Chapter 2: Noa's Dreams
It is playing out the way it always does. The unfamiliar location, silhouette faces, and the muffled dialog-all the same. The events that occur in my dream are as confusing as ever, however, this time there is more to it. Something that I've never seen any other time I've had the dream. I say this because I'm sitting in bed, shirt drenched, and my breathing heavy after my recurring dream turned into a complete nightmare.
"What was that," I murmur to myself. I've been having the same dream on and off all summer but never has it ever woken me or left me with this awful feeling before. At first I just brushed it off as a regular dream, a creation of my subconscious mind. I chalk it up to coincidence after the third and then after the tenth I began to worry. Understanding this dream was, is, beyond me. There just isn't enough of anything to go on.
At one point I decided to do an internet search to get an idea of why this was possibly happening, to see if something was wrong with me. Turns out that recurring dreams are somehow important; it's a way for your subconscious mind to keep reminding you of something you shouldn't forget, but what was it that I shouldn't forget and how was it important?
I curl into a ball, placing my head on my knees. The minutes drag by as I sit there, going over the dream I just had, afraid to go back to sleep-but I know I have to. School is just a few short hours away.
After a while my nerves slowly settle and my eyes become heavy again. They close for what feels like a second before my alarm goes off. There wasn't a need for an alarm before the dreams but lately it keeps me from oversleeping. The images from the dream are still fresh in my mind, the thought of school being my only salvation from them. At least that was my hope but unfortunately it wasn't helping, if anything the dreams increased when school started.
Speaking of school, I need to get moving. I push myself out of bed and rush to the bathroom. Getting ready seems to take longer than normal, it feels like my body is weighted down with every taken step. Finally, I manage to make it downstair with everything on the right way and with enough time to have breakfast-a quick one at least.
"Morning mom," I say as I drop my bag and head to the cupboard to grab a bowl. She is glued to some story on the morning news. "Earth to mom." No response. Time for the trump card, this should get her attention.
"Victoria!" I say with a twirl of my hand. She hates being called by her first name; said it made her feel old. Even my dad doesn't use it much.
"Noa Erica Adair, shhh." She responds, throwing a piece of her muffin my way, which I easily side step. Laughing.
"Well I had to get your attention somehow; you're completely transfixed by what you're watching. What are you watching anyways?" I inquire; pouring a bowl of cereal and turn to grab the milk from the fridge.
"It's a report on the increase in attacks, animal or otherwise, that have taken place recently. It's really strange; most of the attacks seems so random and out of place."
"Oh yea, and what exactly do you know about these attacks? You sound like an expert on the matter."
"Noa don't talk with your mouth full and I can be," she retorts with a smug look on her face that make me almost spill my breakfast.
My mom works at a local magazine as a columnist. That means that she is very well informed on certain things and she knows it too. It is impossible to win an argument against her; she knows just where to look to find points supporting her argument. One thing she enjoys most about being a columnist is the luxury to work from home; she rarely has to go to the office.
This was how she met Preston, my dad. She had to go to the office one day and wasn't able to get a cab until Preston showed up, already in one, and offered to share the ride with her. He told her that he passed right by her at first and had the cabby circle around just so he could pick her up. I always tease dad that he is such a romantic. On that day, dad was on his way to a job interview to become an Air Traffic Controller and he got it. After that he began calling mom his good luck charm.
Dad is always at work and I'd only get to see him a few times a week. His hours were horrible, I often wonder when did he get time to sleep, or relax, but I also knew he had an important job. When he does come home, half the time is spent sleeping and the other I am not home to see him. Unless it's the weekend.
"Sure yo-" I was interrupted by the door bell ringing. "Who could that be?" I ask, puzzled. My mother unglues herself from the television long enough to see who's at the door.
"Honey, it's Sophia," she shouts from the doorway.
"What? She's early." I reply, turning to deposit my bowl in the sink.
"No, you're late and we're going to be late is you don't hurry," says Sophia as she enters into the kitchen followed by my mom.
"I know, I'm sorry. It's been a long morning but I'm ready now. I didn't realize that it was this late already."
"Well, come on," she says as she turns back to the door. "Bye Mrs. Adair."
"Bye mom." I kiss her goodbye, grab my bag and bolt behind Sophia.
"Bye girls, have a good day."
The door closes behind me and we start walking down the driveway. "Are we walking or driving today," asks Sophia.
"Definitely walking, I can use the extra time to clear my head."
"Ok, what's wrong? I thought you seemed a bit skittish this morning. Don't tell me you had another one of those dreams."
"Yea but it was different this time." There was no way to explain the sudden change in the dream. School had only been back in session for about a week and it was all the same except for classes.
"What was so different about this dream that it has you so bent out of shape?" she asks as she puts her arm around mine. I take a deep breath and begin going over the dream with every possible detail.
"It starts out as it usually does, a girl standing outside what looks like a warehouse. There is no way to tell if this girl is me or someone else but she is definitely female by what I can make out of her silhouette. She enters the building through the open metal door, which then closes behind her."
"Sounds like the beginning of a horror move," Sophia says. I shoot her a stern look. "Okay sorry. Please continue."
"Inside she meets two people, a man and a woman. For what seems like several minutes there is a conversation between them. However, I can't hear what they are talking about, as their lips move but no sound comes out..."I trail off.
"It's like I'm an onlooker observing these events through a window-a very thick, soundproof window." I say.
"Okay."
"The conversation is suddenly interrupted by something off to the left. They all turn and so do I. It's a boy, maybe the same age as the girl. He enters through a hole in the wall that he's made. Without warning he attacks the man who is talking to the girl, but he is quickly subdued. This is where my dream usually ends, but tonight another scene starts."
"Like I said before, it's all pretty vague, especially since you can confirm any of it," she says. "It would be nice if your dream would atleast let you know if it was actually you."
"I know," I reply before starting on the last part of my dream. "It's like the dream jumps from one location to the next in a blink. I recognize the same girl from before standing in an open area. There's snow, or what I perceive to be snow, on the ground. There are people fighting all around her, none of whom I can make out. Over to the right is the boy from before, he's also fighting but just as he turns to her, he is tackled by another, much bigger, silhouette. When she tries to help the boy, she's pulled into a void, black hole or rift as far as I could make out. It's cold and empty and I get this terrifying feeling from it."
It is this very intense feeling that awoke me last night. An utterly empty, cold feeling like the life was being sucked out of me. I couldn't bear it. The void. I don't know what in the world it is but I never want to find out.
"Hmmm," says Sophia. She has her 'I'm thinking' face on as she tries to make sense of my dream. As she's been doing since I first told her about it.
I can't keep anything from Sophia. We've been together since we could walk - there are pictures of us together even before that. We've been inseparable ever since, doing everything together-summer camp, sleep overs, and everything in between. She has been the perfect sister and I've always considered her as such and I'm sure she feels the same.
That wasn't always the case though. She had a younger brother who got really sick when he was little and didn't make it-we don't talk about it much. We were too young at the time to really understand what was happening but we knew something was wrong. We haven't forgotten him, Sophia and I make time to visit him each year.
I think that made us closer not to mention the fact that her parents are my godparents and mine are hers, making us practically family. Our entire family is there for each other through the difficult times and right now, she's there for me.
It doesn't take long to get to school. By the time we get there Sophia has heard the complete story, including the new segment.
"So what do you think weird right?" I ask nudging her to see what she'd say. "Well?"
"Well, it's definitely weird. At least you now have one small piece of information that seems somewhat important. I guess," she replies.
"What do you mean?"
"Well you said there was snow on the ground in the most recent scene and that's a pretty big clue. If you hadn't noticed, it doesn't really snow here-at all-and if it did, it would be during winter. So in a way you have a time and place, relatively speaking," she says.
"Come to think of it, you're absolutely right, but that's still so vague to be considered a kind of clue. I mean, what I am supposed to do with that. It's like a massive jigsaw puzzle and most of the relevant pieces are missing."
"Let's go, no use getting a headache over it. We have class, so drop it for now."
"You're right."
"Aren't I always," she quips. We enter school and are greeted by some of our friends, Sam and Maxine. There is just enough time for me to get to my locker to retrieve my books before my first class.
"Hello beautiful." I turn to see Stephen standing there with those piercing blue eyes I'd fallen for.
"Hey yourself," I reply as I lean in to kiss him. He leans in to reciprocate the gesture.
"What was that for?"
"No reason." I'm slightly now embarrassed that I did that while the entire school practically had a front row seat.
Stephen and I have only been dating for a few months; even saying the word sounds a bit taboo. I'd noticed him around school last year but never really paid much attention. Over the summer we bumped into each other and everything just started from there.
"Get a room you two," says Maxine but I just ignored her. Stephen and I don't have many classes together so this is the only time I'd get to see him before lunch and I want him to have my full attention.
"What are you doing after school today?" I had to think about it for a second, part of me wanted to say I was free but I wasn't even sure what day it was.
"Ahh...," before I can answer the bell for first period rings.
"We'll pick this up during lunch."
"Ok," I reply, sad to see him go. However, this will give me the chance to clear my head. He leans in, kissing me on my cheek and then disappears down the hall. I want to tell him everything that's going on in my head but I'm afraid that it'll scare him away. So I don't and it feels like I'm lying to him.
Classes this morning are all just one giant daydream to me and only serve to agitate me a bit. It is strange, I enjoy going to class and getting lost in what is being thought. Never did I look at the clock and hope that time would move faster, as I have today. I am so out of it that when Mrs. Marshall asks me a question in third period Math class, Sophia has to nudge me on the arm to get me to answer. It takes me all of two seconds to answer the question correctly but I'm usually more alert than that. I can see Sophia gesturing a small applause as I do. School has alway been easy for me. The process of learning and retaining what you learn is fun to me. Some of my friends actually called me a teachers pet because of my eagerness to answer all the questions. It's one of the reasons I joined the cheerleading team; I needed, I wanted everyone to stop looking at me that way and it was fun, for a time. It also how I got to meet Sam and Maxine.
Lunch has finally come and everyone is already at their respective tables by the time we get there. From the door we can see Sam and Maxine waving us over to the table, so Sophia and I grab our lunches and head over to them.
"So get this, you guys won't believe who finally asked me out," says Sam.
"Well don't make us guess, just spill already," replies Sophia as she sits down across from her.
"Evan Walker," she says with an air of excitement in her voice.
"Evan...Evan Walker. He's the track team captain right? Tall, dark hair, and really cute."
"Yea, but you say that like you've been paying close attention Noa."
"No, it's just that he's walking up behind you right now." She whips around to take a quick look and quickly turns back completely flushed.
"Take a deep breath," commands Maxine. Sam looks like she is about to pass out.
"I'm fine," she replies, taking a deep breath.
"Hello ladies, mind if I talk to Sam for a second?" Evan walks up to the table and we all look at him. Evan is an all-rounder; athletic, smart, and a nice guy. There isn't anyone in school who doesn't know him. Best of all, now that he was a senior, anyone he knew was considered popular by association. That meant him asking Sam out was a pretty big deal as she was a junior. Although Sam and Maxine had their own level of popularity, being part of the cheerleading squad and all. Evan and Sam getting together was so long in the making.
"Sure, we don't mind." I say gesturing for him to take the seat next to her. He sits down next to her thanking us as he does and begins speaking to Sam.
"I wanted to know if you're free this Saturday for our first date. I figure as first dates go we could keep it traditional with dinner and a movie, maybe something after. What'd say?" Sam's face instantly lights up. I, we, can see her trying her best to contain her excitement.
"I say it sounds perfect," she says, barely managing to get it out.
"Great, then I'll pick you up at six," he says and rises from his seat.
"Ok."
He nods. "Well ladies you can have her back now and thank you again. He looks back at Sam and smiles then walks away.
"He's so dreamy," teases Maxine and we all break out laughing but not too loud as Evan is still pretty close by. We don't want him thinking that we're laughing at him.
"Speaking of dreamy," interrupts Sam. "Looks like Stephen is coming over to continue your earlier conversation."
I turn to greet him, shifting in my seat. "Hey."
"Hey," he stoops down. "About earlier, I was going to ask you if you wanted to do something after school today, if you're not busy."
"I'm not; I just have to let my mom know I'll be home a little late. What did you have in mind?"
"Well we can go grab something to eat, check out the mall. It doesn't really matter as long as it's with you."
Him saying that makes me feel completely elated and instantly puts a smile on my face. I can hear all the "Awwws" going up behind me as the other girls are listening to our conversation. "I'd like that."
"I'll wait for you outside after school," He says and I nod in response, a little lost for words. He leans in, kisses me and there is that feeling of complete bliss again. If only it could last forever. The bell rings to end lunch, snapping me out of it.
"We keep getting interrupted by the bell," I say pulling my hair back.
"I know, but it won't later," he smiles and I know exactly what he means.
My next few classes can't finish fast enough. I find myself staring out the window for most of the time; watching the light dance through the leaves and being lost in a daydream of my soon to be perfect afternoon. The final bell rings and my heart is racing. This isn't our first date so I shouldn't be this excited, but for some reason I am as nervous as our first date. Sophia comes up behind me. Sam and Maxine have already left for cheerleading practice, so it is just the two of us.
"I'll walk you out, if you keep that smile up your face will stay like that," she jokes. She takes my arm and we begin heading for the front door. As we walk, my nervousness settles. It is almost like having Sophia there is helping-calming me. My heart rate starts to slow and I can't feel the thumping in my throat anymore. When we walk outside I can see Stephen standing on the far side of the parking lot-our usually spot-waiting for me. I turn to Sophia and hug her.
"You're the best, I feel much better." It was the truth, the uneasy feeling which was bothering me before is completely gone.
"I know," she replies. "Now go and I'll talk to you later. I want details when you get home."
"Count on it." I turn and make my way to Stephen; about halfway I turn and wave to Sophia. I feel a little guilty for leaving her. We always found something to do after school but now that I have Stephen it felt like I was leaving apart of myself behind. I'd have to find a way to fix that so we could hang out like we usually do.
Stephen is standing there as handsome as ever when I finally make it over.
"So I was thinking we grab something to eat and then catch an afternoon flick. I don't want to keep you out late, your mom actually likes me," he says pulling me close. "Speaking of, did you get a chance to call her?" No I hadn't, in my recent disposition I totally forgot that I need to let my mom know I was coming home a little late.
"Sorry I totally forgot. I'll do it now, gimme one sec." But before I do anything I pull closer and kiss him, running my hands through his short black hair. I pull back, taking my phone out. I wink at him as he looks at me, a stunned look on his face and hit the speed dial for my mom. The phone rings twice and she picks up.
"Hi Mom...""...No, I'm fine. I was hoping that I can go hang out with Stephen today...""...I know I'm sorry, I totally spaced. It won't happen again. So can I? Oh, thank you and I will." I hang up the phone and turn back to Stephen. "I'm all yours, just make sure to get me home by eight to stay on my mom's good side."
"Done," he says taking my hand. "Shall we."
We ended up going to Sylvia's. It is a very popular place and is always packed with a crowd. We are lucky enough to find a table to sit that looks out onto the street, on the second floor of the two-story diner. The diner has a mix of modern and classic vibes. The mahogany and chrome finish on the chairs and table with the small chandeliers hanging over each give it a very nice atmosphere.
This isn't my first time here; it's a regular for me and Sophia-and my dad. The owner Sylvia is his sister, my aunt and would always greet us whenever we came in. When I was younger I remember loving to hear the stories she told me-the adventures of her life. Looking back now, I wonder how much was actually true or just made up.
"Hey, sweetie. On a date are we?" Aunt Sylvia enquires as she pinches my cheek.
"Aunt Silva, don't," I reply, completely embarrassed. I look over to see Stephen stifling a smile. "Don't you dare."
"Wouldn't dream of it," he mutters.
"Oh Noa, leave him be." She turns to him. "Hello there, I'm Sylvia and you must be the Stephen I've heard so much about. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"Ah, likewise," he replies, clearly caught of guard.
"Stephen this is my aunt, my dad's sister and owner of this fine establishment." I rub my now sore cheek while giving her a menacing look.
"What would you guys like today?"
We both look over the menu and place our orders. Aunt Sylvia disappears to the kitchen on the first floor. After a few minutes she comes back with a Chef Salad and Vanilla, Chocolate Swirl for me and a Grilled Italian Sub and Root Beer for Stephen, with a tray of fries to share between the two of us.
"There you go you two, enjoy." She reaches up to pinch me on my cheek again but I am ready this time and cover them with my hands. She smiles and moves to take the order from another table but not before saying goodbye to Stephen.
"Your aunt is pretty cool." He takes a sip of his root beer.
"She is." I reply.
That is the start of our light conversation for the evening. We sit there going over the gossip from school, especially the Sam and Evan hook-up which everyone saw coming. Before we kn0w it, it's time to leave for the theater. Stephen waves for the bill and Aunt Sylvia comes back out. I guess she made it so that she was our server whenever we needed something; she is the owner after all.
"Aren't you just a gentleman, but your order is on the house."
"Are you sure?" Stephen asks stunned at her generosity.
"I'm sure," she replies with a smile.
"Thank you Aunt Sylvia."
"You're welcome sweetie. Tell your mom I said Hello when you get home."
"I will."
Stephen and I, having discussed it earlier, decided to go see the new horror movie that is showing. Apparently, it is receiving great reviews. We bought the tickets and then popcorn; I add the butter while Stephen to gets a few more snacks. Thanks to Aunt Sylvia we could afford a few more. The theater is almost packed when we walk in, finding the right seats is like going through a maze in the dark. We manage to find seats further in the back off to one side. The view isn't perfect but it is good enough. We sit down and start on the snacks as some previews roll.
I've just turned my phone to vibrate when the movie finally begins. Stephen followed suit and does the same with his phone. A few scares into the movie I notice Stephen pull the old yawn and stretch move. It makes me smile at the intention but the execution is all wrong. However, I don't mind.
"I don't think that people still use that move." I say moving closer to him so he could put his arm around me.
"What can I say, if it still works use it," he whispers back, so close I can smell the cherry twizzlers he is snacking on. I move closer and kiss him, enjoying the uninterrupted bliss that came with this held kiss. I pull back and snuggle up to him.
"There's more where that came from."
"I'd hope so."
The movie is about halfway done and I am completely enjoying myself when I hear several people start talking. First it's whispers then they get louder and are talking at the top of their voices. It is completely distracting for those watching the movie. I turn to see where the voices are coming from but can't see exactly who is making the noise. For a minute it stops but then I can hear a single voice, louder than ever, followed by another and then another. I look around to see if it is affecting anyone else, but it isn't. No-one is moving to see where this disturbance is coming from or even reacting.
"Shhh," I throw out hoping it will silence whoever is making the noise but nothing. It is getting louder and more unbearable to ignore. I move my hands to cover my ears and that's when I feel the arm around me move.
"Are you okay, Noa? You look like you're in pain." I look up to see Stephen staring back at me with a worried look, completely unaffected by the noise.
"I am, don't you hear that?" I ask. They're in my head now. Screaming and I can't silence them.
"Hear what?"
"The loud voices, that seems to be getting louder and louder." At this point my head is beginning to hurt. It feels like a group of clog dancers just dancing away in my head. The pain becomes more and more intense. I am beginning to feel light headed.
"I'm sorry the only voices that I hear right now are yours and my own. Everyone else is quiet," he says. I look around. It didn't make sense, what were these voices I was hearing.
"Would you like to leave, the movie's pretty much over so it's okay."
"Please, can we?" I plead. He helps me up and we exit the theater with me still covering my ears. In the hallway the throbbing feeling causes nausea to set in; I am barely able to make it to the restroom before throwing up. Could it be something I ate, I thought. I clean up and then realize that the voices are gone, however the headache still remains. Outside Stephen is waiting for me.
"How do you feel now," he asks gently caressing my face and wiping away any stray drops of water.
"A little better but my head still hurts. I'm sorry we had to leave the movie so soon." I say, disappointed that my wonderful afternoon has come to an end.
"It's okay, I had fun today. So let's head home now. Maybe a good night's sleep will help." He put his arms around me and we walk home in silence. At my front door he lightly kisses me goodnight and then say his goodbyes to my mom who was now taking me up to my room.
"Good night Stephen, I'll make sure she gets some rest," says my mom closing the door behind her. I wave goodbye as it do.
My headache is almost gone as we ascend the stairs to my room. "Would you like me to get you something for that headache, maybe an aspirin?"
"No thanks, I think I just need to sleep it off." I feel drained and worn out. Just ascending the stairs takes a lot more energy than needed.
"Ok then."
When we make it to my room I change and then hop straight to bed. Mom has picked up and hung the clothes that I've removed and is now waiting to turn out the lights when I get under the covers.
"Good Night Noa."
"Night mom." I reply as I settle in for the night. Before I fall asleep however, my cell phone goes off; it is a message from Sophia.
HOW WAS UR DATE? UR BACK EARLY.
I pick up the phone, type in a quick reply and hit the send button.
GRT & STRANGE. I'LL EXPLAIN TOMORROW. HEAD IS POUNDING. GN.
With that, I set the phone back on the nightstand next to my bed and fall asleep. My phone rings again but I don't check it. I know what it says, 'OK. GOOD NIGHT'.