Fragmented Dreams

Chapter 5: Bully for You

I was alone in a small room, deep in the castle. Even though this was my childhood home everything felt twisted and different. I was waiting for him to return as I sat atop a plush bench, leaning deeply on a window ledge. I was dressed in my nightgown which was made of layers of white silk organza, the pieces always reminded me of flower petals. The fabric flowed and spilled across my legs and down onto the floor. I gazed lovingly at the moon, high in the night sky. No matter where I traveled, I could feel it's power and presence. I could draw strength from the moon and it calmed me.

I hummed softly to myself tracing the edges of the stones that surrounded the window's ledge. There was a clicking sound behind me as the door was unlocked. He's back! The door swung open and I turned to greet him. Suddenly there was a loud ringing noise.

The sharp trill of the school bell roused me from my slumber. My eyes flew around the room, searching for my grandfather or Casimir. I was lying down on a bed in the back of the Nurse's office. The lights were off but the sun filtering through the blinds illuminated my surroundings. The clock read twelve noon. The bell I heard was for the lunch break. I slid my legs off the bed to touch the floor. I couldn't believe I slept for almost three hours. I felt almost rested. Most of all, I wondered what this new dream was about. I almost never had new dreams. It was so clear, like a long-forgotten memory. I almost wished it had continued. As I pondered my new dream the nurse bounced into the room.

"Oh! You're awake, that's great," Nurse Johnson chirped. With a flick of her hand, she turned on the harsh fluorescent lights. I squinted as she walked up to me. "Wrist please."

I obeyed and raised up my arm so she could take my pulse. I waited until she had finished before opening my mouth. "How did I get here?"

"Oh, you passed out on the bench just outside," she replied. "That new boy carried you to the bed. Your pulse was a little fast, but nothing else seemed wrong with you." Nurse Johnson took out a notepad from her scrub pocket and scribbled a quick note. "Your grandfather said you hadn't been sleeping very well this past week. He seemed reluctant to take you home, said you've missed too much school already. So, I decided to watch you for a bit and call him if anything changed."

I was still stuck on the idea of Casimir carrying me to bed and I'm sure my cheeks had gone a little red as a result. I felt bad for worrying my grandfather. He was right to leave me here as I would have protested going home greatly if I was awake. I honestly didn't think I was that tired but apparently, I was wrong. I stretched my arms over my head and yawned deeply. The nausea I had experienced earlier seemed to have vanished so that was one good thing.

"May I return to class?" I asked, watching Nurse Johnson finish her notes. She pursed her lips together.

"How long have you been having problems sleeping?"

I knew she meant well, but I didn't want to discuss my insomnia with anyone at the moment. Long ago I had put my trust in the medical system, only to be greatly disappointed. I wasn't sure how much longer I could scrape by with my current routine as I knew lack of sleep did terrible things to my body. I just wasn't ready to start wasting my Grandfather's money on expensive scans and tests again. I plastered on a fake smile and stood up.

"I'm fine. I am working on it with my doctor," I said. This usually got people to leave me alone, but from the look Nurse Johnson gave me I'm not sure she believed me.

After a pause, she sighed and waved me off. "Okay, fine. You go back to class and I'll call your grandfather to let him know you are okay. If you need to go home early just let me know."

I was being dismissed so I politely thanked the nurse for her help and went on my way. I could hear the dull roar of students in the cafeteria coming from down the hall. I knew Zola and Sunita would be waiting at our regular table, worried no doubt, but I had to make a quick detour back upstairs before I could join them. I had left all my belongings back in the classroom during my rush to get to the nurse's office. I planned on snagging my stuff and shooting a quick text to my grandfather as soon as I rescued my phone from my backpack.