Hanging With the Senior Boys

XIII

"Hey babe."

"Hey Levi."

"I'm sorry I didn't ask you over for Thanksgiving yesterday, it was just really crowded, and I thought you already had plans."

"It's fine."

He sat in the living room, my parents were gone to work already. He ran his hands through his hair, and laughed afterwards, "I need a trim."

"I guess."

"Do you think I look better with long hair?"

"I don't really care."

"Yeah, but you'd have to have some take on it."

I decided to get straight to the point, "Levi, is there anything else you wanna tell me? About anything."

"What? No."

"Really?"

"Why?"

He chuckled at the end of his question. Humoring me.

"Because you remember; I mentioned Robert to you and you had like a little joke or something about him. You laughed and sighed. Almost like you knew something before something happened."

"Yeah. I do know Robert, and I know how much of a he player is."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because. That's not my place to eat him out. Your friend has to find that out."

I said nothing; that was all I needed.

"You should go Levi."

"What? What happened? I just got here."

"I know, but my parents are gonna come home soon, and you should go."

He hesitated in his answer, thinking it over. He had no choice but to accept it, "Okay."

I walked him to the door, he met me there first, and I let him out.

"Love you," he said.

"You too."

And I was left to consult myself. I didn't question much. Was I overreacting? What had I even proved? Maybe nothing. I just need to clear my head. Lay down a bit.

Seeking refuge in cold water, I took a cool shower, letting the stream purge the troubles from me. Hopefully at least. I walked into Alice's room, sitting down on the bed. Maybe I could control it and didn't, or I couldn't control it but tried. Either way, I cried on her pillow. If anyone were to ask why, I would say I was crying over her. But in actuality, I was unaware of the reason myself.

I fell asleep on accident.

For the second time she crossed my dreams again.

Snow covered the streets on this freezing cold night. There were no buildings, no stars, no street, just snow trickling down and an ambient light. Something told me to walk, as if I were going to see something. My footsteps sounded as if they were heels walking on bare glass, but I was bare-footed, and I couldn't feel any surface beneath the snow besides snow. I was freezing, but my feet were unharmed by the temperature. The landscape was vast as snow, and seemed to be never-ending. I stopped walking then, and looked around. Then the snow stopped falling. It froze in place mid-air, and a hurricane gust blew all of the snow away. Afterwards, everything was clear, and she stood there. It was clear. I can't explain what that means, but there was no color there was no physical shape, or anything besides her.

"Wake up."

And I did.

And I sat on her bed, and did nothing else.

"Sweetie?" Mom said.

"I'm fine."

I walked out and closed the door. What did it mean? What did anything mean actually? We didn't die like they were so scared about, and we were now back home and nothing changed. Nothing was found. Just suspicions. I grabbed the nearest jacket and went outside into the actual snow; into the world were there was actually a sun instead of nothing providing light. A place were there were buildings, and two people walking, and things could be made sense of. Not like stupid dreams where there was nothing in them. From the corner of my eye I caught a figure walking up the street. I chose not to acknowledge it for the time being.

"Lexi," she said.

"Serena."

"I thought that it would better for me to tell you in person that I was sorry."

"Yeah. It helps."

"So are you still mad?"

"Not at you, or anyone I can think of. Just the emotion itself."

"Seems like the early snow has given you a poetic outlook on life."

She chuckled as she sat in the chair next to me. I chuckled as well, staring at the sky, "I guess so."

"Can I go in? It's freezing."

"Sure."

She walked into the house, and my parents greeted her. I remained outside, staring at the sky, thinking about what was clear. But then the epiphany came to tie both dreams together.

And it was all clear to me.

I ran into the house, tripping over my own feet and stumbling to the ground nearly when I finally got in.

"She's not dead!"

"What?" Dad said.

"She's not dead!"

"Honey, she's buried. She's gone."

"The casket was closed! They're hiding her!"

"Sweetie that's not possible," Mom added.

"Yes it is! The dreams! They've been saying that I have it all wrong!"

"What dreams?" Mom continued.

"I've been having these weird dreams about her, and I think she's trying to contact us. She's in trouble!"

They both remained silent, giving each other glares.

She's lost her mind.

I know, but what are we gonna do?

I don't know.

"Don't you guys believe me?"

They still said nothing, and their silence was enough for me. I ran out of the house.

"Lexi!" Mom called.

I ran out of the yard and down the street as fast as I could. They tried catching up to me, but it was hard trying to catch a varsity track star.

"Come back here!" Dad said.

I kept running. My feet slapping the pavement in long distant strides. I wasn't running anymore; I was flying. Did I know where I was going? No. Did that stop me? No.

I just kept running, running until I couldn't hear their voices anymore, running until the answer came to me, running until I got to Levi's house. Levi wasn't who I wanted to see.

It was his brother.

Maybe he didn't want to say anything last time, but this time he had no choice.

She wasn't dead.

Anastasia knew it, that's why she's dead.

His brother was next, if he wasn't the one hiding her, and I had to get to him first.