Free-For-All Fiction Contest

It felt so unreal. Here I was, at Casey Leelson’s house, the most popular girl at Brenwood High School. It was something out of the ordinary for me. I had never gone to party before, let alone a high school party. Maybe I was starting to get some impulsiveness inside me. It certainly would show my mother.

“Blair…I just can’t allow you to go to this party. There’s a good chance there’s going to be alcohol and God knows what else there. Do you really want to ruin your reputation this---”

“What reputation, Mom? I’m just a nobody at that school. I’m nothing special, but this could be a turning point for me! Having Casey Leelson invite me to her end-of-year party is huge! Why can’t you just allow me to have fun for once!?” I screamed at my mother. I swear she just doesn’t want me to have a life. Maybe she’s the reason why I never get to go out.

“It’s not just that, Blair. I don’t want you to do something you’d regret” I heard my mother say, but I was starting to tune her out. She’s never irritated me this much before, which I found a little strange, but who said things always stay the same.

“I’m 18 years old, Mom! When will you stop treating me like a kid and allow me to make decisions and even mistakes on my own?! I’m not always going to be a little kid. Just leave me alone!”

Granted, I felt a twinge of guilt for sneaking out, but I didn’t care. This was going to be the best night of my life. I recalled the meeting Casey and I had had a couple days earlier. Actually, it was our only meeting throughout our four years at Brenwood…

“So, I was wondering if you wanted to come to my party? It’s the day before graduation, and I felt you were cool enough to get an invite.”

My brain went into 100% shock. But I knew that this was probably my last chance to show anybody that I was somebody as opposed to nobody. I played it cool as I responded to her question.

“Oh yeah, sure. I’d love to swing by your party. Just tell me the time, and I’ll be sure there.”

“Ok, that’s totally cool. See you Saturday!”

As I approached her house, it was unlike anything I had ever pictured before; it had at least 4 levels, multiple Roman-style columns lining the porch, and rich colors that I could see through the large picture window. I was mesmerized by the sight of this gorgeous structure of a house when I felt a hard hit on my arm. As I turned just slightly, the first thing in my sight was a pair of big, blue eyes.

“Blair? Wow, I can’t believe you actually showed up!” Casey said to me with a hint of shock and disbelief.

“Well, yeah. You were the one who invited me” I replied to her, slightly confused. She continued to stare at me, as if she was trying to figure something out. For some reason, it was like I knew what she was about to say but still didn’t want her to say it. Figures, I thought. Knew it was too good to be true.

“Sorry, I guess I’m shocked,” she continued as she twirled her hair with her finger, “because to be honest with you, I invited you as a joke. This guy that I’ve had a thing for dared me to do so…”

My mind drifted as she continued to talk. Part of me wasn’t surprised, but at the same time, I felt offended and hurt. It was only a joke? This was all done to impress a guy? What was that trying to prove, that she could ask a freak like me to her stupid party? I can’t believe I actually felt accepted for a minute. At least the good feelings lasted a couple days. Now it’s time to come back to reality.

“…no hard feelings, right?” Casey finished.

“Oh…ok. I guess I should be leaving then…” I replied, trying to hide the pain.

“That would probably be good, since it would look really bad on my reputation if anyone saw you here.” Casey answered, snootiness in her tone. She turned away and started chatting up with some other girls.

I spun around to leave but as I was walking down the steps, I had a bold thought. Forget about that bitch; I’m graduating in a couple days and was going to enjoy the time I had left in this area. I noticed the back door and walked toward it, entering without notice. I spotted a punch bowl filled with blue liquid, a tinge of brown in it. I know full well what was in that bowl, and I was going to have some. As I reached for a glass, I bumped into a slender red-head, nearly causing her to spill her drink.

“Watch where you’re going! Can’t afford to waste any of this!” she shot at me.

“Oh my bad. You’re absolutely right. We definitely can’t afford to waste any of this” I replied.

The girl gave me a funny look, followed by a deep chuckle. “I may not know you, but I certainly like your attitude. The name’s Chandra.” she said as she poured me a drink. She wrapped her arm around me, and guided me to the living room where an abundance of people were hanging out. Smoke lightly hung above us. Cigarettes…lovely, I thought.

“Hey! You listening to me, Woman?!” Chandra snapped me out of my thought.

“Sorry, just taking in the surroundings.” I know it was a lame reason, but I felt I had to give her some kind of answer. I took a sip of my drink, nearly spitting it out as it entered my mouth. It tasted like rubbing alcohol mixed with old pineapple juice. How could people drink this stuff? I managed to swallow it as I focused my attention back to Chandra.

“As I was saying, I’ve never seen you around before. You go to Hazelten?”

“No, no. I go to Brenwood. Same school as the hostess…but it turns out I was only asked as a joke.”

“Wow, what a whore. Hey, you should stick around anyway. Live a little. I could use another friend here. The only one I really know here is Russell.” Chandra started looking around for him. “Where is that sneaky bastard? He’s probably trying to find a guy to take home for the night.” She took a swig of her drink as she scanned the crowd.

“I’m sure he’s around here…whoa, wait? So, this Russell guy isn’t like, your boyfriend?” I asked. Before I turned to her for an answer, she disappeared into the sea of people, and I could only see the top of her fluffy, red hair.

This will be my first time meeting a gay guy. I wonder what he’s like. At Brenwood, I’ve never heard of anyone being homosexual. It was simply unheard of in the area. I wasn’t one to judge. I’m a big believer in doing what you think if right and living your life to the fullest. But I still couldn’t help but wonder what living that lifestyle was like. It seemed as if I was about to find out because Chandra had found her Russell friend and was coming back over to me. He appeared small in frame, but there were some serious muscles beneath his tight shirt. He had jet-black hair with a tinge of blue undertones; not to mention, he was unusually tan for this kind of year.

“Hey! As Chandra has probably informed you, I’m the infamous Russell she’s been talking about” he cheerfully said. “ I love making friends with new and fascinating people….Oh I’m sorry, Love. I didn’t catch your name…?”

“I’m Blair.” I answered him with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. I never did understand people who could be so cheery and happy all the time. Apparently, Russell was that type of person.

“Wow, that’s such a pretty name!” he replied, a huge smile still on his face. He whipped around to face Chandra. “You could have told me her name so I didn’t look like a complete idiot!” he playfully said, smacking her lightly on the arm.

“I’m sooooo sorry, Russ. She never said her name, so that’s why the lack of information.” Chandra said, taking another drink from her glass. “Hey, kids, I’ll be back in a minute. Going to get another cup of this exceptional drink.” she said, disappearing into the sea of people once again. Deciding to be polite, I turned to Russell.

“I take it you go to Hazelten as well?” I started off.

“Heck no! I wouldn’t be caught anywhere near there. I attend South Valley High. Great school.” he answered me. He then took out a small, silver flask from his pocket and took a big swig of whatever was in it.

“Stronger stuff in there, I take it?” I felt stupid asking it. Better to ask than assume, I always say.

“Oh definitely, Love. Whenever I attend parties, I bring my own stuff because I at least know what’s in the drink I have” he said, taking another shot.

“Here you go, Blair! Another drinkie for you; I noticed yours was empty.” Chandra took the glass I had been holding, which to my amazement was empty. Had I really finished off that nasty concoction?

“Hey, thanks…Wow, I can’t believe I finished that off! Wasn’t a huge fan of it to start with.”

“That’s the beautiful thing about drinking. Once you start, you keep having one after another..and then another. That’s when the real fun starts!” Chandra clinked her glass against mine and downed the whole drink in a matter of seconds. I followed suit, not noticing the burning sensation this time. Was this was it was like to get drunk? Wow…if it really was, I didn’t want that feeling to go away anytime soon. I felt so happy and free (not to mention the-don’t-give-a-s*** feeling). I felt Russell take my hand as we migrated to the couch. We engaged in a conversation about nothing and just enjoyed ourselves. This was the most fun I had ever experienced. I wished this night would continue forever. Out of nowhere, darkness started to overcome I think I’ll just take a little nap, I thought to myself as sleep came.

HAHAHAHA!! The loud laughter snapped me out of my blackout state. I turned to see Russell and Chandra still passed out next to me on the…couch? I stood up so quickly that I immediately regretted it. The alcohol was still in my system as I tried to regain my balance. Suddenly, I became aware of the fact that where I was sitting was definitely not the couch I had been sitting previously. In its place, there was a boulder in the shape on a couch. Where did the couch go? Who would go through the trouble of moving the three of us to take away the couch and put a rock in its place? From the corner of my eye, Chandra and Russell were starting to come around. In a matter of seconds, Chandra stood up and looked appalled.

“Who the hell knocked me off…what in the---” she stood up really quickly as I followed her gaze. Everything was dark and desolate. There were signs posted to encourage destruction, death, and all sorts of atrocious activities. There were pools of blood all around. This definitely wasn’t Casey’s house. What was all this?

“What is all this?! Is this some kind of dream?!” I was surprised to hear Russell. I had forgotten he was here. Where in the hell are we, I thought. Is this reality or is it just some really eerie dream? I was undecided as if I wanted to find out. Unexpectedly, I started to hear some weird chanting coming from behind us. We rushed behind the rock and saw a rather odd sight: an army of unusual-looking people, marching in perfect unison. They were covered head to toe in black and appeared to have various colors on their face. I took a second glance and noticed something I hadn’t before: they were dragging a person at the end. As this army of shady, sinister-looking beings marched through the broken town, people started emerging from all sorts of places. But instead of murmured talking and somber looks, a loud uproar surfaced throughout the spectators. My jaw dropped as these people cheered on. Why were they doing that? It’s completely immoral.

“Wow...we’re certainly not on planet Earth, are we?” The sound of Russell’s voice broke my hypnotized state.

“This is some pretty sick s*** we’re witnessing, huh? My biggest question is—how in the hell did we end up here?” Chandra stated, crossing her arms, and continued to scan the area.

“Yeah, I asked myself the same question, Chandra. Are you sure this isn’t some type of drunken state where we’re dreaming, but we assume its reality?” I directed at her.

Instantly, Chandra shook her head. “I’ve been inebriated many times, but nothing this bizarre has happened before. I’m still wondering as to how we’ve gotten here?”

Before I could answer her, I heard footsteps in the vicinity. The three of us whipped around and noticed nothing.

“Did you guys hear that?” I whispered.

“Oh, I definitely heard something. Thought I was imagining it at first, but at least I know I’m not crazy” Russell whispered back.

The footsteps sounded like they were getting closer, but we couldn’t see anything or anyone. Chills ran throughout my entire body, and I became paralyzed. God knows what that noise was. Suddenly, I felt as if I was being watched. I slowly made a 360, examining all of what I could see, and saw nothing. This place was starting to give me the creeps, and I started to wonder how we could get back to Casey’s house. At least everything there appeared normal and seemed safe. A large boom erupted from beside us, shaking the ground beneath. The three of us rapidly turned toward the direction of the explosion and without delay, I could see a white and red haze coming straight at us. What the hell was happening?! My brain became void of all thought, but before we completely vanished, I witnessed a pair of reddish-yellow eyes (which held a glimmer of delight) staring back at me, as if they were mocking me.

As my eyes opened to the smoke-filled room, I violently lurched forward and took in my surroundings. Chandra and Russell were beside me with similar expressions. We were back at Casey’s party. So, it was all a dream? A really psychotic, peculiar dream?

“Hey! What just happened?” Russell asked me while rubbing his eyes, “What was that place? Not to mention, how did we get back here?”

“Wait a second. I wasn’t the only who dreamed that?” I answered.

“I don’t think that was a dream. I think we stumbled upon something rather…strange.” Chandra responded as she stood up and searched the room. Pretty sure she was checking to see if we were really back where we were supposed to be. She grabbed the nearest person and badgered him with several questions.

“What are you talking about, lady? You three had been passed out here on the couch the whole time. If anything, it was pretty amusing---”

“No! You don’t understand! We had gone somewhere else, somewhere that I know was NOT here. Everything was dark and twisted. It was really messed up!” Chandra retorted, her voice rising at every sentence.

“Just what’s going on here?!” I heard a familiar voice. Uh oh. Casey was coming and she didn’t know I was still here. Had to make my exit before she arrived, but it was too late; she had spotted me, her face turning into a nasty scowl.

“Blair, what are you still doing here? I thought we agreed that you’d leave and that would be the end of that! Get out of my house right now! And take this trash with you!” She spat at the three of us and pointed at the door. Everyone stopped talking as they watched the scene unfold before them. People began to whisper and point fingers. I started to feel the look of a thousands of eyes staring at me.

“Who’d want to stay at this crap-shack anyway? Come on, guys, let’s leave the little princess and her trashy party be. We have bigger things to worry about anyway.” Chandra stated as we started to make our exit. No sooner than we had taken two steps, Casey shouted to us, “What bigger worry?! Like your mommies and daddies yelling at you for being somewhere you shouldn’t have? What a bunch of babies…”

I whipped around and started to say something, but Russell spoke before I did.

“You know what? You wouldn’t begin to imagine what we saw, so how about you just go back to your little party and forget we even showed up?” He then took Chandra’s and my arm and marched out the front door. I took one last glance back to see some guys staring at us. A chill ran through my entire body; something about them didn’t set right with me.

“Hey! You forgot something!” one of the guys yelled at us, and when I turned around to see what it was he wanted, the scene was completely unreal. We were back to that place, the place in my dream, as well as Chandra’s and Russell’s dream. How did we end up here? Maybe I had more to drink than I realized. I took note of the setting. The three of us were in a downtown-looking place. Beside us was a bleak, dark building, horribly slanted, ready to collapse at any second.

“Please tell me we’re still in blackout mode.” Chandra spoke quietly. I turned to face her, and her eyes held fear, something I didn’t except to see. It was weird; I had just met this girl a couple hours ago, but it felt like I’d known her my entire life. It alarmed me to see fright in her eyes.

“Pretty sure we’re not, Chandra” I answered. I looked back at Russell. He seemed to be in awe about the whole thing. Walking toward him, I placed my hand on his shoulder. It brought him back to reality…or lack of reality. “How you holding up?”

“You know, I’m really not sure how to answer that.” he stated, then continued to look around.

“Maybe I can help you with all the questions you have.” a voice broke in.

I turned around and came face to face with a man dressed in black apparel. His face had multiple scars, but he had various colors on his face to keep the scars mostly concealed. This man looked familiar, but I couldn’t place who he was, or how I knew him.

“Who…who are you?” I asked meekly. Part of me was afraid of him because of his sudden arrival and because of his strange appearance and aura.

“I’m M. Dawson. Do not be afraid. I know that is hard to say because of how things are set up, but you really are in a good place.” he answered.

“Where exactly are we, Dawson?” Chandra cut between us and got right up into his face.

“It’s M. Dawson, and your location is where you’ve always lived. In Brenwood, Washington.”

“Well, somehow I highly doubt we’re in Brenwood. Have you taken a good, hard look at this place? Everything’s broken and in s*** condition. So, how about you tell us where we really are instead of playing games with us?” Chandra shot back at him. I didn’t blame her; I couldn’t believe this guy either. I had grown up in Brenwood my entire life, and there was nowhere that looked like this.

“Maybe we are in Brenwood, Chandra. Just a different part of it. A part no one has seen before…”Russell trailed off, his voice abnormally high. I turned around to face him and something felt very wrong. He had his sight fixed on this Dawson guy. Normally, I’d dismiss any kind of weird thinking, but I didn’t know what to think about anything anymore. It seemed like as if anything was possible. What had come over Russell?

“Russell, come on! I really doubt we’re in Brenwood…Hey, what’s the matter with you? Russell?” Chandra walked up to him and stared back at him. The moment she moved in front of him, Russell tilted his head slightly, returning his gaze on M. Dawson. That chill was coming back. What was going on?! Why was Russell suddenly acting so weird? It was almost as if he was…No! I pushed Chandra aside for a second and got right into Russell’s face, snapping my fingers by his eyes.

“Hey! Come on, snap out of it!”

“What’s wrong with him?” There was a hint of concern in Chandra’s voice. I knew exactly what was going on, but I didn’t want to say it in front of that guy. “Hey, M. Dawson?”

“Yes, my dear?” He replied. I didn’t know what he was up to, but he did. All I sensed was that it wasn’t good at all. Something really bad was about to happen. But what was it…or better yet, when? “Could you give me and my friend a moment please?” I pointed at Chandra.

“Oh, of course. Take all the time you need.”

Grabbing her arm, I drug Chandra as far away from earshot of this guy as I could, but still kept Russell within sight. “I don’t know how it happened, but somehow, Russell is under some sort of hypnosis.” Chandra went to open her mouth, but I cut her off, “I know it sounds really crazy but I realized that it happened the second that guy showed up. He was completely fine before and once this Dawson guy arrived, Russell hasn’t taken his eyes off him. There’s some really weird s*** going on here, and we have to get to the bottom of it.”

Chandra looked toward Russell, who started chatting up with Dawson, and her look of worry became one of determination. “You’re right. There’s something severely wrong, and it’s time we shut down whatever it is that’s happening. I just hope we can bring Russell back to normal.”

“You ladies doing ok? Hope I didn’t scare you or anything.” Dawson spoke, walking toward us.

“Oh, we’re doing just fine. No need to worry.” I had to lie. For the sake of us all. Who knows what was happening, but I really didn’t need to get this guy upset. Something about him wasn’t right with me, and Chandra was starting to get the same idea.

“Somehow, I seriously doubt that.” Dawson appeared beside us instantly, a cross look on his face. “You weren’t thinking of going anywhere, were you?”

“Of course we do! We want to get the hell out of here and away from creeps like you!” Chandra snapped as she took my arm. We started to back up step by step.

“Well, it’s too late for you to go anywhere now…the fun’s merely beginning. Seize them!” Dawson shouted. In a matter of seconds, Chandra and I were surrounded by at least 20 of the people in black cloaks. They had the same various scars on their faces, in addition to different designs of color to cover the scars. Turning to face Dawson, I noticed those reddish-yellow eyes looking at me. He was the one who had seen us last time. Now he was getting revenge for us stumbling upon this…place. I opened my mouth to let out a scream but was instantly muffled.

“This is all for your own good” were the last words I heard from Dawson say before I felt something prick my arm.

It must have been hours later when I finally came around. As I tried to get up, I couldn’t move an inch. My eyes shot open, there I was, tied down to a table. Immediately, I started to struggle against my bonds. What was going on? Why was I tied down like this?

“You’ve come to already? I’m not surprised.” A voice broke the silence.

I turned my head to see Dawson, with 6 others following behind. All I could do was stare at them. One of them that looked familiar. I gasped when I realized it was Casey Leelson. Another one was Harry Pines, one of the guys that was part of her little group at school. Why were all these people here?

“Casey? What the hell is all this? Where am I!?” I shouted to her. She appeared beside me and smacked me across the face.

“You will address me as C. Leelson. First names aren’t necessary here.” she spat. “To answer your question, this is your future, Blair. Something that has been in the works for months. You are located in our secret base, just outside of town. All the weird things you’ve been experiencing—the blackouts, the dark places, all of it—are just part of how we plan things when inducting a new member. We want you to join.”

“What have you done to my friends?!” was the first thing on my mind. I was more concerned about where they were as opposed to the stuff Casey and the others were spewing at me.

“We’ve really done nothing. They just merely accepted their fate in becoming part of the CPL’s” M. Dawson stated calmly.

“What in the hell is CPL?”

Dawson merely chuckled as he answered, “I bet you would love to know. But I’m sorry, Blair. That’s strictly information for members only. You may think we’re a secret organization. We have our own beliefs and practices. Probably to you, we are considered a cult. We prey on those who seem…different from the rest of society. Those who stand out from the rest of their peers. People like you, Blair.”

“Tell me something I don’t know. I’ve always known I was different. But really, why are you doing this?”

“Because we believe that it gives people the opportunity to feel accepted for who they really are. There’s no need to wear a mask anymore.”

“Couldn’t there have been a more normal way to do this? Instead of kidnapping people, drugging them and forcing them to become part of who you are?” I was becoming fearful. Why me? Or Chandra? Or even Russell? What did we really do to deserve this?

“I wish there could be an easier way, but if we just went up to people and asked them to belong, they’d run away and involve people that don’t need to be. It’s the easiest way.” M. Dawson shook his head before walking away from me.

“You two! Get them ready for the Initiation!” he commanded.

As these people (if I could even call them that) carried my friends up a long flight of stairs, they placed them in elegant looking chairs and strapped them down, I felt helpless. There had to have been some way for me to break loose. I stopped struggling as the two members Dawson had spoken to took out some bright, blue liquid. They poured it into a goblet, and mixed it with some kind of purple powder. Beneath the cloak, I could see one of them flash a sinister grin. What was in that glass? Continuing to watch, they started to pour the liquid concoction down my friends’ throats. The second that liquid touched their lips, their skin started to turn pale and sickly looking. I knew now what was going on. These people were killing my friends so they could become one of them!

Before I could scream for them to stop, Chandra and Russell had finished the concoction. Instantaneously, both closed their eyes and slumped forward. They remained still as one of the cultists checked for pulses, and without saying a word, he nodded to one of his comrades and walked away. Two more members cut my friends down and took their bodies elsewhere. It was that moment I knew my own life was coming to a close, but I continued to hang onto that small hope. I saw Leelson kneel down before me. I never expected Casey to belong to some kind of sadistic cult, but I guess anything can happen. Expect the unexpected. That was my new motto…if I lived long enough to live by it.

“Why are you fighting this, Blair? Don’t you want to become one of us? We merely tricked your friends into thinking they could be, but we only did it to get closer to you. Chandra and Russell were never cut to be part of this glorious gathering. They weren’t as inspiring or intriguing. Just accept your fate, and things will gradually become easier.”

“I’m fighting this because I will never become one of you! I’d rather die than be a part of something that’s inhumane and disgusting!” I screamed at her, continuing to thrash. Maybe if I kept moving, the rope would come lose, and I’d have some kind of chance.

“I’m so sorry to hear that, Blair. Such a pity you’d rather die. Well, we can arrange that.”

“Go ahead! Spare me of this horrendous lifestyle!”

I saw her shake her head and her eyes water a little. Was she really about to tear up? All because I didn’t want to join her and the CPL cult? Well, she’d just have to get over it.

“Once again, I’m so sorry it had to come to this, Blair. I was confident you would have been an exceptional member of the CPL’s. If only you would have made it easier on yourself and just given in. Just like how your friends did. They sacrificed themselves to become one with us. Now we have to do this the hard way.” Casey stated unemotionally as she got up and drifted toward the crowd. She whispered to one of her members, then pointed at me. I was helpless. I really wish I could have helped my friends. I let the CPL’s get to them before I did. I had plenty of time, so why did I waste it? I made the wrong assumption that I had less time and now it’s too late. They were gone. I let them die. God, if only I had listened to Mom…then I wouldn’t be in this mess.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of something shiny. I didn’t need three guesses to figure out what it was. Since I wouldn’t join their little cult, they were going to execute me and throw my body into some wasteland where it would be forgotten. Directing my gaze upward, I saw Casey(or Leelson as she was referred to now) sharpening the blade. In one quick motion, she plunged the knife into my chest.

I expected to feel pain, to feel my blood run out of my body and onto the table. But I didn’t feel a thing. My eyes fluttered open, and I could see that I was in my bed. I jumped out and checked my body for where they stabbed me. But there were no marks anywhere. What the hell, I thought. I’m pretty damn sure they stabbed me. Where did the marking go? Is this another sick ritual done by that cult? Why were they continuing to torture me like this? After they had killed Chandra and Russell…why?! I never fully understood why they wanted me to join. It seemed random. My thoughts were interrupted as my phone vibrated on the nightstand. Slowly, I walked toward it and saw that Casey calling me. I hesitated before answering. What if this was another trick designed by them? Wow, I thought again. This is silly, just answer the phone.

“Hello?”

“Blair? Hey, I know it’s early, but I was wondering if you were still coming to my party tonight? It’ll be a great time.”

Her party? What was she talking about? She already had her party! Did she enjoy torturing me like this? What was her motive? I had so many questions for her and didn’t know where to begin. I had to get to the bottom of this.

“What are you talking about? You already had your party! Then you tricked me into joining your secret cult where you kill people if they aren’t up to your standard. So, cut the crap, and tell me what you’re really calling about? What more do you want to do to me?”

There was a long pause at the end of the line. “Wow, you really are a strange one. I questioned myself as to why I invited you, but I felt I should give you a fair chance. I’m assuming all this cult talk is just a method of anxiety. Not to mention, I would never be a part of something so disgusting and distasteful. But back to the previous matter. The party really is tonight. Check the calendar.”

I turned to look at my calendar. May 16. The day Casey’s party was supposed to occur. Or was that what she wanted me to think? I flipped the TV on and turned to the Weather Channel. I don’t know why this is, but they always seemed to have the time. May 16, 2009. So this wasn’t some trick by the CPL’s. If that really was the case, I should strongly consider cutting back on Stephen King before going to bed. But that wasn’t the case at hand. Should I listen to my dream, or should I just go along with it? I mean, after all, having something that off-the-wall couldn’t possibly happen, right?

Another thought hit me. Were Chandra and Russell just part of my dream, or do they really exist? They were the only real friends I had. Part of me hoped that they were really out there, and that I could meet them (under better circumstances, obviously). After taking a moment to argue with myself, I decided that it ought to be safe to go to a party, where there would be a lot of other people.

“Yeah, you’re right. I’ve been busy with a lot of stuff and been getting my days mixed up. Of course I’ll come to your party. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Great! I can’t wait to see you there. I’m pretty sure it will be a night you won’t soon forget.”