Disclaimer: Link is not mine. How sad.

Chapter 3

I jerked awake.

For a wild moment, I thought I was still in Link's house, staring into his eyes and falling down into a void. Then reality hit me and I clutched my blankets in relief.

I glanced at the clock. It was only 5:45 AM. I didn't need to be up until 7:00, but I knew I couldn't be able to fall asleep again, not with that terrifyingly exciting dream still on my mind. I slipped downstairs and rushed to my computer. Opening up my 'Dream' document, I frantically typed out my entire dream, making sure not to leave out a single vivid detail.

When I was down, I composed myself and read through it again. Even now, the dream was still crystal-clear; it hadn't faded like some of my other dreams. I just couldn't get over how everything had been so real.

Maybe I had been playing too many video games. But it wasn't like I hadn't played games before. However, I had never had my imagination play such a cruel trick on me in my sleep. Sure, I had had some pretty scary dreams before, but those were different. The fears in those dreams were never really rational; they were products of childish paranoia.

But this—this was crazy. The emotions rushing through me at the time were so real, so intense. I could still see his eyes, burning into mine as he glared at me. I shivered.

And the worst thought—or perhaps the best—was if this would happen again. Would I dream of him ever again? Or would this sort of dream leave me forever? I felt a small tear in the corner of my eye. I wasn't ready to give this up.

It was 6:30 already. I must've gotten really caught up in my thoughts. Getting up off of my chair, I made my way over to the bathroom. The door to my mom's room was still closed as I passed by it. She probably needed some extra sleep. I brushed my teeth and got ready for school.

By the time I went downstairs again, my mom was also down.

"Honey," she called as she tried to put on her shoes. "You're up early today!"

"Yeah, mom; I couldn't sleep."

"Oh. I'm really running late, darling." As if that wasn't obvious already.

I watched as she rushed around the house, trying to find all her belongings. I picked up her car keys and handed them to her as she darted past me.

"Bye! See you tonight!" she called as she hurried out the garage door.

"Bye, mom," I muttered, too late—she had already closed the door. Sighing, I turned on my heels and made my way over to my book bag. My math book came out with a clunk. Might as well do some studying since I still had about half and hour until the bus came.

Time passed quickly and, before I knew it, it was time for me to go.

The ride to school was uneventful. Kelly was missing; she was probably at a club meeting. She was so involved in school activities. I wasn't.

My bus was running a bit late today so I had to hurry to my first period class. We had a new assignment today: water coloring peaches. Overall, I liked it. Ignoring the fact that I spilled water all over the floor and had to clean it up, I made good progress on the piece.

The math test wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I'm sure I managed to scrape an A. Hopefully.

The rest of my day seemed to be on fast-forward, and before I knew it, I was on the bus going home. Kelly was on the bus this time, and was chattering on about our Halloween plans.

"I totally figured something out, Jay!" she crowed as soon as I sat down next to her. I nodded for her to continue. "Well, I know you have that silly obsession with that video game. What's it called? Legend of Zelly?"

"Zelda," I corrected, stifling a chuckle.

"Yeah, that," she continued. "I was thinking that maybe I could be the guy…Clink?"

This time, I actually let loose a squawk of laughter.

"Link!" I corrected her.

"Sorry, I'm horrible with names," she admitted. "Anyways, and you could be the girl! You know, since I have short hair and all. Besides, I can't picture you with a sword."

Her mildly implied insult didn't bother me one bit. I was preoccupied with the thought of her dressing up as Link. I compared her to the dream I had and couldn't see the faintest resemblance.

"Um, sure Kelly," I finally said, after a too-long pause. "I guess that would work out, but I don't have any dress that resembles the one Zelda has."

"I'm sure you'll find something," she smiled and waved as the bus reached my stop. I hopped off and headed back toward my house. A smile still tugged on my lips, but now I wasn't in quite a jolly mood.

When I got in the house, I slammed the door shut and immediately went into my room. I plopped onto my bed and stuck my face in my pillow. I was feeling rather tired, but I couldn't fall asleep.

Debating for a moment with myself, and then deciding I didn't have much homework anyways, I turned on the Nintendo. This time, however, I wasn't going to actually play. I just needed to soak in what everything looked like.

I just about had everything memorized already, but just to refresh my memory, I wandered around in places that I never thought to explore, especially Kokiri Forest. I mentally etched the buildings and trails into my mind. Then, satisfied, I turned off the game.

I looked out the window for a few moments. The sky was brilliant—lit up with the setting sun as if it was on fire. Pinks, purples, and oranges dominated the color scheme and wisps of clouds added to the texture. I rushed downstairs and out the door just to be closer to it.

I sat on my front lawn and watched the sun sink lower. I breathed deeply, not caring how bad the air quality was. Although we lived in the suburbs, smog hung over the horizon like a smothering blanket.

Dawn and twilight—my two favorite times of the day. There was always a peaceful quality in the atmosphere at these times. Unfortunately, the passing cars shattered the mood.

The sky soon darkened completely and I got up, dusted myself off, and went back into the house. It was 8:00 already. My mom still wasn't home.

Slightly worried, I dialed her cell phone number. After 3 rings, she answered. Her voice sounded tired.

"Mom? Where are you?"

"Oh, Jay? Yeah, I'm sorry," she replied. "We had a last minute board meeting and I just had to be there. It wasn't anything important really—just some kids vandalizing the building and whatnot. I'm on my way home right now. Isn't your father back yet?"

"No, he's not."

She sighed. She didn't seem surprised though. "Well, could you make some apple pie? You know I really like it."

"Sure, mom. No problem." I hung up. Apple pie for dinner? She must be feeling really bad.

I opened the fridge and took out 5 big green apples. After I finished making the pie crust, I left it there to sit for 15 minutes. I wandered around the house aimlessly while I waited. My mom had always called me fidgeting, and I was. I could never hold still for more than a few minutes at a time. I had to be constantly moving around or doing something to occupy my mind.

After the crust was ready, I made the filling. The apples had to be cooked in a pan with cinnamon, sugar, and lemon juice for 20 minutes. I couldn't wander though, since I needed to keep an eye on the stove.

After it was done, I poured the filling into the crust and sliced some more apples to place on top of it. I popped it in the already heated oven and set the timer for 50 minutes.

Just as I got ready to go do my homework, I heard the garage door open. Minutes later, my mom appeared, looking very bedraggled.

She sniffed the air appreciatively. "Smells nice."

I smiled in response. "It's going to be another 40 minutes."

"I can wait." She went to go watch TV in the living room.

When the pie was ready, we ate in silence. It was still a little sour since I didn't add enough sugar, but I didn't mind. I needed something to keep my awake, anyways.

I washed up when we were both through eating. My mom looked as tired as I felt. My legs seemed to be heavier than usual as I trundled up the stairs to my room. On the way up, I muttered an excuse to my mom and she nodded slightly.

Once again, I collapsed onto the bed, but this time I meant to sleep. I felt my mind begin to drift off as my brain shut down slowly. My last thought was if I would dream of Link again…