So Hady has given you the rundown. I'm her super cool BFF who can kick serious butt. My parents named me after this really famous supermodel because with a last name like Ren, they just couldn't help themselves. People like them really shouldn't have kids, and I guess my suspicions about them being too irresponsible were proven when they split. I was 10. Or 9. Last I heard, my mom moved to Taiwan in search of some relatives or something and my dad's stuck with me. He's actually pretty cool as far as Asian parents go, but he still holds on to his ideals like he's in a sinking ship and those are the only things keeping him from drowning. It's not easy to thrive in a town filled with people who are so culturally different from you.
Depending on how you look at it, I guess it's lucky I'm an only child. But then again, maybe not. It's those damn dreams. When they finally get to me, my dad's gonna be all alone and I don't like that one bit. He'll definitely survive on his own, but after the way my mom left him, I don't want to go anywhere.
It's a little hard to pay attention in class when you're not sure if you're going to be here tomorrow. The dreams have gotten so intense that I wake up completely drenched in sweat, heartbeat pounding like mad and I swear, sometimes it takes like 5 minutes to completely orient myself and see my actual bedroom. For those moments, all I can see are smoke or mist and it feels like I'm going blind. You can imagine the mini anxiety attacks I have every night before and after I go to bed. And also it's English lit class. You can only read Shakespearean for so long till your brain goes to sleep.
"Alexis Ren!" I snapped out of it. Had I actually fallen asleep in class? My palms were covered in something wet and grimy, "Sorry, I never thought moonlighting could be this tiring." I joked. Hey, even pathetic ones get you points for trying.
"What's wrong with your hands?" Mrs. Collins asked pointedly at them. I glanced and ewwed. A couple of my nails were torn and embedded with what looks like soil. I turned my hands around and saw brownish stains. "I thought I was sleeping?" I got a couple of laughs for that, but I couldn't fully focus. I was dreaming about woods, there were lots of trees which accounts for the mist but actual dirt on my hands. This is getting insane. And just like that, the memory of the dreams disappeared and I kept saying to myself, trees trees trees trees trees.
"May I be excused?" I rushed out without waiting for her to tell me I've been dismissed. This cannot be right, I cannot be in the right state of mind right now. I walked around blindly, feeling chills until I realized I was in front of Hady's classroom. If I barged right in, I would look like a crazy person. I took a step back and headed for the washroom instead.
2nd flr ww
I texted and within seconds, saw that it's been read. Perfect, she's on her way. Or I hope she is. Trees, trees, trees. I kept my eyes closed and my neck on the cool tiles I was leaning against.
"What are you doing here?" Hady. I reached my hands out to her, "Yuck, what's that, Alex? The hell... Where have you been mucking around? Aren't you supposed to be in class?"
"Yeah, mom. I skipped school to play with poop so I can come back here and show it to you." I said sarcastically and before she had a chance to answer I continued with, "I woke up like this!"
"What?"
"I fell asleep in class and woke up with this!" I gestured with my hands.
"Are you sure it's not some kind of prank?"
I raised my eyebrow at her, "Nobody pranks me." I said and left the threat hanging in the air. It's not like I'd actually do something, but people are convinced I'm a loose canon and that I'm something better left unpoked. Or provoked. "Woods, trees. I think that's what I was dreaming about. Damn this is some next level bull," I gushed, "I can't even remember how it looks like but I've been chanting trees for the past 15 minutes so I know I probably dreamt about them. Trees!"
"Ok, hang on. Chill. But how did you get that stuff on your hands? It doesn't even make sense!"
"Haven't you been listening? I said I woke up-"
"Yes, yes, I heard you the first time. But how? Did they just appear out of thin air?" She started pacing around and twirling a piece of her hair, something she does when she's bothered. "You fell asleep in class, dreamt that you were in the woods and for some reason, now have dirt on your hands."
"I know this is going to sound insane-" I started but was interrupted by her saying, "At this point, insane doesn't even cut it."
"But!" I paused for dramatic effect, "I don't think they are just dreams."
"No shit, Sherlock." Hady sighed, "So were you transported somewhere? Did you go missing and come back with this or-"
"Mrs Collins yelled at me, so I'm pretty sure my body was still in class."
There was a silence. "Oh god, Alex!" She rushed at me and squished me in a bear hug, "Don't say that. Don't say that!"
"Oh god, Hady. It was a figure of speech. Figure of speech!" I mimicked. She let go and sighed again. "What do we do? What can we do? I don't think anyone's had dreams like that before."
I walked towards the nearest tap and turned on the water, "Wait!" She said suddenly, before I even had a chance to wash my hands. "Come here." She whipped out her phone and took a few pictures. "We might not be able to answer it, but... The power of the crowd." She said mysteriously. "Ok, you can wash them now." And then she was tapping furiously on her phone.
"What are you doing?" I asked while trying to scrub my hands clean.
"I'm making a post, duh." Then she began reading what she had written, "My friend woke up from a short nap and found her hands like this. The only thing she could say about it was 'woods'-"
"Trees." I corrected.
"Ok," She said tolerantly and deleted the whole sentence, "She says she can't remember the details but she kept telling me 'trees'. Has anyone experienced something like this before? Please share!" She tapped send and looked at me with her steel blue eyes. She calls them grey or colorless, like whatever. They are beautiful to me.
Just then the bell rang, "Ok, update me if there's anything else. See you at recess," She looked like she was going to hug me again, thought better of it and disappeared out the door before yelling, "Try not to fall asleep!"
Right, like I did it on purpose. I rolled my eyes and looked into the mirror and saw something flickering at the corner. "What the..." I turned around and looked at the spot but there was nothing there. I glanced back into the mirror and saw it there, clear as day. Smoke.
"NOPE!" I said aloud to myself and dashed out the door. This is turning into something I love watching but can't stand: a horror flick.
During recess, I took a seat by a window and thought better of it after catching my reflection. I was in search of another empty spot when I felt an arm go around mine. "Let's go over there," Hady whispered excitedly and steered me towards an empty table out back which is usually empty because nobody likes sitting near the bins. I wonder why.
"What's going on?" I asked her, but she wouldn't say. Girl was positively vibrating. She plopped down beside me, "Daniel Everleigh PMed me." she said excitedly.
"Seriously, I'm freaking out over what happened and you're geeking out over some boy?" I sputtered but she kept quiet because she knew I would come to the correct conclusion, "No. Way! He's experienced the same thing?! Is this-"
"Close, but not quite. He says that before Dana went AWOL, she would show him all kinds of things. Bruises, dirt, shit that you won't find in your bed."
"So that's it then? I'm gonna die?"
"Shhh! No, Alexis! Don't even say that." She can be such a drama queen sometimes. I mean facts are facts. If death is imminent, I should be able to face it head on.
"Maybe I should tell my dad." This got a scoff.
"Sometimes I feel like parents are all brainwashed into not caring." I pounced on those words the moment they left her mouth.
"You might be a genius! I mean, if it's just targeting us, maybe they have a way to keep the adults under control too!" The look on her face told me how much she regretted her words.
"I was just saying." She mumbled, "Anyway, Daniel wants to meet up after school."
"WHAT!?"
"Yeah, at that new cafe down the road from yours."
"Does he know you're talking about me?" I asked before realizing that even if she did, there was no reason for him to know where I lived and much less choose a place convenient for me. "Nevermind. Stupid question." I tend to run my mouth a lot without thinking. It's like a reflex.
"So I was thinking I'll hitch a ride to your place after school and we can walk there."
"Piano class." I told her, "It's Tuesday."
"Oh, right. Then I'll meet you at the place, ok?"
I nodded a reply and finished off the burger I had picked out earlier. Dying or not, food is a pleasure that should be thoroughly enjoyed.