𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌𝐒

Chapter One

I sighed, opening the door to my school, instantly being thrown into a crowd of students, all trying to move at once where there was no space. I dodged past everyone, holding onto my bag so that I didn't lose it in trying to spot my friends.

I was part of a group of five, including myself—we're great. They grinned at me and I saw a hand reach through the crowd to me. It was Caleb, and I grabbed onto his hand so that he could pull me through the crowd.

"Wow," I said, breathing out, "that was a mission." Following procedures, Alex pulled out her mirror and angled it my way. I sighed, calming my hair down and wiping away smudges in my makeup.

"Does my makeup look okay?" Alex asked me, flipping the mirror around and glancing into it.

I nodded, "Yeah–"

"Come on you idiots, you look fine," Sighed Noah, who walked right through Caleb and I, breaking apart our proximity.

"'Fine'? What do you think about that, Caleb?" Alex asked tauntingly, throwing me a covert wink. I rolled my eyes—she'd never stop insinuating that Caleb had a crush on me, would she?

Caleb never responded, but Alex made me look at his flushing face a couple of times as we made it into our registration room. We took our usual seats at the back—all on one square table; Caleb and Alex usually took turns sitting next to me but, aside from that, it was all the same. This day, Alex and Hailey insisted that they sit together, leaving Noah with an empty seat beside him and Caleb next to me.

Our teacher called the register as Hailey and Alex laughed at something on Hailey's phone.

"What is it?" I asked them, raising my head from where I had it rested on my school bag, my eyes heavy and tired. They say that dreamless nights of sleep are the ones that leave you most tired. Those are the kinds of sleep I usually got.

They giggled, exchanging glances before flashing the phone at me. Great, another meme they've made out of my face.

I groaned, letting my head fall back down onto my bag. That didn't stop them from laughing, and Noah and Caleb joined in for a few moments. I drowned them out as my body suddenly began to feel heavy.

"Another bad night's sleep?" Caleb asked suddenly, moving my hair so that I could see him. Startled, I rose instantly, nodding.

"Wow, your past life must've had some scary stuff going on," Alex said, losing her attention on Hailey's phone. I hummed and nodded—they thought that my nights were full of nightmares,  it was better that way; the alternative was way worse. I didn't dream at all.

"Maybe they were in the war," Hailey suggested, scrolling through her phone.

Noah pulled a face at her, "Are you stupid? Our timelines don't sync up with theirs."

She threw a spiteful look his way, not liking being challenged. "It doesn't have to be World War Two, you idiot, and anyway, they kind of do if they lived a long life."

"Well, wouldn't you be able to tell, Issy?" Alex asked, making me open my eyes and blink. "What happens in your nightmares?"

I straightened, lips parting. Nothing. Nothing happens at all. But I couldn't tell them that. I shrugged, "It's hard to tell, maybe a war, maybe just a very dark mind,"