I was really hoping that I was going to have a normal dream this time, but it seemed I was wrong. I was completely surrounded by a blinding darkness, with no sounds or any source of light. But the darkness wasn't the main aspect of the dream that disturbed me in that moment; it was the complete sense of comfort I felt. For some reason, I always felt safe in this...well, I had started calling it a cavern, but I wasn't even sure if that was quite right.
"Kiera..."
I whirled around, straining my ears as my name echoed throughout the darkness. The voice was new. I couldn't quite pinpoint exactly where it had come from, but hearing that voice filled me with an urge to find the source.
My name was spoken again, this time slightly louder and from behind me. I turned again to see a small speck of light in the distance, and something told me that I would find answers there. I wasn't sure what answers I was even seeking, but I didn't think any further as I slowly began walking towards that light.
It was as if I was going through a tunnel now. The light grew steadily larger with a faint red tint, and as I started to jog I noticed a figure standing in the middle of the small opening. With the light against their back, I couldn't make out any features, but there was something off about them.
"Kiera."
I broke into a run towards the figure, willing myself to run faster than I ever had. I had no idea why I felt the need to reach this figure or the entrance of whatever tunnel I was in, but the need grew more urgent the closer I got.
The figure was now reaching out a hand to me, as if waiting for me to meet them. Just a few more steps and then-
I jolted awake with a gasp followed by a few deep breaths. The sound of rain outside was somewhat helpful in calming me down, and I sat up with a groan as I realized it was still only about six in the morning.
For the past two weeks or so, I had been having different dreams than normal, and at this point I wasn't sure if 'dream' was the right word to call these things. It didn't even feel like I was sleeping since I always woke up exhausted.
I reached over for my phone, pausing as I remembered what time it was. I wanted to text Thalia about it, but I didn't want to wake her up. She might be awake though; I swear, that girl never slept.
With a sigh, I set the phone back down and dragged myself off the bed. I wasn't going to go back to sleep, not with the possibility of having that dream again, so I decided to start my day then. As I went through the bathroom to get to my closet, I paused to look in the mirror.
Surprisingly with the lack of sleep, there weren't any bags under my eyes but I certainly looked exhausted. I tried to run a hand through my brown curls to untangle them, grimacing as I was met with resistance in the form of knots. I reached for my brush and thought about what to do with my morning as I tried and failed to not think about the voice in the dream.
After about a minute I set my hands on the counter and sighed frustratedly; for some reason, the voice continued to echo in my thoughts, nearly driving me insane. In a desperate attempt at distracting myself, I went back into the bedroom and searched through my drawers for workout clothes. Hopefully a good, long workout would clear my head.
Two hours later, I stepped out of the shower and yawned, noticing that my phone was lit up. As I suspected, it was a text from Thalia.
Coffee in ten?
I smiled as I quickly typed out my response. Just got out of the shower so it may be a little longer than ten minutes; is that alright?
Her agreement came moments later and I quickly changed into some comfortable clothes, grateful that I didn't have to work today. After putting on some mascara and eyeliner, I decided I looked decent enough for the rest of the world to see me and grabbed my keys, racing out of the apartment.
The nearest coffee shop was thankfully only two minutes away so it didn't take very long to get there, and as I pulled into the parking lot I immediately spotted Thalia's car.
She stepped out of her car as I put mine into park and as I got out she was giving me an odd look. "Are you alright? You look tired."
I nodded before running my hand through my hair to get a knot out. "I just had some difficulties sleeping last night."
"Did you have that dream again?" She asked nervously, her eyes laced with concern.
"Yeah, only this time it changed a little bit," I said as we walked towards the café.
"Changed?" She paused and tilted her head slightly as her brow furrowed. "What do you mean, changed?"
I raised an eyebrow at her. "Why do you look so worried all of a sudden?"
"Well when you have a recurring dream for nearly two weeks straight and then something new pops up, that means something's different," Thalia said quickly as she reached for the door. "And that can be cause for concern. Why didn't you text me?"
"It's just a dream, Thal," I laughed, though my stomach twisted slightly as I remembered the voice calling my name.
I thought I heard her mutter something about hope but I ignored it as I looked up at the menu. I didn't even know why I did, I always ordered the same thing. Thalia was oddly quiet though as we waited and while I tried to convince myself that it was just because it was still early in the morning, I knew she was coming up with questions to ask me.
Ever since I started having these dreams, Thalia had become interested in them and would ask odd questions about how the dreams made me feel and things like that. She was especially curious about how I felt after waking up, which was always the same: exhausted.
"So," She started quietly as we sat down in the corner seats away from the other people on the patio. "What was different about this one?"
I looked out to the parking lot and sighed. "You know how before it was always just me walking through some weird cavern?"
She nodded, a hard look taking over her expression.
"Well, this time I heard a voice." I took a quick drink and went on: "And then when I turned around to try and find the source of it, I saw a small light that was at the end of the cavern. It was so far away, but I felt drawn to it."
Thalia shifted in her seat, chewing on the inside of her cheek. I couldn't tell if she was trying to come up with a question or not but after a few moments of silence from her I decided she wasn't going to ask one and continued.
"I went towards it, and the closer I got the redder the light became," I said. "It was odd, but then there was also this figure standing in the middle of what I assumed was the entrance."
"Did you see who it was?" She asked quickly.
"No," I answered. "I couldn't see them because of the light behind them; it was casting a shadow over their face but they held out a hand to me and I woke up just before I got to them."
She frowned and took a drink, looking down at the table. I looked back out towards the road this time, watching the passing cars and sighing as the voice from my dream echoed slightly.
"And how did you feel when you woke up?" She asked then, catching my attention.
"Why do you always ask that?" I laughed half-heartedly. "The only thing I ever feel after waking up from these dreams is exhausted. I just feel like I haven't slept in two weeks."
I heard her hum slightly as she tapped her fingers against her cup. "I'm just worried about you, Kiera. This doesn't seem normal."
"As far as I can tell the only affect it has on me is that I'm this tired all the time," I said reassuringly. "And I always tell you when something new happens, but either way it's just a dream."
She gave me a worried look again but nodded. "I know. It's just weird how realistic it sounds."
"Trust me, it's weird how realistic it feels," I sighed, leaning back in my chair. "Maybe it'll go away."
"Hopefully," She muttered before shifting her weight in her chair again. "Anyways, how was your date the other night?"
I rolled my eyes and groaned. "It was so boring! He took me to this terrible comedy movie, I wouldn't even call it comedy though. I was so tired that I fell asleep halfway through the movie."
Her eyes went wide and she let out a laugh. "What?! That's horrible!"
"I know, I know!" I grinned and shook my head. "I felt bad, but honestly the worst part was that he didn't even notice, and I didn't miss anything important."
"Remind me to pump you up with caffeine before your next date," She said. "Wouldn't want you to fall asleep on Mister Right and ruin anything!"
"Well we both knew he wasn't anything close to Mister Right when we found out he lied about his job," I said with another groan. "Ohh, good times!"
Thalia didn't answer, instead looking off behind me. I raised an eyebrow at her and waited for her to do something only to notice that her brow was furrowed.
"Everything alright?" I asked, waving my hand slightly to try and get her attention.
"That guy is staring at us."
I turned around immediately, looking off in the distance. Sure enough, there was a man standing just around the corner of the building next to us, watching us intently.
"That's not creepy at all," I muttered, looking back at her. "Maybe he's just homeless?"
She still didn't say anything, instead shifting uncomfortably in her seat and gripping her cup. I turned back around to look at the guy again, noticing that he still hadn't moved. He was far enough away that I could just barely make out his features, seeing sandy-colored hair and dark eyes.
But while I was definitely getting creepy vibes from him there was also something...non-threatening about him. Could he have been the figure from my dream?
"I don't think he'll hurt us," I said then without thinking, surprised by my own words.
Thalia was staring at me then as I turned back to look at her, and her mouth was just slightly agape. "What do you mean, you don't think he'll hurt us? He's staring right at us!"
"I can't explain it," I said, staring down at the table and avoiding her eyes. "It's weird, I know, but he just seems...honestly, it's just like he's watching us and doesn't have plans to do anything about it."
"And that doesn't weird you out in the slightest?" She demanded.
"Well yes, obviously it's weird that's he's watching us," I said as I turned back around, frowning as I realized he was no longer standing there. "He's not there anymore."
Thalia made a skeptical noise and I heard her stand up. "We should go."
I didn't argue, standing up as well and grabbing my drink. "Do you want to head back to my apartment?"
"Sure! You don't need to work today, do you?" She asked as we walked through the parking lot.
"Thankfully no," I smiled. "No customers for me today!"
She laughed at this and I glanced back over to where the man had been standing before. For a moment I thought I had seen him again, staring at me with dark eyes. I looked closer as I realized something odd; were his eyes all black?
I blinked and he disappeared then, and there was no trace of him anywhere.
"Hey, we going?" Thalia asked, catching my attention.
"Oh yeah, sorry," I said, unlocking my car door. "I thought I saw him again."
She frowned at this and looked around as well before getting into her car. "I'll see you at your apartment."
As I pulled out of the parking spot, I avoided looking in the direction of where he had been standing and tried to avoid thinking about him. Had I imagined the way his eyes looked? I had to have; after all, I was sleep deprived. While there was something unsettling about his presence in general, his eyes for some reason caught my attention. But I tried to push away all the thoughts about this weird encounter as I drove, ignoring the lingering feeling of uneasiness in the pit of my stomach.