I woke up. My heart was pounding, my body slick with sweat, and I felt breathless. The room was dark, but I could still see familiar shapes—the dresser, the window, and posters on the walls of my bedroom. I rolled my head a little and saw Jade lying next to me, her serene face a jarring contrast to the turmoil in my head. I realised all this was a dream. I came back from Maya's house yesterday with Jade and my mother asked her to sleepover. (She thinks we are just friends.)
I hugged my blanket tightly around me, feeling comforted, and wrapped my arms around her instinctively. She was a heat against me, and relief washed over me. She shifted with the hug, her eyes slowly opening.
"Aria? What's wrong?" she asked, her voice laced with deep sleep.
"I think I just experienced sleep paralysis again." I panted, my voice trembling. The after-image of the dream still lingered on me, bright and frightening. I could still hear the stalker's voice ringing in my head.
"Oh, no," she said, embracing me and holding me tighter. "It's okay. Just breathe."
I breathed in deeply, attempting to quiet the shivers that ran through me. "I couldn't move, Jade."
She stroked her hand through my hair tenderly, her touch anchoring me. "It was a dream, Lila. You're okay now."
As I curled up next to her, I could feel the heat of her body seeping into mine, relieving the stress in my muscles. I told her every detail i remembered from the dream.
Finally, I was able to sleep once more. The reassuring presence of Jade close, drove away the remaining fear. But how can a dream be that long?
The following morning, I woke up in a haze but determined to shake off the after effects of my disturbing dreams.
Good morning, sleepyhead!" my mother exclaimed smiling as she came in with pancakes. The pancakes filled the air with their lovely scent, and my stomach rumbled in anticipation.
"Morning," I grumbled, sitting up, Jade sleeping next to me."Wake up, Jade!", my mother said in a worried voice, "You two will be late for school. Get up! Get up you two! Brush your teeth!"
As we walked to school, I attempted to brush the memories of the dream from my mind. I concentrated on the fresh autumn air and the brown tinted leaves. Autumn? Yeah, Autumn... I attempted to remember something but failed.
"Alright, everyone, I want you all to form groups and consider where you'd like to go," our teacher announced. "You can go wherever you prefer with any kind of public location that could benefit from some assistance! This is the year's project." My heart sank as I recognized that it was a familiar project. I looked around the room, seeing that our group had not changed either. My normal seat and my friends around me. All of it.
As my friends started explaining their plans, I could feel shivers running down my arms.
"Aria, what do you think?" Jade asked, breaking through my trance."Uh, sorry, what?" I stammered, a little embarrassed.I was wondering if you had any thoughts on where we should go," she said, her forehead creased in worry. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," I said. "Did not sleep well last night you know."
"Maybe we could go to the animal shelter?", she suggested with a beaming smile. My eyes widened. Animal shelter?
I couldn't help but think if he'd return again, hiding in the shadows, observing me. What is happening?