Chapter 20 :

Lucid

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I lay on my bed, tired as hell. I stand up anyways, and all the energy suddenly comes back to me. I walk around a little, and soon notice that the moonlight wasn't getting in the room at all. I slowly walked up to the light switcher, feeling the cold floor underneath my feet. I tried switching the lights on. Nothing happened. I remembered previous nights and tried looking in the mirror, byt so no one. So I'm dreaming, again.

I started spinning around - maybe it would wake me up, but nothing happened. I looked out of the window, the night was calm and quiet. This was a dream, right? It wasn't real, right? Of course, it was not.

I sat on the window frame, facing the backyard. I jumped. I jumped and fell down on the hard ground covered in grass, but I haven't felt pain. I stood up, now I was standing in the backyard in my night clothes. I checked my body for any harm, scratches the least, but didn't find anything out of the shape. I started walking around like an idiot.

I don't know how much longer this lasted, but when I woke up, my alarm was buzzing and the sun shone brightly through the light curtains on each window. I remembered everything; I remembered how I walked around in my dreams and how I jumped, how I wandered the backyard and looked around. I remembered every second of my dream, yet I knew it was a dream. Just a dream, because I was fully rested. It seemed real, but it couldn't be real.

At the lessons my mind was wandering away; everywhere except for school. I thought about Nick, about Sabrina and my strange dreams. It already happened for the thirdfreaking time, for God's sake!

So I made a decision, after school I visited the doctor. When I entered, I saw the white room with no decorations at all. Even the furniture were white! Mrs. Lynn was a black-haired woman in her early 40s, who was a doctor and a psychologist in this side of the school at the same time.

"Ms. Millery, have a seat," she told me with a wide smile, gesturing towards one of the two chairs that stood on the opposite side of the white table from her. "What do we have here?"

"I've got strange dreams," I said right away, before I managed to talk myself out of this terrible idea.

"Well, okay, many people do. What's the problem?" she asked, writing something down in her notebook.

"They're not just dreams, they seem so real. I remember every second from them. It already happened three times; for the first two times they started with sleep paralysis, and ended up with me walking around my room and finding out I can neither switch the lights on, nor be seen in the mirror."

"Three times already?"

"Yes."

"Well, average people have had sleep paralysis for a couple of times in their student years. Are you sure you know what it is?"

I nod, "Yes, it's when your mind is awake, but your body is still asleep. I felt a weigh on my chest, and saw an intruder in my room. But I know that the intruder was a part of a hallucination, because when your body is unable to move, your brain feels unprotected and sees threat in each shadow."

Mrs. Lynn nodded back, "You are absolutely right. Do you know what lucid dreaming is?"

I shake my head, "I don't."

"It's a state that usually comes after sleep paralysis, as I ready said, average human has had it a couple of times already in their student years, but no more. It's like you can control your dreams. It feels like you're awake when you're not. Do you understand what I'm saying?" I nodded at her question and she continued, "It's like you have power over yourself in your dreams."

"So, is it normal?" I asked, unsure.

"Not completely. Once or twice is normal. How much nights were in between those dreams?"

"None. Two nights, then I slept for an hour and an half, so I had no dreams. And then last night again."

She wrote something down with her eyebrows furrowed, "Are you sure?"

I nod, "Completely. And another thing, you said that lucid dreaming usually comes after the sleep paralysis, and, well, last night it went off without that."

Mrs. Lynn looked deeply into my eyes as she spoke, "There are some people that have this type of thing a few times a year and it is normal. But if this repeats tonight again, come back, we'll have to run some tests."

I nodded, "We're done?"

"If that's all what you wanted to talk about, then yes."

"Okay, thank you," I said and slowly stood up, practically dragging myself to the door. I put my hand on the doorknob and was about to pull it, when suddenly I turned around and asked one of the stupidest questions in the world, "Let's pretend that someone - a strong guy, for exaple - took your wrist in his hand too tightly. So tight, it left a bruise all over your wrist. It felt like burning and aching all the time. Like it's all blue-purple-red. Then, let's pretend a friend took on a bandage on it and the next day, when you took it off you noticed the bruise was gone; completely faded away. Is a scenario like this even possible?"

Mrs. Lynn's eyebrows furrowed even more, they were about to meet in the middle. "Why are you asking?" she asked.

"Just interested. I'm writing a story for English class, need to know if something like this is possible," I lied, at least I was good at lying.

"Well," her shoulders relaxed, "that's most certainly, not. If the bruise was aching and burning all the time, it wouldn't be able to fade in a day, with just a bandage. Maybe some magic," she said, laughing.

I laughed along fakely, "Yea, thanks anyways. Goodbye," I said and exited as quickly as possible, my face going all red for some unknown reason.

I skipped my dance class completely and instead went up in my room and called Billy.

"I'll be right away," he told me as soon as I finished my line about sleep paralysis.

After 40 minutes, he texted he was there and I told him to park the car and wait for me.

"Hey," I said, hugging him.

"Hey," he hugged back, "Weird things just keep happening, right?"

I nod in his shoulder before pulling out and leading him to my backyard. Of course, everyone who saw us started gossiping around, but I ignored it. As soon as we were seated on a lomg wooden chair under a tree, I told him every word from Mrs. Lynn.

His eyebrows furrowed, "You mever even told me about that."

"I didn't even think it was important."

"Apparently, it is. So what are you going to do? Go to run some tests?"

I scrunched up my nose, "Of course, not. I thought you knew me better than that."

He nodded, "Just making sure. So what are you going to do?"

"I'll wait until tonight, and we'll see where it takes us."

"And?"

I sigh, "I don't know, okay? But obviously, I'm not going to let some psychologist doctor run tests on me - I'm not a hamster!"

"But you gotta do something."

"They're just dreams, okay? Lucid dreaming and all. Besides, last night it happened without the sleep paralysis - which was the bad part. So I may even like lucid dreaming."

"That's not something you joke about, and you know it."

I sigh, "I'm really trying not to be bothered with this so could you please stop ruining it?"

He sighed back, "I'm just thinking about you, Zo. Okay, whatever, let's get out, we need to cheer up."

"Where to?"

"At Scott's and we'll call a few guys to come, too."

I smiled, "Nice."

It was always nice at Scott's. Only three in our friends' circle were rich: Amy, Scott and I. Amy had overprotective parents that only went out of the city for Amy's birthday, closing eyes on the party since they loved their girl so much. And at Scott's we always had the most fun. Even if his parents were home, they'd be locked in their studies, doing some work. And Scott had an Xbox, Playstation 4, plasmo TV in most of the rooms and a sound-isolated room where you could blast on music on the highest level possible. Simply because his parents were cool.

But hey, my parents were also cool. I could call them anytime and say I wouldn't be getting back at academy until 4AM and they'd call to inform Martha. At my birthday they were giving me 1000 dollars on top of the present so I could throw a nice party. Not the gross ones that everyone has, but a nice one. With air freshener necessarily on. Then, at 5 or 6 PM, they'd go to grands or somewhere else for a night and came back in the next morning and call the cleaning service, considering the fact that all the three of us wouldn't be able to clean it on our own.

Back to the present, Scott greeted me madly, hugging me and spinning me around wildly. That's what all the boys did and the girls just hugged me to choking.

Half an hour later I was seated at white leather couch in the living room in front of huge plasmo, watching the best of funny videos from YouTube with some of the guys. My phone suddenly went off, signaling the incoming call with Colors by Marc Robbilard.

"Hello?" I picked up without looking, standing up and moving a few steps away.

"Sweetie!" mom beamed through the phone, "How are you, my dear? What's that noise?"

"I'm at Scott's," I explained, "I'm fine and you?"

"Oh I am, too," she squaked before going serious, "I was checking a resumè about you that the principal sent me on email."

Fuck, I thought she never read those.

"So?" I asked halfheartedly.

"A ban!" she shouted, "What was that for?"

"I was kind of seeing with the guy from the other side of the school."

She gasped, "What? Zoe Louise Millery, I thought you knew how to respect the rules very well. I hope you haven't seen him again."

"Nah," I lied, "Never."

"Good, that's all I wanted to know."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye, sweetheart."

What a huge conversation, right? See, my parents and I never had that friendly attire to each other. We'd hardly exchange a few words a day until academy, now we're exchanging a few words a week. Not like it bothers me, I'm used to it and I don't even have the urge or something to call them.

I was back in academy by 10, and at midnight, I met Nick on my side.

He hasn't even told me hi or something, just pulled me by my waist and softly pressed his lips against mine. Not like I was against it or something. His lips felt better and warmer on mine with each and every night we met, making me miss him even more. It was overwhelming what his one touch could do to me. Wonders.

As we lied on the grass in the hidden part of the backyard, I told him everything about my sleep paralysis and lucid dreaming.

"What tests?" he asked after I was finished.

I shrugged, his arms moving along with my body as they were wrapped around me protectively, "We'll never know. I'm not going to let her run tests on me."

He chuckled, "Yea, I figured that much. But what if it's important, babe? What if it's dangerous?" he asked, worry dripping off of his voice.

"I doubt it," I replied, looking up at him.

He looked down at me, "But what if it is? I wouldn't want you to get hurt."

I smiled, "I won't, but if you worry, I could go on check."

He smiled back, "I'm saying it for you, babe."

"Okay, I'll go."

He kissed the top of my head. I looked up at him, one of my hands travelling up to his neck and pulling him closer as I kissed him.

He was one hell of a good kisser.

So that night when I was going to bed I prayed to have no more lucid dreams so I didn't have to go to Mrs. Lynn. But I woke up knowing I was asleep. I went up to the mirror to make sure I was lucid dreaming and then I exited the room. I walked down the stairs and to the kitchen. I opened one of the counters and took out cacao, mixing it with milk from the fridge. I sat down, sipping my hot cacao and lookimg around every now and then. A dark silhouette walked in. He was a little higher than me and walked slower than a snail.

"Hello?" I said quietly, but it was heard due to the quietness of the room, "Hello?"

He stopped in his tracks and spoke with a whisper, so that I couldn't understand if he was a male or a female, "You are in trouble."

"What?" I whispered back.

"You will have to break the rules. You are going to meet her again."

"Meet who?" I said a little louder, my eyes wide.

"Her. The metalic girl."

"The metalic girl?" I repeated, confused. And then it hit me, Sabrina thought she could control metal. "You mean Sabrina?"

"She is still alive, but keep an eye on her."

"What do you mean?"

"You will meet her once more, it's fated. But you can save her, if you manage to meet her at least twice."

"How? Save her from what?"

"From the biggest enemy of ours."

The biggest enemy of ours.

Mom was telling me in my childhood that death was the biggest enemy of ours. She'd repeat it anytime I said I hated someone, she'd say that we all had one and the same enemy and no one with the same enemy should hate each other.

"Is she sick? Is she dying?" I said, panicking. She could be the only one out there that had the answers.

The silhouette nodded creepily, but I had no time to be scared now.

"What should I do?" I asked.

"Make sure you meet her more than once."

Then, all of a sudden my hot cocoa exploded and hot liquid spilled all over me, burning my every inch. Then I woke up.

So, keeping my promise, instead of school, I went at Mrs. Lynn's.

"Zoe, hello," she greeted me with a toothy smile, "How have your night been?"

I told her everything. Well, the part. I haven't mentioned neither that talking silhoutte, nor Sabrina.

"Zoe, do you trust me?" Mrs. Lynn asked slowly and carefully.

I didn't trust her a bit, "Yes."

"Well, then," she said, smiling again, "I want you to lie down right there," she gestured towards the clinic bed, "And sleep."

"Sleep?"

"Yes. To understand what is up with you, I have to get inside of your subconscious. I am going to attach wires to you, and your dreams will be shown on the screen of my computer."

I think I forgot how to talk. When I finally managed to speak, my voice was hard, "How is that possible?"

She smirked, "High technologies. Do you agree?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Yes, absolutely. You can refuse anytime."

I was just about to tell her I'd never go on this when I remembered my promise to Nick. Seems like she's going to see my dreams on her freaking computer.

"I'll do it, but you have to promise it's safe."

She nodded and we moved to the clinic bed that was as white as anything else in this room, including Mrs. Lynn's clothes.

I lied down and she attached wires on my vains, my forehead, the back of my head and my bust - right where my heart was supposed to be. I saw something dipping in the wire that was attached to my vein, and my eyelids immediately felt heave as I drifted off to sleep.

I was still in this room when I opened my eyes, everything was as before, except I was alone. I moved to the small mirror that hung on the opposite wall to make sure I was asleep. I wasn't seen in that mirror, therefore, I was asleep.

"Can you see me?" I called out, "I'm here. I just checked the mirror. I found out that I'm not reflected in the mirror in my dreams. Is it normal? Guess so," I whispered the last part before calling out again, "Anyways, I'm asleep and I kind of feel like awake."

Then something flashed, like a minimized copy of a sun just appeared in front of me. The white light blinded me and I turned around, covering my face with my hands.

I woke up on the same bed, seeing Mrs. Lynn sitting next to me. I sat up, wires still all over me as she stared at me with a terrified expression.

"Mrs. Lynn? Are you alright?"

Her face became eeven paler and even more scared, "N-nothing," she stuttered, still looking at me like I was an alien, "You might not remember the part of your dreams, it's because of me."

I glanced at the white clock on the wall, seeing it was 12:05. I was asleep for almost four hours?

"What happened?" I asked, my eyes returning back to her.

"I accidentally cleared your memory. Don't worry, the only thing you forgot is your dream. Now, if you don't mind, I have some work to do."

"But what did that test say? What is wrong with me?"

"I can't tell for sure," she said and what I could tell was that she was lying, "You might experience more of them - the lucid dreams. But don't get scared. In your occassion it's normal."

"What is my occassion?"

She looked away, "Just don't worry, you're completely fine. Some humans are just different than others. The same is with you. Now, I have to work."

Mrs. Lynn practically pushed me out of the door and slammed it shut at my nose. Sighing, I walked away.