Dream - 10th October

(Josiesayz: This is the dream that I had a few nights ago. It won’t mean anything to anyone, but it was super weird and spooky to me. Everything looked and felt so real. It was very disorientating. Why my brain chose this, of all things to dream about, I will never know.)

Her eyes fluttered open. Pushing herself up to sit, a frown furrowed upon her forehead, as she glanced around at her surroundings. To her left lay a long table, with two PCs mounted upon it, with a desk chair in front of each station. The desk nearest to her had a tall, milk chocolate coloured leather chair tucked beneath it. A large coffee mug, sat on the centre of a coaster, on the left of the desk, with a metallic green dragon statue and a model of the Flying Scotsman steam train on the right. Above the desk, on the wall, a fabric map of a fantasy universe hung, tacked in the corners, with masking tape. A small, charcoal coloured, fabric chair lay near the other desk, with the seat swivelled out to the right. The desk space surrounding the far PC was littered with pens, pencils, shot glasses, sweet wrappers, crumbs, empty juice cartons and crunched up, empty cans of cider. Beside the desk, a large, dark sheet hung up on the wall, above the doorframe, concealing the door from view.

A gasp escaped her, as she bolted up right. On the right side of the room, the mantelpiece, above the fake fireplace, was littered with cat trinkets, ashtrays and matchboxes. In front of the fireplace, a clotheshorse lay spread with a collection of male jumpers and shirts in a monochrome selection, with a couple of black ties dangling over the prongs in the corners. Dropping her eyes to the floor, a light beige rug, with a teddy bear’s head stared up at her.

Crossing her legs, she forced a swallow, as she flickered a glance down at the cream settee that she was sat on, with a coffee-coloured, teddy bear textured blanket draped over her. Her heart rattled in her ribcage. Her intestines churned into knots. Forcing a swallow at the lump that clung to her throat, she stared ahead, opposite her, at the frosted window and opened door that led to the kitchen. Her eyes grew wide. Her pulse pounded in her ears. Pushing herself off the settee, the blanket dropped to the floor. As she ran a hand across the back of her neck, she shuffled forwards.

Floorboards creaked on the other side of the door. She gasped, cupping a hand to her mouth. The door creaked open. “You’re awake,” beamed the man in the doorway. She froze. Time stood still. With her eyes wide and lips parted, she remained rooted to the spot as she stared. The man who stood before her, she recognised. With a slim frame, he stood over a foot taller than her. A smile protruded through his stubbled face, as he scratched a hand through his dark, curly hair. She could not move, just stare at him, as he entered the room.

“You okay, princess?” he asked. A warm tingling sensation spread from the top of her neck, down her arms and spine, before travelling to her legs. Shuddering out of her trance, her heart raced in her chest. Her cheeks stung, as she felt them heat up.

“Peter?” she breathed, as lines deepened her forehead.

“Everything alright?” he asked, as he strode towards her, with open arms. As he engulfed her in a hug, she leant into his embrace, pressing her left ear to his chest, her arms frozen at her sides. “You seemed extra tired, so I let you sleep,” he told her, as he rubbed a hand up and down her back.

“Okay,” she murmured.

“Is something wrong?” he asked. “You seem a little out of it.”

“Why are we here?” she asked, with a frown, leaning out of their embrace.

“You fell asleep while we watched ‘Sherlock’ last night. I didn’t want to disturb you, so I bundled you up in a blanket,” Peter told her. A nervous breath escaped her, as her frown faded.

“I, I still don’t understand,” she muttered, shaking her head. “This is your old flat… where you lived when we first met. What happened to the house you bought?”

“This is my house,” he told her. “Have you not seen my garden. I’m growing strawberries; you can see them from the window,” he said, with excitement, as he walked into the kitchen. “Look!” he exclaimed, as he leant over the countertop. Unsure why she did, she followed Peter to the kitchen window and peered down at the garden below.

“But that’s the garden from your house,” she muttered, as her puzzled frown returned.

“Are you coming down with something?” he worried, placing the back of his hand on her forehead. “You’re not hot,” he mumbled, as he lowered his hand. “Did you hit your head?” he asked. Swallowing at another lump in her throat, she shook her head.

“Where’s Wendy?” she asked, as she wandered back into the living room and stood beside the cluttered PC.

“Wendy? She doesn’t live here anymore, silly,” said Peter, with a chuckle. “That’s why you came over yesterday. It’s just the two of us now.”

“The two of us?” she repeated, as the creases on her forehead deepened. “But you hate me,” she murmured.

“Hate you?” Peter exclaimed. “What? How could I possibly hate you?”

“We haven’t spoken in years,” she reminded him. “You told me you didn’t feel anything towards me, that I might as well be a stranger on the street.”

“I did?” It was Peter’s turn to frown. “When? Why would I say such a thing?”

“This is weird,” she muttered stepping back. Arching her head around at her surroundings, she flickered her eyes from the cluttered desk, on her left, to the clothes drying on the clothes horse, to the clutter on the mantlepiece, then over to Peter’s tidy desk, with his favourite mug and the dragon and train models that she had bought him, years ago, when they were together. “This is the flat you and Wendy rented when we first met,” she told him, as she gazed up at him. “You own your own house now. We haven’t seen each other in years. I thought you were married.”

“Married?” Peter repeated, with a sour taste in his mouth. “You really must have hit your head,” he worried, as he leapt to her side. “Sit down,” he insisted. “Let me get you a hot water bottle, a peppermint tea and maybe some toasties.”

“Okay,” she muttered, in a daze, as she dropped onto the settee.

As Peter swept back out of the living room door, she stared at the teddy bear rug on the floor. Her vision began to blur. ‘How is this happening?’ she wondered. ‘This is where Peter lived seven years ago… where we were happy, and together. But that’s the back garden to his house. What’s, how is?’ A breathy gasp escaped her, as Peter returned to the living room and darted into the kitchen, while she continued staring at the rug. Frozen, she remained lost in her thoughts, with her fixed gaze, as Peter bumbled about in the kitchen.

Footsteps neared. She shuddered from her thoughts. “Here we go,” sang Peter, as he carried a plate of toast in his left hand, a mug of peppermint tea in his right hand and a hot water bottle wedged between his right elbow and his ribcage. As she reached out for the plate, Peter placed the mug of tea on the floor, near her feet, before plonking down on the settee, beside her. “I know you like to be cosy,” he told her, as he placed the hot water bottle on her lap. Her heart raced, as she stared down at the dark brown hot water bottle, with a mini cuddly monkey poking out of a pouch.

‘It’s the hot water bottle I bought him,’ she realised, as a tingling sprang from her heart. “Thank you,” she found herself smiling at him, lost in the moment, as though she had travelled back in time.

“I need to look after my princess,” he told her, as he tugged at the blanket, wrapping it around both of their laps, before he draped an arm over her shoulder and lay back on the settee.

 

- Josie -

Caitlyn's Limbo Land Dream

 

(This story is going to sound very strange. There are going to be a lot of unanswered questions. I am just as confused as you will be. This was a dream that I had, where I was Caitlyn, from my Arcturus High series. There are loads of spoilers, as the series of 22 stories is completely unwritten, apart from ‘Welcome to Arcturus High’ (https://josiesayz.blogspot.com/2021/03/welcome-to-arcturus-high.html) and this takes place, I’m guessing, after the last story, although it was hard to tell. I'm thinking that it is a dream that Caitlyn had - oh and points to anyone who knows who she fell for in the first half - my brain puts him everywhere. Anyway, I loved it and I love how my imagination works even while I am sleeping. Brain, more of these fun stories, please.)

 

A frown furrowed on Caitlyn’s brow, as she looked around at her surroundings. A cracked, sandy stone path lay at her feet. Arching her head around, to her surroundings, thick, tropical trees, in an array of greens surrounded her, on either side. A boarder of long, reedy grass and dandelions crept over the edge of the path, at her feet.

“Come on,” enthused Darcia, at her side, as she tugged on Caitlyn’s arm. “We’re going to be late.” The lines on Caitlyn’s forehead deepened. The red head’s feet raced, one foot in front of the other, as she attempted to keep up with the brunette. Looking Darcia up and down, Caitlyn realised that her friend was wearing her Arcturus High uniform. Caitlyn raised an eyebrow, as she looked down at her own attire. Dressed in a pleated black skirt, charcoal blazer, white blouse and faux black, leather dolly shoes, Caitlyn scratched a hand to her head.

‘Why are we in our school uniform?” wondered the red head, as her friend led her further into the forest. ‘Are we on a school trip? And why are we going to be late’ Tapping her hands to her blazer pockets, Caitlyn’s eyes widened. ‘ They’re empty.’ Her hear hammered at her ribcage. ‘My tarot cards, my amethyst, my wand, they’re gone.’ Caitlyn gasped. Her intestines knotted. Noticing that Darcia had increased her pace, Caitlyn sped-walked to catch up to her.

“I do hope they don’t start without us,” Darcia exclaimed, as they found themselves at the bottom of a towering stack of step. Tilting her head back, Caitlyn could not see the top, but did notice that the stairs narrowed with each step. “Quick!” she heard Darcia project, as she raced up the steps. “We’re going to be late.”  Following her friend, Caitlyn lifted her left knee high, and began to mount the towering stairs.

With a grunt, Caitlyn struggled to keep with the brunette. ‘How is Darcia able to race up these?’ Caitlyn wondered, as she raised her right foot halfway up her left leg and stomped it forward. Pressing her weight onto her right knee, Caitlyn heaved herself up another step, with another grunt. Flickering a glance from left to right, Caitlyn noticed that the steps appeared to be made from the same crumbling, yellowed brick of the path that they had traversed to get here. As she placed her left shoe on the next step, Caitlyn’s foot slipped. She gasped, wobbling her hands out to steady her balance. Arching her head over her shoulder, Caitlyn’s eyes widened at the steep drop behind her. Her heart leapt into her throat. Spinning her head back around, Caitlyn looked up to see Darcia racing ahead of her. ‘Come on feet,’ she ordered, ‘Catch up.’

“We made it!” exclaimed Darcia, as the girls reached the top. Clasping her hands to her knees, Caitlyn arched her back, as she gasped for breath.

“Indeed,” said a male voice, belonging to a tall, board man, with his long curly hair, tied up behind him, as he stood with his back to them. Turning to her right, Caitlyn’s eyes widened, as she lay eyes upon Mr Penn, who stood as still as a statue, with his arms behind his back, staring dead ahead.

‘So, this is a school trip?’ Caitlyn thought.

Clawing a hand through her hair, Caitlyn arched her head around at her surroundings, looking from Mr Penn, to the edges of the platform she and Darcia had climbed up to. High up, above the treetops, clouds surrounded them. Dropping her sight to the ground, Caitlyn found herself stood on a sandy, stone, square shaped platform that stretched the length of six or seven, small strides. Staying silent, Caitlyn followed Darcia to the far, right corner of the platform, and sat on the ground, with her legs curled underneath her. Perched on the far side, Caitlyn peered over the edge. Steps led down on her left. Lines puckered her brow, as she arched her head over her shoulder. More steps. Caitlyn’s eyes widened. ‘Are we at the top of a pyramid?’ she wondered.

Footsteps neared. Two heads appeared to the side of Mr Penn. A mop of sandy-blond hair and a scruff of dark brunet hair bounced into view. Caitlyn’s lips parted, as she stared. A glow emerged from the boys as they neared the top of the platform. Two, bright white, feathered wings appeared, protruding from their backs. Caitlyn’s heart leapt into her throat. She gasped. As the boys, who appeared to be a year or two older than Caitlyn, reached the top of the platform, Caitlyn stared with awe, mouth agape. Dressed in charcoal suits, with white shirts, the boys looked to be sixth form students, however, Caitlyn could not help but stare at the huge white, feathered wings that sprung from their backs. Seeping out from their shoulder blades, the boys’ wings arched upwards, in a soft, smooth curve, before stretched down and narrowing, like a bird’s wing, to a soft tip, near their bottom. As Darcia and Caitlyn had done, the boys sat themselves down, on the ground, but to Mr Penn’s left, leaving a walkway between themselves and the girls.

As Caitlyn continued to stare that the wings on the boys’ backs, other people arrived. Robin, Tobias, Lyra and Luna joined Darcia and Caitlyn’s side of the platform, sitting in pairs, in front of the girls. On the other side of the platform, six more guys, with feathered wings appeared, however this time, instead of white, three of the new comers feathers were jet black. Their shirts were jet black too and a thin, silver pinstripe lined their suit jackets. The six newcomers all sat cross legged, in pairs, on Mr Penn’s left.

Caitlyn flickered her eyes to Darcia, to see if her friend was enamoured by the creatures that joined them too, however Darcia stared ahead at Mr Penn. The other members of Naeniam Exponentia, sat in front of Caitlyn and Darcia, stared ahead at Mr Penn too. Looking back at the winged boy, Caitlyn pinched her lips together and furrowed her brow. ‘What are they?’ she wondered. ‘Why are they here, with us and Mr Penn? And why is no one else freaked out about this?’ Her questions remained unanswered, as she like everyone else, stayed silent.

“Sorry we’re late,” sang Aisha, as her head bounced up from the ground, on Mr Penn’s right. I haling a sharp breath through her nose, Caitlyn’s eyes widened. Since hers and Darcia’s arrival, everyone remained dead silent. “We’re here now,” Aisha cheered, as she and Bentley appeared and sat themselves down at the front of the group.

“Greetings,” boomed Mr Penn, dropping his arms to his sides. “I thank you all for coming. I have formed this gathering for one reason and one reason alone. To bring unity between our sides. It is by no mere coincidence that my students and I found ourselves trapped between dimensions. Through the guidance, or lack thereof, from myself, we find ourselves trapped in the land in between. I thank you, our wholesome guides,” he projected, gesturing a hand towards the winged boys. “Be you from the path of lawful good, or be you from the path of the misguided, I, on behalf of my Naeniam Exponentia students would like to thank you for your cooperations and extended olive branch of friendship.”

As Mr Penn spoke, Caitlyn found herself gazing at the group of eight winged guys, sat opposite. Sat inside the aisle, in the row in front of Caitlyn, one of the dark winged boys, with a head of dark-chocolate coloured curls, turned his head in her direction. A soft smile stretched across his face, as their eyes locked. Caitlyn felt her cheeks heat up as his deep-set hazel eyes stared at her, through his rectangular spectacles and his soft, gentle smile stretched through a slight stubbled cheek. Her insides irrupted with an explosion on butterflies. As Caitlyn smiled back at him, his grin grew and his cheeks reddened.

 

*

 

Caitlyn found herself stood at the front of the Arcturus High school hall, at the side of the main stage, with a notebook and pen in her hands. Music was pumping away. The chairs had all been cleared into neat, towering stacks, at the far side of the room, and the floor was bustling with bodies dancing. Looking down at the notebook, in her hands, Caitlyn placed a tick beside every bullet point. ‘Everything is perfect,’ she told herself, with a smile and a nod. ‘I knew it would make everyone happy,’ she beamed, as she looked around at all of the people dancing together, all with smiles on their faces.

Pinching her lips in, Caitlyn pressed herself up onto her toes, before rolling back onto her heels and back onto her tiptoes, as she hugged her notebook tight to her chest. As she flickered her eyes around at all of the friends and couples dancing, Caitlyn’s intestines knotted. ‘I shouldn’t be here,’ she told herself, with a sigh, as she dropped back onto her heels. Her shoulders deflated. ‘I organised this to make everyone happy and they are. It doesn’t mean I have to stay.’ Taking one final glance around the hall, the right corner of Caitlyn’ mouth poked up, as she turned towards the door.

Stepping out into the corridor, Caitlyn heard a thudding of footsteps to her right, as two boys ran down the Maths corridor, towards the toilets. She flinched, watching as one of the boys

shoved the other into Mr Hughes’ classroom door. “Where are you going?” asked Jay, as he jogged towards her, from the corridor scuffle.

“Home,” Caitlyn muttered, with a shrug.

“Oh no you’re not,” sang Jay, folding his arms at his chest. “You invented this dance. You made us all go. You can’t leave, if I can’t.”

“I came up with the dance to make everyone happy and they are,” Caitlyn replied, with a small smile. “I don’t need to be here,” she added, shrugging. “Where did you just come from?” she asked, flickering a glance to the boys at the end of the Maths corridor. Her eyes widened, as she recognised them to be Aaron and Carlos.

“I went toilet,” Jay told her, with a shrug. Caitlyn flickered her eyes from Jay to Carlos and Aaron and back again, as a puzzled frown puckered her forehead. “Look, at least stay at the dance a little longer,” Jay told her.

“Why?” asked Caitlyn. “I’ll just be stood at the side of the stage, watching everyone,” she told him, as her shoulders sank.

“Then dance with me,” he told her, holding his hand out.

“Don’t be silly,” laughed Caitlyn, as she shook her head.

“Come on,” Jay replied, with a grin.

“What about your girlfriend?” asked Caitlyn in a small voice. Her brows slanted, as she stiffened her shoulders.

“Mai’s not my girlfriend,” Jay declared. “And we’re all here as a group. She’s probably having fun with her friends and hasn’t even noticed I’m gone,” he said, with a weak smile. “So, what d’ya say? The creator of the dance needs to dance at least once, surely.”

“Okay,” Caitlyn murmured, as she felt her cheeks heat up. “If you’re sure that’s okay.”

“Of course,” Jay beamed. Taking her hand, Jay led Caitlyn back into the school hall.

Heat tingled in Caitlyn’s cheeks, as Jay led her by the hand, back into the hall. Although no one appeared to turn in their direction, Caitlyn’s heart rapped in her ribcage, as though the entire school was staring at her. Stopping near the edge of the stage, Jay slipped his hand out of Caitlyn’s, as he turned around to face her. Her blushing cheeks brought a smile to his face. “Stop panicking and stop thinking about working,” he told her, with a chuckle, placing his hands on

Caitlyn’s notebook.

“Huh?” she muttered, flickering her eyes to his.

“Stop over working yourself,” chuckled Jay, as he took Caitlyn’s notebook and pen from her hands and placed them on the corner of the stage. “Now enjoy yourself and dance with me.”

Caitlyn’s stiffened shoulders and scarlet cheeks soon faded, as she and Jay danced together, to one of their favourite songs. “See,” he sang. “I told you you’d enjoy yourself.”

“Thanks,” she smiled back.

Watching them from the other side of the hall, Darcia, Charlie, Samantha, Alex, Emily and Bentley gathered together, in a huddle. “Since when are they friends?” asked Alex, wrinkling up his nose, as his date, Samantha pointed towards Caitlyn and Jay.

“They’re friends,” Darcia muttered rolling her eyes.

“Friends?” repeated Samantha. “She nearly kissed him once.”

“What?” enraged Darcia. “Liar,” she barked. “How would you know something like that?”

“Caitlyn told me,” Samantha replied, in a small voice, as she stiffened her shoulders. “When we used to be friends.” Turning towards Samantha, Darcia’s face turned a deep, dark red, as her nose snarled and her brow daggered.

As the upbeat track that the students were dancing to came to an end, a soft, slow song began to play. Recoiling her hands to her chest, Caitlyn froze on the spot and stared at a chewing gum stain on the ground. A nervous breath escaped her, as she stiffened her back, rose her shoulders and gripped her right elbow with her left hand. “Don’t go shy on me now,” Jay said, with a chuckle, as he smiled at the girl he had known forever.

“Huh?” murmured Caitlyn. Her cheeks turned a deep scarlet, as she flickered her eyes up at his.

“Come here,” he said in a soft, gentle voice, taking her hands in his and placing them on his shoulders. A smile stretched across his face, as her eyes widened, and her lips parted. She shuddered against Jay’s touch, as he placed his hands at her waist. “You okay?” he asked, as they swayed with the music.

“Uh huh,” she replied, with rosy cheeks.

With a slow song playing, may of the dancing couples and groups withdrew from dancing and lingered on the side-lines. Murmurs and chatter began to build around the room, as people lost interest in dancing. “Oh my gosh,” gasped Phoebe, as she and her friends dashed over to Darcia’s group. “I didn’t know Jay and Caitlyn were dating,” hissed Phoebe, with excited, wide eyes, as she bounced on her toes.

“They’re not,” Darcia barked, in disgust.

“Looks like it to me,” said Zoe.

“Me too,” Demetrius added.

“He’s here with Mai,” snapped Darcia. “And Caitlyn doesn’t get feelings for anyone.”

“Look,” Demetrius insisted, pointing across the dancefloor.

Bodies congregated around the edges of the room. Aside from Bert and Ariel, only one other couple remained dancing. Gossiped whispered and excited giggles went unheard. Oblivious to the whispering, giggles and staring eyes, Caitlyn and Jay gazed at each other. Lost in each other’s eyes, the two danced away.

 

- Josie -