I love reading your comments and messages, so please continue sending your thoughts my way! The breadcrumbs continue to be laid in this chapter…Enjoy.

Chapter 3

Sarah awoke the next morning from the light streaming in through her blinds. Checking her phone to find it was already past nine, she sighed and forced herself to get up. Again, she felt like she had been dreaming, and her feet and legs felt sore, like she had been running all night long, but she could remember nothing. It was so peculiar…

Still thinking about what she had begun to label as "symptoms," Sarah put a piece of bread in the toaster and opened her laptop on the dining room card table. Hunching over the glowing screen, she opened a new tab.

Pain in legs, tiredness, fatigue, dreams of-

A moan cut through Sarah's thoughts, and she closed her web search about her symptoms as a bleary-eyed Jess stumbled into the common area.

"Good morning, sunshine," Sarah said mockingly.

Jess's hair was a tangled mess, her mascara had been smudged across her face, and she was still in the black dress for the night before, although just as Sarah had predicted, her shoes were noticeably absent.

"…What time is it?" Jessica murmured, squinting against the bright light pouring in from the living room window.

Sarah smiled at her friend's pitiful state. "Time for you to have breakfast."

As if on cue, the toast popped, and Sarah handed it to her roommate, who gratefully accepted and sat down across from her at the table.

After a little food and proper hydration, Jess seemed to be returning back to her usual self and suggested that the girls use the day to go shopping, which Sarah agreed to. They needed more food in their sad, sputtering fridge anyway, and Sarah never passed up an excuse to try on new clothes.

While Jess finished collecting herself, Sarah went out alone to the rehearsal rooms on campus in order to practice some more. Opening night was fast approaching, and she wanted to make sure that her performance was going to be flawless. This was her first major role, and as a sophomore, she had to leave a good impression if she wanted to ensure another role after this one.

It took Jess a couple hours, but eventually she texted Sarah that she was on her way with her car to come pick her up. Sarah gathered her things and left the rehearsal room, making her way down the stairs and toward the front doors.

As she rounded a corner, however, the soft sound of glass bouncing off carpet met her ears. Looking down, she saw that a small, glass orb was rolling toward her across the carpeted entryway of the arts building. It bounced off the toe of her shoe and sat at her feet almost expectantly.

Picking it up and examining it carefully, Sarah held the globe up to the light and caught a bright spark reflected back at her, momentarily blinding her.

But if you turn it this way and look into it, it'll show you your dreams…

Startled by this unknown, echoey voice inside her head, Sarah flinched and nearly dropped the orb out of instinct.

"Hey!" Jerking her head up in surprise, Sarah saw a boy running over to her, his arms full of props and boxes from storage. "Hey, sorry, I dropped one of my boxes over there and all my props went everywhere!"

Sarah forced a smile to be polite and handed the orb back to him. An odd part of her was happy to be rid of it.

"Thanks, have a nice day!"

"You too," Sarah responded half-heartedly. She watched him leave for a moment before she hurried out of the building, drawing her coat tighter around herself as she waited for Jess to arrive.

*break*

"You're not a doctor, so you can't tell me what I should and shouldn't be eating!"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "No, but I'm pretty sure three slices of pizza and a soda the size of a baby is not the best cure for a hangover."

Jessica hugged her Mountain Dew cup protectively to her chest as if it were her baby as the pair continued to walk. "Hey, don't hate just because you're jealous."

Sarah rolled her eyes but chose to ignore her roommate's obnoxious slurping as they made their way through the mall. They had already ducked into a couple stores but had quickly taken a break to satiate Jess's cravings.

"So, where to?" Jess asked, discarding her empty soda cup in a nearby trash can.

"You tell me," Sarah said. "I certainly don't need anything."

"Honey." Jess stopped walking and took Sarah by the shoulders. "Women don't go shopping because they need anything."

Sarah couldn't help but laugh. "Fine, then I want a new pair of shoes."

"That's the spirit!"

Jessica picked up the pace and made a beeline for the nearest shoe store. Sarah got distracted by a maxi dress in the window of one of the stores and paused to take a closer look.

"Sarah! Come look at this dress! It's beautiful!"

Jess's voice made Sarah turn around. Her friend was pressed up against the glass of a dress store that looked like it catered to weddings. Sarah rolled her eyes and walked over.

"Jess, what on earth have you…found?"

The breath whooshed out of Sarah's body as she laid eyes on the beautiful white dress, but it wasn't the dress's beauty that took her breath away. There was something about it…

She had seen it before.

She couldn't explain why, but she just knew. The long sleeves, the intricate beading on the bodice, the gold embroidery…

"I could see you in that dress."

Sarah rounded on her friend with a panic-stricken look on her face. "Me? Why would you say that?"

"…Because it's a beautiful dress?" Jess asked, confused by Sarah's odd reaction. "I assume that you do plan on getting married some day."

Sarah's discomfort ebbed somewhat as she realized how ridiculous she was being. She snorted as she took in the elaborate suit next to the dress. "The groom's look is a little excessive though, don't you think?"

Jess laughed. "Yeah, blue and black with rhinestones and sequins? Way too much for me." She tugged on Sarah's sleeve. "C'mon, let's get you those new shoes!"

Jess took off, but Sarah lingered in front of the window a moment longer, struggling to decipher the many different feelings that all surged to the front of her mind when she laid eyes on that dress for a reason that was still unknown. Reluctantly, she turned to follow her friend, leaving the mysterious costumes behind.