The Mind Games

18

I pull my body away from the little girl as fast as possible. My head swims with gray clouds and I struggle to tell if this is the real world or just a memory of a time...

I listen for everyone to leave, and yet I continue to hide, I want someone else to come out first. I feel something, something I'm not familiar with... I feel... Empty... Hallow...

"Okay! You can come out now!" Grandma calls for everyone to immerge, and we all squeeze out of our tiny hiding places...

"Grandma," I say, feeling weak and small, "I... I'm not feeling too well... Could I go lay down?"

"Of course! Here! You remember where the bedroom is?" Grandma looks concerned, but I nod because I actually do remember.

I walk myself down to the bedroom, where I find Maddie sitting on the bed with her legs crossed and a book in her lap.

"Oh, hey. I didn't know you were in here," I say, my words are sloppy and loose.

Maddie looks up, slightly started, "Akh, vy menya napugali."

I blink. Was that... Russian?

I stare at her, and she repeats herself once more, "Vy menya napugali."

"I- I don't understand," I confess. Sorry for being normal. Okay- I'm not normal, but that's just a weird.

"Oops! Sorry! I was reading in Russian. You startled me," Maddie fingers the page of the book she's on, silently debating whether or not to fold the page. Don't do it, don't do it.

Maddie folds the corner of the page, and I scream silently. That- that will be the death of me.

"What were you reading?" I ask, peering at her book.

Maddie holds up the book, which cover has soft blue and green pastel colors, "Russkiye skazki."

I look at her again, with a cold blank stare signaling my confusion.

"That's 'Russian Fairy Tales for you English speakers," Maddie says smoothly, a cocky smile spreads across her face.

"Oh, well, sorry for not speaking every language on the face of the earth," I throw my hands in the air dramatically and turn to pretend I am leaving.

Maddie laughs, "You look tired, Andrew. Come lay down for a little bit. I'll leave."

I shake my head and I sit down on the bed. It makes an awkward sound as the springs complain, "No, no. You don't want to go out there. Everyone's a mess."

"Alright," Maddie says as she pulls open the book, "Can I read you one of the stories?"

I nod as I lay flat on my back, my head propped against two pillows.

"Tam kogda-to byl kozel. Fermer skazal: "Billi koza, khuligan kozel, gde ty byl..."

Maybe it was the fact that she spoke words hat made zero sense to me, or maybe it was the exhaustion from earlier, but I was out before she finished the sentence. I am not fortunate, I dream regularly, and ironically, quite vividly.

This proves to be a problem because I can't ever tell when I'm dreaming in a dream. At what point do reality and dreaming bleed together?

Some pulls something attached to my leg, and I fall. I land in something I am not familiar with.

It cushions my fall, but not in a pleasant way. I'm wet.

I can't swim, I'm drowning.

Through the panic, I hold my breath. The water settles out as I accept my death, and I see a face.

The person stands over me, arms crossed, in a white shirt. Light caramel hair- He has smile lines, and seems as though he is a happy person. I wrack my brain, as I extend a hand for him to help me, as I fall deeper and deeper in the water.

The crystal clear water only magnifies the blow that hits my heart, as I watch the stranger uncross their arms, and walk away. My lungs pulse and throb, and the corners of my vision become back until there is nothing but the dark to look at.

"HEY! Andrew?!" Maddie screams at me.

I stare blankly at her, "Yeah, yeah I'm good."

"ANDREW?! ANDREW SAY SOMETHING!" Maddie screams, looking panicked, she swings her head to look at the person in the doorway.

Cole stands in the doorway, looking equally as horrified as Maddie.

"What are you talking about? I'm fine," I shrug it off.

"Andrew? What are you doing...?" Cole's voice is distant. Fearful almost.

Then it occurs to me that I hadn't said anything the whole time. It's so hard to switch from dreaming to reality quickly.

"I'm fine. Sorry- just a weird dream," I focus on the words, to make sure they actually emerge from my mouth this time.

"Dude, don't scare us like that," Cole leans against his hand and picks at the white paint on the threshold of the door.

"S-sorry," I can't bring myself to look at my friends. I'm dangerous. I could hurt them someday.

"Can... Can I just have a couple of minutes to myself?" I ask meekly.

Maddie and Cole nod, and with a lingering gaze from Maddie. When she leaves, she doesn't shut the door all the way, which drives me crazy. So I get up and shut it myself.

The door clicks, and I return to the bed. Do I... Do I know those people? How come they seem so... Familiar? Were they Grays still trapped in the lab? People I once knew? My subconscious trying to clue me in on something?

I hear a door open, followed by the jangling of metal keys, and shortly thereafter 'ooh'ing and 'aww'ing.

I want the jangling to stop, so I rise off of the old mattress to investigate the source of the sound.

The first thing I see when I open the door is a smiling Thal, and everyone huddled around a black mass of the floor.

"She's so cute!" Kayla coos.

"What's her name?" Naomi giggles as she pats the top of the black mass.

"Her name is Saddie, and she's 14 years old," Thal grins, and pets what I assume to be a dog.

"Hey, there's Andrew. Wanna come see?" Cole invites me over to pet the dog, "It's Thal's."

"Eh, Andrew. Calm," Ember says, putting her hand up, "Calm."

Somehow, Ember could since my fear of the dog. I'd never had good experiences with dogs. As a child, I was always chased by small white dogs... Hey! Stop laughing. That's a real thing!