Lucid Dreams

Author's notes at the end of the chapter.

Dream 14: Sleepwalking

"How does it feel to be free of that cast, Eureka?" Mischa, the red-haired doctor inquired as she disposed of the teen's wrappings.

"It itches a lot." Eureka replied with a mild frown. Using the sink next to her, she began to rinse and wash her forearm as her doctor instructed her to.

"Well, it seems like your arm has recovered quite well, but be careful not to put too much strain on it."

Eureka looked to her arm curiously and clenched her hand in a flexing manner. It had been about two weeks since her injury and the cast couldn't have come off at a better time. Matthieu's party was in two days and for the first time in the young girl's life, she had become extremely conscious of her physical appearance. The showers in the morning before school had become much more thorough and vigorous (with the annoying exception that her left arm was unable to be cleaned) and Eureka took good measure to plan out what to wear to school several days in advance. The use of skin lotion was becoming much more liberal and widespread in her routine as well.

"Eureka, have you been working out?" Mischa's question brought the girl back from her thoughts.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, it seems like you've lost some body fat…" The doctor lifted up Eureka's shirt slightly and gently pinched the bare skin above her waist.

"Ah!" The young girl squirmed away with a blush on her cheeks. "I've been going to the gym lately…" Eureka said thoughtfully. "I usually do some running and exercises for my abs." The blush got deeper as she thought of how embarrassed she felt laying on the ground during those bicycle kick exercises.

"Hmm…" Mischa came closer to Eureka as if she were studying her. "Are you sure that's ALL you've been doing?" The teen laughed nervously.

"Miss Yuki has me using that leg-workout machine…"

"The one where you close your legs together?" Eureka simply nodded. "Oho, and why have you been using the hip-abduction machine?" The blush darkened.

"…Miss Yuki said something about… tighter…" The words came out as a mumble.

"Because it would make your vagina tighter?" Mischa teased the poor girl as she reacted frantically. "It's okay, Eureka," the doctor let on a comforting laugh, "it's good that you're exercising and maintaining your body, though at your age and body fat, you shouldn't have to worry too much." Eureka was silent for a moment before Mischa went on. "So what caused you to start working out? Is it a boy?" She didn't respond right away.

"…It was a dream." The blue-haired girl replied. "I… Everything was exposed to him… and I was so embarrassed…"

"Do these dreams occur frequently?" Mischa inquired as Eureka nodded.

"I've been dreaming every night… and these dreams are always so scary…"

"Well, as your personal physician, I'll tell you that a lot of young girls and older women would kill to have a body like yours, Eureka." She patted her head gently. "Don't be so hard on yourself and try to have a little more confidence."

"Thank you, Mischa." The doctor picked up her belongings and headed for the door. She stopped to turn toward the teen.

"You know, Eureka, it'd be a lot easier if you just spilled it out to him and told him how you felt." She winked.

"Eh?"

"Don't play stupid with me."

"Spill out what to who?" Mischa rolled her eyes.

"Tell Renton how you feel about him!" With a "hmph", she exited the room and left Eureka to her own thoughts.

Renton collapsed onto the inclined chair behind him in sheer exhaustion. The dumbbell weights dropped with a low thud on the padded floor and landed dangerously close to his feet. He didn't care. His clothes were drenched in sweat and his arms were screaming in protest. How long had he been working out? He wondered as he looked up at the clock and felt even worse.

"30 minutes? Damn I'm pathetic…" Renton looked to the ground at the 15 pound weights that looked so small and unthreatening. How had he gotten so tired so quickly? The chocolate-haired boy let out a dejected sigh as he stood up. A hearty and booming laugh from behind startled him and Renton suddenly found a huge arm wrap around his shoulders and constrict him tightly. A new wave of sweat drenched his clothes as an overwhelming odor surged through his nose. The embrace felt almost fatherly and most definitely intrusive.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, kid!" Renton looked up to see a dark-brown haired man like a raccoon donned in unusual, light purple workout attire giving him a beaming grin. "Everyone starts somewhere and you're fortunate to have started taking care of your body at such a young age!"

"B-but…" The boy couldn't respond before the enthusiastic man went on.

"Don't be discouraged by your current strength!" He proclaimed loudly. Renton was thankful that the gym wasn't very busy today. "I shall take it upon myself to push you forward into true manhood!" Renton swore he could see flames in the man's eyes.

"B-but…"

"Don't worry about having to compensate me for my services!" The words rang out valiantly as the man's other hand clenched to a prideful fist. "It would be upon my honor that I see to your glorious transformation and ascension as a true man!" There was no arguing with this guy.

"Umm… Excuse-" Renton's words were cut short again as the man turned him around to the back corner of the gym to face the aerobics room, separated by glass. There was a class in session and every participant inside was, of course, female. The music boomed loudly from within at a fast tempo.

"Hey kid, look over there." The man pointed to a beautiful, black-haired woman like a fox. She followed the routine flawlessly and was obviously in good shape. "Damn, she's one hot babe. Charming, don't you think, my young friend?" He smiled and teased the teen.

"Y-Yeah…" It was all Renton could really say and a moment of pause settled in before the booming music suddenly changed up in pace. Despite the aerobics class being separate from the rest of the gym, Renton could hear the music shift and change to the new track.

"It's the same song, but it's a little different." Renton said simply

"This song is this year's anthem. We already got a bootleg remix of it. But the original wins hands down."

"Yeah."

"The quality's gone down with the vertical fade mixer that the DJ used while making this song. I prefer rotaries. The mixing is much smoother."

"Sure..."

"So, how about it, young boy? Would you like me to help you get stronger?" The stranger finally got back to his point. Renton thought it over for some time, observing that the man in front of him seemed quite strong and very friendly. There was no trace of an ulterior motive nor did the man seem very deceitful. What did he have to lose? Still, the boy was quite hesitant and unsure of how to move forward.

"Why did you come to this gym, young boy?" Again, no answer. The older man crossed his arms and thought for a moment before he snapped his fingers with an epiphany. "Is there a beautiful girl in your life?"

"…Yes." Renton looked away and blushed. Another booming laugh from the man shook him.

"Oh, adolescence!" The man exclaimed enthusiastically. "Such a time in every man's life… Kid, I swear to you that the girl of your dreams will beg you to hold her in your arms when I'm done with you." Renton looked up in genuine interest. Could this man possibly help him? There was only one way to find out.

"Okay… But you don't even know who I am."

"Well, who are you?" The man asked simply.

"…Renton. Renton Thurston… Who are you?"

The older man looked down at the teen and smiled.

"Charles. Charles Beams."

"Ah! I'm sorry, Renton…" Eureka spoke to her cell phone. "On Thursdays, I babysit three little kids… I'm sorry… I'm probably going to work on my homework here."

"Oh, then can I come to you?" His voice echoed out from the earpiece of her phone.

"Umm," Eureka looked around nervously before whispering into her phone, "okay." A childish and innocent grin formed on her lips.

The love-struck teen couldn't help but giggle. She was in the living room of the household alone; the kids were washing up and getting ready for bed. Mom and Dad were coming home late so it was up to Eureka to watch over the house and tuck the kids in for bed. The house was nice and clean, despite how troublesome and energetic the children were. Everything about the setting was comfortable to Eureka, with one exception: in the far corner of the room there was a statue of a clown. To the babysitter, the clown was quite creepy with its face paint, bright red nose, and outrageously colored hair. She shook off the feeling and ignored it as an aesthetic choice for the household.

An almost perfect silence settled over the house and gave pause to the young girl. Something wasn't quite right here, Eureka thought to herself. She stood up to turn on the TV in front of her, but despite pressing the power button, it wouldn't turn on. With each passing second, the setting grew colder and darker. The children were awfully quiet, but they must be asleep by now. Eureka eyed the clown again suspiciously before she went back to her phone.

"H-Hey, Renton?" She spoke in a meek voice.

"What's up?"

"…Are you- ah!" Eureka was cut short as a notification beeped onto her phone's screen; the parents were calling to check in. "Hold on, Renton, I have another call I have to take real fast." She switched the line over.

"Hey, Eureka, how's everything in the house?"

"Everything's good!" She responded brightly. "The children are sleeping right now and I have most of the lights turned off except for the living room."

"Good, good. Thank you for taking care of things while we were gone!"

"No problem!"

"Well, we should be back in a few hours or so. Is there anything else we should know?"

"Nope! I can't really think of anything..." Eureka's voice trailed off for a moment. "…Actually, the TV's not working right now."

"Oh, okay. Not sure what's up with that, but we can definitely look into it. Anything else?"

"Hmm, I've actually been wondering this for some time…"

"What is it?"

"What's with the clown statue?"

The line was silent for an uncomfortable second and a familiar sense of dread filled Eureka's stomach almost instantaneously. The light in the living room suddenly turned red, coating everything in a crimson tone. The distinct sound of heavy breathing caught the girl's ear and she felt someone breathing on her neck from behind. Eureka stood petrified and glued to her phone as though she depended on every word that came from the other side. Before they reached her ear, she already anticipated what was to be said.

"What clown statue?" The line went dead immediately after that.

The breathing intensified behind Eureka. For those milliseconds of time, her body remained frozen and motionless in absolute fear. Her mind, gripped in confusion, desperation, and fear, screamed frantically to escape and run away. But where would she run to? Moving only her eyes, she looked to the front door of the house.

"Kidney~ jugular~ hamstring~" The clown whispered in a demented, musical tone. Eureka dared not look at the clown but could hear the sound of a knife being drawn from a sheath. "Think you can outrun me, little kitty~?" The sing-song voice terrified the girl and served to keep her in place.

"Why can't I move!?" She thought desperately to herself. Every fiber of her being screamed to run and escape, yet she was stuck in place and unable to move.

And then, the sting of cold steel sliced upon the back of her leg without warning. It took a second for the sensation to register and then her body reacted immediately afterwards in sheer instinct and survival panic. The wound was surgically planted, however. No sooner had Eureka sprung forward to run away did she collapse and slam into the ground a pathetically short distance from where she started. Still acting on instinct, Eureka crawled toward the door.

Eternities passed as she weakly and desperately dragged herself to the front of the house. The clown walked over her as she progressed in cruel mockery and inflicted multiple stabs on Eureka's body as she crawled. Each cut brought forth a terrible and heart-wrenching cry from the tortured girl. The first stab took her right kidney and caused her body to spasm. Afterwards, each inch crawled forward was another slice on her skin. She cried for someone to save her.

Eventually, she reached the door with multiple wounds oozing blood along her backside. With all her strength, Eureka pushed the door open to the outside world. On the other side, Renton stood in front of her at the doorstep. She couldn't see his face or his eyes but momentary relief seeped into her heart as she stretched her hands toward him.

Renton picked Eureka up gently so that she stood on her uninjured leg. The other was caked in blood and non-functional. Eureka reached for Renton's face with both hands, but before they could reach him, chains whipped around her wrists and spread her arms to wooden posts at her side. The cold, cruel blade sunk into her lower spine at the hip level and Eureka fell to the ground instantly. She couldn't feel nor move her legs and her arms were restrained as to not permit her to sit on the ground; her legs were limp as she hung by her arms.

"R-Renton… it hurts…" Eureka whimpered as her gaze was downcast. "…Are you still mad at me?" Renton's hand lifted her chin up to lock eyes. Eureka found her answer in his eyes and her lips quivered.

As he had done many times before, Renton snuck his free hand under Eureka's clothes and dug his middle finger into the trap between her legs. The sensation was immediate and overwhelming and caused Eureka to cum within seconds. Her body shivered and trembled where she hung as the boy removed his moist hand and rubbed her cheek. Slowly, he began to circle around, caressing the cheek gently and sweeping his hand across her lips. As his fingers reached the lips of Eureka's mouth, Renton inserted the middle finger inside and onto her tongue while he stood behind her.

Eureka sucked on the finger feebly as though she were trying to appease her tormentor. Her psyche had degraded her resistance into submissive behavior and she resigned her fate to the boy that stood behind her. The taste was much too strong and bitter to Eureka, but she continued on regardless. Her tongue licked around the finger in total compliance to her aggressor. "Pathetic... I'm so pathetic…" Whether it was desperation or a ruse, not even she knew.

"That's right, there's no point in fighting it." Renton's voice spoke so closely to her ear. "Deep inside, you know you wanted this." Eureka remained silent. "You're boring me tonight…"

In a fluid, brutal motion and with his finger still inside, Renton slit Eureka's delicate throat with the clown's knife in his free hand. It was a curious sensation to Eureka as she felt the steel slice through her flesh effortlessly and, at first, painlessly. He followed up on the fatal wound and jammed the weapon into her heart. There was no change in his demeanor and the entire act had been almost automatic and mechanical. His hand gently brushed her soft hair before it clenched a handful tightly and pulled her head back, causing the slit to ooze and gush crimson much faster. Words failed to formulate past the air bubbles that gargled at her throat. Vision began to blur and breathing failed Eureka. Her eyes closed slowly and her body grew colder and began to spasm in sheer horror and pain. Her attempts to scream, both voluntary and involuntary, only made the pain worse. Her terrified voice squeezed through as her last sensation was that of Renton's tongue licking the blood from her gashed neck.

Eureka woke up coughing and choking for a good minute as her body convulsed and trembled madly. Instinctively, she wrapped her blanket tightly around her body and shoved herself into the corner of the bed that met with the corner of the walls. She hugged her pillow and pressed her mouth into it to suppress the screaming and the choked up, desperate sobbing. The vividness of the nightmare had shaken her badly.

It was exactly midnight and technically Friday morning, according to Eureka's clock. She would most certainly be drowsy during class today. Her cries and tears continued for some time. The initial outpour and sobbing was uncontrollable, but she was able to suppress the noise quite effectively. The previous nightmares had woken Holland and always resulted in him stubbornly demanding Eureka tell him what was wrong. It always ended with Eureka stubbornly curling up under her blanket and yelling at him to go away. But now she was getting better at holding back the screams now. Each night she woke from the nightmares she would curl up tight and muffle the screams. Holland didn't come in anymore, so it was working.

Eureka ached to hold onto something. The pillow was all she had and it wasn't enough for her. The sobs subsided and died down eventually and her wet eyes dried off on the blanket. With several deep breaths, Eureka calmed down and regained her sense. As though she knew that she wasn't going to sleep anytime soon, Eureka got out of bed, still wrapped up in her blanket, and climbed out her window. She needed fresh air; she needed to breathe.

As she climbed outside, a gust blew past her. The breeze wasn't too bad, but it still caused her to shiver. Wrapping the blanket tighter, she looked up at the sky but the stars weren't there. Feeling depressed, she turned to climb back into her room but stopped as an idea popped into her head. An odd, eager sensation filled her heart as she walked to the hill behind her house.

…

"Eureka…" A soft voice caused her to look up as she reached the base of the hill. Renton sat against the tree at the top with a concerned look in his eyes. "Can't get any sleep?"

"Renton…" Eureka walked toward the boy hastily. With a cute exclamation of "Ah!" her feet tripped on the blanket and sent her flying until she landed softly on a warm body. Renton had caught her and held her in his arms where he sat. "Thank you…" Her words were muffled by his shoulder.

"Is something bothering you, Eureka?" Renton's voice had such a caring and gentle tone. She trembled at the memory of what he had done to her in her dream.

"…I had a nightmare." She responded simply. Renton's warm hand caressed and brushed her soft hair in consolation. "I'm afraid to go back to sleep…"

"I'm sorry… but at least you're getting some sleep." He rubbed his eyes lazily and turned his head to the side to yawn for a moment.

"You can't sleep, Renton?" Eureka looked to the boy of her affections with great concern. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know… I managed to get some sleep a few days ago after I… Err-" Renton stopped himself cold at the memory of pleasuring himself to the thought of Eureka.

"After what?" The cute girl inquired innocently.

"…Exercising." A noticeable blush took over the boy's face.

"Did you try the same thing today?" Renton nodded his head nervously.

The couple remained motionless for some time on that hill. Another breeze blew past and caused Renton to shiver. Eureka responded apologetically and wrapped the blanket she brought with her over both of their bodies. She snuggled in close and comfortably with Renton and closed her eyes. A soft sigh of contentment and happiness escaped her, but it was too quiet for Renton to catch. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Eureka.

And then the two were happy once again. Nothing could break them or hurt them in this moment of intimacy. The comfort and warmth shared between the two was lulling their bodies to sleep and rest. Their consciousness began to fade and slip away and their breathing became deeper. Eureka slipped her hands under Renton's shirt to touch his bare skin. The touch slightly startled Renton and he opened his eyes halfway just in time to see Eureka's head move in closer. In the blink of an eye, her lips pressed up against his.

The boy's mind went erratic.

"This can't be happening…" The voice in his head repeated the thought over and over. Eureka was overwhelming him with a pressure that continued to rise in intensity. Her aggressiveness stunned Renton into a confused state which she took advantage of by slipping her tongue into his mouth. The poor boy felt somewhat violated and dominated in this situation but found himself becoming extremely aroused. Everything little detail about Eureka caught his senses; her sweet scent, smooth skin, soft hair, and her lips. Those lips carried so many incomprehensible emotions with them as they pressed against Renton's so desperately, but he was much too distracted by her tongue.

To the boy, this was his first kiss. It was almost magical and most certainly special. Yet something was off about all this. The feeling was too familiar and nostalgic, as though he had done this before. It confused Renton why he would feel this way over something that he had never done before. He had no time to linger on this thought; Eureka laid both her hands on his head and pushed in ferociously.

And then, the moment ended as fast as it had begun. As the realization of her actions sank in, Eureka broke her lips away from Renton's and tried to shove him away but his arms were much too strong and his hold on her stayed tight. An agonizingly familiar look of confusion and pain was in his eyes and Eureka's willpower to break away dissipated immediately. It was the same scene as the day he nearly died and lost his memory, but she didn't have the strength to push him another two times. Her eyes let loose another flood of tears and her body trembled weakly. How could she possibly hurt him so much? He deserved so much better.

Without a word, Eureka pressed her face into Renton's chest and hugged him tightly. The tears began to soak his shirt at the shoulder, but neither of them cared. Her body was shaking and her heart was shattering at that moment. She cried herself to sleep on that hill, unable to neither speak nor explain herself.

The boy remained silent as well. He didn't need to know anything other than the fact that the girl who had (twice) captured his heart needed someone to hold on to. He would do this for her; Renton would do anything for her. He pressed his lips against her soft hair and closed his eyes, feeling his conscious fade away.

In the calmness of the night, the two drifted into sleep to escape from sorrow.

Friday morning found Renton sleeping messily and sprawled on his lonely bed. The rising sun shined directly on his closed eyes and caused him to stir reluctantly. He wrapped his blanket to block the rays of the sun and remained in bed for another five minutes of much needed sleep. The alarm went off and with a groan the chocolate-haired boy slapped the accursed device to silence it and sat up in his bed.

Mental processes were slow to start for any teen, especially Renton. He rubbed his eyes, yawned loudly, and stretched his body to shake off the lull that sleep had granted him. His first thought was a cheerful one; the end of the week was finally here and he would be going to the party with his friends. He was going to have fun with Gidget, Moondoggie, and Eureka.

"Eureka…" Renton mumbled softly. A slow minute passed before his mind suddenly kicked into gear over the thought of Eureka, causing him to stand up instantly.

Renton looked around to confirm that he was in his own room. How had this happened? Wasn't he out on the hill sleeping with Eureka in his arms? Confusion caused him to scratch his head and ponder over the scenario multiple times. Hadn't he kissed her for the first time on that hill? Renton mentally slapped himself and shook his head violently.

"Just a dream…" He whispered sadly at the only possible conclusion he could think of. "Of course she wouldn't just kiss me like that…" He walked slowly to his bathroom to wash up and brush his teeth.

...

Next door to Renton, Eureka rolled away from the intrusive sunlight, only to end up falling out of bed and hitting the floor with a loud thud. The blue-hair teen let forth a string of curses she had heard Holland use many times before as she opened her eyes lazily and struggled to free herself from her constricting blanket. She was on her room's hardwood floor and made a mental note to go and buy a rug or perhaps a low-rise mattress to dull the extremely probable next fall.

The girl sat up and examined her surroundings. Her mind was blank and was still booting up from the peaceful sleep she was enjoying so well. Eureka looked at her blanket and the memory of Renton and the hill kicked in.

"Renton..?" She trembled just from whispering his name. Hadn't she fallen asleep with him on the hill? Hadn't she kissed him so desperately and hadn't he accepted her so willingly? Confusion and sorrow filled her being as she slowly stood up and walked reluctantly to her washroom. It had been so warm and safe sleeping with him. What happened? A still moment passed as she pondered.

"Just a dream…" Eureka was somewhat relieved at the thought; he hadn't really seen how desperate she was and how pitiful she could be. She could kiss him properly next time. Feeling driven by the thought, she brushed her teeth vigorously and gargled excessive amounts of mouthwash.

Unknown to both of the teens, what had occurred on the hill past midnight was not a dream. The two had actually kissed and fallen asleep together but were both victims of the phenomenon known as sleepwalking. Eureka left the hill first, unconsciously feeling guilty of taking advantage of the boy. Renton left soon afterwards feeling too cold and lonely where he slept. Regardless, the two had both come to the conclusion that it had simply been a dream.

A/N:

Apologies again to my loyal and new fans and followers. This chapter was actually done about 2 months ago; I was waiting until I finished writing chapter 15 that I would have released both at the same time. Given my current situation however, I'm not sure when I will update or if I ever will.

I've been dropped from my university (I was on academic probation this past semester) and am currently figuring out what to do with my life. Between feeling like a disappointment to my family and inadequate to even live, I'm certain that somehow I will pull through this. Regardless, my present emotions and thoughts are hectic and quite pessimistic. I apologize in advance that many of these feelings will most likely come out in future chapters.

Thanks for all the support so far. For those who are of a particular faith, I'd appreciate prayers for turning my situation around. I'll do my best to keep up.