The Land of Dreams

by Kira Moericke

  I wrapped my arms around my middle, mad at myself that I had forgotten a blanket, or at least, a sweatshirt, as I watched the two teams on the field warm up before the game. We were playing against Thomasville, our biggest rivalry that always gave us a run for our money. I found Alec, number ten, throwing a pass to another one of his teammates.

  After a moment, the referee blew his whistle, ending the practice. The game was about to start soon.

  “J.J.!” Alec called as he jogged up to the bench. He took off his helmet and snagged a cup of water from the scrawny-looking water boy, before coming over to the wired fence.

  Getting up from my spot, I climbed down the bleachers and walked over to him. “What’s up?”

  Alec eyed me before frowning lightly. “You didn’t make me a poster?”

  “I’m sorry,” I apologized, brushing some hair back. “I accidently fell asleep and when I woke up, I didn’t have enough time to make it.” I shrugged innocently.

  “Well then,” Alec said, taking a small sip of his water, “you’ll just have to make it up to me.”

  “Make it up to you?” I frowned and crossed my arms tightly over my chest. “How?”

  “Go to the dance tomorrow night,” he replied. He smiled smugly at me.

  “Ugh, Alec. No.” I shook my head. “There’s so many other things that I’d rather do.”

  “Like what?” He took another sip of water, looking at me over the rim of the paper cup.

  “Uh, I don’t know… like play BINGO with Grandma Virgiline or donate my time as a dog walker?” Anything then go to that stupid dance.

  Alec chuckled and shook his head. “J.J., you’re something else.”

  “Yeah she is,” I heard Lindsay sneer from behind.

  Alec and I turned our heads and saw Lindsay and Audrey standing nearby, frowning at me.

  “Hey, they really should put up a sign saying ‘No Pets Allowed,’ ” Audrey whispered, in a not-so-quiet whisper. She and Lindsay giggled before they made their way to the field, where the rest of the cheer squad was stretching.

  “And you can see why I don’t want to go,” I said, once they were gone. I rolled my eyes and shook my head, trying to rid the awful feeling that Lindsay and Audrey always planted inside of me.

  “Don’t listen to Lindsay,” Alec said, reaching over the metal-wired fence to touch my shoulder gingerly. “She’s an airhead that goes by her looks. But when she gets older, her looks are going to fail her, and she’ll be ugly and lonely, because no guy wants a girl with that kind of personality.”

  “Uh… maybe guys like you won’t, but Graham Hill seriously looks like he wants a girl like that,” I noted, seeing Lindsay French kiss Graham, the quarter back on the football team, the point setter on the basketball team, and the pitcher on the baseball team. He was your all-round jock with gelled brown hair and hazel eyes that seemed to resemble a rainbow. He was the guy I had a crush on when I was in tenth grade until I realized how stupid I was to have liked someone as stupid as he was to have asked Lindsay out. I shuddered at the ghost of a memory.

  “Well, Graham has taken one to many hits to the head.” Coach Mueller blew his whistle, calling all the players to him. Alec threw a glance over his shoulder to look at his coach before he turned back to me. “Well, the game is about to start, so I better get out there.” He pressed his lips tightly together and took a step back.

  “Well, good luck!” I called as Alec continued to back-step away from me.

  “Cheer loud,” he called back.

  “I will.” Smiling, I reclaimed my seat behind the girls whose names started with a T and a K, and waited for the game to begin.

  * * *

  We lost 54-23, but even with our major butt-whoop, the worst part was having to watch the homecoming court be announced. I had to sit there in the stands, nearly gagging when Lindsay’s name was announced and she flaunted to Alec’s side, placing a quick, excited kiss on his cheek for dramatic effect. I almost emptied my stomach at the sight. Alec was going to have to take a hot shower with some disinfectant soap when he got home.

  As the opposing team cheered for their victory while they gathered onto the bus to take them home, everyone in the home stands got up with disappointment hanging over their heads like dark clouds. I climbed down the bleachers and hurried over to Alec, who was over by his parents, talking.

  “Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Griswald,” I greeted, bounding over to them.

  “J.J.!” Mrs. Griswald smiled and threw her arms around me in a hug. Ever since my parents’ nasty divorce back when I was thirteen, Mrs. Griswald has been kind of like my second mom. “It’s so great to see you again.”

  I hugged her back, catching a whiff of her sweet pea perfume, before letting her go. “You too.”

  “How have you been?” Mr. Griswald asked, his voice as caring as a family member’s.

  “It’s been okay.” Yeah, if you could count Lindsay and her evil minion constantly torturing me every moment they’ve got, watching your dad flip through different channels on the TV whenever your mom’s face was on the screen, and discovering a whole new dream world, okay. If so, everything was just peachy.

  “J.J. was actually thinking about going to the Home-coming dance tomorrow,” Alec piped up.

  I whipped my head in his direction, with my eyebrows furrowed, to see him smirking, as Mrs. Griswald exclaimed, “Well, that’s wonderful! Are you two going to be going together?”

  “I… uh…” I looked back at Mrs. Griswald, taking in her excitement. I really didn’t want to disappoint her. I opened my mouth, scrambling for something to say. “We really haven’t discussed it yet.”

  “Kathy, we should probably get going,” Mr. Griswald said, touching Mrs. Griswald’s elbow softly.

  “Oh yes.” She rubbed her hands together, trying to rid them from the little chill that lingered in the air. She threw her arms around Alec and kissed his sweaty cheek. “We’ll meet you at home, right Alec?”

  “Yes, Mom.” Even with the yard light shining on his back, I could see Alec blush a funny shade of red. He raked a hand nervously through his sweaty, dirty-blond hair.

  “Remember if you go somewhere to celebrate, be home by eleven, got it? And if you do happen to drink, call us to come pick you up,” Mr. Griswald said in a low, serious voice. He stared at Alec until he replied, “Yes, Dad.”

  “Bye, J.J.,” Mrs. Griswald said, beaming at me. She quickly gave me another hug before she and Mr. Griswald left, leaving me and Alec alone in the murmuring crowd.

  “You dork!” I smacked Alec in the arm with the back of my hand and frowned at him as soon as his parents were lost in the sea of people.

  “What?” he asked innocently, returning my frown. He rubbed the spot on his arm where I had smacked him in an exaggerated gesture.

  “Why did you tell your parents that I was going to the dance?” I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned all my weight onto one foot. “Now they’re going to expect some pictures.”

  Alec chuckled as he dropped his hand from his arm.

  “Ugh!” I threw my arms up, exasperated, and rolled my eyes. He could be such a snot! Shaking my head so that my side-bangs fell over my eyes, I turned and was just about to leave when Lindsay appeared in front of me with Audrey not far behind. When our eyes locked, she frowned.

  “Get out of my way, Freak,” she sneered as she side-stepped around me. Then she plastered a sugary-sweet smile on her face and waltzed over to Alec. “Hey, Alec,” she purred, even though she had a boyfriend. “I’m having a party tonight. You know, to celebrate me getting Homecoming Queen.” She smiled and twisted a strand of her blond hair flirtatiously around her index finger. “And I was thinking that since you’re getting Homecoming King, you should be invited too.”

  Turning back to Alec, I made slicing motions across my neck with my hands behind Lindsay’s back, signaling for Alec to say no. As Lindsay continued to rave about her party, Alec glanced at me over her shoulder and busted out a laugh. He quickly r
aised a fist to his mouth in an attempt to stifle his laughter. I stopped making slicing motions just as Lindsay and Audrey turned around and frowned at me.

  “Buzz off, pest,” she snapped.

  “Hey, Lindsay, the carnival left a couple months ago, aren’t you supposed to be with them?” I asked in the same snarky tone.

  Lindsay’s frown turned into a glare.

  “Well, Lindsay,” Alec started, pulling Lindsay’s attention away from me. “I’m kind of busy tonight.”

  “But it’s a Friday night,” Lindsay stated with a look of disgust.

  “Yeah, but after the game, I’m really tired.” I watched as Alec faked a yawn and stretched his arms high above his head. “Maybe a different night?”

  Lindsay huffed an irritated breath. “Whatever.” She spun around and marched away with Audrey quick at her heels.

  “Ugh, I don’t know how you can stand her being that close to you,” I said once Lindsay was out of hearing range. “Just breathing the same air gives me a headache.”

  “I don’t know.” Alec shrugged. “She’s nice to me.”

  “Yeah, she’s nice to all guys who wear a sports uniform.” I rolled my eyes before I let go of a little shiver that racked my body. “Geez, it’s cool out here.” I rubbed my arms, which were covered with goose bumps.

  “Let’s go then.” Alec started for the parking lot. I quickly followed after, my shoes crunching on the gravel parking lot. We walked in silence as we made our way through the shuffling crowd.

  “See you tomorrow!” Alec called before we separated toward our respective vehicles.

  “Whatever!” I called back.

  “In a pretty dress!” Alec teased.

  I spun around so that I was walking backwards. I smiled once I saw Alec looking at me through the stream of people with a smile on his own face. “In your dreams, Griswald!”

  Alec laughed, shaking his head. “Goodnight, J.J.” He turned around and started forward to his car.

  A smile remained on my own face as I turned forward. Once I got to Dad’s car, I whispered, “Goodnight, dork.” Then I got in the car, and drove off.

  Chapter 6

  When the ride lurched to a stop, I sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart and the laughter that bubbled up inside my throat. I shoved back my hair that had blown wildly across my face before turning to Reve, who was trying to calm his own racing heart beside me.

  “Wasn’t that fun?” I asked, nearly breathless. The bars to the ride let up, letting Reve and I escape along with the umpteen other people who had ridden on it with us.

  “Yeah, sure,” he said, sounding unsure.

  “That. Was. Amazing!” I exclaimed as we walked off the ride. “We have to do that again.”

  Reve laughed, a nice harmonious sound that made something churn in my chest. “We will. But first, are you hungry?”

  I stopped near a metal fair bench, seeing how I felt. After a moment, I nodded. “I guess I could go for a little something.”

  “What do you want? I can get you something.” Reve looked down at me from his six foot plus frame.

  “Uh… cotton candy?” In the real world, I always felt guilty about eating cotton candy because it was so unhealthy and would rot my teeth, not to mention, give me unhelpful calories, but here, in the Land of Dreams, I could do whatever I wanted without it really affecting me.

  “One cotton candy it is.” Reve flashed me a pearly smile. “Stay here, okay? I’ll be right back.” Then he was gone, swallowed up by the crowd.

  Without Reve beside me, I felt exposed. I wrapped my arms around my middle before unwrapping them and sitting down on the bench. Even though it was all a dream, the metal bench was cool against the thin material of the shirt I conjured up. Thinking that it could be a little warmer, I closed my eyes and imagine myself sitting on a warm bench. When I felt the bench warming up beneath me, I smiled with satisfaction and pride, then opened my eyes, nearly jumping out of my skin when I saw a girl wearing a colorful tie-dye T-shirt shirt, jeans with peace symbols all over them, and a blue hippie headband strapped to her head.

  “Uh… hello?” I tilted my head up to see her looking down at me with pale blue eyes. The girl was albino, with skin nearly drained of color and her shoulder-length hair as white as snow. I’ve never seen an albino before so the sight of her startled me. “Can-can I help you?”

  “Are you Jaqueline Morris?” the girl asked.

  “Yes?” My brows furrowed in confusion. “And you are…?”

  “Dharma,” the girl replied quickly, her voice monotone. “Look, Jaqueline, there’s something important that I must tell you. You’ve–”

  “Dharma.”

  I jumped at the sound of Reve’s voice, which was surprisingly low and demanding. He reminded me of an army drill sergeant.

  Dharma gasped as we both turned our heads to look at Reve, who was coming toward us with a bag of multi-colored cotton candy. His blond hair fluttered in the soft breeze. His eyes didn’t meet mine, but stayed locked on Dharma.

  “Leave,” Reve demanded, his voice nearly a growl. His light brows furrowed slightly. “You’re ruining this night.”

  “But–” Dharma started to say something, but Reve cut her off with just his eyes.

  I watched silently from where I sat, as Dharma sighed and tossed a fearful glance at me, before she hurried off, getting swallowed by the large crowd of all the other dreamers of the world.

  “What was that all about?” I stood up from the bench and watched the direction that Dharma had went.

  “It was nothing,” Reve replied, nonchalant. “She’s just a part of the dream.”

  “So she isn’t a dreamer?” I asked.

  “No.” Reve shook his head before smiling at me. He handed me my bag of cotton candy. “Here. I didn’t know what kind you liked, so I just got you all the flavors.”

  “Thanks.” I took the bag from him and forced a smile onto my face. I could tell that he was forcing a subject change, but I didn’t mention it.

  “No problem.” Reve took a couple steps away, before turning back at me. “Are you coming?”

  “Oh. Yeah.” I shook my head, ridding the look of fear that I had seen in Dharma’s eyes, before jogging up to Reve. “So, what do you want to do now?”

  “Anything you want,” Reve replied with a smile. “It’s your dream.”

  We started walking past the game booths that boarded either side of the fairgrounds, but unlike at normal fairs, the people running them didn’t try to pressure you to play. They just casually sat back, welcoming anyone who decided to step up to their booth.

  “Reve, can I ask you something?” I asked as we strolled through the fair. I had to raise my voice to be heard over the cheery fair music and the voices of the other people.

  “Yeah. Sure. Ask me anything,” he replied.

  “What was wrong with that dream girl? Um, Dharma I think she said her name was.” I looked up at him, waiting for an answer.

  “What do you mean?” Reve asked, staring straight ahead.

  “I mean, why did she look so scared? And she seemed to be trying to warn me of something.” I remembered the way she had looked at me, the fear she had displayed in her eyes when she saw Reve coming toward us.

  “Oh.” He was silent for a moment, as if trying to think of something to say. “She’s just paranoid. You know, always thinking of all the stuff that could possibly happen but won’t.”

  “But this is a dream,” I said, frowning. “There’s nothing to be paranoid about.”

  “See, and that is why I didn’t want you talking to her. She’s crazy.”

  Something inside me doubted Reve’s reply. Dharma had looked genuinely concerned for me.

  “Don’t worry about it, okay?” Reve said, nudging me lightly in the side. “Nothing can go wrong here. This is a dream world, remember?”

  Reve was right. This world wasn’t real. And if a place wasn’t real, no real damages could happen.

 
But then why did I feel like there was something more then what Reve was letting on?

  Chapter 7

  I groaned as I shuffled through the racks of dresses the next day. With each dress I looked over, I wished I could suffocate Alec with their material. How could I have allowed him to talk me into this? This was the most stupidest thing I’ve ever put myself through. Not only was I going somewhere where all the kids sat awkwardly at the tables and where Lindsay and her evil minion would flaunt around as if the whole dance was to celebrate their popularity, I would have to buy a dress that I would only wear once.

  Ugh.

  Blinking hard, I focused back on the dresses in front of me, trying to determine which one made me want to gag less, but every one of them seemed to have that effect on me. I groaned inwardly with frustration and leaned against one of the many mirrored pillars that held up the roof of the store.

  “Is there something I can help you with?” A short lady, who looked to be in her mid-twenties with curly golden hair and stout figure, appeared close by, looking at me with a mix of worry and question.

  “Uh, yeah.” I pushed myself off the pillar and took a couple of steps closer to her. “I’m looking for a dress I could wear for a school dance.”

  “Homecoming?” the woman–Cindy her nametag read–said with a little, knowing smile. Her hazel eyes twinkled.

  I forced a corner of my mouth to rise into a smile. “Yeah.”

  “Follow me. I’ve got just the thing.” Cindy motioned me with her hand to follow her. I did. We walked to a rack close to the dressing rooms, and stopped. “A lot of girls have been going for dresses more like this.” She pulled a dress off the rack and held it up for me to see.

  I had to hold back a gag when Cindy held up a hot pink dress that puffed out at the ends and had a bunch of glitter on the top half. It was a spaghetti strap and would come down to my mid-thigh.

  “Um… Is there anything… else?”