"Hey Jessie," Darlyne said as she approached her friend.   Jessie looked over her shoulder to see what today's clothing fashion was.  Darlyne had decided to go for the 'free-agent' look with a black skirt and a red short sleeved shirt that ended slightly above her belly button.   Jessie turned back to her locker and waited for Darlyne to relay the latest gossip. 

"There's a new kid at school.  Liz saw him in the office getting his schedule.  She said he's like, really cute.  Isn't that just so cool?"  Jessie stared back at Darlyne with a very sarcastic 'I'm very interested' look.  Every new boy was "really cute" for about a week and then it was on to something else like the latest clothing trends.  Just makes you feel welcome to know that you will be last weeks news.

"Oh ya, I forgot you don't like boys," Darlyne said teasingly.

"I do." Jessie countered, "I just . . ."

"Hey Darlyne, Jessie, have you heard?  There is a new boy in school.  I heard from Jamie, who was told by Missy, that Becca had told her that she saw him in the office and that he is so hot.  Can you believe it?" Marnie said interrupting Jessie.  Somehow whenever there was any good gossip Darlyne was always the first to tell Jessie.  Just as she would finish Marnie would come prancing up and tell them the news like they were both ignorant of what was going on.  This made it so that Jessie always knew the latest gossip within minutes of the event that caused it.  On top of that, it was drilled into her head twice.

What is up with these two and guys? Just because he's cute doesn't mean he's Mr. Perfect, Jessie thought as she grabbed her Language Arts book out of her locker.

"Jessie you still don't have a boyfriend, do you?  Well I have the perfect solution. I'll . . ."

"Not a chance Marnie, you are not sending me on another one of your blind dates.  Not a chance."  Jessie clearly remembered the last blind date that Marnie had sent her on.  The guy was drop dead gorgeous.  He would have been perfect if the only thing on his mind hadn't been bedding her.  They had been at a party way out of town; when he realized that she wasn't interested in his idea of a date, he left her there with no ride home.  Her parents had scolded her about that one.  She wasn't even suppose to be out that night.  What a mistake that had been.  She had learned her lesson and learned it the hard way.

"C'mon Jessie, It'll be fun," Darlyne said deciding to team up with Marnie.  Jessie was trying to not yell at them for being such air heads.  She knew that they were doing this just to annoy her.  This made her all fidgety and without realizing it she had started playing with her bracelet. She didn't notice it until the clasp came undone and the bracelet fell to the floor.  Jessie reached down to pick it up while Marnie and Darlyne were deciding where would be the best place to go on a date.  When Jessie reconnected the clasp and stood back up they both gave her an expectant look.  Did they really think that she was going to go along with this little scandal?

"There is no way that I am going to give into you two.  No is no and that's fi  . . ." Jessie stopped mid-word as the new kid walked down the hall.  Jessie stared at the tall red haired boy as he walked past.  In one hand he held his schedule and with the other he held onto his black leather jacket that was slung over his shoulder.  They weren't kidding when they said he was hot.  He was the most gorgeous guy she had ever seen.  He was a little over a half foot taller than her.  His eyes meet hers as he scanned the hall searching for his homeroom.  His eyes seemed to linger there for a moment and then went on scanning the rest of the hall.  Jessie felt like her heart had stopped.

"I told you he was cute," Marnie said looking back at Jessie who was now in a complete daze.

Have I gone crazy?  Jessie thought.  I could have sworn that I have seen that boy before, but where?

"Earth to Jessie.  Snap out of it girl.  Remember you don't like boys." Marnie said mockingly at Jessie.  Jessie turned around and shut her locker and then looked over to Marnie.

"I never said that I didn't like guys.  I just haven't found the right one."  Boy was that right.  Just because she was gifted with good looks and an unusual color of red hair, every guy in school wanted to date her just to say he had.  A gift or a curse, she couldn't decide.

"Hurry up you two, or we'll be late again."  Darlyne said already half way to the door of their language arts class.  The minute bell sounded as they walked into class.

"Class I would like to introduce you to our new student.  This is Krys; he just moved here.  Krys, why don't you take that seat next to Jessie.  Jessie raise your hand please." Jessie slowly raised her hand at the teacher's request.  Her heart started to race as Krys started to walk toward her.  I just know that I have seen him somewhere before, but I have never been away from here.  Maybe I saw him earlier this week.  No, I definitely would have remembered meeting him.  Jessie continued to think of where she might have seen him before, but she just couldn't figure it out.

"Hey Jessie, it's time to go."  Jessie startled as she realized that class was already over and Krys was gone.  She and Darlyne were the only students left in the room.  She quickly got up and headed for her next class. 

Her next two classes went by very slowly and she was relieved when lunch finally came around.  Jessie meet up with Darlyne and they headed for their usual table.

"Guess who has our lunch?" Darlyne stated more than asked as they sat down.  "Your lover boy!" she said before Jessie had a chance to guess.

Oh great, it's his first day being here and she has already declared us as an item.  What is a poor girl to do?  Jessie knew that Darlyne wasn't going to leave her alone.  Just because she showed a little interest in a guy Darlyne was ready to ring the wedding bells.  Maybe she'll drop this in a few days, just like she's done before.  I hope. 

Out of the corner of her eye, Jessie saw Krys as he sat down on the grass under a tree.  He opened his backpack, took out a book, and started to read.  Jessie, being an avid reader, was wondering what book he was reading, or at least that was the excuse she was giving herself for looking at him.   Maybe by finding out what kind of books he likes to read, she could get to know him better using the ploy of discussing a book or an author.  Who knows, it may work.   Jessie couldn't make out the title of the book so she asked Darlyne if she could.

"Nope. I can't make out even one word of it.  What, are you actually interested in a guy?"  Darlyne sat her sandwich down and faced Jessie.  Jessie flushed slightly but regained control fast enough that anyone without a trained eye for these thing wouldn't have noticed.  Unfortunately Darlyne was one of those with a gift for seeing these things.  That was how she became the top and most accurate gossip in the school.

"It just looked as if it was an interesting book and I wanted to know what it was." Jessie didn't want Darlyne to know that she actually was interested in him.  If Darlyne found out, it would be spread across the whole school in ten seconds flat.  That is what happened when Jessie had confessed to actually liking Joe Darth in kindergarten.  After Darlyne announced this to the whole class the poor boy became so embarrassed that he peed his pants.  Jessie was embarrassed for him when everyone started laughing.  She felt so horrible for causing this that she had to go hide in the corner of the room to keep from crying.  Luckily they both got over it and they still laugh about it.  The funny thing is that Joe and Darlyne are now dating and have been for the past year.  Another lesson Jessie had learned; don't tell Darlyne or Marnie anything that you don't want the whole school to know.  Her interest in Krys was something she wanted to keep to herself.

"Where are you going Darlyne?" Jessie asked as Darlyne got up from the table.  Darlyne took the time to straighten her skirt and fix her hair before answering Jessie.

"To ask him what the title of his book is," she answered with a smug look on her face.  Jessie knew all to well what that look meant.

Oh great, she is going to ask him if he'll go out with me. Jessie started to get up but Darlyne pushed her back down.

"I'll be back in a minute," Darlyne said as she started walking over to where Krys was sitting.  As soon as Krys saw her coming, he quickly put the book in his bag and got up to leave.  Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough and Darlyne started her interrogation.  It seamed to Jessie that Darlyne was taking an extremely long time just to ask him what he was reading.  She started to get up to go over and see what was taking so long (and to make sure that Darlyne wasn't trying to set her up on a date, again) when a fight broke out at the other side of the cafeteria.  Everyone turned their attention toward the fight, except Jessie who was still watching Krys as he slipped away without even Darlyne noticing.  As the fight grew the other students, including Darlyne, went over to see what was going on.  Jessie decided to follow Krys and find out where he was going.

When Jessie rounded the corner of the building Krys was nowhere in sight.  Where did he go?, Jessie thought.  There were no doors to go in and she wasn't far enough behind him to give him enough time to run to the other side of the school.  Even a star athlete wouldn't be able to do that.  Jessie was baffled.

Jessie turned around and walked back to the table to get her things.  She could tell that the fight was over and the two boys that had been involved were being towed away to the office.  All of the students slowly migrated back to their tables and acted as if nothing had happened. Jessie quickly ate the rest of her sandwich and then went to the library to check out a new book. 

The rest of the day passed very uneventfully.  Jessie had almost forgotten about her very fast passed morning.  The bell rang signaling the end of the day.  Jessie got up and went to her locker.  After switching a few books from her back to her locker and vise versa, she walked briskly out of the school building and started walking home.  The town she lived in was small.  Many of the students at her school lived within walking distance.  She was one of those students.  As she walked down the sidewalk she mentally made note of all of her homework for the day.

"Hey, wait up Jessie," came a voice from behind her.   Jessie turned around to see the tall dark haired boy running to catch up with her. 

"Oh, hi Billy," Jessie said as she slowed her pace to allow him to catch up with her.  "I'm sorry I didn't wait for you.  My brain is a big bowl of mush right now." 

"Isn't it always?" he asked her mockingly.  She punched him lightly in the shoulder.  He acted as if it really hurt him and stuck out his tongue at her.  She just smiled and kept walking.

"Did you see the fight today?"  He asked almost out of breath.  They continued walking along the sidewalk that led to their houses.

"I sorta missed it," she answered.  No, I was busy chasing boys.  "What was it about?"  She wasn't really all that interested in it but it was easier to listen to Billy than to Darlyne and Marnie and she knew she would be quizzed on it.  If she didn't know what had happened Darlyne would figure out what she had been doing instead.  Better to know what happened and fake it.

"I'm not sure.  All of the sudden Jack punched Scott for no reason, and Scott fought back.  Some people say that Jacks eye's turned really dark before he hit Scott.  It was really weird.  Anyway, did you meet the new guy, Krys?"

Did he really have to bring up that subject?

"He's in my Language Arts class," Jessie said.  After a moments hesitation she continued. "The funny thing is, I could swear that I've seen him somewhere before."

"How about every time you look in the mirror," Billy said jokingly.  "You and Krys look a lot alike.  You both have the same color hair and you have similar facial features . . . " he said counting each similarity on his fingers.

"Hey, Billy." she cut him short changing the subject.  "Since we have the same Language Arts teacher, can you tell me what we did in class today.  I sorta phased right through class."  Billy nodded his head as they continued walking.

"How do you manage to phase through class's so many times?  You phased through geography last week and through math the week before."

"I can't help it.  One minute class has just started; the next class is over."  If she knew how she managed to phase through class she would chose which class the phase through more carefully.  When she phased through geography the teacher had asked her a question and she didn't even know he was there.  He had been standing right in front of her and she hadn't even noticed him until he hit her desk with a ruler.  The whole class was laughing at her.

"I'll never understand you.  As soon as I think I know you, you go and surprise me." 

How could you understand me if I can't even understand myself?

They talked about a few minor things like homework and the weather until they reached their houses.  They stopped to say their good byes.

"Mother invited you to dinner if you would like to come," Jessie said as they were about to depart.  She didn't know why she bothered telling him since he had come over for dinner every Friday night for as long as she could remember.

"That would be great.  Do you need help with your Algebra homework?"  Billy had a smirk on his face knowing what the answer would be.

"Oh, but of course Mighty Mathematician.  How could I ever live without it?"  Jessie said striking a dramatic pose with her hand on her forehead as if she were about to faint.  She and Billy started laughing.  "I'll see you at dinner," she said waving goodbye.  She watched as Billy walked to the next house down and went inside. Jessie sighed and finally went into her own home.  Nobody else would be home for a few more hours so she went up to her room to start reading the book she had checked out of the library. She became so absorbed into the book that she didn't hear her father yell for her to come downstairs.  She did hear him the second time.  She placed her bookmark in the book and headed for the hall.

The aroma of fried chicken hit Jessie's nose as she reached the stairs.  The aroma was coming from the kitchen; it was dinner time.  Every Friday evening they had some type of chicken dish; sort of a tradition.  Billy was already in the kitchen helping Jessie's mother with the meal.  Billy's father didn't cook dinner much and his mother had died when he was only two.

"Jessie," her mother called from the kitchen, "go and help your father set the table."

"Yes Mother," as she reached the bottom of the stairs.  She took a sharp right and headed down the hall to the dinning room.  It was a beautiful evening and Jessie was high spirited.  She had been so caught up in the book that when her father interrupted her in the middle of a festival scene, the mood stayed with her.

Jessie entered the dinning room.  A round table with four chairs around it stood in the center of the room.  The table had a green table cloth over it and two candles in sterling silver holders were on either side of the centerpiece.  The centerpiece was a wooden sculpture of two small children, a wolf, and a falcon that Jessie had carved earlier in the year.  She looked above the table to see the beautiful glass chandelier.  To the right, the fire place was giving off a soft glow.  It was picture perfect.

"Can you please get the silverware, Jessie?" She turned around to see her father still in his work cloths and with an arm load of plates and cups.  Jessie smiled examining her father's face. He had the most beautiful blue eyes that went perfectly with his black wavy hair.  She had always wished that she had gotten his blue eyes instead of her mother's dull brown.  Well, her eyes weren't really brown they were more of a hazelish-brownish-green color.  It all depended on her mood.  Right now her eyes were closer to green than anything.  Jessie walked over to the cupboard that held the silverware while her dad set out the plates and cups.

The table was set and dinner was on its way to the table.  Just another day at the Allen residents.

***

After dinner, Billy and Jessie headed for her room.  Jessie sat on her bed while Billy sat at her desk.

"Alright," Billy said as he took his Algebra II book out of his bag.  Jessie got hers form her bag and set it on the bed next to her.  She looked over to her pillow where the book she had been reading was sitting.  She wanted to find out what was going to happen to the heroin.  Billy shook his head.  "No play until the homework is done," he said trying to imitate Jessie's mother.  Jessie returned her gaze to Billy.

"But Mother," she wined.  They both started laughing.  "Okay, we are on chapter 4, lesson 2," she moaned.  Jessie and Billy both picked up their books along with paper and pencils.  They worked on their math homework for about a half hour until it was finished.  Jessie put her stuff back into her bag.

"Do we have homework in L.A.?" Jessie asked Billy.

"We have to write a 10 lined rhyming poem.  It's due Monday."  Jessie rolled her eyes.  She may love to read but she hated writing.  Jessie yawned.

"You tired?" Billy asked.  Jessie shook her head no.

"I didn't get much sleep last night," she responded in the midst of another yawn.

"Are you having those weird dreams again?" Billy asked.  Jessie glared at him which was the answer to his question but he wasn't satisfied.   "If you are," he continued, " you should tell your parents or a councilor.  I don't think it is natural to have the same dream every night for two years.  I thought they went away."

"Yes I am, no I won't, and I lied," she replied firmly.  After a moment she continued, "I'm not telling any one.  If I tell my parents they will think I'm crazy and send me to a psychiatrist or something.  If I tell a councilor they will tell my parents.  It's just a silly dream anyway.  Maybe it'll go away in time," she said while looking at her feet.  She started playing with her bracelet again and went into a sort of trance like state.  She came out of the trance when Billy placed his hand on her shoulder and forced her to look at him.

"Jessie, it has only gotten worse over time.  And you know it scares the shit out of you.  I promised you I wouldn't tell anyone and I will keep my promise, but I think you need to tell someone."  The strong concern in his voice was evident to Jessie even though she was willing herself not to hear it.  She just wanted to be left alone about this.  It was her problem, not his.

"You sound like a girl!" she yelled at him.  "I'm not going to tell anyone, and I'm starting to regret I told you."  She was getting very annoyed at him.  Why had she told him in the first place?  In hope that by telling somebody about them that they would go away?  Well, they didn't, and she was accepting the fact that they might be with her for the rest of her life.  He had no business interfering with this.

"I'm just concerned for you.  Don't you remember when they first started?  You were scared to death.  You had to tell someone.  You were going so fast down hill that everyone thought you were going crazy.  You were in so much pain and I'm glad you told me.  After you told me about the dream and we talked for awhile, you were able to get on with your life.  If that is beginning to happen again, we need to talk.  This dream is no passing matter."  Why doesn't she listen?  Does she realize that her phasing out could be because of these dreams?  They are dangerous to her.  Billy was about to continue when Jessie started talking.

"Your right; they do scare the shit out of me but I can't tell anyone else.  Lately when I wake up I can remember bits and pieces.  But I can't fit them together to tell me why I get so scarred."   Jessie really didn't want to talk about the dream any more so she tried to change the subject.  "Are we going to Pete's tomorrow?"

"Yes, and don't try to change the subject."  Billy was getting angry at her.  He calmed himself down before he started to speak again.  "What do you remember from the dream?"

She hesitated a moment not wanting to bring up the images and feelings again.  "I . . . I  remember a palace . . . but there is a sense that the walls are alive . . . like a plant or something.  I remember two young children wearing green.  I remember lots of screaming and crying. There was blood.  And two men grabbed the children.  One of the men was hurt.  They opened this portal-type thing and the injured man and one of the children went through it and that's when I wake up."  Billy pulled Jessie over to him so that she could rest her head on his shoulder.  She was silently crying.  The images kept running through her head over and over.  She still couldn't make any sense out of it.

They where both silent for what seemed like hours.  Billy finally took his arm away from around her shoulder.  She lifted her head off his shoulder and looked into his eyes.  Was she seeing fear or sympathy in them? It was hard to tell.  Billy stood up and packed his books back into his backpack.  "If you remember anything else please tell me.  I'll see you tomorrow at Pete's."  He got up and left Jessie to herself and another night of horror.

End Chapter 1

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