It was a bad idea to fall asleep on the bus.

In my defense, I was up late studying. Well reading, maybe it happened to be a fantasy book. Okay, I stayed up past the appropriate time for a fifteen-year-old, meaning not sleeping at all because I had to finish my book. It was a good book, okay it had demons with annoyingly good looks, even though they were supposed to be the bad guys. It had my mind scrambling all day at school, I had barely been able to think about anything else. 

So in my defense, I had a reason to sleep on the bus. Was it the best decision? No. Do I still regret it to this day? Absolutely. I will never truly know what would've happened if I had slept through the whole night, or at all for that matter. Would things have been different? I will never know. 

Now, this might have thrown you for a loop. What was I talking about? Was I insane? What book was it? All very good questions that will be answered shortly. I believe the best place to start would be right before I fell asleep on the bus. 

*** 

The sound of screaming teens was an impressive amount of noise for those waking up before seven. Though it was doing absolutely nothing for my already pounding head. My brother John, was trailing behind me, trying to cram his neck to meet his friends' gazes. 

His annoyed huffs could barely be heard over the screeching, but he managed to get his point across. With his other annoying remarks on how I could hurry up if I moved my legs faster, or if I hadn’t eaten that extra slice of pizza last night, maybe he’d be able to move around me. 

It was too early to move fast and most definitely too early to argue with him. Stepping as quickly as I could on the crowded bus over people's bags and ‘designer’ shoes. At the last stretch of the bus, he didn’t waste his time and just managed to squeeze around me. 

Plopping myself a few rows behind them, I laid my head on the window of which I had just barely managed to snag. The fact it had yet to be taken as a blessing I could only dream of.  The screaming never lessened anywhere on the bus, but if you closed your eyes, you could pretend the teens were burning, and it became slightly more bearable. Like they were being punished and had finally gotten what they deserved. 

I had no friends that rode on this bus, well the one friend I did have. She chose to walk, she didn’t think my outlet of thinking the kids were burning was very helpful, or a normal way to cope with the noise. Sometimes we walked together, though it was usually planned, and not on a day when I hadn’t slept at all the night before. 

Sighing, I opened my eyes to the blurring images of houses passing by. My mom always said to look out the windows when you're driving, you never know what you might see. Even if it was simple like an elderly lady walking her dog. She always said how those little moments were little windows of other people's busy lives. 

Right at this moment it just made me wish I was anywhere but on this bus, with its crowded quarters, and head-pounding noises. I would even give up my entire, limited edition Zamira’s quest book set, just to be the old lady with a rat-like dog. 

My thoughts were becoming more scattered as the moments dragged on, my sleep-deprived mind was slowly catching up to me. The next time we stopped at a red light, I searched for a street name. Finally, I found a corner with the words Oak Wood Street printed on it, with a rack of my brain I estimated we couldn’t be longer than twenty minutes away from school. 

Perfect amount of time to take a quick nap, then wake up for the day ready and recharged. Or at least feel a little less dead, and not like I could go on a murder rampage with little remorse. That would be ideal. 

My head bounced against the window again, the little bumps in the road were making falling asleep a difficult task. Yet, it didn’t seem to be impossible, because before the bus could pull away from the street sign. I was out like a light. 

***

Usually, I can’t think when I am asleep. However, this time I was feeling everything, seeing the puffy world fall around me. My hands felt the clouds, their silky texture spread through my fingertips. I heard the wind stream through the air, I felt almost weightless. 

It took me only three seconds to realize that this wasn’t normal, and five to start screaming. I really was weightless, there was nothing above or below me, I was in the middle of nowhere. 

Then my stomach dropped like I was on a rollercoaster, and I felt myself falling. I was streaming through the air, feeling the wind surround my body, lifting my unbrushed hair. My throat was becoming hoarse from my screeching screams, almost matching the kids on the bus. 

Soon I realized two things, first that I was facing the ground, second, it was coming closer to me quickly. Or maybe more likely I was coming toward it. I closed my eyes again, bracing my body for the impact. 

None followed, I still felt weightless. I started counting. 

One second. 

Two seconds. 

Three. 

Four.

Five. 

I risked opening my eyes, the ground was right there. Less than an inch away, and yet I was floating. Hanging above the blades of grass, with one brushing against the tip of my nose. 

Extending my hand to the grass, it felt unnervingly soft, fake. My breathing hitched, what was going on? 

A moment ago I was falling asleep on the bus, then  I almost fell to my death from hundreds of feet up! Crazy thoughts filled my head, though they couldn’t seem to be much more bizarre than this. 

The bus had fallen off a cliff and I was dead. Someone had thrown me off the bus and I died. I ate something that had poisoned me and it killed me. Okay, most likely I believed I was dead. 

“You’re dreaming.” a voice whispered, I hit the ground. Groaning, I shifted to sit up, trailing my eyes around the entire landscape. It was a hilly area, with a cerulean sky with nearly nothing else in sight. Except for the small man sitting a few feet from me. I jumped to my feet, stumbling back in shock, looking him up and down. His beard was long, reaching the ground by his feet, which grossly had no shoes on them. The cloak he was wearing was almost as blue as the sky, even with the minor clouds floating atop his sleeves. 

He didn’t seem very offended that I had jumped away from him, but he did set his hand down atop the grass where I was just sitting. Looking back at me, he smiled sadly. I noticed he was very old. 

“Bye, my dear. I will see you at nightfall. Please don’t be afraid, the stars will call your name.” he whispered, the words carrying through the air. They seem to be the only thing that I could hear, and the only thing I could feel. 

Then I woke up. 

And all I could hear was the screaming kids. The intoxicating smell of the bus made me tear up, although I couldn’t remember the last time I had even noticed it.

I was startled awake, sitting up in the uncomfortable bus seat. There was no one next to me, yet every other seat seemed to be occupied. The school was in front of the window, I must have been asleep for twenty minutes at most. 

It had been a dream. A weird falling one,  with a creepy old man. That was it, it was just a dream, nothing more, nothing less. Letting out a small breath, I tried to calm down before the bustling bus doors opened. Regulating my beating heart rate, and attempting to ignore the blood thumping through my ears. 

My head was pounding even harder now, the confusing thoughts on what just happened were not helping. I ran my fingers through my hair, hoping the soothing movement would make me feel more comfortable. It didn’t work well, I still felt slightly queasy. 

It was just a dream, nothing else. 

***

I would have liked to say the day went by quickly, and I was home before I knew it. But for some reason, the universe didn’t want to cooperate with me today. So instead, I was stuck with my best friend being homesick, my bully tripping me within the first ten minutes of school, and then falling face first in front of my crush, then failing my math test. 

So all in all, this day was not adding up to be anywhere near perfect. The tiring walk back to the bus seemed to be the best part of my day. Maybe even the best part of my week at this point. 

I paid no attention to the other people on the bus, my brain was working solely on the nap of twenty minutes. My limbs felt they weighed a hundred pounds each, and sitting down was worth the walkover. 

I let my head fall to the headrest, my exhaustion winning over every other reasoning. As tempting as letting my eyes droop shut, the ugly reminder of the dream was still stained in my head. The idea of falling asleep was becoming more of a nightmare by the minute. 

Soon I remembered every detail of the dream, almost like I was reliving it. A shudder went through me as I recalled the old man with the twelve-foot beard. The terrifying warning making a cold chill run through me. 

“The stars will call your name,” I whispered to myself, shaking my head at the oddness. My brain really was capable of thinking up the creepiest of things. Diving through my thoughts the entire ride home, and I came to one conclusion. 

I was not going to sleep tonight. I would stay up, read, write, do practically anything, but I was not going to go to bed. 

The house was silent, I tried not to focus on the stiff air. My mom wouldn’t be home for hours, and my dad left us when I was four. I passed the living room and saw my black cat perched on the couch. Basking in the sun taking a quick cat nap. 

I wish I could do that. 

Why couldn’t I? 

After all, it was just a dream, nothing more, nothing less. 

So, final decision, I would be taking a nap. Just a quick one, just so I can sleep decently tonight. I reached my room and grabbed the most comfortable sweatpants I could find and slipping those on just before I climbed into my bed. 

The covers were welcoming, making my eyelids droop shut. My breathing becoming steady, my head slowing. I fell asleep. I fell back into the puffy world. 

*** 

This time I wasn’t as scared, it seemed to be almost familiar. The feeling of falling was still odd and made my body lurch. Though I was facing the sky, and I watched as the clouds became smaller as I traveled lower. 

Before I reached the ground I slowed, never coming to a complete stop, but slowing. I recognized the feeling of my limbs, and my mind working through what had happened. I wasn’t as startled when I saw the old man perched on the rolling grass. 

“Hello Darling, welcome back,” he whispered, I vaguely noticed that his eyes were a light shade of violet. This time, I didn’t hesitate with my questions. 

“Who are you? Where am I? What is going on? Am I dreaming? Are you-” 

“Your dreaming that’s all.” he softly said, his quiet tone was annoyingly comforting. 

“So that’s it,” I whispered, plopping myself feet away from him. 

“Did you want more?” he asked, softly gazing toward me.  

“I don’t know,” I admitted. 

“Is there anything you do know?” 

“I know it was a bad idea to fall asleep on the bus,”