Chapter 6: Dodgy Dreams

Its 11:30pm and I'm back staring at that familiar bedroom ceiling. The house is still filled with traces of magic. Dervish hasn't noticed but I know they're here, the supply is thinning all the time but it's still here. It's been three days since Meera and Dervish's return and argument. I haven't seen Meera at all and Dervish has been in his study with that bloody crystal ball, so I've hardly seen him either. The holes have been occurring more often now and Lord Loss is making full use of them. Dervish says he has called in friends to help and they are preventing most crossings in Carcery Vale but I know it's only a matter of time before Lord Loss plucks up the courage to visit us in person.

I tap into the magic in the air and use it to send myself to sleep. A beautiful image of Mariana's face looms in my head. A scene unravels and she is stood under a tree next to a road. I look around. We are on a street with houses on either side, rather big and spaced out but still have a cosy feeling. I turn to her and study her closely. Her large dark hazel eyes; the oranges, yellows and reds from the falling autumn leaves are reflected in her glossy gaze. Her long blonde hair encases her pale face. Her lips stand out against her skin; she's smiling slightly at me. She walks towards me, leaves crunching under her feet, and holds out her hand in greeting.

"I think we should be properly introduced, don't you think?" her soft voice has a playful touch to it. I shake her hand softly, careful not to crush it. I note that her nails are short and bitten, like mine. "Grubbs." I smile at her.

"Ana" She replies.

"Not Mariana?" I ask.

"Not Grubitsch?" She replies and drops my hand. "Walk with me Grubbs." I do.

"You don't like your name then? I think it's pretty myself." I feel my cheeks burn, is that possible in a dream?

"Thank you. I don't dislike it; Ana is just easier to say." I don't know whether she's noticed me blushing, I hope not. "Where are we walking to?" I ask as she turns down another street that looks almost identical to the last.

"You see that pale house there on the left?" She points one of the houses halfway down. "That's my house, well mine and mums." We draw closer to the house, I realise that this one is prettier than the rest, flowers surround every bit of soil and every bush is blooming brightly. I wonder why they haven't dropped their leaves in autumn like the rest of the plants on the street. She reads my expression and follows my gaze.

"Magic!" her eyes glint with mischief. "I did it myself, what you think?"

"Erm very nice" I reply, kind of dumbly. I've never been one for words and I can't dream that big. She laughs and opens her front door, I follow her inside.

The walls are white and the floor a light wood, the whole house has a bright and airy feel to it. On the walls are pictures of old bikes and I notice a leather jacket and black trousers on a hanger. Ana answers the question in my head. "My mum has a bike; she's into all the fast/adrenaline stuff." "I thought they might be your dads," I reply.

"And whys that?" she replied raising her eyebrows. She sighed when I gave her the 'you're a girl look'. I'm not sexist; it is just a guy thing.

"Grubbs, I saved your ass like week, I think we can safely say that girls can do anything you boys do but just with less mess."

"Yeah about that..." I start but she cuts me off.

"Don't mention it."

I follow her through to the living room. This room is carpeted and the walls are a dark coffee colour. There are four worn-looking, leather sofas with a glass table in the middle. A fire is cackling on the far wall, above it is a massive flat-screen. "You said this was you and your mums place, right? What about your dad?" I ask as I sit next to her on one of the four sofas.

"He's buried under the porch, out-back. You can meet him if you like." I catch my breath and feel the colour drain from my face. My perfect Ana ... murderer?

"Jees, lighten up. I'm just kidding. I've never met my Dad." She rolls her eyes at me and pushes my shoulder playfully. Her hands are warm, very warm. I feel her soft skin push into mine, but I REALLY feel it. I'm dreaming but it feels so real. I look at her curiously, is this something I'm doing or her?

She whips her hand away and tucks her hair behind her ear, avoiding eye contact with me. I wait for her to look at me. I am not dreaming. Well at least not completely, I went to sleep, there was magic in the air, I was thinking of her... did I subconsciously do this? Did I cast a spell and meet her in the real world but in my dream world... wait I'm confused. I study Ana's expression, she looks like she's considering something, her small features are scrunched up in thought, and I can almost feel her brain whirring. I can feel her slipping away, the whole dream fading; the more I think about it, the more it weakens. I'm waking up and there isn't a bloody thing I can do about it. Shit.

I open my mouth to say something like goodbye or thanks but I just gawp like a fish. Ana's head snaps up and she reaches into her pocket and takes out a piece of lined paper and hands it to me. I feel her hand touch mine, I want to reach out and take hold of it, and perhaps if I held onto her I could stay in this dreamy /reality thing (I really have no other word for it). Ana looks at me with exasperation... she wants me too! She tries to speak but I can't hear her, any second now she'll snap out of existence. She mouths something slowly, I read her lips...

"Ooppeennn Ttthhe Paappeerrr, yoouuu fooollll!"

Perhaps she wasn't exasperated because I was leaving her, just annoyed at my idiocy. I feel like such a twat. In fact, I am a twat. I open the paper and see her rolling her eyes at me. I read over it quickly, conscious of time.

I wrote this earlier in case you decided to wake up and I hadn't said what I wanted to yet... you moron! If you are reading this then my predictions were correct and you are unable to hear me.

Firstly, you have approximately ten seconds to read this.

Secondly, I created this vision not you. I bet you thought you did, Typical.

(Don't kid yourself Grubbs you aren't nearly this cunning or clever.)

Thirdly, now this is the important bit:

21 Abbey Crescent

Lowerset Valley

Goodbye Grubbs

xox

I turn my gaze towards her; she smiles at me, and then disappears.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP. I slam my hand on my bedside table, miss. I fumble around knocking over an empty glass and brushing sweet papers onto the floor; all the while BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP. Eventually I locate the object of my annoyance and flick the switch on the top. Silence. I roll over on my side and close my eyes, just five more minutes. Then I remember: 21 Abbey Crescent, Lowerset Valley. Was it a crazy dream or something more? Only one way to find out. I scramble out of bed and walk to find dervish in my boxers smiling at the last time I wondered around in them, fat chance of seeing Meera now though. I meet him in the kitchen.

"Wow, you feeling okay?"

"What do you mean?" I ask checking my reflection in a metal pan.

"You're up before half seven!" he seems totally amazed, a smile itching the corners of his mouth.

"Actually, I think I'm turning Dervish" I give it my best worried look, his smile fades. "I woke up last night in this kitchen ... I had blood on my hands." I make my voice break at the end. Dervish bites his lip, closes his eyes and groans.

"Gotcha!" I laugh. Dervish growls and throws a fork in my direction; it flies through my legs, narrowly missing a rather private area and scatters on the floor behind me. He smiles, "You're a prick Grubbs!"

"Easy! You nearly skewered my left testicle!"

"I was aiming to." He replies and walks out the room... I think he was joking?

I call after him, "Hey, do we have an A to Z anywhere?" I can picture his wondering, confused look; I bet he has stopped in his tracks.

"Err, yeah, I think. In the dining room on the bottom self of the bookshelf." He pauses and I hear him mumble ... "I don't wanna know..." He goes upstairs, probably to his study. I go into the dining room and find it on the bottom self as promised. I look up the street name in the index. It gives me a reference and I turn to page 147. It's just outside Carcery Vale. The next city, I know a bus route that goes close, I could walk the last part, probably take about an hour or so? I could go, see if the dream was true, be home for half three. I way up the odds. I have been of school quite a bit this term, Bill-E would have to lie for me and it might all be for nothing. On the other hand, school isn't that important, I would get away with it and I might solve the mystery... and see Ana. I'm going. Fullstop. The end. I was never really thinking any different, ha!

I go upstairs and take a needed shower. Today I think I'm going to put on a bit of aftershave and style my ginger mop. I dress in my uniform and pack my school bag; but instead of packing school books, I pack a different set of clothes, the A to Z, my bus pass and ten pounds. I trot downstairs and grab a slice of toast from the kitchen table, courtesy of Dervish. Before Bill-E knocks on the door, I'm opening it and smiling at him.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

"Nothing." I reply.

"Oh come on, you're telling me that you are ready on time and there isn't a magical/ demonic/ freaky explanation."

"No, not exactly."

I turn and shout goodbye to Dervish but I doubt he heard, and shut the door behind me. We reach the end of the gate then Bill-E can't stand waiting any longer for my explanation, before he can bombard me with questions, I tell him. "I had a dream last night but it was more of a vision. Ana asked me to meet her in Lowerset Valley at her house and so I'm skipping school and going to meet her." I wait for his reaction, the 'education is important' speech.

"Ana?" he asks simply.

"Mariana, she prefers Ana." I inform him.

"And she told you this in a dream?" he eyes me sceptically.

"I know, how it sounds, I'm not completely sure myself but there's only one way to find out."

"I'm coming with you!" I hadn't expected that. Bill-E skipping school? Oh My God! Mind you, battling demons does mess with you. I consider Bill-E's offer and decide against it.

"It'll look odd if we're both sick, they'll guess it straight away."

"Fine, I suppose you want me to lie for you?"

"Pretty please?"

"You owe me a movie and popcorn," he grumbles.

"Aww you're the best, Bill-E. Honestly I don't know what I'd do without you." He smiles at this. Bill-E all over, pleased to please.

I decided to wait in the backstreets of Carcery Vale until school starts, therefore no one will see me and ask questions or snitch. I say my goodbyes to Bill-E and leave him to walk solo to school with my fake letter of absence. I sit down on a bench, put there in the remembrance of some poor old sod, and listen to my ipod, (Dark Side of The Moon, pink Floyd, can't beat it). I wait.

Like it? Or not? let me know - review?