Prologue - Photograph
My lord, I feel like I'm going crazy! Brent Michaels sat in the large cafeteria at school. The floor was a white and black tile and the walls were almost completely white, save for a few pictures here and there. His eyes were a baby blue and they looked as though they glowed when the light struck them. His brown hair was somewhat long in the back and it would be covering his eyes if it were not for his hair-line, which caused it to turn to the right side of his face. His skin was Caucasian and he was medium built, his age being seventeen. He was about five-foot, eight-inches tall and wore a short sleeve polo shirt with kaki pants.
He sat at a round, white table with two of his friends. The friend that sat to his right was named Kael Bennet. Kael had bluish-green eyes and brown hair much like Brent's. He was taller than Brent, being five-foot and ten-inches tall, and he wore a white polo shirt with kaki pants. The one to his left was named Cole. Cole's apparel consisted of a white polo shirt and some kaki shorts. Cole was the tallest of the three. He stood six-feet and six-inches tall. His hair was nearly black, save for the shade of a really dark brown, and it was somewhat long. His eyes were just as dark as his hair and he had a semi-lower voice to go with it. He was seventeen years-old just like the other two.
Brent looked down at his green tray full of food. Today the school was having cheeseburgers and fries. He picked up a fry and shoved it into his mouth, his burger being already eaten and nothing but crumbs left. He sucked it down relatively fast and looked up at Cole and Kael talking. All he could see was their mouths moving as he focused in on a young girl across the cafeteria. She had long light-brown hair and was quite shorter than Brent. She had a white zip-up hooded jacket on with a light blue polo shirt underneath it. She also wore a pair of kaki pants. To Brent, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She was talking to her friends that sat around the table with her. They were sitting next to the exit at a round table much like were Brent and his friends sat. Everything was zoned out and all he could see was the girl. Her name was Brooke, she was a freshman in high school, with this being the last day of school, she would become a sophomore next year. She turn to talk to one of her friends and then noticed that Brent was looking at her. Just as she started to stare at him, Kael pushed on Brent's arm, breaking his concentration. He jumped a little and then looked at Kael. "Uh, I'm sorry. What did you say."
"I asked if you wanted to come and chill with me and Cole tonight. it's the last day of school so are you up for it?"
"Yeah, um, sure."
"Okay, cool." Brent picked up another fry from his plate. He placed the fry in his mouth and looked at Brooke again. This time it surprised Brent that she was already looking at him. His face turned a faint pink color and Brooke smiled at him. He tried hard to avert his eyes from hers but the smile was too inviting to let go of. He finally broke his gaze when Cole realized what had just happened. Cole moved his head in between the two staring fools and looked at Brent. He smiled and then looked over to where he was staring.
"Oh I see. Nice buddy." Kael looked at Cole.
"Wait what's goin' on here?" Brent's face grew even more red.
"N-nothing!"
"R--ight." Cole had a smile on his face that stretched out from ear to ear. "So I guess I don't have to ask you who you liked all year."
"Wait, who does he like?" Kael decided to join in.
"He likes Brooke, you know, the freshman girl?"
"Oh I see!" He smiled and looked at Brent. He pushed on his shoulder. "So, you plan on, you know?" Brent looked at him with a small bit of anger in his eyes.
"No, now just leave me alone."
"Okay, don't get all hostile on us." Kael and Cole still had smiles on their faces when they continued eating. Again, Brent looked up and Brooke.
"So how's the soldier doin'?" Cole said laughing.
"Screw you." Brent gabbed his plate and began to walk over to the exit. Tucked into his hand was a folded piece of paper. He became a little anxious as he grew closer to where Brooke sat. He walked up to her tray and slid the note under while he dumped the remainder of his fries into the garbage can. It was perfect, no one had seen him do it but her and so he calmly walked out into the hall.
Lunch had come to an end and it was now getting towards the end of sixth period. She still hasn't wrote back...I wonder what she'll say... Brent couldn't stop but staring at the clock that was hanging above the television. The television was playing what seemed like a love story that the teacher had chosen to watch at the last day of school. Brent wasn't worried about the movie, but rather the fact of what the girl would write back. He tapped his fingers anxiously on the brown wooden desk he sat in. Come on dammit! Within an instant the school bell rang releasing the student to go to their final class before the whole summer became theirs. Brent was the first one out of the classroom and he headed swiftly down the hall towards his locker. When he was there, he took a slow breath. Calm down, Brent... He slowly put the combination into the lock and opened it up. He grabbed his math book so that he could return it before school let out. He shut his locker door and looked to his right. There was no sign of Brooke amongst the crowd of people. Maybe she didn't get it. He turned around to head to the final class of the day when he saw Brooke standing in front of him. She held a smile note and a smile on her face. Brent blushed and reached out his hand to accept the note. His heart was beating faster than normal and he took the note from her hands. After she handed him to note, she took off down the hall with one of her friends. Brent watched them disappear and then headed to math.
He immediately opened the note that had a small smiley face printed on one of the folded sides. He was moving so fast that he had to force himself to slow down in fear that he might tear the note. When it was open, he placed it on the desk in front of him and began to read it
Brent,
I don't know why you were so afraid to ask me. My friends had told me that one of you had liked me but I wasn't exactly sure which one. After finding out it was you, I was so glad. Brent, I like you too and yes, Saturday sounds real nice. I'll see you at five.
Love,
BROOKE xD!
A giant smile stretched across his face. He was so glad that he couldn't hold in the yell of excitement that swelled inside of him. The class stopped what they were doing and stared at Brent. He was now standing up from his seat and he looked embarrassed. "Sorry." Brent sat back down in his seat. Cole was sitting behind him and he slapped him hard in the back of the head, causing him to almost slam his face into the desk.
"Retard."
Brent sat at his assigned desk staring at the clock that hung over the white board. He was leaned back in his seat and rubbing a blue mechanical pencil between his right thumb and index finger.
The clock read 3:09 and in one minute, the bell would ring, releasing the school day. It was a special day though because it was the last day of school before the two-and-a-half months of summer. He was anonymous o those around him and the teacher seemed to fade away in the mind of Brent. To him, it was just the him and the clock and nothing was going to break that silence.
The bell immediately erupted and the class went wild with high school juniors jumping over desk to get to the door. Brent calmly walked outside, be careful not to run into the swarming crowd which consisted of more than just juniors. He made his way to his locker and put in the combination. When he opened it he found a photo lying upside down on the bottom. He reached down lifted it up but, before he could look at it Kael slammed his fist against one of the red colored lockers. The impact startled Brent, causing him to drop the photo into the rushing crowd of the students. Brent went to grab it, but it was too late. It was long gone with the bustle of the anxious students.
He sighed and looked up at Kael. He had this stupid little grin on his face and he looked as though he was about to slap Brent right in the face. Brent sighed again
"Man you just scared the hell out of me."
"Sorry man but I can't wait! A whole other summer is here and me and you are gonna be doin' some serious hangin'!" Brent kind of smiled at the idea but was still more focused on the photo that had been carried of by the feet of all the students. What was that photo of? He thought to himself. I don't remember having a photo of any kind in my locker. Where did my books go?
Brent realized that Kael was waiting for him to reply and so he came up with something to start talking about.
"Dude, I opened up my locker and my books were gone! What the heck man?" Kael looked at him like he was kind of crazy and the replied.
"Dude, your books are right there." Kael pointed at the inside of the locker and when Brent looked inside, he found three books.
"What the heck!?" The image startled Brent and he didn't know what to say.
"They weren't there when I opened it!"
"They've been there the entire time we were talking. Are you okay?" Brent shook his head to come to the fact that he may have been day dreaming, which would explain the stupid grin on Kael's face when he saw Brent shoot around as though he had dropped something. Brent just sighed.
"Well, I guess they were there, I just didn't see them."
"Your losing your touch bro!" They laughed for a second.
Brent realized that the hallways had been nearly cleared out while they were talking. Soon the school would the desolate once again and it kind of made Brent sad. He had a lot of friends that he knew he wouldn't get to see until next year. He took one last look at the tiled floors and then converted his eyes toward his locker. He grabbed his books and slammed the locker with a smile and shouted "WOOOOOWHOOOOOOO!!!!" He was just getting pumped for the freedom of the school that he hated but knew he would miss.
Kael laughed at the noise that shot out of Brent's mouth and his face became plum-red. They were both so happy to be free and couldn't help but express it. They turned and began walking down the hall.
They had made it close to the twin doors that led to freedom. As they approached the doorway, Kael noticed a half-crumbled photograph lying on the red mat. "What's this?" He reached down to pick it up. When he brought it up to his eyes he saw someone who looked exactly identical to Brent. "Yo Brent, check this out." He handed the photo to Brent.
"What the heck?" The picture had the identical boy lying down on a bed sleeping. His facial expression looked painful, like he was being tortured and forced into a nightmare. Kael couldn't help but ask. "Is that you?" With shock Brent answered.
"I don't know. It looks like me but I never have nightmares and this picture couldn't have been more than a month old."
"Maybe you had one and you didn't remember."
"True but you know I wake easily and keep my bedroom door locked when I sleep. The sound would have woken me up." He looked closer at the picture and he noticed the boy's hair was black, instead of brown, and the blanket was green with a white eagle on it. "Wait a minute. This guy has black hair and I have never dyed my hair black. Also, this is not my cover, let alone my bed. I don't know who this is." The image stabbed at Brent's mind, searching for an answer to who this person might be.
"Whoever it is, that guy looks a whole lot like you." The two just stared at the photo for another second and then the silence ended.
"Well, I guess all we can do is forget about it. Come on man, let's get our of here!"
"Alright!" Kael screamed and ran out of the door.
"Whoa dude! Wait for me!" Brent chased after but still the image stuck in his mind. He placed the picture into his pocket and ran after Kael. What was that picture?...and who is that guy?...
1. Sound Barrier
Yeah! This rocks! The cool sweat ran down Brent's body and through this once light brown hair. The sweat had cause his hair to become a dark brown while it flew violently through the air. His body swayed to and fro while his head bobbed continuously in sync with the rhythm of the music. Him, Kael and Cole were all playing their instruments together in a somewhat medium-sized white room. Kael held a black, six-string electric guitar and Cole played almost the same instrument, if it were not for the bats of the neck. Brent was playing a four-string electric bass guitar with a jet black surface.
By now, the trio of friends had changed out of their school clothes and into something more comfortable for them. Brent wore a blue t-shirt with a white eagle in the middle of it and a pair of blue jeans while Kael wore a black t-shirt with the letters 'K-E' pressed into it and he too wore a pair of blue jeans but with holes in the knees of them. Cole's apparel consisted of a black t-shirt with a human skull printed on it and some kaki shorts.
They had been playing some heavy metal rock music that they had learned a while back. Through the window, you could see that it was now very much night outside. The sky was dark and the moon shone a silvery glow. Brent took a deep breath and began to speak. " Man that was awesome!"
"Damn straight!" Cole replied in his low voice. "We frickin' rock!" Kael had this stupid look on his face and soon, he began to laugh.
"What's so funny?" Brent asked with a lost look on his face.
"Oh my God, dude. You should see your hair! It's everywhere!" Kael was trying to catch his breath but the noises only made matters worse and soon, Cole joined in on the laughter. Brent just ran his hands through his sweat-drenched hair, pushing it down from whatever it had looked like. The sweat made his head feel cool and Brent sighed in relief.
For a moment Brent looked at Kael and Cole laughing. His gaze became so fixed on the scenery, it seemed as though everything in the world had slowly faded, leaving only him. He started to become dizzy and light-headed. The room began to spin and his eyes began to shake along with the rest of his entire body. He felt weak and then everything went black.
Soon his vision returned and he found himself in what looked like the same room, but something didn't feel right. He began to realize that he was holding what looked like his bass guitar. He looked around and saw four others playing instruments. Two of them looked almost identical to Kael and Cole, but the other two were the ones he could not easily recognize. One of them was banging on a red drum set in the far right corner of the room. He had short curly brown hair and it bounced in the air as he hit the drums. The other was standing up beside a television with a microphone in his hand, singing. He had long curly brown hair and had a similar build to the one on the drums.
Brent became so confused that he couldn't help but scream. "What's goin' on!?" The music came to a halt and everyone looked at him. The one who looked like Kael spoke first.
"Dude, are you alright?" Brent still had frustration in his voice.
"Who are you people? Where am I!?" The singing man began to reply.
"Man, you don't look so good. Are you okay?"
"Stop asking me if I am okay! Where am I!"
"Your at mine and '!!!''s house." Replied the drummer.
"Who's house?" Brent couldn't hear the name, like it was being muted out.
"Mine and '!!!'s!"
Why can't I hear their names? Brent looked at the drummer. "What is your name?"
"Dude, its !!!!." The name continued to be muted. Everyone said their names but Brent couldn't hear them.
"Seriously," The Cole imitator began, " You are officially freaking me out! What is your problem '!!!!'." He said a name but it too was muted. Brent looked at him with confusion.
"What did you just call me?"
"Um, '!!!!'? Brent was starting to get even more anxious.
"My name is '!!!!'!" What tha! Brent couldn't even say his own name. Before everyone knew it, Brent was running down the hall into the bathroom. This place is so familiar! Everyone followed close behind him. When he reached the bathroom he rushed to the mirror. Brent's eyes widened. There, in the mirror, stood the dark haired boy from the photograph. Brent slowly brought his hand to his face and touched it. When he did, the image of Brent flickered to normal but soon returned to the image of the dark haired boy. He turned slowly to his supposed friends, awe still struck at his face, and whispered "Who...am I?"
"Dude, are you okay?" The Kael imitator asked. Brent's vision began to blur like before and it faded out into darkness. The question repeating in his mind "Dude, are you okay?"
When he came to, Kael stood over him and asked "Dude, are you okay?" Kael had a concerned looked about his face. Brent leaned up and rubbed his head with his left hand, making sure to keep his balance on his right arm. He looked up from the floor where he lay and moaned.
"W-what happened?"
"You blacked out man." Cole answered peering over Kael's right shoulder. "Playin must have really took a toll on you."
"Yeah..." Brent continued to rub his head and then stopped. A tingling sensation from his pocket had converted his attention. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a photo of the dark haired boy playing a bass with the people from the short dream. His eyes widened and he looked at Kael. "Look," he demanded, "the picture changed." He held the photo out to Kael to grab. Kael took the paper and looked at it.
"Um, this picture is the same as it was when we first saw it."
"What!" Brent was in shock. How could he have forgotten! That's not what it looked like. Brent looked at him. "Dude, I swear to you! It changed! That's not what it looked like before. I swear it!"
"I think you need to rest. We should probably head to your house." Brent rubbed it off.
"No man, I'm fine. Must have fallen pretty hard, that's all."
"Well if you say so. Well, we're gonna go watch this movie Cole rented. Let's go see it." Kael offered Brent his hand to help him up. Brent smiled and latched on to it. When he was up Kael returned the photograph to him. "Here man." Brent took the photo and then sighed. He just crumbled it up and threw it in the garbage to his left.
"Who needs a picture of someone they don't know anyways, right?" The three started down the hall, Brent in the back and thought Who were those people and what just happened?
2. Sleeping Love
Nothing matters right now but you. The wind coursed through Brent's brown hair. He was walking home from the store with a bottled soda in his hand. His head still hurt from the previous day and the question continued to circle in his mind. Who were those people? The question was even in his dreams the night before. The street he walked on was a short one. There were only five houses on it, his being the last one on the left.
Now that it was summer, Brent could spend more time with Brooke, a girl he had started talking to just a week ago. He had been planning a date for days and he couldn't wait to go out. The plans consisted of going to get something to eat and then they would head over to the movies to watch a movie Brooke had been wanting to see for some time now. He looked like a fool walking down the road with a silly little grin on his face.
He came to his house and walked up toward the door. The house had a patio and two vehicles parked out front. One was a grey truck and the other was a silver car. The size of the house was medium-sized that had white siding in it and a red roof. The door was a dark brown and it had a small slider on it where they received their mail. Both of the cars are here. Mom and Dad must both be home. He walked inside and, from out of nowhere, a short, bald man tackled him. The man had a handlebar mustache and a shining bald head. He was somewhat round and was a few inches shorter than Brent.
They both collapsed on the floor, knocking down some pictures hanging on the wall. The bald man put his arm around Brent's head and began rubbing his fist into Brent's skull. Brent flinched with pain when the man pressed harder and rubbed faster. The man started to laugh and it seemed as though he took pleasure in making Brent's head hurt.
"Ow! Stop it Dad!" Brent yelped with pain. The man stopped and let Brent up. Brent rubbed his head. "What's gotten into you?"
"Well," He started, "I found out from your mother that my son had a date tonight." He slammed his hand on Brent's shoulder, causing him to stumble a little. Brent's face grew red at the thought of his dad knowing about the date.
"That may be true..." Brent had a smile stretched across his face. His dad patted him once more on the shoulder but this time, not as hard.
An older woman walked into the room from the kitchen located on the far end of the house. She was very skinny and was shorter than both Brent and his dad. She had long brown hair and a farmer's tan. She walked up to Brent and gave him a big hug.
"Hey Mom." She retreated and replied.
"Hello Brent." Brent sighed and looked up at the clock above the threshold of the door. It was thirty minutes until five and he needed to get ready. "I'd best hurry up and shower if I don't want to be late." He hugged them both and headed for the shower.
Brent walked out of his room in an aqua colored t-shirt and some kaki shorts. His hair covered his right eye and he smelled great. He looked at the clock one last time and saw that it was now five minutes until five. Crap I'm gonna be late. His pocket began to vibrate so he reached in his pocket and pulled out a black flip cell phone. He flipped it open and the screen read:
Where are you? : P
He began to type on the number pad. I'm on my way now. He shut his phone and ran for the door. He grabbed the keys hanging beside the door and rushed out towards the silver car. He hoped in the driver's seat and sped off down the road.
The cars stopped in front of a blue house. It had a large porch that was the same width as the house was. It was a small wooden swing and sitting on it was Brooke. She stood up from the swing and ran towards the car. She opened up the passenger's side door and climbed in. She flung her hair to the side and looked at Brent with a smile. He smiled back and they drove off toward their destination.
They were walking out of the movies together and Brent had his arm wrapped around Brooke's shoulder. They laughed as they walked toward Brent's car. They both got in and Brent took off out of the parking lot. Brent continued to glance over at Brooke who was just sitting in her seat smiling. It made Brent smile too and they both looked like fools who were madly in love.
Brent continued to drive until the outskirts of town were reached. He pulled up close to a baseball field and turned off the car. Brooke looked at him and laughed.
"What are we doing here?"
"Well, I thought we could watch the stars together." Brooke put her hands up against her mouth.
"That would be great!" Brent smiled and got out of the car and went around to pen up her side. He opened up the trunk and pulled out a blanket and draped it over the front of the silver vehicle. They both climbed on it together and lay there staring up at the dark sky. Brooke's head laid on his chest and she snuggled close to him.
"This is so romantic." Brooke whispered. Brent laughed a little and continued to look up at the stars. They were so bright. They shone brightly as though they were trying to brighten up the heavens. The majestic sight put Brent in awe. Something so big seemed so impossible to create. After a few moments Brent sighed.
"What's wrong?" A little concern was in Brooke's voice.
"Oh nothing. Just looking at the stars." He thought a moment longer. "Do you ever think about the future?" The question made Brooke hesitate.
"Well, I guess so. I try not to think about the bad things that could happen if that is what your asking."
"No, no, I mean the good things."
"Well, in that case, yes, I think I do." A moment went by.
"Well?" Brent asked
"Well, what?"
"What kind of things do you think about."
"I guess the usual. Like, where will I be in the future? Will I still be a good person? You know, the usual." Brent laughed a little bit.
"The usual huh?"
"Well what do you think about?" Brent smiled.
"You know, the usual." Brooke leaned up and looked at him.
"Hey, that's not funny!" Brent started laughing even harder. "It's not." She hit him in the shoulder. Still laughing, he responded.
"Ow, ow...Okay I'll stop." Brooke laid her head back on Brent's chest. Brent looked back up at the sky. You want to know the truth?...I think about you.
Brent walked into his house and threw his keys on the computer desk. The house was dark and it seemed empty with his mom and dad asleep. He worked his way into his room and turned on the lights. It was an ordinary room. It had two windows, a small bed, a computer and a stand that his bass guitar sat in. He was very tired and it was around eleven-o'-clock when he got in. He threw his shirt off and lunged onto the bed. He lay there, as still and as quite as could be and slowly slipped off onto the fringe of his mind.
He stood in the middle of a large basketball court. In font of him were a set of red bleachers where about twenty students sat. There was about five of them playing basketball while the rest just sat there in their groups. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that one boy sat alone in the far right-hand corner of the bleachers. It was the boy from the photograph that he had found and thrown away. He began to advance towards the bleachers when he turned to his left and saw a long, red-haired boy in a blue polo shirt and kaki pants headed toward him. Brent flinched and tightened his muscles, bracing for the impact. Surprisingly, the boy passed right through him. He looked about sixteen years of age and was taller than he was. What tha!? The student was running towards the three point line. He jumped into the air and the ball bounced off of the backboard and hit the ground.
Brent walked up the bleachers to where the dark-haired boy was sitting. The boy just leaned his head back against the wall behind him and rested his eyes. He looked so lonely and seemed as though he needed a friend. He wore a blue polo shirt and kaki pants, just like the boy he had ran into. Brent turned and noticed that many other students had polo shirts on and kaki pants and shorts. Must be a school uniform. He turned back to the boy and this time, his eyes were opened and his head was leaned up. He was focused at the bottom of the bleachers. When Brent turned around to see what it was, the red headed boy was walking up to where the dark-haired boy say. He walked up and stopped just in front of the dark-haired boy.
"Sup dude? What's your name?" The dark-haired boy looked back at him.
"It's '!!!!'." Like before, Brent couldn't hear his name.
Why are the names always muted? Brent noticed that his voice was also different from his own.
"Mine's '!!!!!'. Where'd you move from?" The boy sighed and leaned up.
"I came from '!!!!'. I am actually from '!!!!!!' but I moved up there with my dad." Brent couldn't even hear the names of locations. The red head sat down next to the boy.
"What made you decide to move back?"
"Well, my mom lives here and I have some really close friends that live here too. They don't go to this school but They live here." The read head lightly slapped him on the shoulder.
"That's cool dude."
They both sat there for a moment. Well, now I know why he didn't have any friends. Everything began to get bright and it caused Brent to cover his eyes with his hands. It grew even more blinding ,and then, everything exploded into tiny little lights, only for them to fade into darkness. Brent removed his hands from his eyes and noticed that everything around him was darkness. He walked around for a few minutes screaming "Hello!? Anyone there?" Brent heard a noise coming from his left. He turned and saw the dark-haired boy facing away from him. The boy looked over his shoulder and the continued walking the opposite way. "Hey, wait up!?" Brent ran for him but the boy had disappeared into the darkness. "Who are you?!" Brent waited for an answer but none could be heard. Just then, a light bursts through, revealing a white room. The dark-haired boy stood by a wall facing Brent. Brent ran over to him and slowed his speed when he came to him.
The boy just stood there looking at Brent with the eyes of a human shell. "What is wrong with you?" The boy didn't answer Brent's question. "Hello? Anyone home?" The boy just turned towards the wall and lifted his right hand. He had a black marker in it and he began to write something on the walls. When he was done, Brent read what the boy had written. "I am the one who sleeps... I am the one who sleeps?" The reply surprised Brent. "What is that supposed to mean?" The boy just turned back to face Brent. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a photograph and handed it to Brent. Brent accepted the offer and looked at it. The photograph had the dark-haired boy and the red headed boy sitting down on the bleachers. Brent looked up at him. "What does this mean?" The boy just touched the photograph and stepped backwards a step. The photo began to grow very bright, blinding Brent. "W-what are you doing?!" He forced a hand to his eyes covering the light that shone in his hand.
Brent shot out of his bed, his face covered with sweat. He panted like he had just finished a race and his body was a bright red. Brent looked out his bedroom window. The light shown through the window into his eyes. It was just a dream. The sun must have woken me up. Brent rolled his feet out of bed and placed them on the floor. The stretched out his arms and yawned. When he put his arms back down, he noticed something out of the corner of his right eye. There, lying on his dresser, was a photograph from his dream, or his nightmare.
3. White Board
A dream? No. Maybe it was more than a dream... Brent just stood there looking at the photograph lying on his dresser. There is no way that it could be here. I threw it away! He walked up to his dresser, cautiously, and grabbed it. It was the same photo from his dream. He turned it over to and it read: I am the one who sleeps. What does this mean? What is he trying to tell me? Brent stared at the photo a moment longer and then crammed it into his pocket. He grabbed a blue shirt that was draped over a brown chair sitting next to his bed and put it on. He walked over towards his door where his shoes sat and slipped them on. He turned to the door but noticed something on his computer screen. He looked to see what it was and the screensaver read: "In dreams and in love, there are no impossibilities." ~ Janos Arany. How did that get there? I didn't write that. He walked over to the computer and touched the mouse. The screensaver left the screen revealing a picture of a solar eclipse as his background. That was weird.
He walked down the hall and into the kitchen, looking for something to eat. His kitchen was red with black and white floor tiles. In the middle was a counter that ran off into the wall just below a window. On the other side of the counter, the sink, stove, refrigerator and dishwasher sat while brown cabinets circled the entire room. He walked up to a cabinet that hung above the counter and pulled out a box of cereal. He grabbed a bowl and a spoon to set down on the counter so that he could pour his cereal. He walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed a half gallon of whole-white milk. He placed the milk right next to where his dishes sat and he sat down on one of the brown stools. He opened up the cereal and poured it in, and soon the milk went in as well.
He was sitting there eating when his dad came walking in in his white underwear. His dad had a full chest of black hair and he looked like a gorilla almost.
"Oh my God!" Brent dropped his spoon and covered his eyes. "Get some clothes on!"
"Hehe!" Hi dad laughed with pride. "You'll look like this one day, son. Just remember that."
"Well I do think I can wait! Now can you please go put some clothes on?"
"Oh alright." His dad went to exit the kitchen and then stopped. "Wait a minute, I know why you want me to leave. It's so you have enough time to hurry and get out of here before I ask you about last night." Brent's face grew red.
"N-no that's not-."
"So how did it go? Was it good?" His dad had a huge smile stretched across his face.
"Yes it went great now can you please leave me alone? I'm trying to eat."
"Oh alright!" His dad left the room and he heard the door snap shut from his bedroom. Brent made sure he wasn't still here and then ran out the door, making sure to grab his keys. He jumped into the car and headed down the road. His dad came running out screaming. "You lying sack of! Oh well." His dad just stood there smiling.
Brent sped down the road towards the outskirts of town. He was traveling down a road with trees on both sides of the road. He continued to drive straight for a few minutes before turning down a road to his left. It was a torn up road with pot-holes in the asphalt and dirt sometimes covering the road. He passed up a few houses before coming to a white trailer with a black roof. He pulled into the driveway where a red truck and blue car was parked. He put his car in park, turned off the engine and got out. He walked up to the glass screen door and opened it to knock on the white wooden door. He knocked and wait a few moments before someone answered it. It was a fat woman that seemed to be in her late thirties, early forties. She had long black hair and brown eyes. She took one look at Brent and asked him to come in. She looked down the hall and scream "Cole! Brent's here to pick you up!" After a moment Cole came running out of his room, nearly hitting the threshold. He hugged his mom and looked at Brent. "Let's go." The two ran out to Brent's car an took off towards Kael's house.
Kael lived about five houses down from Cole's. He had a blue house and a black roof similar to Cole's. The outside of the house had a giant window right by the front door with two black and white trucks, caked with mud, and a silver four-door car. Brent pulled into the driveway and honked his horn. After a moment, Kael came running out, struggling to put one of his shoes on and nearly tripping from it. He jumped into the seat right behind Brent's. "So we headed to Jake's Music?"
"That's where we're headed." Cole replied.
"Sweet, I need to pick up a new foot switch for my guitar." Brent backed out and headed back down the road he had came from. Once he hit the highway, Cole sighed.
"So, Brent, about last night..." Brent's face grew red again and he just stared out in front of him.
"Oh my God, it was good okay."
"What's wrong Brent?" Kael started, "Did you get you some?"
"No, its not like that. Just leave it at that."
"Come on! We're your friend. You can tell us anything." Kale was in the back, sitting in the middle with his head looking up front at Brent. Both Cole and Kael stared at him until Brent finally cracked.
"Okay, okay. But you can't laugh okay. This is my version of a date so don't judge me okay. Cole, I know how you tend to nearly screw every girl you date so before we start, I'm not like that!" Cole had a huge smile on his face.
"True that!." Kael began laughing hard. He finally came to a stop and let Brent finish his story about how they went out to eat and then went to the movies. He also told them about looking at the stars at the baseball park.
"There, satisfied?" Kael and Cole looked at one another and Kael sat back in the seat.
"That's cool man. Nothing wrong with that."
"Yeah man, that's cool." Cole replied this time. It grew real quite an then Kael burst out laughing.
"Fag!"
"That's it!" Brent reached his arm back there and tried to him Kale. Cole just reached over and grabbed the steering wheel with his left arm, smiling at Brent's attempt to get back at Kael.
Everything quieted down and Brent was back to driving. It seemed to be an awkward silence and so Cole couldn't take it. "I can't take this!" He reached for the radio and turned it on. He began scanning through the stations. "Crap, crap...Look, more crap!" Cole came to a halt when he heard an acoustic song on the radio. "Dude." He looked at Brent and slowly moved his hand away from the radio. "That sounds just like you." Brent rolled his eyes and glanced at the radio. He went to turn back and then caught he sound of the singer's voice. It sounded exactly like his. He turned back to the radio and listened for a moment. From what he could make out, the lyrics sang: Here we stand, we stand alone tonight on the edge of the moon. You and me are alone again, your face shines like the sun. They may laugh but we won't mind. Here we'll stand, side by side. Side by side. Kael leaned forward.
"Dude, that does sound like you." Brent looked up at the radio station and he saw 'I am still sleeping' written on the screen. He closed his eyes for a second and it was gone.
"What the heck?" Cole looked at Brent.
"What?"
"You didn't see that?"
"See what?" Brent looked back at the screen.
"Never mind." Brent changed the station to something a little more heavy. The song was loud and thundering while the singer screamed at the top of his lungs.
"YEAHHHH!!!!!" Kael yelled in the back seat. Everyone began to bang there heads while the car sped off towards another town.
Brent pulled up to a large building with the words 'Jake's Music' written on a window. They walked in and there was more musical instruments that any of them had ever seen in one place. There were rows of electric and acoustic guitars along with bass guitars and drum sets. Amplifiers were everywhere ranging from small ones to one that where as big as Cole. Kael took off towards a display of foot switches and Cole took of towards the guitar section. Brent, being alone, headed to the bass guitars. He saw a black one with white designs painted on it. He had been wanting it for some time but it was quite expensive. It priced at around seven hundred dollars and Brent had been saving for a long time. He had his wallet in his hand and he looked at the abundant amount of green bills that it held inside. He thought for a long while, trying to determine every possible outcome that he would need the money for. What if my tire goes flat? What if my car just breaks down? I just put new tires on the car and had a tune up ton my engine. He though a moment longer and then the image of Brooke shot through his head. He smiled and put closed his wallet. He put it in his back right pocket and looked up at the bass guitar. "Maybe next time buddy, maybe next time." Just then Brent's vision began to zoom back and forth from close up to far off. He became very light headed just like before and everything went black.
Brent awoke lying on the floor of a large black room like in his previous dream. He leaned up and rubbed his throbbing head. W-what happened? Why am I hear again? He arose on his two feet and looked around for the dark-haired boy. I wonder where he is this time. Brent began walking in the dark yelling, "Is anyone there?" He walked for what seemed like fifteen minuet until he came upon a large row of white doors. He walked up to them and touched one. He withdrew his hand and looked around the door. He was surprised to notice that the doors were not hanging on walls but merely standing upright themselves. He looked back at the white door he had touched and written on a gold plaque was the words 'Classroom 62'. Classroom huh? Brent just looked down the long row of doors. Beside one of the doors was the dark-haired boy. "Hey you!" Brent raced towards him. The boy was just standing there next to a large white board that just hung in the air. In his hand was a black marker much like before. He had that same look in his eyes, that cold dead look that only empty shells seemed to have. "What do you want? Are you the one who keeps doing this?" The boy didn't reply by mouth but instead, wrote it one the white board.
All I want to do is wake up. Any yes, I am the one doing this.
"You want to wake up? Wait, so you must be an actual person!" The boy nodded his head. "So wait, are these your memories or something?"
You could say that.
"I see, but why am I here? Why are you showing me this?"
Because you are the only one who can wake me up. I am somewhat stuck in this state.
"How can I help? I don't see how this has anything to do with me."
You are the only one I can contact through my sleep. I have been sleeping a long time and I want to wake up badly.
"Like I said before, how can I help you?"
I need you to find me.
"And how am I supposed to do that? Every time your memories names a location or person, it goes blank."
All I can say is take what you see and search as best you can.
"That's goona be kinda hard to do with nowhere to start."
I'm sorry but that is all I can do. Brent rolled his eyes and rubbed his head.
"Wait a minute. Why can't you talk?"
Well, for some reason I cannot communicate through speech at this moment. Let's just say that I can in the future but until then, I am forced to communicate to you through a marker.
"I see." Brent and the boy just stood there for a moment and the boy began to write some more.
Happy hunting. With that Brent began to wobble and then fell down to the floor.
He shot up from a bed and gasped. He took a few deep breaths before realizing where he was. He was in a hospital bed with and I.V. stuck in his arm. He looked over to his left and saw his mother and father shoot up towards him. To his left, Kale and Cole stood. "W-what happened?"
"Man, you just dropped to the floor like last time but then you stopped breathing. Cole had to call an ambulance to come get you. You had us worried bro."
"And us too!" He turned to see his mom standing there with a mixture of fear and anger. "You should have told us that you blacked out the other day so that we could have you checked. All of this could have been avoid-"
"Mom! I'm alright, relax. Kael and Cole were there to help me right? The important this is that I am here and I am alive. What really gets me is who was the one that had to give me CPR?" Kael and Cole looked at him and they both pointed at one another.
"He did it!" They both spoke at the same time. They looked at each other with hate. Brent couldn't help but laugh. He laughed so hard that he began to cough heavily. His dad grabbed hold of him.
"You should rest, you look exhausted." Brent looked over at Kael and Cole.
"Kael, take my keys. You guys should go on back home. I'll go pick up my car tomorrow from your house."
"Gotcha man." Kael garbed Brent's keys from off the table and Cole and him left the room. Brent laid back down and closed his eyes.
You want me to find you huh? Well here goes nothing.
4. Perspective
Another day and no message yet? Brooke rocked back and forth on the swing that was hanging just above her front porch. She had on the same white hooded jacket as always but she had a red t-shirt underneath it. She wore tight blue-jeans and white shoes. Her hair glided through the air when the wind caught it, causing it to fly behind her. It was around mid-day and she had a smile on her face. Her eyes sparkled in the sunlight as though she were an angel that God had let live on Earth. I wonder how Brent is doing. He hasn't texted me since him and his friends went to the music store. Just then, her phone began to vibrate from inside her pocket. She pulled out the white cellular phone. The screen displayed, "1 NEW MESSAGE". Yay! She opened the message and she saw that it was sent by Brent. She read the contents and it explained how he was on his way back from the hospital. Oh no. She began typing a reply that read, "What happened?" A few moments later, Brent sent a reply.
"I kinda stopped breathing. LOL!"
"That's not funny!"
"Don't worry. I'm okay now. They said I would be fine but I can't leave my house or drive for another day so, yeah. It sucks."
"Oh, so you can't come see me?"
"Not today but tomorrow definitely. There is a baseball game that the schools are putting on during the summer tomorrow and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me?"
"Definitely yes! I will see you tomorrow."
"Ok, go and have fun with your friends."
"I will!" Brooke shut her phone and placed it back into her pocket. She sat in her swing a few moments longer and then thought about how her friend, Carly, was doing. Carly was a little taller than Brooke was definitely skinnier. She had long dark-brown hair and braces. She tended to smile a lot and joke around. Brooke grabbed her cell-phone again and began texting Carly, telling her that they need to hang out together. They texted one another for a few moments and then decided to go to the park. Brooke put her phone away and began walking down her road towards the park. She passed up a library that was made of a red brick and a few other houses before taking a right at a four-way stop sign. She watched as squirrels and bird swarmed the trees around her. The park was just at the end of the road and she could make out what it looked like. It had a jungle gym in the middle of it with a merry-go-'round and a swing set next to it. There were also monkey-bars attached to the jungle gym and a teeter totter on the far right of the open space.
Brooke walked towards the swing set and sat down on one of the green painted seats. She began to rock back and forth, keeping her feet on the ground. She looked around for a moment and noticed someone standing by the jungle gym. It was the dark-haired boy from Brent's dreams. He just stood there and stared at Brooke with his empty eyes. He looked as though there was noting around him but Brooke. "Brent?" Brooke whispered as she stopped rocking in her seat and stared back. The boy gave no response but instead, he began to slowly advance towards her. He stopped at the edge of the jungle gym and looked at Brooke in her eyes.
I am not Brent. The voice ran through her head like it was her own mind speaking to her. She didn't know how to react to the thought that the boy was speaking to her telepathically.
"Did you just say that?" Brooke's face was a little worried. The boy just nodded and his voice rang out once more.
Yes, I did. Brooke stood up and took a few steps back. The boy just remained there, motionless and as stiff as death itself.
"How did you do that?"
I'm not actually sure. All I know is that this is the only way I can communicate with you. Brooke just glanced away, trying to break the gave that hypnotized her. It was futile however, she couldn't avoid the boy's demanding eyes for attention.
"Who are you?"
That is something that you must find out on your own. Just as Brent is doing this exact moment. Brooke's eyes grew bigger for a moment.
"What do you mean? What about Brent?"
He is my only connection to wake up. I have been sleeping for a long time. Longer than anyone could imagine. He will tell you shortly about me I just cannot stop being amazed at how I can talk to you as well. Brooke took another step back.
"Why does that surprise you?"
Well, I am somewhat connected to Brent and through him, I am connected to you. This only happens when two people love each other so much that they share a bond between themselves. This allows me to speak to you as well.
"So what your saying is that me and Brent are...?" The boy nodded. Brooke already knew the answer. She had had a crush on Brent since the beginning of school and was overwhelmed when he asked her out on a date.
I see, I can read your thoughts you know? I can see how much you truly love Brent. He is, how could I put this? He is PERFECT in nearly everyway.
"I don't think he is. He is human just like me and you." A chuckle rang through her mind,
Human, I love how you call me that. As for Brent, he has never had a nightmare, never felt pain, and has never been rejected in his life.
"What about tha-"
The scar? I knew you would ask that. Well, he was born with it and so he felt no pain. And before you bring up death, he feels happy for those that die, good or bad. If they were good, He is happy that they can see God once again. It bad, well they made their decision and they must be punished the way God sees fit...Do you believe in God Brooke?
"Yes, why wouldn't I."
Good, I was just making sure you hadn't lied to yourself your whole life. Even when you can read minds, it is hard to fully understand what your hosts thinks. You are such a person, along with Brent as well. Brooke waited a moment and the spoke.
"Wait, when I called you human, you said that made you feel good. What do you mean by that?"
That, Brooke, is something you and Brent will find out together. Brooke had slowly been walking backwards the entire time and was now a few feet away from the sing set. She glanced over her shoulder and looked back at the boy.
"So what do you want from me?"
Nothing, nothing at all. I just want you to not think of Brent as a mad man when he tells you about me. You must forgive him. He will tell you soon but not just yet. Not until I'm through with you. The most horrid thought crossed Brooke's mind and she turned to run away. When she turned to he point of escape, she found the boy standing face to face with her. She froze in her tracks and had a frightened look on her face. The boy just brought his head closer to her brown eyes until her was just inches away. You look...like her...
"H-her?" The boy brought his head back away from in front of her. "Who is 'her'?" The joyful feeling on the boy flowed into Brooke's mind.
Goodbye Brooke. He burst into a thousand lights as Carly passed through him. Brooke fell backwards and screamed. Carly stood over her with a frightened look on her face.
"What was that about?" Brooke looked around her.
"You didn't see him?"
"See who?" Brooke just continued to gaze past Carly. She saw the boy standing on the street corner. The boy looked back and turned to walk away. A car passed by and the boy disappeared without a trace.
"N-nothing...Never mind."