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by **Jesus4Eternity** 5/17/2010, 9:59 pm

Maturity: Dreaming, some kissing, maybe some violence.
Fantasy: A few mentions of fictional characters, a magic dreamworld.

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[I DON'T LIVE IN REALITY]

{A STORY BY AMANDA}

Prolouge: Life

Truly, what is life?

The dictionary states life as the general or universal condition of human existence. That means being alive. Being alive means you're not brain-dead or heart-dead or any type of physical dead. But what about mental death? Is it possible? Can your heart be beating and your brain be working, yet you are lifeless? Or can you be lifeless to some, yet somewhere else you are cheerful and lively?

That's exactly how I am.

Nobody really knows me. I'm the outsider who stares out the window in class, thinking about things you can't even dream of. Because it's just the truth.

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Chapter One: I Didn't Take Any Notes

Social Studies. The one class I had trouble in. Not because the concept was difficult- I was extremely bright in all of my classes- but because my teacher was the type of person that made everyone pay attention, no matter how smart they were. So I had to force myself to stay in the present, force myself to take notes- or learn how to put on an amazing act. Believe it or not, acting is easier than actually paying attention.

So I put on a facade every time I went to Social Studies. It was harder to tune everything out when I wasn't looking at something nature-related, such as something I would see out the window, but still possible. And the teacher? He never suspects anything. I get perfect, straight 100's on every single test in his class, just like every other class I have. And where does my incredible, inhuman IQ come from?

That's one of the only things I don't understand.

Mr. Richards can lecture me all he wants, and I can daydream the entire time, yet can write a five page essay on the entire thing a week later (I should know- I had to do it once). But I do know why- all the reading when I was younger. My parents are both college professors, so they would always bring back textbooks from their work, which I would read. The only thing I don't understand is how I can retain college material from when I was four to now, when I was fourteen years old. So now I was stuck in ninth grade Social Studies, knowing everything that my teacher was talking about yet forced to stay here. Which is why I really wasn't here. Yes, I was here in my body, but my mind? It was off in it's own little world.

I was thinking about the first time I dreamed- well, the first time I remembered dreaming. It was after I had finally finished going through my parents college books and they had put me down for a nap (this was before they realized I was a genius) and I fell into my own little world.

"Dakota... Dakota... Dakota..." Someone hissed next to me. "Dakota..." I was shaking by now, looking around. This wasn't my house- this wasn't anywhere I had ever been or seen. I had appeared in this place, and I didn't have time to register details. All I could do was scream.

My parents had heard my scream, and then the world was gone, replaced by the normality of my bedroom. They thought I had a bad dream. I knew I had. But what did it mean?

"Dakota!" Mr. Richards hissed, breaking my concentration from my memories. "Let me see your notes!" I looked down at my blank paper, expecting to only see the red, blue, and white pattern of lines streaming from the page. Instead, it was covered in intense notes about whatever we had been talking about. "Here you are, Mr. Richards." I handed him the paper with satisfaction. "Well, then, Dakota." He handed them back, and I put a smug expression on my face. But something was bugging at me.

I had never taken any notes.

While trying to process this new development, the bell rang for our next class. I grabbed my stuff for Science from below the desk, snagging the Social Studies notes and stuffing them into my binder. It wasn't like I needed them or anything- I knew what was going to be on the test when I was five.

In Science, we were taking our Periodic Table test, which was going to be the best thing ever. Yes, I like tests. Why? Because I know all the answers, and I can pretend to read while I daydream in my own little world. It's a free period for me to just think- which, as you know, is my favorite thing on the face of the planet.

I filled out my Periodic Table quickly, scanning over to check for mistakes- which there was none. I turned it in, lied my head on the desk, and began to dream, one certainty coming to mind before I completly lost hold of present day.

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Chapter Two: 9.2 Children

"Dakota." I pay no attention to the wavering voice- my world is full of quiet whispers. My bare feet brush over the dewy grass as I look up at the perfect blue sky. A few fluffy clouds float across my vision, and I give a small smile.

I am wearing my school clothes- a deep emerald green shirt and blue jeans. My pitch-black hair falls down my back and over my arms like a waterfall of obsidian, only silky soft. My bright green eyes are catching every detail as they always do as I lie down in the soft, only slightly wet grass. Picture perfect.

The sun is shining down on me, a light breeze blowing over my little corner of perfection. The warmth is a nice change from Mr. Richards icy tones, the cool embrace of winter, the frigid winds of blizzards. I hear soft music playing, a slow lullaby that was trying to convince me to sleep, to rest in its arms and forget everything...

But it's very hard to fall asleep in a dream. So I continue to lie there, letting the breeze and sunshine overwhelm everything else, enjoying the moment.

My dreamland, or, as I call it, Dakota's Domain (Yes, I know it's stupid, but I rather like it), consits of one person: Dakota. I have never seen anyone else in my dreamland, maybe because it's my dreamland. But that was fine. I'm happier alone. Nobody to question, nobody to disturb the silence...

Just me and nature.

The bell woke me from my daydream, and I immediatly grabbed my books and papers. It was time to go home- most people would be excited about this, but I wasn't. My house wasn't the greatest place to be on a Monday. My mother would have people over, and those people would have loud, rambunctios children that wanted to watch TV on the highest volume and listen to music as loud as they could and jump on my lap and pull my hair and other unimaginable things. Face it- I'm not a good babysitter.

So I would deal with noise, which is difficult to tune out when you just want to escape (not impossible, by the way- I've done it- but much harder than silence), and the mess to clean afterwards. I also didn't know if Mr. Richards had called my parents, but I saw no reason for him to. I had the notes, didn't I? What did I do wrong?

I tried to convince myself of this as I started to walk home. There were four cars in front of my house- if there were 2.3 children for an average family, then there were 9.2 children in my hosue right now. Great. Even if they were really young, they would probably be able to see what sets me apart from them, besides age.

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Chapter Three: Headaches and Stone Walls

The children were finally all gone, and I now had a headache. I had done all my homework while they were here, and all I wanted to do was lie down in a dark room and rest. I absolutly hated headaches, hated them with a burning passion. They were the only thing between me and dreamland. I could tune out teachers, noise, music, and lectures- but not headaches. It never occured to me why.

Maybe because everything that's normal, like the music and noise, is on the outside, and the ache seems to be my actual brain. Of course, that's not possible- the brain itself can't feel pain- but that's what it feels like. It's not my forehead hurting- it's my brain. As if it was possible.

I smiled at my mom. "I'm going upstairs, okay?" She nodded, doing math on the stairs. I stepped over the still-towering pile of clothes and walked up the stairs, lying in my bed and pulling the covers over my face. I breathed deeply, trying what I had tried every time I had a headache- dreamland. But, as usual, my headache was a barrier, like a stone wall before a bridge. A stone wall that stretched so far that you would die before you reached the top.

And that was another thing I didn't understand- what was it with headaches that made me unable to get into my dreamland? Is it just that my dreamland needs rebuilding every few months, and it hurts? Or is it something else?

And then, just the way things seem to go for me, the headache disappeared, and I was back in my little world.

I was always alone in my dreamland. Who would I put there? I was an only child, and my mom was great and all, but would feel and look out of place in my little world. My classmates barely knew I existed, and I didn't have any pets. So who else was there? No one.

But I was perfectly okay with that. Why would I let someone else into this world? I created it alone, and I would live here alone. Why let anyone disturb this place? Why would I willingly give up my being? Who could I trust to tell about this world? Who wouldn't try and take it out of me?

Who can I trust with all of my heart?

Who won't betray me?

No one.

I opened my eyes, stretching and walking downstairs. My mom had made dinner as usual, and I was pretty hungry. Dreaming was second-nature to me, but it's still energy-consuming to cut off every sense in my mind. Easy, yes, but energy-consuming.

So I load my plate with mashed potatoes, green beans, grilled chicken, and barbeque sauce. My mother is the greatest cook in the world- if she didn't teach college and sell my old clothes, I'd say she should be a cook. I prayed and began to eat, still having that faraway look in my eyes.

Hey, that's what comes from being me. Remember,

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Chapter Four: The Boy

I was walking across the kitchen when it happened. I placed my plate in the kitchen sink and started to walk outside, where I could perch in a tree and dream. "Mom, I'm going outside!" I called, shutting the door with a barely audible shush.

I climbed up the tree with no difficulty, settling easily into it's comfortable branches. I had been up here ever since I was little, and never had I once had a bad dream while perched in a tree. I closed my eyes teh second I got comfortable... and then I began to fall, tumbling to the ground with immense speed until I hit the ground, headfirst. And then it was black.

"Uuuuuhh..." I moan as I try to sit up. "Shhh, shhh." A boy whispers, his hands on my shoulders. "You took quite the fall there, Dakota." His voice is like the ocean, washing over me like the waves. His hands press lightly on my forehead and I wince as he pushes a strand of hair away. "You're going to be sore for a while, you know. You might be in a coma from that fall. At least a concussion. The point is, you're going to be here for a while." His voice is so soothing, like a lullably my mother would sing to me. "You'll be coming back often as well- passing from conscious to unconscious, conscious to unconscious."

The mystery boy is taller than I am, taller than most of the kids at my school, though he looks about my age. He has dark brown eyes like chocolate, and curly hair to match. I notice that he would have a nice smile, except now he looks worried. "Dakota? Are you feeling all right?" He asks, trying to help me sit up. "Not really." I say, standing up shakily and wobbling as I try to walk around. "No walking yet, Dakota. Even in your domain, you're still hurt." I laugh, which hurts my head so I stop. The boy looks concerned as he brings me something in a glass. "This will help. Trust me."

I trust him, for he is in my domain, and I can alter anything at a time. So I drink whatever is in the glass, and feel better almost instantaneously. "Thanks." I smile, realizing I have talked more in the span of five minutes than I usually talk in my hour daydreams. "Your welcome." He smiles, and I realize that I was right- he does have a nice smile. "Who are you?" I whisper, looking into his dark eyes. "Who are you?"

"Dakota? Dakota!" My mom's estatic as my eyes slowly blink open into consciousness. The bright light hurt my eyes, and I wondered where I was. It smelled sterile, and I was lying on a white bed. I was in the hospital, and I still had a headache. "Mom? What happened?" I asked, slumping back on the white pillows. "You fell out of a tree, sweetie, and hit your head. You've been out cold for hours." So the boy was right. I had been there a while. And apparently I'd be going back a lot. In fact, I felt so light-headed right now, I was suprised I wasn;t back already. And then my eyes drifted shut.

"Hello?" I called. My voice sounded echoed. "Hello? Where are you?" The boy is nowhere to be found. "Dakota." The boy emerges from the trees, a smile on his face. "I told you, didn't I? You'll be seeing a lot of me while you're down- drifitng in and out, in and out." I smile at him, enjoying myself more than I ever had. "Is that normal?" I can't help but asking. "For our kind, it is."

"For our kind? Are you saying I'm not human?" I ask. "No. You're just... special." And he disappears.

Something was wrong here. Something was very wrong, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Something was different, besides a boy telling me I was special. I already knew that- I could tune out anything. It was something else, something missing... or something not missing.

I was always alone in my dreams. There was never anyone with me. And today, there was.

This just proves it even more.

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Chapter Five: Secrets

A quiet whisper in the trees... a small disturbance.... "Dakota?" He steps out of the trees once again as I lie on the soft green grass once again. "You went down again didn't you?" He softly walks my way, his bare feet making absoultly no sound as he sits by my head. "Feverish.... I'm getting worried about you, you know." He murmurs, helping me to my feet. I'm unstable, as usual, but his hands steady me perfectly. "Our kind are particually delicate." There it is again.

Our kind. "What do you mean by that?" I ask for the tenth time, wondering if I'll get a straight answer this time. "I can't tell you that, Dakota. You're not safe right now- that's why you're here." And yet again he doesn't tell me the real reason he says that. "Why aren't I safe? Because of the concussion?" I ask. He nods. "If we get a head injury, we're particually vurnerable to the others." I still don't know who these others are, so I give him a questioning look. "Later, okay? You'll understand everything later." Later, later, later.

"That's all you ever tell me. Why can't I know something now?" I ask impatiently, my voice rising slightly. However, it hurts my throbbing forehead, so I quiet immediatly. "Why can't I know?" He sighs, a sympathetic expression covering his face. "I want to tell you Dakota, I really do." His hand turns my chin his way, and I wince at the pain as it hits my already-burning head. "Sorry. But they won't allow me to. And I can't tell you who they are either." His voice is soft and quiet, but sad. "You can- you just don't want to." I whisper back. "Get out. This is my domain. Out." I point back to the trees, where he always comes from. "Dakota, I can't get out. Your domain is part of something bigger, something..." And suddenly he is gone in a gust of wind, and I am alone again.

"At least he's out..." I whisper as I lie down on the soft grass again. "Not quite, Dakota. I am never out." The wind whispers in his voice. "Not quite, Dakota....not quite....not quite...." It continues until the boy comes from the trees again. "I apologize- I was getting close to telling something important." I ignore him, walking away from the trees as he jogs to catch up. "You can't get rid of me that fast, you know."

I roll my eyes and continue to walk, trying to ignore the sound of other footsteps near me. "Why are you even here? There's never been anyone here before, and then suddenly you show up. Why?" He smiles sadly. "Again, I can't tell you. I want to, Dakota, I really do. But then I would die. That is the closest thing to the truth I can say."

I just keep walking, trying to find a place that he won't be able to penetrate-- but apparently I actually can't get rid of him that fast and easily. "Why won't you just leave me alone? I asked." I mutter under my breath as I walk around. "Because then they would snatch you up, and we can't have that happen." Ah, of course, another riddle. They and we... who are these people anyway? And why am I associated with them? And why don't I know about it?

"Your mother is calling." The boy whispers. "I'll be back next time, Dakota. Don't get hurt again." He brushes a strand of hair away from my eyes before disappearing into the slight wind. And now I am alone in my dreamworld once again, and I feel smaller than ever. But my mind is racing...

We? Were there others like me? Others who had realized the truth, like me? I knew the truth about myself, but were there others who knew as well? Or others who didn't know, but were still like me? And this elusive truth? Well, it's obvious. The fact that...

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Chapter Six: Real

A week after my entrance, I was permitted to leave the hospital. To my mother, this was the greatest news in the world, but to me, I didn't know if it was good or bad. Of course, it was great that I was out of the hospital, but the doctors had told me and my mom that I shouldn't close my eyes unless I was sleeping or blinking-- which basically meant no dreamland. when I got home, my mother handed me a TV remote. "Watch TV or something." She said as I lied down on the couch. TV? I never watched TV, ever. I didn't even know what to watch, what was appropriate for me, anything. I started flipping through the channels, getting bored immediatly. Finally, I found something that I had heard people talking about- American Idol. I had no absolute idea what it was about, but whatever- I had to.

Five minutes into it, I was close to dying of boredom. There was absolutly no point in this. TV had no point- why watch people do things that you could do yourself? I didn't see how people could do this for hours on end- I could barely last five minutes. I had only two choices- continue watching this and bore myself to death or give up and go to dreamland. Dreamland it was.

When I wake up, I am standing, which is a good thing. Whenever I would come here from teh hospital, I'd be lying down, but now I'm standing. I walk around, knowing there's something missing. Or someone. The boy isn't here the way he has been. "Hello?" I call, looking towards the trees as if hoping he'd emerge the way he always did- there was no one there. I'm not sure whether this is good or bad- though he did torture me with "they" this and "we" that, never gave me straight answers, and always twisted his words, I think I miss him. "Hello?" I call again, looking around. I am alone again.

And I don't want to be. Don't get me wrong, I am glad it is quiet again, but I miss his company. "Where are you?" I ask quietly, sitting in the middle of a field I had wandered into. "Did you leave me here? You told me you'd tell me what you meant." I whisper quietly, wondering if he can hear me. "Please? Where are you? I miss you." At that moment, I hear another voice. "Dakota? Dakota, wake up!" And I am roused from my fantasy.

"What?" I said crankily, blinking my eyes open. "You know the rules- you can't fall asleep yet Dakota." I supressed a sigh. "Why not?" I asked, my voice still cranky-ish. "Because the doctor said so. Just watch TV. Please." I stare at the TV with no emotion as it rots my brain from the inside out, so bored and wanting to go back to dreamland. At least I'll be going back to school tomorrow, where I can dream later.

That night was not my best. Every two hours, I woke up hyperventilating, and I couldn't remember my dream. If you didn't know, I don't forget my dreams. I always remember them when I wake up. I don't know why, but I always do, and now I wasn't. A normal person would blame it on the concussion, and that's probably what I should have done. But I knew it wasn't the concussion. It was what the boy had talked about. It was Them.

I didn't know who they were, but I knew that they were the ones doing this to me. I don't know how I knew this, but I just knew it was right. They were the ones messing with my mind. There was something going on in my head, and they were causing it. It was not teh concussion. It was something else, a being, a person, an animal, a something. Something that wasn't supposed to be in my head, but was. A Something. And it would stop at nothing to destroy me from the inside out.

So that morning, when my mom woke me up, I was extremely tired and cranky. Another thing about me- I am never tired and cranky in the morning. I'm always awake and happy because I just got out of dreamland, so my mom knew something was up. "Sweetie, are you sure you're okay to go to school? You're not acting yourself." I nodded. I didn't know why, but I knew that I really had to go to school today. Not for learning something, but for another reason. I didn't know what it was yet, but I just knew that I had to go to school today, no matter what.

So I got dressed and ate, brushed my teeth and hair, and caught the bus. No one really noticed that I was gone, apparently, because I didn't get any "Hey, Dakota, you're back!" comments, which didn't surprise me. Not many people notice me, which is a good thing. They'd interrupt my dreams, and besides, I'm better alone. No one else in the school is anything like me- sure, there are quiet, shy girls, but are any of them completly immersed in a fantasy world they invented? I didn't think so.

When I got to school and walked into homeroom, that's when I knew why I had to go to school today, why I had felt a sudden urge to come to school despite the concussion.

The boy from my domain was pulling things out of his bookbag in the middle of the room. Same curly brown hair, same beautiful brown eyes, same dark tanned skin. When I gasped, he turned to look at me and smiled. "Hey Dakota- sorry about yesterday. We had to get me ready for this." All I could do was stare. "Dakota?" My teacher asked. "I'm fine." I said naturally, staring at him. "What are you doing here?" I managed to say, looking at him. "Watching over you, Dakota. It's my job. We both know the truth." I bit my lip. "And the truth is..." And we whispered the last part together.

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Chapter Seven: Date

“Who are you?” I whispered, setting my books down and staring at him like I don’t believe it- because I don’t. There is no flipping way that this boy was real. I was in my dreamland again, but I was just in school in my dreamland. Oh, look, now I’m making no sense at all. “Dakota?” The boy asked. “Huh? Sorry.” I knew he would know why I had been thinking. “It’s fine. But I’m not going to tell you who I am yet. My alias is Nicholas Collins.” He whispered very quietly. “Just call me Nick and pretend you don’t know me- it’ll ruin the entire operation. Go back into the hallway- I’ll make sure the teacher doesn’t remember this.” I looked at him, confused and not-believing, but he was telling the truth. I didn’t know how I knew, but he was. He was… Him. He told the truth.

So I went into the hallway and waited until “Nicholas Collins” began talking to the teacher before walking back in, setting my things down without a second glance at him. Or a first, for the record. “Hello Dakota- where were you?” The teacher asked. “Fell out of a tree- got a concussion.” I explained, setting my books on the table. “That sounds like it hurts- I’m Nicholas, by the way. Nicholas Collins.” He introduced himself. “Dakota.” I said quickly, even though I knew he already knew- but the teacher didn’t know that I knew he already knew, if that makes any sense at all. “That’s a nice name.” He smiled flirtatiously, and I smiled unsurely in response. What the heck was he doing?

“Th-Thanks.” I stuttered, hoping he’d be in my domain today- I needed to actually talk to him normally and ask, oh, I don’t know, what the heck he was doing. Was he… flirting with me? This was a guy that I pulled out of my imagination, my dreamworld, flirting with me. And if that’s not strange, then I don’t want to know what goes through your head, ‘cause this is weird enough.

Nicholas Collins was assigned to sit next to me- I wasn’t sure if this was a good or a bad thing. Probably good, since we already knew each other (even though no one knew that we knew each other- and if we tried to explain, we’d be sent to an asylum) and could communicate somehow… if I wasn’t off dreaming. Then again, when I was in the hospital, he said we. Our kind. Not my kind or your kind, but our. Did that mean he had a dreamland too? A different one than mine, or the same? I didn’t know, and couldn’t ask now- class had started.

So I did what I did every single day- stared straight ahead and entered dreamland. If he wasn’t there, I wondered if he would notice that I wasn’t mentally in the room. If he was, I wondered whether I’d see him and if he, too, had some sort of façade to put on while he was in his/my dreamland. And if I didn’t see him but he went to dreamland, where did he go? Were there other dreamlands in the world, or just one big world that I had a part of? Questions, questions, questions.

“Hello? Are you here?” I ask, looking around to see if I could see him. Was he here? Was he somewhere else? Did he even know that I was looking for him? “Hey, Dakota.” I hear from the trees and turn to see him. “What are you doing here during class?” He jokes. “You’re here too.” I accuse, but I smile. “Yeah, good point. I guess I’ll fail the test.” He smiles as well. “So… ‘Nicholas Collins’. Where’d you come up with that?” I ask, raising my eyebrows. “Don’t know- they just told me it was my name.” He sighs, looking like he wants to be back with whoever they were. “And you’re not going to tell me who they/ we/ the other they are, are you?” I ask. “Nope.”

“Why are you being weird and flirtatious in… reality?” I ask, hoping reality is the right word to use. “I have to- I’m just doing what they told me too. Apparently I also have to ask you out… and tell you now that you have to say yes. They won’t even explain it to me, and I’ve been with them since they started.” He gives me a sad smile, but all I can do is stare. “You… me… no! Why? You know what, I don’t care why! No!” I yell, outraged. “Dakota, calm down- yelling’s not going to help the concussion. Listen- I don’t want to do it as much as you do, but they said so. Please. It’s for a good reason apparently… and I think I know why.”

At a look from me, he goes on. “I think it’s to make you seem vaguely normal. We don’t know who’s watching, and most people don’t just stare out a window all day. So I have to ask you out and make you more social so that they don’t suspect you. That’s just what I think though.” He looks at me nervously. “Well… when you put it that way… fine. But if we actually have to go on dates and stuff, can they at least be here?” I ask. “Well, I’d have to pick you up and everything, but if you want, we can just hang out at your house and come here- the Others can’t track us here for now.” He smiles. “Alright, fine- but not today or anything. That’d be really strange considering the fact that, in reality, we don’t know each other.” He nods. “I was thinking we could sit together at lunch to get some rumors started, and in about a week?” I nod as well. “Sounds good to me- the bell’s about to ring. See you next period here?” I ask, hoping that it’s true. “Maybe.” He whispers. “Just remember to hide the truth.” And again we whisper it together.

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Chapter Eight: Voices

The bell did ring, and I grabbed my stuff and started walking. I looked at Nicholas out of the corner of my eye- he gave a short nod, and I nodded back. It was so much easier now that I had a name for him- even if it wasn’t his real name, it was easier than calling him “The boy” or “he” or “him” or whatever other thing I could think of. I walked into Language Arts, still thinking about him as I set my stuff down. “Dakota?” Someone called my name- a voice that I didn’t recognize. So, basically, it was anyone but my family or Nicholas. I turned towards the voice to see a girl. I knew her by face, but didn’t know her name or anything. “Hello.” I said awkwardly. I had never done anything like this before- I didn’t talk much. “Hey. I’m Elizabeth. Anyway, I just though tyou might want to know- I saw that new boy in homeroom, Nicholas, staring at you.” Well, of course he’d be staring at me- he had to. And I had to reply correctly.

“Huh? Ooh, him. Yeah, I kinda noticed.” Or at least I should have guessed- he would do that, just to keep up the act. “I guess he’s kinda cute…” I hoped that was a good response. I didn’t really know what an average response to that was, since no one ever talked to me and I rarely talked at school. “Yeah, he is- but you can go out with him. I already have a boyfriend. Bye.” She walked out of the room, and I was now more confused than ever. See, this is why I wasn’t very social- people were utterly confusing.

I wake up in dreamland again, and Nicholas is already there. “Hey.” He whispers, and I smile in return. “How’s class going?” I ask as I lie down in the soft green grass. He lies down next to me, intertwining his fingers with mine. “There’s no one here, Nicholas.” I say, blushing a light pink. “I know- but I want you to be used to it so you don’t freak out in reality.” Oh, right. He seems to be really concerned over this, going far enough that we had to pretend in my little world. Well, it used to be my little world. Now it is his as well- or was he just visiting? As if it was my house and he was staying as a guest? It seemed as if this was more his world than it was mine, and that made me uneasy. I had created this world, but he had come into it against my will. But now? Did I really want him gone? He was the only person like me, the only one I could truly relate to. The girls at school, like Elizabeth- I wasn’t like them. He had explained that to me, that I wasn’t the same as them. Maybe the same on the outside, yes, but the inside? As different as a pear and an elephant

“What are you thinking about?” Nicholas asks, rubbing small circles on my hand. It feels nice in a friendly way, but it’s like he was trying to be my boyfriend. Which, then again, I guess he is. He had to play the part, so he was trying to practice. I might as well do the same. “You. Houses. This world. This girl from school that I couldn’t be less like. Pears. Elephants.” He laughs. “Excellent. My seeing senses are working perfectly.” I look at him with confusion as he chuckles. “What are seeing senses?” I ask, lying my head on his shoulder for practice. “I’ll explain later.” He whispers. “That seems to be your catch phrase.” I whisper back. He laughs. “I never have enough time. The bell’s about to ring again- time passes slower here.” And then we were bacdk in reality.

At lunch, Nicholas and I met up at the table by the window. “Hey.” He smiled as he set his tray down. “Hey.” I muttered back, picking at my food. Dakota, lift up your pizza if you hear me. I lifted my pizza slowly. “Is that you?” I asked Nicholas. He shook his head. “What happened?” He asked, looking concerned. “Someone, like, got inside my head and whispered ‘Dakota, lift up your pizza if you hear me.” His concerned face got even more concerned. “Oh, gosh that isn’t good. We have to go- now.” He grabbed my hand as I dropped the pizza I had lifted and pulled me out of my chair. “Hey!” I muttered softly. “Please, Dakota, just come with me. Don’t you trust me?” I trusted him more than anyone else in this world, and in the dreamworld… well, I didn’t know who was there so I couldn’t answer that.

“Yes.” I admitted. “Then just come on.” He pulled at my arm again and I followed where ever he was taking me. “Now, listen to me- you are going to go into the girls’ bathroom and focus very very hard on your dreamland. I don’t care how easy it is for you to get there, I was you to focus. And then, when you get there, find me. Okay?” I nodded as we reached the bathrooms. “I’ll see you on the other side Dakota.” He whispered, and let go of my hand, which was now tingling.

I walked in quietly, shutting the door to the stall and focusing on dreamland. I could see myself now- lying on the soft grass with Nicholas’ hand around mine. I put that image into my mind and focused on my being there… and there I was.

He is holding my hand again, and we are in the exact position we were the last time we were here- hands together, lying on our backs, looking at each other. “What memory were you thinking of?” He asks as he stands up, still holding my hand. “The last time we were in here together.” I admit quietly, blushing and looking down as I get to my feet “Gosh, you’re a strong one. To manipulate me… no wonder they’re trying to get to you.” He says under his breath, more to himself than me. “Dakota, listen to me again- run. I want you to run that way and try to find a tall office building. Tell them that the protector under the name of Nicholas Sparks needs assistance in reality. And if that voice comes back, don’t listen to it. If it tells you to keep running, that’s the only time that you should listen. If it says to say something, say nothing. If it says to touch a tree, don’t touch a tree. I’m going to go back to reality and see who’s been doing that. Now listen- you are physically here as well as mentally. You’ve basically disappeared off the face of the earth.”

So now it really was true. It wasn’t as if I had ever denied it, but if I had, I couldn’t anymore. It was completely and utterly, truly and really the absolute, complete, truth.

! D()|\|T L!\/E !|\| RE4L!TY

by **Jesus4Eternity** 5/17/2010, 9:59 pm

RESERVED

by **Jesus4Eternity** 5/17/2010, 9:59 pm

RESERVED

by **Jesus4Eternity** 5/17/2010, 10:00 pm

RESERVED- you may post

by **shadowsowner888** 5/17/2010, 11:19 pm

:33 Oooh, this is gonna be cool, I can feel it. I really like it so far!

by **Jesus4Eternity** 5/18/2010, 4:52 pm

Thanks, Shad! I'll write more soon.

by **Akeria** 5/18/2010, 5:10 pm

Oooh. This is cool. Very Happy

by **Jesus4Eternity** 5/18/2010, 5:26 pm

Gracias.

by **Jesus4Eternity** 5/18/2010, 8:35 pm

I wrote Chapter one! Very Happy

by amrgirl 5/18/2010, 9:38 pm

Ooh, this sounds good so far! I like it. Smile

by **Jesus4Eternity** 5/18/2010, 10:09 pm

Thanks! (: I hope to write more when more people read Chapter 1. Very Happy

by **rattyjol** 5/19/2010, 3:00 am

I love it so far! Very Happy

by **Jesus4Eternity** 5/19/2010, 7:53 am

Thanks!

I'll write more when I get home.

by **Akeria** 5/19/2010, 3:42 pm

Yay! Chapter one! More please.

by **Jesus4Eternity** 5/19/2010, 5:26 pm

I have to do homework... which basically means I'm going to procrastinate and write more.

by **Akeria** 5/19/2010, 5:38 pm

by Pandaz ♪ 5/19/2010, 7:04 pm

Holy Snickerdoodles! That's good! LOL.

by **shadowsowner888** 5/19/2010, 7:26 pm

:O Woah man. I need to know what's happening with Dakota! I can't wait for chapter two.

by **Jesus4Eternity** 5/19/2010, 7:34 pm

Akeria wrote:Yay!

Sorry, I'm trying to work my iPod and it's dying. >.> Technology repels me.

Kataangluver715 wrote:Holy Snickerdoodles! That's good! LOL.

Are you saying you didn't expect it to be good? xD

shadowsowner888 wrote::O Woah man. I need to know what's happening with Dakota! I can't wait for chapter two.

It should be comeing either today or tomorrow. (:

by Pandaz ♪ 5/19/2010, 7:43 pm

Well, yes, and no. Your excellent at literature, and when I saw this, I was all like, "Wow! This is gonna be good!" Then when I actually read it, I actually said out loud, "Holy Snickdoodles! That's good!" LOL. Seriously, though, it's fantastic!

by **Jesus4Eternity** 5/19/2010, 9:17 pm

Chapter 2 is up!

by amrgirl 5/19/2010, 9:21 pm

Yay! I like it! Smile

by IRuleTheWorld 5/19/2010, 9:21 pm

Good Amanda. Nice. Where did this little number come from?

by **Jesus4Eternity** 5/19/2010, 9:25 pm

The back of my brain. xD

BTW, I called you while you were at softball- I got my iPod to work. Wink

by IRuleTheWorld 5/19/2010, 9:27 pm

HA.

That's sweet. Smile

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