"Phillipe" he heard his name being called. Who was it? Was it his Mother? How was he to tell her?

"Phillipe, wake up" he heard as a hand touched his shoulder. Phillipe opened his eyes to see Luc face standing over him.

"What?" he mumbled groggily.

"You were yelling in your sleep, woke us all up" Louis piped up from his spot on the top bunk.

"Are you all right? I'd hate to think the food was that bad" Antoine drawled, but his friends could see the worry in his face.

Phillipe shrugged. "Yes, it was just a dream" he said, blinking back the tears that had formed in his eyes.

"It must have been a nightmare, a few more seconds and you would have woken up the school." Luc said, as he handed his friend a glass of water, which Phillipe took gratefully.

"Bah, Luc, who gives water? Want me to steal a midnight snack for you? I hear hunger can give you bad dreams" Antoine inquired, grinning as he ducked the pillow thrown at him.

"There will be no sneaking food Gautier, or my wrath will give you nightmares!" Phillipe said in a lofty tone, now grinning. Among his friends, he was feeling more calm.

Antoine laughed, running his fingers through his curly blond hair. "I'll wager you gave that blaggard Dupre nightmares, it was a shame to hold you back" he retorted.

Louis smiled. "I wonder if he is still there" he asked in an amused tone.

"Hopefully he is, may he grow like an onion with his head in the ground" Luc said, his face growing hard.

"So what were you dreaming, Phillipe? It may help to talk about it" Louis asked, placing his owl like glasses on.

Phillipe inwardly shuddered, he had hinted to his background but for the most part, had left most of it a secret.

Antoine suddenly spoke up. "I know what he dreamt, it's his big secret" he said in a cruel tone. Phillipe bit his lip as he put his glass down, what had he been yelling? His first friends, what was going to happen? What would they think? Luc and Louis looked interested.

"And that would be." Louis said, yawning.

"Phillipe didn't shine his shoes enough last night since he had too much work and he dreamed he got caught" he said in a wicked tone, as the room laughed. Phillipe's terror of being in any sort of trouble was well known. Phillipe joined in the laughter eagerly.

"Guilty as charged" he retorted.

"We have math at eight, we had better gay shlofin, I mean get to sleep" Luc said, giving an enormous yawn, reverting into his native Yiddish language when not thinking.

"What a bore, becoming another Phillipe" Antoine grumbled as he climbed back to his bunk.

"I heard that" Luc and Phillipe said together, which brought more laughter to the room. Even Luc chuckled a bit, as he turned down the lamp and climbed up to his bunk. Phillipe lay back happily. He wasn't in Toulon, he was here, happy and cared for; he had to forget the past, haunting him still. He had to stay in this oasis as long as possible before returning to the desert, which would come soon enough. With that, he closed his eyes and tried to get some rest. What was it Saint-Just once said? That those who wish to make change must sleep only in the tomb, he thought ominously, before falling into deep slumber.