Forced to Sleep

"This is… very unexpected from you." said Ms. Jackson as she read over my paper. She set it down on her desk atop of the many other papers students handed to her before leaving to go to their homes for the summer. 

     "I just did what I was assigned." I stated, as I lightly tapped the end of my pencil against my thigh. 

     "Yes, but you know what I mean." She said, rolling her eyes at me as she pushed her deep black hair behind her ear. "We both know that you always do great on assignments, even though you show little-to-no interest in them. I guess you could say I'm just surprised that your interest would be placed into dreams." 

     I lean back in my chair, scratching the side of my neck with my right hand. "Well… I'm pretty sure everyone wonders about dreams. Besides, it's only natural that I have at least one thing that I'm interested in." 

     Ms. Jackson sighs, annoyed at my downplay of her surprised reaction. She takes her glasses off, beginning to clean them with the hem of her grey shoulder cut sweater. "Look, all I'm saying is that I'm glad you have something that piques your curiosity. It's good to know you aren't just a robot who only does what she's told." 

     "Gee, thanks." I say, removing my hand from my neck, resuming the pencil tapping. My bright blue eyes briefly glance at the stack of papers on her desk, and then return to Ms. Jackson's face.

     She chuckles slightly as she puts her glasses back on, leaning forward as she rests her arms on her desk. "Lighten up, I'd like to see you smile at least once before you graduate tomorrow." 

     I blush slightly as I look away, tapping my pencil on my thigh a bit faster. "Not happening." The door catches my attention as I think about how much I want to avoid this conversation. 

     "Oh my gosh, is that a blush I see? So you do have emotions!" She exclaims, leaning forward with a playful grin as her hair slips from behind her ears.  

     I blush slightly harder, turning to face her. "Of course I have emotions! I just don't see the point in showing them." 

     Ms. Jackson leans back in her chair, sighing softly. She picks my paper back up, briefly looking it over. My blush goes away pretty quickly as we sit in silence until she sets the paper back down. 

     "I just wish you would open up more, maybe then I would understand you better. I know that you think hiding yourself from the world is easier than putting yourself out there and being rejected, but one day you'll find that it's not a very fulfilling life." She says with a soft and calming tone, her gaze worried and caring. 

     The tapping of my pencil stops as I look away once more. I've had numerous people tell me the same thing, but they mainly did it out of annoyance. Ms. Jackson sounds as if she truly cares for me and my future. Maybe that's why my thoughts are so conflicted right now. I can't bring myself to say anything back, so I give her a small nod as I turn to face her once more. 

     She smiles softly in response to my nod, resting her head in her hand. "Just think about it, Yume. You may go now." 

     I get up out of my seat to leave, putting my pencil in my bag as I put the straps over my shoulders. As I begin to walk out of the classroom with my head down, I stop and turn around. "You know… I'm going to miss you." I hesitantly admit. 

     Ms. Jackson smiles warmly as she stands up, walking over to me and giving me a big, warm hug. "Awe, I'm going to miss you too." 

     I hesitantly wrap my arms around her. After a moment or two, I tighten my arms and bury my face in her shoulder. As I do, I notice just how much taller she is than me, how soft and warm her embrace is. I tighten my arms around her, burying my face even deeper within her shoulder. We stay like this for nearly a minute, neither of us wanting to break contact. I then let go and take a step back, a slight hint of tears in my eyes.

     "Goodbye, Ms. Jackson." I say, my voice breathy and shaky. 

     "Please, call me Anna, Yume." She responds, a soft smile spreading across her lips. 

     I smile back, the first genuine smile of mine in a long time. "Okay. Goodbye Anna." I then walk out of the classroom, heading for the school's front doors. 

     Ms. Jackson walks back to her desk, sitting down as she stretches and lets out a soft sigh. "I really hope that girl does well in life. Maybe… she's like me."

     As I get home, I walk through the front door and close it behind me. My room is basically next to the door, so getting in there without being noticed wasn't very hard. As I set my bag down on my desk, I plop down on my bed and lie there. Dreams, huh? I wonder if I could have one if I fall asleep now. I think to myself as I close my eyes. 

     "Yume?" My mother says softly, entering my room. "You're not asleep, are you?" 

     I let out a deep sigh, opening my eyes as I sit up. "No, I'm not asleep." 

     She smiles softly, resting her hand on the doorframe. "Good, there's someone who wants to meet you in the living room. Make sure not to keep them waiting too long, okay?" She then walks out of my room, leaving me to prepare myself. 

     I look down at my clothes, thinking that my school uniform should be enough to not get complaints. Walking over to the mirror, I fix my hair as my eyes scan over my face for any acne or pimples. Seems like my skin care routine is working. I take a deep breath, and begin making my way to the living room. 

     "Oh good, you're finally here!" A young, somewhat scrawny man said as he smiled at me from the couch. 

     I tilt my head to the right as I begin to take in his features. Huh, his skin is clearer than mine… "I'm sorry, am I supposed to know you?" 

    "Nope." He says, his smile not faltering. "But I know you very well." 

     I look at him with a mix of skepticism and disgust. "The hell is that supposed to mean? You a stalker?" 

     The man lets out an embarrassed laugh, putting his hand on the back of his neck. "I really wish I could deny that, but I guess you could address my profession as a stalker. You see, my job is to locate and gather information on people like you." 

     I tilt my head out of confusion, my skepticism still evident. "What do you mean, people like me?" 

     "I'm very sorry about this, Yume." The man said, as I felt a rough hand grip my shoulder from behind. 

     My eyes widen, and then narrow as I get a rough idea of what's going on. "What the hell are you-" my words get cut off as a small cloth covers my mouth. Chloroform? I think to myself as I begin to feel lightheaded quite quickly. 

     "This is necessary for us to find out… if you're really one of them." He said as his dark brown eyes stared mine down. 

    I'm… gonna… Before I can even finish my thoughts, my body goes limp as I pass out. 

     "Is this really necessary?" My mother asks as she worriedly looks at my slump body. "Nobody did this when it happened to me." 

     The man sighs, scratching his head as he shifts his weight to the side. "Judging by the intel I've gathered, there was a thirty percent chance she would've even trusted me if I approached her directly." He gives my mother an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry for being so rough, Lyla, but if we're right about this…" 

     "I know, it's okay." My mother says after taking a small breath to calm herself a bit. "But what if we're wrong about this? What if her interest in dreams were… just that?" She sits down next to me, gently rubbing my cheek with her thumb as she looks down at me. 

     "It could be that, it's a very probable outcome, but…" He too, looks down at me, a confident and determined expression washes over his face. "I have a strong feeling… that she's a Chaser."