as the stream laps at our bare feet, "fast." she finishes her sentence. I stop suddenly, seating myself on one of the rocks in the middle of the stream, not caring that the cold water is washing over my knees and feet. The girl finally arrives next to me and sits down.
"You're so adventurous." she says almost jealously as she pulls her feet closer towards herself. "I wish I was as adventurous as you."
"What are you talking about? We climb trees together and make mud pies." I tell the girl, dipping my hand into the crystal water. I look at her. "Juliet?" I ask, and she smiles softly at me.
"Yes?" she asks.
"Mom and dad die in a car crash years from now." I tell her. She freezes, her face paling before it relaxes and she lets out a chuckle.
"You're joking." she says.
"I'm serious." I respond, my tone of voice soft. She hesitates before facing me. She's about to speak, but her eyes widen.
"Look out!" she yells, but before I know it I'm pulled into the flowing river with the current. I panic, clawing at the water in front of me, desperate to get to the surface, but something is pulling me down. I look down and see that my ankle is being held my the half-flesh half-bone hand of my mother. Half of her face is rotting off, but she has a maniacal smile on her face. My heartbeat quickens, and I quickly try to pry her hand off my ankle, but then my arm is roughly tugged on and suddenly my half-skeleton dad appears. He and mom roughly tug me under, under...
I sit up quickly, beads of sweat running down my face. I want to cry because the dreams are getting too much. Each passing dream keeps getting worse and scarier, however there's something about this particular dream which sends the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on edge.
When I climb out of bed, my legs betray me, buckling slightly and forcing me to sit back down. My body is no doubt reacting to the shock of the dream. It almost felt...realistic, but I can't put my finger on it.
When I'm sure my legs will work, I stand up. I head over to my curtains and pull it back, expecting to see sunlight seep through my window, but instead I'm greeted by the sight of a starry night. How long have I been asleep?
I then realize that my sleeping pattern has been a mess for quite a while now, and note that I should not be surprised. I exit my room and note that the apartment is empty. Vern must be at the game.
I try to control my breathing and force myself not to think about the dream, but it keeps tugging at my brain, and the fact that I am alone right now does not work well in my favor. I don't even realize that it's been nearly a day since I've last eaten, I tell myself I'm not hungry.
My eyes catch sight of my car keys hanging on a hook next to the door. My mind begins buzzing, telling me that the dreams are right - that I belong in the ground with my parents. I should have died during that car crash, and the universe is trying to tell me that I should even the scales.
At that given moment, I don't think of Vern. I don't think of Raphael. Or Gin. Or anyone who can possibly care about me. I just think about the fact that I need the dreams to stop. That I need to make them stop.
Determined, I rush towards the door, grabbing my car key from the hook and heading out the door. I shut it, not even bothering to lock it, before I make my way towards the elevator. Before I even reach the elevator, I pass Gin's apartment. I don't even realize she's exited it until she grasps my arm, stopping me in my tracks.
