Title: Dream
Fandom: Supernatural
For: jb_slasher, for the 31_days_echange. I didn't know very much Supernatural besides seeing random episodes here and there, so I guess this might be slightly AU.
Theme: 04. Life is but a dream
Character: Sam, some Dean
Summary: Sometimes it is easier to imagine the dream as life and life as the dream.
…
…
…
…
…
When Sam first saw school, he wasn't sure what to expect. Well, he kind of did, with the descriptions that Dean would give him from time to time. If he believed him, there would be annoying adults, beautiful sirens, and the occasional monster to face. Of course, they weren't anything like the creatures that his dad showed him because these ones were entirely human and far worse.
However, Sam knew that Dean had a way of exaggerating things (especially if he didn't like something). So, he really wasn't sure what to imagine when he thought of 'school'.
What he didn't think was that there would be a key to figuring out who he was.
(What he didn't think was that he would have the key and throw it away.)
-x-
"Hey, I think I saw a monster in the woods," one of his classmates—Lucian, Sam remembered—whispers, pointing at the sparsely wooded area.
"Really?" Sam replied, doubtfully. He peered into the grove of trees, trying to catch the telltale hints of a shadow. "I don't think I saw anything."
"It could be hiding behind a tree!"
"There's a huge space between the trees," he pointed out.
Lucian frowned. "Well, I saw a werewolf last Saturday, when my dad took me hiking."
"Really?"
"Of course. And it was huge and frightening—I barely managed to escape when it chased us."
"…well," Sam started in a low whisper, "My dad fights monsters. My brother does too and when I grow up, I'll do it too."
"No way!"
"It's true!"
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Cool." Lucian grinned. "I want to do that too, when I grow up. Hey, maybe we can do it together."
"…" Sam blinked in surprise before a shy smile spread across his face. "Sure."
-x-
One good thing about school, at least during the first few years, was that everyone believed Sam's stories. He could tell them about demons and ghosts, monsters that would make their hair stand up and legs turn to jelly. They would listen to tales about not-so-empty houses and not-quite-dead people, about creatures that wore masks of flesh and skin and beings with power flowing through their veins. Beautiful people weren't always nice and the hideous beasts committed deeds that were even uglier.
Of course, Sam never went into detail because some of those sights haunted him still. Instead he glossed over some parts and left others up to their imagination. It was fun telling what he did and having people believe him.
It was all too soon when the world changed around him.
-x-
"What?"
Sam nodded his head. "It's true."
Giles snorted, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Are you trying to pull a fast one on me?"
"What do you mean?" Sam felt confused; this hadn't happened before.
"Is this a joke? Do you seriously believe in demons?"
"…they're real."
"Sure, and you believe in the tooth fairy too?"
"I—"
"So, who set you up?"
"What do you mean?"
Giles laughed and gave Sam a light punch in the shoulder. "I mean, who told you to say this? Or did you come up with the joke by yourself?"
"It's not a joke."
"It was a good one, for a while. Anyways, there goes the bell. I gotta go before the teacher catches me late again. She said she'd give me a detention next time."
"…"
-x-
The world grew up.
Sam didn't.
-x-
It was, in a sense, two separate worlds. One was the day-to-day world, where Sam played the role of a student. He would show up to class, do his homework, learn about places of the world he had never visited.
The other was a twilight world, a world that only a few chosen people could see. He would see the part of life that didn't fit the norm and didn't want to either. There would be the shadowy bits of society that was ignored—the things that no one wanted to see—and he would be the one to deal with them.
If only the looking glass would shatter, taking away the parallel world with it.
-x-
Dean shrugged off his knapsack, letting it hit the ground with a heavy thud. "Finally," he muttered as he opened the fridge and went through the contents.
Sam looked up from where he was reading his textbook. After seeing the look on Dean's face, he guessed what had happened and went back to the book.
"I don't get why they keep trying to make me do those stupid tasks. I'm only going to be there for a week anyways." Dean grabbed a cartoon of milk, the only drink in the fridge, and gulped it down. "I'm having a 'detention' tomorrow." After frowning for a moment, a small smirk appeared on his face. "Maybe I can convince Charlotte to join me."
Sam sighed and flipped another page. Figures his brother would find a way to bring a girl into it.
Leaning over his brother, Dean glanced down at the book. "Electricity?"
"Homework."
He snorted. "I don't see why you're wasting your time on that. You'll just end up learning it somewhere else later."
Sam didn't know why either.
-x-
There were two Sams, one to match each world. One a student and the other an exorcist.
Sam spent a few years trying to figure out how to kill the other 'Sam' before stopping. It wasn't that he realized it wasn't possible; it was just that he lost the other one and thought that would be enough.
-x-
Books were interesting, especially science books. They were the best because everything that he learned from them was like a magic trick. He could control lightening and fire, make water change colour and cover the world in shadows.
His favourite part was that everything he did was explainable. It wasn't actually magic—there were facts. Anything had a reason, not something unexplained, and it could be believed.
Fantasy books were interesting, though he didn't like ones with demons in them as much. Those ones were amusing when he read things that he knew to be false. Mystery, and adventures were just as good because they sometimes were real and made him the hero for once.
It was fun pretending to be stronger than Dean in a world were nothing paranormal existed.
-x-
"What do you want to do, Sam?" His teacher asked him and for the first time Sam felt like someone was looking at him, actually looking at him. It was like being released, like he broke out of an endless cycle that repeated forever. He got off the merry-go-round and found himself in a world of endless possibilities.
"I…I…" Sam didn't know the answer. For him, this question was the same as Who are you? and he didn't know the answer to that either.
Now he could start answering that question, answer it for himself and not for his family. The idea itself was freeing and when Sam walked home that day, he was practically skipping.
-x-
A boy put his twin down on the bed, waiting for the twin to fall asleep. It took longer than the boy expected, but after a long time it happened.
"Goodbye," the boy whispered as he tucked the twin in completely, not leaving even a single part uncovered. "I hope I never see you again."
The twin didn't answer, the poison in his blood leaving him weak and helpless.
"Goodbye," the boy repeated, more to himself this time, and he shut the door to the room, closing it forever.
-x-
It wasn't a sad, nostalgic feeling Sam had when he left home for university. He was happy, more excited than he had ever felt in his life, and eager. Soon he would never have to even think about his family's occupation, except in his dreams and even those he could escape.
The campus was huge, filled with hundreds of normal students and probably demon-free as well. Sam liked it.
"Hello," a pretty blonde girl walked over to him. "You new around here?"
"Yeah," Sam smiled. "You?"
"Just came here yesterday. I'm Jessica."
"I'm Sam."
He liked this world a lot.
-x-
The boy forgot to completely lock the door, thinking all the venomous words and forceful pressure would keep it closed.
-x-
Sam's world consisted of Jessica, his school, and his books. Not the most impressive world but it was everything he wanted for the moment. It was big enough for him. It was almost like a dream but it was better than any he had for years.
A dream that was better than his old life, a dream that he didn't mind sinking into for eternity. If he would be trapped in this sleep, he wouldn't fight it at all.
-x-
The door creaked open.
-x-
"Jessica."
"Hmm?"
"…"
"If you're not going to say anything, then I'm going back to sleep."
"…sorry."
"It's ok."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"Your hands are freezing!"
"Yours are warm." Warm and alive and dry and there was a pulse beating through them.
It was only a dream. Just a dream.
-x-
The twin stirred.
-x-
Dean suddenly appeared and reality came knocking.
…
…
…
…