Crossed Dreams

The Class Field Trip

The weather was grey. Grey looking and grey feeling. The sky had some sunshine to it but it was mostly blanketed by a sea of dark grey clouds. The ground was soaked from last night's rain. The trees were bare, their leaves laid on the ground broken and crushed.

Melissa stood outside of the Science building with most of the class. They were waiting for Connor and Dr. Martin. A light breeze blew through causing some of the students to snuggle deeper into their jackets. This type of weather made her want to curl back up in bed with the covers snuggled tightly around her.

A blue pickup truck pulled to a stop on the road in front of the parking lot. A worn-out Connor stumbled out from the passenger's side. He heaved his backpack out of the truck and placed it on his shoulders. The weight of the backpack caused the hungover Connor to teeter back and forth as he slowly zigzagged toward the group.

"Finally," huffed Emily when he came to a stop in front of the girls.

"At least I showed." He yawned. "Where's the doc?"

"Behind you. You're late." Dr. Martin jogged down the steps with a stack of papers clutched in one hand and two sets of keys clutched in the other. He walked around the small group handing each person a packet of papers. "I want everyone to read these on the way up there. Everyone except Nate." He handed a set of keys to the lanky grad student.

"Come on Dr. M. You know I'm a better driver." Pete Complained, eyeing the keys that Nate held as if they were a coveted toy during Christmas time.

"Sorry, Pete. Maybe next time." Nate clapped him on the shoulder before he climbed into the van that the keys were designated to.

Melissa threw her bag into the back and climbed into the backseat of the van that Nate was driving. She was hoping that Nate wouldn't talk as much as the professor. Her plan was to sleep as much as possible during the long drive. Now, she just hoped that Pete would ride with Dr. Martin.

Emily and Connor followed suit. They placed their bags into the back and climbed in. the three of them were able to claim a seat all to themselves. All three of them had a silent agreement that they would make sure that no else could sit in the back of the van, the only seat available was the front passenger's. To her delight, Pete climbed into Dr. Martin's van.

The front passenger door opened with a cringe-worthy creak. The tall, stocky form of A'bene climbed in. He looked back at the three of them and laughed. "It looks like it will be a quiet ride. One of you is already asleep." As if on cue, the light snoring of Connor drifted around, filling the van with its hypnotic allure.

Melissa laid her head against the cool glass. Eyes heavy. "Wake me up when we stop somewhere." She told no one in particular. The van pulled out and the gentle thrumming of tires against road lulled her into blissful sleep.

Melissa found herself in a park surrounded by flowers. She sat down on the bench, taking in the sea of various shades of red, yellow, and purple. Reaching down, she plucked a flower and rolled the stem between her fingers, becoming mesmerized by the swirling mixture of purple and white that was created.

A shadow fell over her, blocking out the gentle rays of the sun. She looked behind her and found the stranger from last time. "Hey stranger," She greeted him with a warm smile.

"Back at you stranger," He greeted in turn. "Is this seat taken?" he gestured to the empty spot on the bench with his chin.

She shook her head. "It's all yours." Laughing, the handsome stranger sat down beside her. He turned his attention onto the scene that surrounded them.

Melissa pretended to take in the scenery as she secretly watched the stranger. She knew that it would probably be pointless in trying to memorize his features but she felt like she had to try. There was this deep, wanting desire in her. She chalked it down to the fact that he felt familiar and that she couldn't remember anything about him except for his height.

The rays of the sun reflected off of the stranger turning his skin into a warm olive and casting his dark brown hair in gold. Melissa couldn't take her eyes off of him. The way the sun highlighted his features had her mesmerized.

Warm chocolate brown eyes appeared in front of her face. The stranger leaned in close to her. So close that there were only a few inches of separation between them. His lips curved into a smirk and his warm breath tickled across her face.

Heat flooded up from her body and into her face. She quickly pulled away from him in an attempt to hide her face that was now a bright shade of crimson. This action caused the stranger to laugh out loud. The warmth of his breath growing colder the farther he pulled away.

Melissa leaned back, resting her back against the hard wood. Once her face cooled down to its natural temperature she decided to speak. "This park is really beautiful. I wonder if it actually exists."

The handsome stranger leaned forward and put his elbows onto his knees. "It does. It's the park not far from my childhood home." He turned toward her, confusion lurking in his eyes. "I'm surprised that you didn't know that."

How could she have known that? She didn't know the stranger or anything about him despite the fact that she had made him up. She also had never been to this park or any similar to it. She was beginning to wonder where here was.

The stranger jumped from his seat, startling her. A bright smile lit up his handsome yet boyish features. "I hope this is the same as in the real world." with that, he grabbed her hand and pulled her onto her feet. Without giving her a warning he took off into a run, pulling her behind him.

"Where are we going?" She laughed as his excitement began to pull her in with it.

"You'll see!" He tightened his grip on her hand and picked up the pace, easily following the smooth pavement.

They ran like that, hand in hand for a few minutes before they reached their destination.

The handsome stranger came to a sudden stop. She slammed into his hard, muscular back. Looking around to see why they stopped, Melissa found a set of stairs cut into a hillside. Running along beside them was a slide. It was something that she had never seen before.

Oh, she's seen slides before. In fact, she loved them but she had never seen one quite like this. Its wooden frame was built directly into the hillside making it easy for kids, or anyone, to slide down instead of taking the stairs.

"What do you think?" The stranger asked. His hair was disheveled, matching the daredevil smile that he wore perfectly.

She flashed him her own devilish smile. Taking off at a run, she sprinted up the stairs. "Race you to the top!" The sound of feet hitting pavement grew louder. Before she knew it, he passed her. He reached the top first but instead of sliding down he waited for her. "Not fair! Your legs are longer!" She panted when she reached him.

"How is that not fair? You even had a head start." He leaned in closer to her, that smile of his reappearing. "How about we go down together?"

Melissa tilted her head to the side, pretending to think about it. Instead of answering him, she pushed passed him. "Meet you at the bottom!" She saluted him before pushing off, beginning the descent down.

He laughed. Shaking his head at the child-like stunt before following her down. "Again?"He asked once his feet hit the ground.

Before she could answer him, the dream began to waver. Their surroundings became unstable as they blurred together. "See you next time!" Her voice came out fuzzy and disembodied, sounding as if she was submerged under water. With a final wave goodbye, the dream faded until everything was black and Melissa lost all awareness.

"Come on Mel. We're here." Emily shook Melissa's shoulder bringing her into the waking world.

Melissa stretched during mid-yawn. "Already?" She asked in disbelief. Looking Around their surroundings showed her that they were parked outside of a hotel. Everyone from Dr. Martin's van were piled outside, stretching their stiff muscles. "Wait. Did we stop for breaks?"

Emily nodded. "You were sound asleep and would not wake up. Same as him." She pointed to the sleeping form of Connor. She hopped out of the van, almost tripping over her own feet but smoothly covering it up with a bow. Melissa followed after her feeling that her body was in desperate need of a stretch.

Emily leaned into the van and punched Connor in the side a little harder than necessary. Slowly, Connor stirred out of his deep sleep. He cracked open one eye and glared at her. "Get up! We're at the hotel!" She barked.

Melissa laughed at the squabbling siblings. She walked to the back of the van, stretching her calves before opening the back latch. Her backpack, though lightly packed, felt heavy on her shoulders. Definitely not a good idea to sleep that long in a vehicle. Sleep. Oh, how she wished that was so. Thinking back on her dream brought out a smile.

"Looks like someone had a good dream." Connor yawned. His lanky form was hunched over and his strawberry blonde hair stood up in tufts.

"Yeah, I did actually. You?"

He shook his head. "None that I can remember."

Once everyone had their belongings, they made their way to the large metal doors that opened up into the hotel's lobby. The modern decor of the hotel's outside was a major contrast to what they found on the inside. The lobby and small kitchen area were painted in a pastel sea blue. The wood trim, kitchen cabinets, and furniture were made out of grey beach wood. Hanging on the walls were floral paintings framed in silver.

They found Dr. Martin standing in front of the service counter. The young woman working behind the counter handed him the keycards. The expression on her face told them that she would rather be anywhere else than where she currently found herself. Melissa thought about how boring that job must be. She shuddered knowing that she could never do something like that.

Dr. Martin made his way over to the group and handed out the keycards. Each room came with two keycards. Both Melissa and Emily received one while A'bene was the only guy to receive one. Emily snickered at the seven guys who had to share one room then waved her keycard around proudly. Melissa grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her to the second floor before a fight ensued.

Emily ran into the room as soon as Melissa unlocked the door. She pounced on the bed closest to the window. "Six hours. I mean it's better than the nine-hour drive from New York but that was ridiculous. I can't believe that the two of you slept the entire time."

"I wish I was still asleep. That was one pretty amazing dream." Melissa sighed, thinking about how the stranger grabbed her hand and spontaneously took off running, dragging her with him. It was strange but she still felt the sensation of that warm, strong, gentle hand wrapped around hers.

"Eww! I don't need to know about those kinds of dreams!" Emily screeched with feigned disgust.

"It wasn't that kind of dream!" Melissa laughed, throwing a pillow at her friend.

Emily deftly caught the pillow. Jumping up with it clutched in her hands she shouted. "Hey! What was that for!" Her voice barely contained the laughter.

Connor chuckled from the doorway. "We can hear from the other end of the hallway and why do you always have to be so dramatic." He pointedly looked at his sister. She was the loudest out of the three of them.

Emily dove into a deep bow. She placed the hand holding the pillow behind her back. "Thank you! I do try." She came up from the bow and threw the pillow at him. "Wait, how did you even get in here?"

Connor fluffed the pillow and placed it back onto Melissa's bed. "The door was ajar."

"Guess it doesn't shut automatically?" Melissa mused out loud.

"You're more forgetful than I am." Emily snorted.

Melissa patted the empty spot beside her. "Sit." Connor plopped onto the bed causing her to bounce. "How's it with the other guys? You at least have a suite, right?"

His sigh told them the answer. "It must be nice." He laid back, running his hands over the thick comforter.

"If you want, you can stay in here with us. I'll sleep with Emily and you can have my bed."

"Hey! Don't drag me into this!" Emily crossed her arms and pouted. "I claimed this bed fair and square." She looked at Connor with a smile on her lips, blinking her eyes sweetly. "You can sleep on the floor where dogs belong."

"You would never allow your dog to sleep on the floor." He retorted. He was getting faster with his comments after all the years of her harsh commentary and jokes.

Emily nodded, her fingers played with the corner of the bedsheet. "Yeah, I would never allow my Seonpung to sleep on the floor. My brother is a whole other story."

Melissa shook her head. "Alright you two. How 'bout we grab something to eat and when we get back we'll see if Dr. Martin is alright with Connor staying here with us." Connor nodded at her suggestion and Emily didn't reject it despite all of her earlier snark.

She got up from the bed grabbing her purse in the process. The sound of jangling buttons filled the room. "Come on Em." When Emily didn't get up, Connor crossed over to her and pulled her onto his back. Melissa shook her head as she watched the siblings. "You know you spoil her."

"I know. That's why she's heavy."

"Hey!" Emily poked Connor in the side and slid down from his back. "Commentary not needed." She walked to the door, a bright smile on her face when she looked back at them. "Let's eat. I'm starving." They shook their heads at the food-obsessed Emily. Melissa wondered how the girl stayed so skinny.

They walked out of the hotel. Across the street was an Italian restaurant. As soon as Emily saw it, she dragged Connor Melissa with her. It was a good thing Melissa liked Italian.

Returning from their dinner, they found Dr. Martin heading up to his room with a fresh cup of coffee. The smell of the coffee beans wafted in the air. Their strong, bitter smell made her head spin. Ugh, how she hated the smell!

Emily had volunteered to be the one to ask Dr. Martin but when the time came, she backed down, leaving the job to Melissa.

"Coward." She hissed. Turning to face the rugged-looking professor, Melissa asked the question that Emily had been unable to. "Dr. Martin, we were wondering if it would be alright to have Connor stay in our room tonight?"

The professor took a sip of his drink, making Melissa shudder. "I'm sorry. I would love too but it would be a violation of the university's policy." Emily poked her in the side. Melissa looked at her, silently telling her that there was no point in arguing. "Is that all that you three wanted?"

Melissa nodded her head and the siblings made no move to disagree. They moved out of the way so that the professor could pass.

"What now?"Emily asked.

"Now, I see how much a room costs. You have me wanting a separate room with all of this." Connor walked up to the reception desk. The woman working behind it perked up when she saw him. Her blonde ponytail bouncing as she smiled. After a few minutes, she handed him a keycard.

"They had a room available?" Melissa asked in disbelief.

Connor smirked. "Oh, they had one available. The one right next to yours."

Emily sputtered. "You've got to be kidding me. They couldn't stick you on the fourth floor. Far away as possible so that I don't have to smell you."

Connor raised an arm and sniffed. His nose wrinkled in disgust. "I think the first thing that I'll do is take a shower then head over to your room after."

"Sure, just make sure you use soap." Emily snorted.

They passed Nate on their way up to the second floor. Connor waved his keycard. "Hey. I have my own room. Wanna bunk together?"

"Hell yes!" What room are you in?" When Connor told him the room number he busted out laughing. "That's right beside you. Total karma." He pointed to Emily.

"Har. Har. Har." Emily mocked. Her cheeks were tinged in a light shade of pink.

"You're snarkier more that usual. What's up?" Connor asked his sister once Nate descended the stairs.

"I don't know." Emily answered seriously as she thought about what had her mood in such a sour, snarky state. "I never know." She finally sighed, giving up on trying to figure herself out. Melissa felt bad for her. Sometimes it was hard trying to figure yourself out and the motives behind certain actions.

They temporarily parted ways with Connor. "Are you taking a shower tonight?" Emily asked once they were in their room.

No. I'll take one tomorrow before we head back to the campus if there's time."

"Cool." Emily grabbed a change of clothes and headed into the bathroom. The sound of water rained down from the other side of the closed door. Steam seeped into the room, filling it with its wet, misty warmth.

Melissa sat down on the bed thinking about taking another nap. She wasn't sure why she still felt so tired and drained after all the sleep that she had on the way there. That might be why she was so tired, too much sleep.

A shout sounded from behind the closed door, momentarily waking her. "Is everything alright?" She shouted to her friend.

''Yeah. Fine. I'm fine."

Melissa could hear spitting sounds mixed with the patter of the water pouring from the showerhead. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, just don't try the shampoo!"

Not long after that Connor rejoined them smelling a little bit fresher. It probably would have been better if he had changed his clothes instead of sticking the same ones on.

Melissa laid down on her bed, listening to the siblings drone on about which member of Vortex was better. Growing bored with the conversation she closed her eyes, hoping that the stranger would visit her in her dreams.