Stories of a Dreamer

((A little excerpt from the story.))


Tanny and Riley knocked on the door to the warehouse; all three girls were fast asleep on the teens. At the sound, Scarlet popped off the couch and opened the door in a matter of seconds, pulling her sister off of Riley and into her arms, careful not to wake her. Tanny inclined her head up the stairwell to the large room up top. The band made their way up and put the girls on three out of the four mattresses located inside of the room. Making sure they were still asleep, the teens left and made their way to where the group was laying about.
“Before you ask,” Facili said from the floor, “We all staked out rooms. You two get the ones located on the far left, and my little brother is on his way here.”
“Wow,” Riley said, “Thanks for the thought guys, furthest away from the heaters. I feel so loved.”
“Wait, your brother?” Tanny asked, “What if he’s followed Facili? How dumb are you?”
“Hey, you left remember?” Facili pointed out, popping a piece of gum loudly, “Tanny don’t worry. He’s my little brother. He’s gotten into bigger things than this. He’ll be fine. He already knows to stick to the shadows till he gets here.”
Riley rolled his eyes and flopped onto the couch, lounging like a lizard in the sun. Tanny rubbed at her arms and sat down next to Corry. The girl looked up from her DS long enough to register that she was there before going straight back to whatever game was playing. It was strange and awkward suddenly between everyone. Tanny shifted uncomfortably as looks got passed around.
“We can’t go back…can we?” Corry asked quietly as she stared at her game.
Tanny’s features softened slightly as she nudged the girl with her shoulder, “Hey. Don’t worry about it. After things calm down you can go back to your beauty pageants.”
Facili pulled a face, “As long as we don’t have to go to them that is.”
“Funny, and they say pretty girls don’t have a sense of humor,” Scarlet mocked from her spot laying on the floor.
“Well, I’ve hung out with you since middle school so I guess that’s pretty humorous,” Facili said with a smirk.
“Quit it you two,” Tanny snapped, “Alright. So to business, what did you all see when you died?”
The group went silent for a long time, Scarlet sighed and opened her eyes. She looked around and glanced at the clock. As if debating that it was the right time. She ran her hand through her ginger hair and sat up straighter.
“When the gas started everything went black. I couldn’t tell where anything was anymore. It was so dark, like a void. I felt…cold, I think I was stark raving nude, but I can’t be sure. I felt like I’d been floating there for days, when suddenly there were these colored spheres of light. They were all so, peaceful. I just remember a voice in my head telling me to pick one. When I looked around there was once less than before, I think it was yellow. I didn’t really like that one anyways. There was this beautiful purple one though, kind of pink around the edges. I touched it and everything felt really hot, painful. Then I woke up.”
Eros nodded, “Yeah. Mine was something like that too. ‘Cept I was on the football field at school. There was nothing else there though. It was black all around it. There were a bunch of footballs lined up centerfield. I just remember that two of them were flat. I was standing naked, thinking that it was embarrassing; I was suddenly in my football gear. There was a cheerleader near the field goal. She was really pretty, long silver blonde hair. I couldn’t see her eyes or face really. I just heard her voice telling me to pick the best ball. I went for the one in the center and like Scar, it hurt me pretty bad. Then, I was back in the room with all y’all.”
Tanny seemed to lean back into the couch lost in thought. The others waited for her to look up, unsure if they should continue or not. Scarlet hadn’t seen the woman, Eros hadn’t really seen her either, but both had heard her. Eros also said she looked like a cheerleader. So this woman seemed to be a connection to their new found powers. Then again, as long as none of them were freaking out right now, she wouldn’t worry. They were taking this so well, or so she thought. Was she the only one playing it cool? Tanny shook her head and looked up at the small congregation on the floor. Nodding to Facili as Corry turned the D.S. and slid onto the ground. Facili was the artist of the group, forever telling such wild stories you almost questioned if what she was saying was true or not.
The crimson haired girl popped her gum and nodded back to the girl, “Alright. The water was cool against my skin. I was sinking down, down, down into the crystal depths. Unsure of which way was the surface and which way would take me straight down to the dark depths of the underwater world. I started struggling, begging for air, a way out, a way to live. I opened my mouth to scream, and found the liquid seemed just as oxygen fresh to me as natural air I usually breathe. Suddenly in the distance there was this woman, she had a fish tail, like a mermaid. She sent a school of differently colored fish at me and the next thing I knew she seemed to vanish as they swirled and swam around me. It was beautiful, I heard her voice telling me to watch them and choose. So I did, a cobalt blue angel fish, but when I touched it, I felt on fire. I thought I was under there for hours before I woke up next to Scarlet.”
She looked at Corry, whose eyes were wide and sparkling. The girl’s smile was so big that Tanny thought her face might split in half. She was bouncing slightly.
“Wow! Just like ‘The Little Mermaid’!” Corry giggled.
Tanny sighed; leave it to Corry to make a Disney reference. She couldn’t help but wonder what her and Riley saw though. Everyone’s story so far seemed to have the woman or at least her voice in it. Who was she? What purpose did she have? Tanny was going to look through the books she brought later. That much she was certain of. Corry’s sudden start to her story jolted the teen out of her thoughts.
“I was in the park, it was night time and everything was so pretty in the moonlight! There was something in the ground though. I could feel it, almost like a heartbeat. When I looked down at my feet, they were bare; the night air was cold against my skin. I was dressed in a sweater and jeans soon after though, so I was naked like the others.”
She broke into a fit of giggles and started up again, “Sorry, anyways, looking a little further ahead of my toes there was a woman’s face in the ground staring up at me. Well, not really staring,, there were leaves covering her eyes and flowing out like hair. She told me to start digging and I’d find something. So I did. I went past so many pretty stones and gems. Some colored brightly and others were really dim and dull. I found a really pretty emerald and picked it up. It dissolved into my skin and it hurt really badly, then I woke up.”
So it happened to Corry as well, this couldn’t just be coincidence. This mystery woman had to have some sort of connection to what had happened to them. Tanny looked up at Riley expectantly, but unlike the others he didn’t cave and speak at her gaze. He actually stiffened in his seat and looked at her. His olive tone eyes locking with her golden ones, there was a quick understanding.
“I think I’ll save mine for later,” he said, “Don’t want to give Corry nightmares.”
“I would not get nightmares!” Corry said, “Seriously Riley! I’m older than you!”
“Alright, I don’t want to share right now,” he said, “We all get it. We have powers but my story isn’t going to change that fact. I just want to move on and do something fun.”
“Why’s that?” Scarlet snapped.
“We just got killed,” Riley said, “In case you forgot. I want to get our minds off of it. Just act like normal teens again. I know that’s what we’re all thinking.”
“I agree,” Facili said, “Things are weird. I wouldn’t mind goofing off for a bit. What say you cowboy?”
“I saw twister somewhere around here,” he said adjusting his hat, “We could play that.”
“I’ll spin,” Facili said with a smirk.
Tanny shook her head, “I’m going to read.”
Corry, Scarlet, Riley, and Eros lined up and started playing. Facili spun the wheel and called out colors and body parts to correspond for the players. After a few minutes, Corry was out. Dislodged by Scarlet’s arm taking her intended spot and causing the smaller girl to lose her balance. Now the ginger held her own against the guys; both who were slowly getting more competitive with each other.
Tanny sat on the couch with her book in hand, looking down at the progression. Scarlet was knocked on her butt in the next few rounds. Grumbling she went and rummaged through Facili’s bag, pulling out some nail polish, dragged Corry over to the couch, and started painting her nails. Tanny looked up from her book with a smirk, just the two boys left and it was getting really competitive. Facili got up for a minute and grabbed a soda out of her bag, making her way back over she sat down and looked at the guys.
“Things are about to get interesting,” she said spinning it, “Come on boys. Give it all you got!”
The game went on for what seemed like forever. Tanny went back to reading her book, Scarlet and Corry glanced up from magazines and video games to watch the game progress. Facili’s little brother, Xavier walked in awhile after Scarlet got out and was now sitting next to his sister, stealing sips of her soda. Some more time passed and the game seemed to get more and more awkward.
“Oh…my…god,” Facili said with a red blush on her face, “Stop it guys! This is getting out of hand!”
Eros looked up from the game, his hand near Riley’s crotch. This game had been going on for nearly two hours. Xavier watched the game slightly confused.
“Just spin Facili,” the blonde cowboy said from his awkward position over Riley.
“Seriously,” Riley said, “Get this hick’s hand away from my dick as soon as possible.”
Facili started laughing as she spun the wheel, taking a sip of her soda and let out a loud belch. Tanny looked up from her book and shook her head.
“Not your best. I’d give it a four,” Tanny said.
“I know right?” Facili said ignoring the spinner for a moment, “It was pitiful.”
“Facili! The spinner!” both boys yelled angrily.
“Fine fine!” Facili yelled back, “Left hand yellow.”
Both boys groaned as the position got more awkward. Riley glared at Eros and willed him to drop. The cowboy glared right back and moved his left arm slightly. Riley jumped and shot Eros a look so dirty, Tanny nearly fell off the couch laughing.
“Watch that arm cowboy,” Riley growled.
“Don’t use mind powers to cheat,” Eros growled right back.
“Boys we knew you two were gay,” Tanny laughed, “But not that gay.”
“Tanny,” Riley snapped, “Shut up.”
Tanny smirked at the boys, “I’m playing winner.”
“Left foot blue,” Facili said.
All the girls fell over laughing when Riley, in a last ditch effort to get Eros out, swung his leg over so his crotch was right in the other boy’s face. Freaked out, Eros dropped back and kicked Riley away.
“Cheating!” he shouted, holding his cowboy hat to his head.
“Strategy,” Riley countered with a smirk, “Strategy. Now Tanny, I believe you owe me a game.”
Tanny rolled her eyes and stood up from the couch. Facili looked at Xavier and motioned her head to the upstairs bedroom. The young boy nodded and gave Riley a smile before running up the stairs. Riley looked at Facili who shrugged.
“Let’s do this,” Tanny said, “Unless you’re scared.”
“You wish,” Riley said, standing up and getting to the edge of the mat.
Tanny smirked lightly and slipped off her shoes and socks, moving to the opposite side of the mat she locked eyes with the boy. Facili spun the circle and the game began. Slowly but surely everything got awkward for the players. In the course on an hour, Tanny was holding herself up like a table. Her back was towards the floor, her arms and legs holding her weight as she glared up and Riley, who was above her. His arms were on the outside of hers, his legs between hers. He looked as though he was doing a push-up over her.
Facili’s face was red as she laughed on the ground along with Scarlet. Eros and Corry were shaking their heads at the two girls. Tanny lifted one of her hands, balancing her weight as best she could, he pointed her finger at Riley as she continued to glare at the boy.
“You’re not going to win by making this awkward,” she said putting her hand back on the red circle it had been on before.
Riley smirked down at her and rested his forehead on her own, “I wouldn’t be too sure about that.”
Tanny rolled her eyes and looked over at Facili, “Spin already!”
The crimson haired girl sobered up enough to flick the spinner and call out the next color. Tanny moved her foot and knocked Riley’s out of the way, causing the boy to slip slightly and take them both down at the same time.
“Get off,” she groaned out from under him, nudging his chest until he rolled over and away from her.
“What time is it?” Scarlet sighed from the floor.
“About midnight,” Corry said checking her watch.
“Alright,” the ginger said sitting up, “I’m going to bed now, my brain is fried.”
“That’s different from every other time how?” Facili asked tossing her bottle into the trash.
“Shut up,” she snapped heading for Corry and her room right next to the heater.
Corry yawned as well and headed after her, “Night everyone.”
Eros headed to the room next to theirs as Facili headed to the one in the center. Riley smirked at Tanny from the floor and sat up.
“I won,” he said.
“No you didn’t,” she said shooting a glare at him, “You dropped.”
“Ah but you touched the ground first so,” he said with a slow grin.
“Crap,” she muttered getting up and heading towards her room, the second to last one.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“I’m going to go change and then go to a magical land where I don’t have to see your face.”
“Alright then,” he said getting up, “Good night Tanny.”
“Yeah…night.”