Crossed Dreams

A Sinking Feeling

Melissa climbed into the back seat and sprawled out. "Remember to wake me up." She reminded Emily. She pulled her wet hair into a loose side-ponytail. Plugging in her headphones, she placed them snug in her ears and pressed play, letting the soft melodies carry her away.

. . .

Tae-joon sat at one of the tables surrounded by a small fraction of their fans, who were chanting their names in unison. Apple was beside him, giving a high five to one of the fans who happened to be making her way down through the two tables; getting an autograph and asking each member a question.

When she arrived in front of him, she asked if he had been eating well. The question was simple but it was one that was frequently asked, especially when a tour was about to start. He told her that he was eating better than he ever had. Even though the question was simple, it was one that was needed. For the Whirlwinds needed to know that their boys were doing fine and taking care of themselves. Their concern warmed his heart.

The event carried on. Seconds accumulated into minutes, minutes accumulated into hours. He loved that he got to interact with his fans, connecting with them, hearing some of their stories and receiving their gifts, especially the homemade snacks. But even with all that, Tae-joon still couldn't help but be bored out of his mind because these events felt like they lasted forever.

He fought the urge to lean his head against the table because he knew that if he did, he would have a hundred people asking him if he was all right. So instead, he looked around the room.

Fans were packed tight in a sinuous line that weaved itself from the main door all the way to their tables. He was glad to see that there were several guys in the mix. With each passing year, their male fan base was steadily increasing. Something that would have been considered odd in their country but made him proud to know that his country was slowly changing.

The heat was beginning to get to him. His eyelids felt heavy. They grew heavier and heavier with each blink that he took but he knew that he couldn't fall asleep. Just a little while longer and they’ll be home. This was their last event schedule for the day.

The minutes ticked by slowly accumulating. Accumulating until it was finally time to leave. The boys left the room in a tired daze, leaving the staff to collect all of the gifts.

After the ride home, Tae-joon was finally able to collapse on top of his bed. His eyelids fell shut and he felt his subconscious slip away. Away from this world and into the world of dreams.

He was standing in a beige painted room. The flooring beneath his feet was a dark, hardwood and not the carpet that covered the floors in the home that he shared with his brothers.

Various paintings hung on the wall. There was one of the night sky painted in various shades of greens and blues. The stars shone with their own inner light, guiding his eyes to them.

The other painting that caught his attention was painted in brighter colors. There was less shading making it appear more two-dimensional than the others. It was a very simple painting. One that any of his hyungs could do. Even with that in mind it still sang to his heart for it was the emblem of his favorite guild. A show that he watched whenever he had free time.

Shaking his head and pulling himself out of his reverie. He continued surveying the room for it was unfamiliar to him. Strung across the ceiling were white Christmas lights. Their bright light combined with the zigzag pattern reminded him of a fairy garden. So much so that he was tempted to look for butterfly and flower decorations to hang with the lights to see if any fairies would come and visit during the night.

Chuckling to himself, he turned toward the door, ready to investigate the rest of the place and to try to find out who called it home.

He made his way down the short hallway. It opened up into the living room. The beige walls in the room, to his delight, were not untouched. Paintings that were done by the same person that hung in the bedroom also covered the walls in this room. There were paintings of anime, manga, and rocks. Lots of rocks and not just pictures. There were actual rocks setting on the TV stand. He picked one up at random and found that it had a labeled sticker on the bottom and of course it just had to be in English. He still couldn't read the language very well.

He placed the rock back into its spot. He was reaching for another one when a familiar voice spoke from behind him.

"What are you doing here and how'd you get in?" His beautiful stranger asked. He found it amusing and interesting that she seemed so different from the other people that he would normally dream about. It was like she possessed her own personality. That she was her own person, completely free from him.

“The usual way?" He couldn't keep the amusement from leaking into his voice. Every time that he spoke with her, he just wanted to laugh and smile. It was strange how a dream person could make him feel that way.

Smack!

His eyes widened. She actually face palmed herself, and hard too. A little red mark was already starting to appear.

"Of course, I'm dreaming. I fell asleep in the van on the way back to campus." She shook her head. The ebony tendrils of hair tried to move but were tied in place by a hair tie.

Then her words finally hit him. She said that she was dreaming but how was that possible when he was the one dreaming. "You said you were heading back to campus?" Yes, that's it. Play along with the dream. Try to find answers.

He knew that she was a college student from the first dream that he had of her. But what didn't make sense was that she thought that she was the one dreaming and that he was the dream person.

He had this sinking feeling in his stomach and depending on her answer it could either get better or worse. And of course, with his luck, it worsened.

When she had answered him she told him that her class had had a field trip to Tennessee. That wasn't what made the sinking feeling in his stomach worsen.

No, what made it worse was that she named off a place that he had never heard of. Either his dreams were getting more intricate or she was actually a... "Are you by any chance a rea.."

He never got to finish his question. The dream blurred then winked out.

. . .

"Wake up Mel." Connor leaned over the seat and gently shook Melissa's shoulder.

"That's not how you wake someone up." Emily climbed into Connor's seat and pushed him out of the way. She clasped a hand around Melissa's shoulder and gave a violent shake. "You said to wake you up!" She yelled into her friend's ear. Melissa bolted up from the seat, clashing her forehead against Emily's.

"Ow!" The two said in unison. Melissa rubbed her forehead trying to ease the tingling pain that it had become. "What was that for?"

"You said to wake you. You should have woken up for me so that you wouldn't have to suffer." Connor stifled a laugh as he watched the girls rub their heads.

Emily jabbed him in the side. "This is not funny."

"It is a little.”

"What's with the wake-up call? Did we stop?" Melissa looked out the window and found that the van was sitting in a parking lot.

"Dr. Martin needed his tea fix so we're at a McDonalds." Connor answered while Emily was digging in her backpack for her wallet.

The three of them entered the restaurant. After their order was prepared they found a table. The smell of oil, hamburgers, fries, and salt hung in the air. Melissa's stomach growled. She was glad that she ordered some french fries.

As she nibbled on her lunch, she thought about her dream. It sucked that she had been woken up just when she had ran into the handsome stranger.