Stein's Little Lover

Jamie's Dream

Jamie opened his eyes and rubbed them. Where was he? What's going on? Once his vision was normal again he took a look around. He was shocked to see the place he grew up. Even more shocked to see people he'd not seen for years.

The people he loved the most in this world, his mother and father, were standing in front of him.

He had always told Crona that he had always lived in Death City, that he had lived there since he was little with his family, but the truth was he was born in London England when his parents were on summer vacation from their college studies. They were young, they were careless, but they always did what they could for their son.

Yuki was his mother's name, his father was John. He had a Japanese mother and an English father, that's why they named him an English name.

Jamie was raised by his parents until the age of six. He learned Japanese and English fluently, along with the cultures and customs of both countries. He was a happy, smart little boy at the age of six, but then it happened.

All of a sudden Jamie saw his mother, father, and his six year old self get into his father's car. He raced as fast as he could to get to them, to stop them, but it was as if he were a ghost. He couldn't touch them, his hands went right through their skin. Next thing he knew he was somehow inside the car.

Looking to his right he could see himself playing with little toy dinosaurs and dolls. That made him smile a bit, remembering the days when things were so simple. Then he froze. When they passed a store with an electronic sign telling the date, he saw it. March 13, 1999. That's the day when it happened.

"Please!! Stop the car!! We need to go home!!" Jamie begged but they couldn't hear him or feel when he was trying to touch them. He couldn't even be seen.

Before too long that all-to-familiar fight between his mom and dad broke out.

"We never have any money for anything Christmas this year for your son is going to be terrible because YOU don't work hard enough to bring in money!" his mother yelled at his father, making him snap back.

"At least I have a job Yuki. You've never had one, not as long as I've known you, and it was like you stopped searching when we got married! I'm sorry I could only find factory work when I have a business degree, it's not my fault!" And with that, Jamie knew it was over.

He looked out of the window while his father was distracted and saw the truck coming. An eighteen wheeler had lost control coming down a hill. Since he knew he couldn't be seen or heard, he just braced himself for impact.

"Three...two...one," and with that, the car was smashed into, sending it a good 200 feet from where it originally was. The truck was on fire and the car was totaled.

When he opened his eyes he noticed he was unharmed and outside of the truck. He had stayed stationary and the car had moved. He ran to the car as fast as he could and was mortified to be reliving this. His mother and father were dead on impact, and here he was still strapped into his booster seat crying out for them.

Jamie could almost remember the pain of the shards of glass in his skin, the burns on his back and his broken leg and arm. It was too real, and even more so when the paramedics came and freed him. He was even allowed to see his parents being placed in body bags, which had always haunted his nightmares.

~*~

"Jamie? Jamie!" Crona yelled as he shook him in his sleep. Slowly he opened his eyes and rubbed them.

"What's going on?" Jamie asked and looked at the clock on the wall. 4:15AM.

"You were having a bad dream or something you wouldn't stop crying and yelling. I ran in here and you were all curled up and I've been trying to wake you up for about half an hour." Crona looked down. "Must've been some nightmare huh?"

Jamie looked down, not wanting to look up. He was slowly remembering the things in his dreams that had made him so upset. "It was nothing...."

"It must've been something or you wouldn't be so torn up," Crona said, then Jamie sighed.

"If you really wanna know, I'll tell you..." Jamie looked down at his knees and wouldn't look up. "I haven't lived in Death City my entire life like the rest of the kids here. I lived in London England... I was born there, and raised until I was about 6..."

Crona looked at him in awe. He'd never been anywhere but Japan in his life. Jamie's story of living in a different land caught his attention.

"When I was 6...I was in the car with my mom and dad, they were arguing..Dad took his eyes off of the road when he was driving and an eighteen wheeler hit us from the side. I was the only survivor..." Jamie looked down and pulled his knees to his chest. Crona was absolutely stunned. "I lived in an orphanage until I was thirteen, and they helped me get my own place here. They figured it was best for me since I was born a human weapon and all..I can't complain, I love it here, and I barely remember England, but I do miss Mom and Dad sometimes..."

"Who wouldn't?" Crona piped up. "Only someone heartless wouldn't miss their parents if they were dead. I mean... if they were good to you, that is."

The room went quiet, but then Jamie put his arms around Crona. He smiled a bit and then burst into tears. It was the first time he'd cried with grief since he was little, and it was exactly what he needed.