Chapter 1: The Dream
The first time I dreamed about him, I thought it was just another strange dream.
The second time, I remembered his smile.
By the tenth, I knew the sound of his laugh.
And after hundreds of nights, I knew him better than anyone I’d ever met.
Every dream began differently, but somehow it always ended the same way.
“See you tomorrow,” he would say with that familiar smile.
“Tomorrow,” I’d answer, even though I never questioned why.
The dreams felt too real to be dreams. I could feel the warmth of the afternoon sun, hear the leaves rustling above us, even smell the rain after a storm. When he laughed, I laughed too. When he reached for my hand, it felt as natural as breathing.
I never knew his last name.
I never knew where we were.
But I knew his eyes, the tiny scar above his eyebrow, and the way he tucked his hands into his pockets whenever he was nervous.
Then, just as I always did...
I woke up.
The shrill sound of my alarm dragged me back into my bedroom.
I stared at the ceiling for a long moment, letting the dream fade like mist slipping through my fingers.
“Same dream,” I whispered to myself.
Again.
The dream was already gone by the time I opened my eyes.
That happened a lot.
I could remember waking up with a strange feeling, like I had just finished something important, but the details always disappeared the second reality came back.
So I stopped trying to remember.
Some things were better left as dreams.
My alarm blared from the other side of my room, forcing me out of bed. I reached over and turned it off, staring at the ceiling for a few seconds before finally sitting up.
“Another day,” I mumbled.
My room looked exactly how I left it the night before.
Books stacked on my desk. Clothes I promised I would put away. Photos hanging on my wall from moments I never wanted to forget.
It was messy, but it was mine.
I liked things that way.
After getting ready, I headed downstairs, already knowing what I would find.
My dad was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the news on his phone. My mom was making breakfast while singing along quietly to a song playing from the speaker.
She always did that.
She would deny it if anyone asked, but she was terrible at remembering lyrics.
“Morning,” I said, grabbing a glass of water.
“Morning,” my dad replied.
My mom turned around with a smile. “You slept in again.”
“I did not.”
She looked at the clock.
I looked at the clock.
“...Okay, maybe a little.”
She laughed. “One day, you’re going to wake up early.”
“Maybe tomorrow.”
“You’ve been saying that for months.”
“And one day I’ll mean it.”
That was my family.
A little chaotic.A little annoying.
But mine.
School was exactly how it always was.
The same crowded hallways.The same teachers reminding everyone about homework.The same people rushing to class five minutes before the bell rang.
I liked knowing what to expect.
There was comfort in routine.
I met my best friend, Lily, by our lockers before first period.
“You look tired,” she said.
“Good morning to you too.”
“I’m just saying.”
“I slept fine.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You had another weird dream, didn’t you?”
I paused.
Lily knew me too well.
“Maybe.”
She smiled. “Knew it.”
“It’s not a big deal.”
“Sure.”
I closed my locker. “It isn’t.”
And honestly, it wasn’t.
Not anymore.
Everyone had weird dreams sometimes. Mine were just... a little more interesting than most.
But dreams stayed dreams.
Real life was what mattered.
And my real life was pretty good.
I had friends I trusted, a family who cared about me, and a town where I knew almost every street by heart.
I had my favorite café where the workers already knew my order.
I had the park where Lily and I spent hours talking about absolutely nothing.
I had the library corner where I went whenever I needed some quiet.
I had a life I didn’t want to change.
After school, Lily and I walked home together like we always did.
We talked about everything and nothing.
Upcoming tests. Random school drama. The future.
“You ever think about leaving?” Lily asked suddenly.
I looked at her.
“Leaving where?”
“Here.”
I glanced around at the familiar streets.
The houses. The trees. The places I had walked through a hundred times.
“Not really.”
She smiled. “I knew you’d say that.”
“What about you?”
She shrugged. “Sometimes. I think it would be exciting.”
Maybe for her.
But I liked knowing where I belonged.
I liked having a place that felt like mine.
When I got home, I kicked off my shoes and dropped my bag by the door.
Everything felt normal.
The same as yesterday.
The same as every day before.
Which was why I noticed immediately when something felt wrong.
The house was quiet.
Too quiet.
“Mom?” I called.
“In the kitchen,” she answered.
I walked in and immediately stopped.
My parents were sitting at the table.
Both of them.
Waiting.
A nervous feeling settled in my stomach.
“What happened?”
My mom smiled softly, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“Come sit down.”
I slowly sat across from them.
“You’re making me nervous.”
My dad looked at my mom before taking a breath.
“We have something to tell you.”
I waited.
I thought about all the possibilities.
None of them prepared me.
“We’re moving.”
For a second, I didn’t understand the words.
Moving.
Like changing rooms.
Like rearranging furniture.
Not leaving.
Not starting over.
“What?”
My mom reached across the table and held my hand.
“It’s a really good opportunity. Your dad got a new job offer, and we think this could be good for our family.”
I stared at them.
“When?”
“Soon.”
Soon.
That one word changed everything.
Suddenly, the house didn’t feel as familiar.
The kitchen didn’t feel the same.
The life I had always known felt like it was already slipping away.
My town.
My school.
My friends.
Everything I loved was somewhere I was about to leave behind.
And just like that...
My ordinary life wasn’t ordinary anymore.
