showed up. He asked me tons of questions, and I answered
them truthfully. I told him about all the dreams and the
headaches I had too. And the part where I stayed up all night,
drinking energy drinks.
When he asked me if I had anything traumatic happen,
I told him I was bullied and locked in a dumpster. He
frowned and apologized, then had the nurse take my
blood—I’m sure to rule out any drug use. As soon as they
stepped out, Mom sat on the hospital bed next to me and
rubbed my arm. Dad turned on the TV and watched the
news.
“Honey, do you believe that a man and a woman from
your dreams were at the park?”
I shook my head in a daze. Twenty percent of my brain
wanted to believe Bain was real, and he was telling the truth,
but the other eighty percent told me to stop before my
parents locked me up for the rest of my life.
“Scoot over,” Mom asked.
I did, and she lay next to me. Soon after, she fell asleep
with her head on my shoulder. I looked over at Dad passed
out in the chair with his mouth open.
⁓
⁓
My eyes began to close, but I opened them—too afraid
to sleep. I did that countless times until Dr. Lendon came
back in after midnight.
“Your blood work came back normal, but I would like
to run a CT scan if that’s okay with your parents.”
I moaned, not wanting to stay there.
Mom sat up, rubbing her eyes. “Yes, that’s fine.”
Dr. Lendon turned to Dad for approval.
Dad cleared his throat. “Yes. Thank you.”
“How long am I going to be here?”
Dr. Lendon patted my foot. “Until we can figure out
what’s going on.”
I fell back onto the hard pillow and the scent of Lysol
blew past my face. Dr. Lendon grinned at me and walked out
of the room. Dad got up and stretched his arms out as he
yawned.
“Go home and get some rest,” Mom said.
Dad’s eyes were red. “No, I’ll stay.”
I glanced over at him and back at Mom. I hated seeing
them suffer because of me. “I want both of you to go home.
I’m a big girl. I will be okay.”
Mom stood. “Are you sure, honey? I don’t want you
going through this alone.”
I placed my hand on hers. “Yes, I’m sure. Please go
home. When you come back in the morning, bring me some
real food and clothes that don’t smell like Lysol.”
Dad faked a smile and kissed me on my cheek. “We
will.”
Mom hugged me. “I love you, honey.”
I kept my hand flat on the bed, afraid the IV was going
to rip out. “I love you too.”
⁓
⁓
After they left, I tried to stay awake, but I passed out for
a little while until a male nurse came in and got me for the
CT scan.
The following morning, Mom and Dad came back with
McDonald’s and my cell phone. Before I ate, I read all my
text messages from Kaylee and Liam, asking me where I was
and why I wasn’t texting or calling them. I had two missed
calls from Constin and a text message with him asking me if
I was okay. I wanted to reply, but I didn’t feel like telling him
or my best friends I was in the hospital, so I ignored them.
After a few more hours, Dr. Lendon came in and said
the CT scan came back normal, and he recommended I see
a psychiatrist. I was happy to hear I didn’t have a brain
tumor, but I still wondered what was wrong with me.
On the way back home, Mom looked at me in the back
seat. “Don’t get upset, but I called a psychiatrist. She’s
meeting us at the house. She’ll figure out what’s going on
with you. I promise.”
I knew that was coming. “Psychiatrist do house calls?”
“She does,” Dad said and winked at me in the rearview
mirror.
When we pulled into the driveway, an older woman was
standing next to a silver BMW. I glanced at her black suit and
her huge turquoise oval glasses.
Mom got out of the truck and approached her. The
woman smiled and shook her hand. I got out and walked
over to them.
“Viata, this is Dr. Wells,” Mom said.
“Hello.” As I shook her hand, I sneezed from the musky
perfume she doused herself with.
⁓
⁓
“Thank you.”
“Can I call you Viata?”
“Yes.”
Dad approached us and shook her hand. “Thank you
for coming on such short notice.”
“You’re welcome.” Dr. Wells looked at me. “Viata,
would you like to sit somewhere and talk for a while?”
“Sure.”
“Please come inside,” Mom said.
Dr. Wells looked over her shoulder toward the door,
then back at Mom. “That would be great.”
In the house, I sat on the chair near the wall in the dining
room. Mom sat near Dad across from me with Dr. Wells on
my right.
Dr. Wells placed a strand of her black hair behind her
ear. “Let’s talk about the dreams you’ve been having.”
“Um ... I see people from my dreams, and sometimes I
get pains in my head, followed by flashes of people I don’t
know.”
“When did this occur?”
“On the plane, at school, and again when I was running
home last night.”
“Have you been sleeping?”
“No, my dream scared me, so I drank some energy
drinks, not wanting to go back to sleep.”
“Viata, I’m going to be honest with you. Between your
mother telling me what happened on the plane and what you
just told me, it sounds like you have severe insomnia. This
can cause micro-sleeps. Also called, micro-naps or bursts.
One of my clients has the same problem. They think people
from their dreams are real.”
⁓
⁓
“What is micro-sleep?” I asked.
“They’re when an individual becomes unconscious
without knowing. It can last from ten seconds to ten
minutes. Perhaps even longer.”
“But the people in my dreams talk to me in real time.”
Dr. Wells readjusted her glasses. “When micro-naps
take place, you can have nightmares. When you become
aware of your surroundings, it’s hard to distinguish reality
from dreams. They will feel real at that moment. You need
to sleep properly, then they won’t happen anymore.”
“How can you fix it?”
“I’m going to prescribe you a sleeping pill if that’s okay
with your parents.” She turned to them.
“Yes,” Mom said. “Do whatever you think will make
her better.”
Dad nodded.
“No way. The last time I took Mom’s sleeping pill, I
woke up on the front porch.”
“Viata?” Mom’s voice screeched.
Dad shook his head in disbelief.
“I’m sorry. The dream I had scared me. I was desperate
t
o sleep.”
Dr. Wells wrote something in her notebook—I’m sure
she wrote that I was addicted to drugs. “You should never
take someone’s medicine. You could’ve overdosed or died.”
I regretted telling them and looked at Mom. “Sorry.”
Dr. Wells sighed. “I will call you in the right
prescription.”
“Okay, I hope it helps me. This is getting embarrassing,
especially while at school.”
“And in public places,” Dad added.
⁓
⁓
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, that too.”
Dr. Wells got up from the table and squeezed my cheek.
“I’m certain they will. And no more caffeine.”
I smiled, hopeful the pill would work. “Alright.”
She handed me a business card. “Call me if you need
anything. Even if it’s after hours.”
“I will. Thank you.”
My parents escorted her to the front door.
As they were talking, I got up and placed my ear up to
the wall.
“Do you think she found out?” Mom said in a low voice.
“She wouldn’t hold back if she did,” Dr. Wells replied.
“Are you sure?” Dad asked.
“I believe she’s the type to confront you if she did.”
The door closed, leaving me wondering what they
meant. I rushed back to the table and sat down, and my
parents walked back into the room.
“We’re only trying to help you,” Mom said as she
approached me.
I forced a smile, tapping my fingers on the table. “I
know.”
They kept on talking, but I tuned them out, trying to
figure out if I should ask Mom what she meant.
Mom leaned down and held my face. “We love you.
Please know your dreams are only dreams and not reality.”
Mom was right, and Dr. Wells sounded like she knew
what she was talking about. I stood up and embraced her. “I
just want to be like everyone else. I want to get a place with
Kaylee soon and start college as we planned.”
I backed away to see her expression. Mom looked at
Dad and widened her eyes.
⁓
⁓
“Aw, we know, and you will be.” She kissed my
forehead.
“If I get better, can I still move in with Kaylee next
month like we planned?”
“Yes,” Mom said.
Dad came up to me and held me tightly. Tears fell down
my face like they did when my dog died from old age. I
needed to let it out, and I did.
“Do you want to go back to school tomorrow?” Mom
asked.
“What day is it?” I was so confused.
“Wednesday,” Dad said.
“Yes, I’m fine to go back.”
“Are you sure, honey? Maybe you should wait to see if
the pill works.”
“Mom, I’m fine.”
After we ate dinner, Mom went to Walgreens to get my
medicine. I went into my room and called Kaylee. When I
told her what had happened, she yelled at me because no one
called her and told her I was in the hospital. After I ended
the call with her, I called Liam. He asked me where I was,
but he wasn’t upset like Kaylee was.
Mom came back with my pills and gave them to me. As
soon as she walked out, I took one. A short while later, I
started to feel sleepy. I laid on the couch, not wanting to fall
asleep because Bain’s face wouldn’t leave my mind. I stopped
myself from thinking of him and smacked the side of my
head. I won’t let some stupid dreams keep me awake.
⁓
⁓
woke up in a better mood from having no
nightmares. I got up, did my morning routine, and
left. When I arrived at school, I felt confident about
starting a new life. As I got out of my car, I saw Clay. I
wanted to let him know he didn’t intimidate me anymore.
I walked up to him. “Good morning,” I said in a cocky
tone.
He gave me a smug look. “What do you want?”
“I forgive you for denying ever going out with me in
front of my friends. And for being an ass to me that night.”
He stepped closer to me. “You’re seriously nuts. Leave
me the hell alone.”
“Whatever, Clay. Be a jerk.” I gritted my teeth and
stormed off.
“Freak,” he shouted.
I continued inside. He needs a psychiatrist, too.
In class, I sat next to Kaylee in the back.
“What’s wrong? Your face looks flushed,” Kaylee asked.
“I just confronted Clay, and he told me to leave him
alone.
“He probably thought you were recording him. And
there are plenty of other hotties, like Constin.”
“Shh. The teacher is looking at us,” I warned.
I tried to concentrate on what the teacher was saying,
but Clay pissed me off. Before I knew it, the class was over.
Kaylee and I got up and headed to our next period.
“Hey,” Kaylee cautioned, “Constin is coming.”
I stood frozen, not wanting to see him.
“Hi, Viata,” Constin said.
I spun around slowly. “Hello.”
“I haven’t seen you here in a few days. Are you okay?”
“Yes, I had a virus.”
He didn’t look convinced. “Sorry to hear that. Is your
phone working?”
“Yes, why?”
“Because I never received a call or text from you after I
texted you.”
I giggled at his sarcasm. “I’m sorry. I’ll call you after
school.”
Kaylee’s mouth fell open.
“Can’t wait.” He walked away and looked back at me.
“Holy crap. What’s changed with you?” Kaylee’s voice
traveled down the hall.
“Keep your voice down. Everyone can hear you,” I
scolded.
She pointed at herself. “Me? I think the entire town just
heard you.”
⁓
⁓
I smiled and continued toward the restroom.
She ran up behind me. “Does he have a brother?”
“I have no clue. I don’t know him that well.”
“I hope he does. He’s so freaking hot.”
I laughed and closed her mouth. “I have to use the
bathroom before the bell rings.”
“Okay, go pee-pee, and I’ll see you at lunch.” Kaylee
walked off.
I smiled and pushed open the door to the restroom.
After I used the bathroom, I walked over to the sink to wash
my hands, and sharp, burning pains rushed through my head.
I gasped. “What the hell?”
I gripped the sink until it stopped burning and blinked
away my tears. I was now in an open field surrounded by
white shimmering grass and pastel pink trees. I stared in
disbelief as I narrowed my eyes on the left side of the sky.
The rainbow-like clouds were moving slowly. It reminded
me of the Northern Lights but with more colors. The other
side was blood-red, with black clouds that moved faster than
usual.
I rubbed my eyes and opened them up slowly. I was still
there. “Hello?” I said.
“Divinity,” a wom
an’s voice called out.
My body jerked, and I whipped around. She was running
toward me wearing a long purple gown. Beyond her was a
tall gold castle on top of a hill.
“Viata,” a girl said with a southern voice, but it sounded
muffled.
The unknown woman reached her hands out for me,
then Maria’s face came into focus with a girl I didn’t know
standing next to her.
⁓
⁓
“Are you okay?” Maria asked.
I blinked a few times. “Yes, I think so.”
Maria turned to the girl. “I’ve got this. You better get
back to class.”
The girl nodded and left without saying anything.
“What happened? You looked like you were in a trance
with your eyes open.”
“Not again,” I moaned.
Maria stepped closer to me. “Has this happened
before?”
“Don’t tell anyone, but yes.”
Her eyes widened. “What did you see?”
“I never told you that I saw anything.” My voice
trembled.
“Oh, you were talking to someone, so I thought you
did.”
I hesitated for a minute, then I told her about what just
happened and a quick rundown of my insomnia problem.”
“That’s strange. Did the woman say anything else to
you?”
I washed my hands. “No, but I felt like I stepped into
another realm. Isn’t that weird?”
She smirked. “No, that’s not possible. It sounds like you
had nodded off and had another dream. What about this
man you keep dreaming about? Has he said anything to
you?”
I gave her a sour look. “No. Why are you so into this?”
Maria pulled out a paper towel and handed it to me. “I’m
not. I’m just concerned. You don’t believe your dreams are
real, do you?”
“No.”
⁓
⁓
“Good. Come on, let’s get out of here before we get in
trouble.” She opened the door.
“Thank you for talking to me.”
She smiled. “You’re welcome. If you can, see a doctor
and get some medicine. It will help.”
I wasn’t about to tell her I was already on them. “I will.
Thank you.”
“No problem.” She bumped into Constin.
“Hi,” I said. “I thought you went to class. What are you