Dawn's Break Nightmarish reality Jenn wanted to talk more with Kris, yet knew that she should not force her friend. More than once during their trip did Jenn find herself glancing up at Kris with the intent of renewing their conversation, but the words kept getting stuck in her throat. Just as she finally felt that she would be able to speak, Kris broke the silence. "Is that it?" Kris inquired, nodding at a rather small, white brick, office build about three floors in height. "Let me check." Jenn reached into her school bag and pulled out a small business card, looked it over, and then stared at the address printed in large letters on the side of the building, "I guess so..." They approached the front door where they found a list, bolted to wall next to the door, of people who had offices within. Jenn skimmed down the list and compared the names on the card. She stopped on a name near the bottom of the listing "Doctor Driscoll _ Psychotherapist _ 201". She tapped the glass, then looked up at her friend with intense worry in her eyes. "I'll be right behind you." Kris supported, opening the door for her friend. Jenn took a deep breath and stepped into the hall. The first thing she noticed was how stale the air smelled, it appeared dead to her, as if only sadness and pain existed within these walls. Jenn felt Kris’s hand lightly set upon her shoulder and she sensed a small amount of ease come over her. They found a set of stairs immediately to the right and Jenn set one foot on the stairs, abruptly a cold shiver rush through her. She all of a sudden didn't want to be there, nevertheless she knew if she didn't get this over with then everyone would hound her until the end of her days. Taking another deep breath she mounted the stairs and climbed to the second floor where they found room 201. Jenn set her hand on the steel knob of a large grey door and opened it. Inside only one small desk could be seen within the tiny room. Two doors were on the left wall and a coat hanger stood between the doors. Apart from that there didn't seem to be anyone or anything of interest in the room, it was almost as if no one ever entered the room at anytime and it held an empty quality to it. Jenn rechecked the number on the door they had just entered when one of the doors inside the room opened. "Jennifer North?" A man's voice queried from behind Jenn. "She is." Kris informed setting a hand on her friend's head, "I'm just here as emotional support." Jenn turned around to see a very short man in a brown suit, thinning brown hair atop his head and a pair of bifocals hanging around his neck, "Would you please enter then." He gestured to the door he just appeared from then addressed Kris, "You can find a place to sit in the waiting room." He offered pointing to the next room. "Jenn, I'll be right out here if you need me." Kris supported as she moved towards the waiting room. Knots twisted in Jenn's stomach that she once again she pushed deep inside of herself, "Alright." Jenn acknowledged as she was ushered into the other room. The sight of a long leather sofa was unsettling to Jenn for some reason. She also noted a little round red oak end table, with a small yellow lamp upon it, next to a grand leather chair and an impressively large glass cabinet filled with crystal statues that Jenn found herself being towards. "You like them do you?" The doctor inquired with a smile as he shut the door behind him. "My mom used to buy me some when I was younger," Jenn stood mesmerized by the way the cabinet's lights made the crystal sparkle, "but I don't know what happened to most of them." "How is your mother?" The man sat in the leather chair and laced his fingers in front of himself, letting the girl continue to gaze at the statues. "I don't see her very much." Jenn answered not really paying any attention to the question, "It doesn't matter. She never listens when she is around anyway." "I see." The man listened carefully, "She tells me you are having troubles sleeping." Jenn realized that she walked right into his trap; he managed to get Jenn to lower her guard without her even noticing. Quickly she turned away from the cabinet and sat down on the coach, it squeaked against the bare skin of her legs and stuck uncomfortably, "I just had a couple of nightmares. Nothing for everyone to make a fuss about." Jenn was careful of how to respond this time. She did not want to let this man get into her mind. Who knew what could happen to her if she opened up too much, more then anything she was not going to tell this man about her most recent dream experiences, for fear of what he would do to her. "Would you like to tell me about a few of them?" The doctor probed, leaning forward in his chair. "I can't remember them." She replied, crossing her arms. 'Not like I'd tell you anyway.' She thought to herself. "I see . . . " The man opened a drawer under the end table, pulled out a small tape recorder and set it on the table, "Would you be willing to try something that might help you remember those dreams." He inquired inquisitively. "Remember them, how?" Jenn gazed at the recorder, curious as to what the man was playing at. Part of her wanted to know more about the dreams, while part of her was frightened of the answers they held. Her eyes moved to her hands and the image of the blood upon them rose to the surface. She shook her head at the thought of that image and placed her hands lightly upon her lap again. "All I need you to do is lie back on the sofa and close your eyes." The man comforted as he placed the player on the table. "You are going to record what I say, is that it?" She was beginning to feel uneasy about the machine. "No no." The doctor explained giving the girl a gentle smile, "This is just to play some music to calm your nerves. Nothing more. Now if you would lay down and close your eyes for a moment." "Okay." Jenn lifted her legs onto the sofa, laid back her head, crossing her arms over her stomach and closing her eyes. Maybe if she did as he asked everyone would see that there was really nothing wrong with her and leave her alone. Suddenly the room filled with the sound of waves crashing upon a shore as the tape began to play and the sound made Jennifer’s muscles tense up and her teeth clench. Of all the things to play why did he have to choose ocean waves? She thought to herself miserably. "Now I want to you relax." The man spoke just loud enough for Jenn to hear him over the recording, "Relax and think about the last dream you remember having." The sounds of waves began to fill Jenn's mind as she sensed her body begin to tense all the more. “Think back... back to when you felt at peace...” The doctor’s voice droned on, mixing with the sound of the waves until Jenn was unaware of his presence in the room. Soon Jenn could not only hear the waves, but she could feel the mist of water splashing upon her skin. The feeling made her remember the beach and she could almost feel the water rushing over her shoes and the breeze brushing at her cheeks. She opened her eyes to yet again find herself faced with the same setting sun that she had seen so many times before during that very day. She immediately scanned the coast to find the same red haired girl laying face down on the beach before her. Jenn ran to the girl's side, knelling next to her and pressed two fingers to the girl's neck to check for a pulse. She was warm to the touch and there was a faint rhythm coming from the girl's veins. Jenn rolled the redhead over to get a better look at her face when the girl suddenly sat up straight and started coughing up fluid. "Are you alright?" Jenn asked patting the girl on the back. "Lauren . . . " The girl coughed. She unexpectedly looked up, setting her eyes on Jenn. 'Such beautiful bright red eyes.' Those eyes pulled Jenn in with more force then Kris’s and Jenn found herself lost within their crimson hues. "Where is Lauren?" The girl inquired alarmedly, desperately scanning up and down the beach, then up a cliff that ran along the side of it. "I don't know." Jenn reached out and touched the girl's hand. The moment Jenn’s fingers met the girl’s soft white flesh her mind was overcome by a wave of images and emotions, images of blood, darkness, and death. Jenn reeled back, clenching at the sides of her head wanting nothing more then to be relieved of the images that invaded her mind. She stumbled and fell backwards into the ocean, slipping on a rock she dropped beneath the waves. She struggled to swim, except she found herself being pulled under and the more she struggled the deeper she sank. She sensed something holding onto her leg and upon glancing down she could see a woman holding onto her leg. The woman’s face was charred and her arm was mere bone with a few strains of muscle holding her together. The woman reached out and grabbed Jenn's other leg. "Jeennnifferrr..." The woman spoke in a raspy tone. She stared at Jenn with dead eyes as she proceeded to pull Jenn deeper into the dark depths of the water, "Cooomme baaacckk . . . " Jenn tried to scream, but her lungs filled with water, forcing the last of the air out of her body. "Jenn, wake up!" A voice called out to her in the darkness, "Jenn, it is me, Kris!" She latched onto the sound of her friend's voice and sat up on the sofa, "Kris!?!" She gasped for air still feeling as if she were drowning, "Wa...ter..." She managed to croak out. "I'm here." Kris held her friend tight, "Do you want some water?" "No..." Jenn frantically shook her head and struggled to point at the end table. Following Jenn's gesture Kris's eyes came upon the tape recorder and for the first time she noticed the sound of waves and quickly understood. She got up from beside of her friend and hastily walked past the doctor, who was now standing against the far wall. She grabbed the recorder from its spot upon the table and tore its cord out of the wall, putting the infernal sound to an abrupt stop. Almost like flicking a switch Jenn started to cough and suck in air again. "What the hell do you think you were doing?" Kris fumed, waving the recorder at the doctor in disgust, "What kind of doctor are you?" She snarled. "I was only trying to help." Frightened, he backed up closer to the wall to get away from the angry girl. "Well, this is what I think of your help." Kris turned and threw the recorder at the glass cabinet, shattering it and sending several of the crystal statues crashing to the ground. She grabbed Jenn's arms and pulled her onto her back, not letting her eyes off the doctor, "Where did you get your degree anyways? A shoe box?" There was hatred burning in Kris's eyes. "You can't just leave here." The man protested as Kris piggybacked Jenn out of the room, "Do you have any idea how troubled that girl is? She is in need of serious help" He ran to the door to the main room in time to see Kris leaving the office. "Not from you, so just try to stop me!" Kris seethed through clenched teeth, and then slammed the office door so hard that the sound rattled throughout the building, even shaking the window. With one hand carrying their schoolbags and the other helping Jenn hold on, they left the building. Kris didn't stop until they were back in the park and set Jenn down on one of the benches. "Thank... you..." Jenn stammered still panting for air, "I still feel like I have seawater in my lungs." "What was he trying to do?" Kris inquired, looking back in the direction they just came from with an unsettling feeling. "He said it would help me remember my dreams." Jenn swallowed hard, "It just worked too well." "I don't know about you, but I do not think it would be a good idea to go back there anytime soon." Kris spoke glancing up at the sky, "Hey, when did it turn night?" For the first time they noticed that the sun had set and the park lights had turned on along the paths. "That can't be right." Jenn looked at her watch, "WHAT! We were in there for three hours?!?" Jenn exclaimed in astonishment. "That can't be possible." Kris checked her watch to see that it was indeed seven at night, "That is insane! There is no way I could have sat in that little waiting room for that long. There was nothing but teenybopper magazines. I would have to resend my prince hood if I read all of those." "Oh shoot!" Jenn abruptly stood up, "Ann is going to kill me. There is no way she is going to let you stay overnight tomorrow the way things are going." She let out a deep sigh of disappointment. "Are we still on for tomorrow?" Kris asked, delighted at the idea. "That all depends on if I can talk my way around Ann. She doesn't believe that mom already said yes." Jenn clarified as she grabbed her bag and started to walk towards home. "Well you just haven't let me talk to her yet." Kris proposed with a grin as she fell into step beside her friend. "Oh no, now we're really in trouble." Jenn rolled her eyes, her visit at the doctors moving to the back of her mind. "Don't you trust me?" Kris asked gloomily, her feelings deflated. "No, it's not that. I just fear for poor Ann." Jenn tried hard not to start laughing, "You'll probably kill the girl with that charm of yours." "If that is the case then it would be in self defence." Kris confirmed with a laugh. "How do you figure that?" Jenn asked curiously. "It is a lesbian rule. Have you forgotten to read your handbook?" Kris inquired with seriousness that Jenn was almost certain the girl believed her own words. "I think I missed the part about killer lesbian charm." They both laughed as they started towards Jenn's house. Just as Jenn expected they found Ann waiting for them on the front porch with her arms crossed and a scowl upon her face, "Do you ladies have any idea what time it is?" She probed furiously, "I do have assignments I need to get done for college you know and can't spend all my time standing around here waiting for you to stroll home at any time you like." "No one asked you to be my parent!" Jenn snarled as she came through the gate at the front of the house. "Your mother asked me to watch over you and the house while she was away." Ann defended herself. "My mother never had the time to change my diapers when I was a baby so what would she know about taking care of me." Jenn could feel her anger boiling up inside of her, "and for your information we were at the doctors." "The doctor called hours ago." Ann turned her fury on Kris, "I hear your friend here made a real mess of things too." "I don't think you understand what happened." Kris set her tranquil eyes on Ann's as she approached the stairs, "Let me say that that man was only out to harm Jenn. He had no intent to help her in any way whatsoever and if I had not stepped in he would surely have hurt her or even worse." Kris kept her tone gentle, she didn't show a hint of anger, never once did she let her eyes veer from Ann's. Moving forwards ever so slowly she continued, "Now would you want the pleasure of explaining to Jenn's mother as to why her only daughter is resting in a hospital?" Ann's eyes flickered as she tried to think of someway to back herself up, "N.. no..." She began to back down when she remembered that she was older than Kris and tried to reclaim her ground, "Of course I don't want her to get hurt, but that doesn't change the fact that she didn't call and leave a message or anything." She reaffirmed. "I'm sorry that would be my fault." Kris reached the top of the patio stair, here eyes held their grip on Ann, "I was so worried about Jenn's well being that leaving a message completely slipped my mind. You see she has been feeling ill all day long and I have been watching over her. The school knew she was with me and with her mother away I forgot that there was someone else watching out for my friend as well." Ann blushed deeply as she noticed just how tall and boiishly handsome Kris was, "Well, that is..." She started to stammer. The more Kris gazed at her, the hotter Ann felt, "Next time make sure to call, alright?" She gathered her notebooks from the porch table and started down the steps. "Bye Ann!" Jenn yelled out after the girl. "Oh and Ann?" Kris called out before the girl could reach the gate. She turned around, trying hard not to look Kris in the eye, "Would it be alright if I stayed over tonight and tomorrow?" "Uhhh...sure..." Ann agreed as she started to get into her car, "Night, girls." She dumped her books onto the passenger's seat before jumping into the car herself. "Thanks, Ann." Kris grinned triumphantly, "Have a good night." The girls watched Ann's car disappear into the distance. The moment it was out of sight Jenn burst into laughter. "You are just evil, you know that?" She teased between giggles. "I am not." Kris replied defensively, "I just told her the truth." "Oh, and what would you call that thing you did with your eyes?" Jenn inquired knowingly. "I cannot be held responsible for my eyes." Kris stated, trying to hide a grin. "Thanks again." Jenn smiled warmly. "You are very welcome, my lady." Kris replied while taking a deep bow. "My hero!" Jenn kidded, laughing, "You sure you won't get into trouble if you stay the night?" "Me? Never!" Kris assured in amusement, "Being here with you is more important than what my family thinks." "I can see if Ann washed any of my extra night tops." Jenn stepped into the house holding the door open for her friend; “You can borrow one if you like.” She offered. "That would be great." The door closed behind Kris as she stepped into the house and she locked it. "Make yourself at home." Jenn suggested as she kicked her shoes off into the closet and stepped into the living room where she hit the stereos play button filling the house with the sound of Lilith Fair, "You want anything to eat? I don't know about you, but I'm starving." Jenn informed as she disappeared through a second door out of the living room and into the kitchen. The house was like a small maze and Kris found it hard to keep an eye on where her friend had vanished, "Could I get something to drink?" She asked as she added her shoes to the closet and examined the large living room. A massive entertainment unit was set in one corner, with a large flat screen television taking up the middle, while an "L" shaped couch surrounding a small square coffee table. The stereo was set between the two entrances to the room and the far wall was covered entirely by a large shelving unit filled with movies and CD's. Through one of the doorways she could see Jenn running around a kitchen island as she grabbed a couple of glasses from one of the many cupboards and set them on the counter before opening the large refrigerator. "What would you like to drink?" Jenn called out, "We have milk, root beer, orange juice and some tomato junk." "Orange will do for me." Kris answered, leaning against the doorframe, "Don't you feel lonely, all alone in this huge place?" She wondered while scanning the room. Jenn closed the fridge and set the juice on the counter and stared at the glasses, "Sometimes it's nice." She was trying hard to fake being happy, but her face wouldn't let her. "And other times?" Kris pried. The phone abruptly rang, "I'll get it." Jenn turned to go after the phone knocking the juice over which caused one of the glasses to fall off the counter and smashing on the ground, "Crap!" Jenn rushed for a cloth while trying to avoid the mess, "Ummmm..." The phone continued to ring and Jenn became flustered, as she felt torn in two directions. She stared down at the broken glass and began to tremble. "Here, I'll help with that." Kris came in aid, taking the cloth from Jenn, "Why don't you get the phone?" "Th… Thanks!" Jenn ran around the island and out of the room. Kris looked down at the mess and let out a small sigh before picking up the juice container and wiping the counter dry. By the time she was finished Jenn had returned, "Where is your dustpan." Kris asked looking around the room. "In the closet down the hall to the dinning room." Jenn pointed to yet another door around the side of the fridge. "Thanks. "Kris hopped over the mess, found the closet and grabbed a broom and dustpan. When she returned she found Jenn leaning against the wall with her arms wrapped around her stomach, "Are you alright, Jenn?" Kris wondered setting the broom down next to the fridge, "Who was that on the phone?" "It was no one important." Jenn tried to force herself to smile, but she could not hide her trembling hands, "Just someone wanting to know if we needed our carpets cleaned. If we only had spilled the juice in the living room." She began to laugh, "Wouldn't that have... have been something else..." She was laughing so hard that she started coughing to the point that she was choking, she curled up in the doorway as tears overtook her, "I'm... sorry." She choked on her sobs, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She repeated over and over again. Kris dropped to her friend's side, "It is alright. I'll clean the mess. It is no problem really." Kris proposed trying to reassure her friend. "I'm... sorry..." Jenn clung to her friend's shirt and cried, "I just can't stop crying all of a sudden. I don't know why." It felt like a dam burst inside of her and all of her emotions were pouring out in one huge wave of sadness. She curled up in her friend's arms and let out a painful wail that sent her into another wave of coughing, "I'm so sorrrryyyy..." For the next few moments Kris held her friend and let her cry while stroking the back of the girl's head, "Let it out. Just let it out." She whispered into Jenn's ear, "I will not leave you. I will not tease you. I will always be your friend." She kept repeating those words until Jenn fell into a fitful sleep. ***** To be Continued...
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