Damon was dreaming again. Although this time it was different. The dream was clear and vivid, and for once he hoped he would remember his dream when he woke up. He was in a pleasant sort of field. He thought he might be in the woods somewhere, maybe the woods behind his house? Scarlett was there. She was smiling; her gray eyes alight with happiness. There was someone else with her. The boy from earlier? No, Damon didn't think so. This boy was different. Where the stranger from earlier had given Damon an uneasy feeling, he felt as if he had known this new boy his entire life. His sandy hair and green eyes felt as familiar as his own reflection.
Scarlett and the new boy were holding hands. They were laughing together and looking at them gave Damon a warm fuzzy feeling in his stomach.
Damon felt someone tug at his sleeve. He looked away from the laughing couple, and met the eyes of a girl he had never seen before. Damon almost gasped. She was prettier than anyone he had ever seen. Prettier even than Vanessa, the nice girl from his class. This girl was clad in what appeared to be some type of sundress. It was covered in flowers and there was a tiara balanced on her head. She looked completely at ease. She had brown ringlets that fell to her shoulders, light blue eyes, and olive skin. She stood an inch or two taller than Damon in her pink flats and she was looking at him with a mix of playfulness and superiority.
"I'm Meghan," she said, wasting no time. "I know who you are! You're Damon." She laughed and spun on her toe, making her dress fly out around her. Damon watched in fascination.
"How did you know that?" he asked when she stopped. She giggled and took his hand, leading him towards the bank of a river he hadn't noticed before.
"I'm like you!" she said, clambering onto a rock that hung out over the river. When Damon didn't move, she turned back and beckoned for him to follow. He scrambled up beside her and they sat together with her feet dangling over the river. Meghan swung her feet back and forth and laughed.
"What do you mean like me?" Damon asked, studying her face. The sun made her eyes dance.
"I have dreams too. Like this one," she sounded as if it should be obvious.
"Wait so my dreams are…real?" Damon gaped.
"Of course silly!" she turned to face him. "Didn't you know that?"
Damon shook his head slowly. He wasn't sure how he felt about his dreams being real. On one hand, it was pretty cool that he could see things other people couldn't or talk to people like Meghan. But on the other hand, that meant that all his dreams about Mommy and Daddy were real. The flashed through his head suddenly.
Daddy yelling at Mommy and Scarlett, calling them words he didn't understand. Scarlett's arms, laced with ugly blue welts. And worst of all, Daddy storming out of their house in the middle of the night with a baseball bat, shouting incoherently.
Damon wasn't sure when he'd started crying, but once he started, he couldn't stop. Meghan just looked at him, watching as he sniffled.
"It's okay," she said softly after a few minutes. "If you're worried about that mean man, he can't get to you here. You're safe."
That made Damon feel better. He trusted what Meghan said. He sniffed one last time and wiped his hand across his face. Meghan giggled.
"What?" Damon asked, feeling his lips quirk into a smile. Meghan's laugh was contagious.
"You look funny," she teased, giggling again.
"Do not!" Damon exclaimed. He felt a push on his back and he was gasping as his body slipped into the cool river.
"Hey!" he shouted when his head broke the surface of the water. He had to doggie paddle to stay afloat.
Meghan was still sitting on the rock, laughing down at him. Suddenly, Damon had an idea. He took a breath and plunged under the water. He swam towards Meghan's outstretched leg and grabbed at it. He heard her shriek in surprise as he pulled her into the water.
Damon swam to the surface just as Meghan's head popped out of the water. She was trying to look mad, but failing. She giggled and splashed at Damon, making him laugh. They splashed and swam for what felt to Damon like an eternity. Finally the hauled themselves back onto the rock.
"We're going to meet very soon," Meghan declared as they spread out on the rock, letting the sun dry their sopping clothes.
"I know," Damon said.
Meghan grinned at him sleepily. Damon was about to say something else, but things started spinning. With a sinking heart Damon realized he was waking up. Meghan was waving. Before Damon could say goodbye, his eyes snapped open.
ns 15.158.61.46da2
