9 Glitch

Two hours? I've been out for that long?

It didn't feel that long... what's happening? Am I really that sick? I should not have been running when I was already sluggish.

Allie and Seth are still arguing over my head, but all I can think of is this is exactly what started happening to my mother. She'd go to sleep for a whole night, but when she woke up she'd say, "I slept for 6 hours? It felt like 10 minutes."

She died in two months. I'm going to--? All because of my stupid dreams? It's not that I can stop them!

"Allie! Vee! Are you okay?!" I see Rosie crying and running toward us.

"Ma! Ma!!!" Once again, I was hiding. Behind the sofa, trying to avoid my father, while my mother's body was being carried away, Rosie wailing and following.

It's too much. My head reels and I feel it lurch forward and I throw up.

It isn't until an hour later when I'm being told to lay down on a hospital bed that I learn I had thrown up blood in my vomit.

Rosie and Allie are talking to the doctors and Seth is by my side, scolding me, "I told you to watch yourself! If you couldn't, you should've told me and I'd have sent you right back home."

I say, clearing my sore throat, "I'm fine. Why's everyone freaking out?"

Although, I'm not fine. I can tell.

"You puked blood!" I puked blood.

"You fainted for two hours!"

I fainted for two hours. And I don't even know what the heck happened in my dream.

"Get some sleep." He says, frustrated.

I wonder if I should sleep. If this is, indeed, all because of my lack of sleep, then in my case, sleep will only make it worse.

Someone hands me a cold drink of water which helps my throat a little, and everyone leaves for a while.

After nearly half an hour, Rosie comes back with her face looking less haggard.

"How are you doing?" She asks gently, sitting beside me, holding my hand delicately.

I squeeze her hand, "Fine. Stop worrying about me. I just need some peace." I say, instead of 'sleep'.

"You should rest."

I hold her hand back, "Stay. Please."

She sits back down and I try my best not to fall asleep by keeping idle banter with her.

"I'm sorry about yesterday."

She shakes her head vigorously, "No, it's alright. It was your first hypnosis. You get to deal with it whichever way you want. I was just worried about you."

"I should've stayed back."

"Hmm."

"I shouldn't have hidden it."

"Hmm,"

"Are you mad?"

"Of course, I'm mad. But not at you. I'm mad at myself for not noticing how sick you've been lately. If only, I'd stayed up a while longer, or come back sooner."

I shake my head, "No. No. Even I didn't realize that I was so sick. I'm the one who is sorry. I should have been taking better care of myself, for crying out loud. Now, I'm stuck here, in this expensive looking hospital and I'm just making it more difficult for you--"

"Shut up. Go to sleep."

My sister walks out, fuming.

Guess I should keep some things to myself.

Matt walks in, panting and out of breath.

"Creevey?" I sit up straight

"What happened?!" He yells, clutching the bars of the bed, eyes darting around the needles and iv attached to me.

"Nothing. I just fainted."

"Fainted? They said something about puking up blood."

God, did they have to tell everyone everything?

"It's nothing. I'm fine. Really. No one believes me. Why won't anyone believe me? I know what's best for me."

He frowns. "If you were fine right now, I'd slap you."

I stop talking, but still glare his way.

"Have you looked in a mirror lately? You look like the definition of sick. Ugh! I can't believe the timing. What are the odds? I can't leave."

"Leave?" I croak, and he glares at me, looking disgusted.

"I'm going to Germany for a year."

"Germany..?"

"My sister got her scholarship approved and I'm interning there. I wanted to tell you as soon as I found out, but Allie told me you were in the hospital. I should, uh, I should call them. Yeah. Tell 'em I reject the internship. I should stay."

"Matt. Matthew!" He stops talking and looks at me, "You guys got the offers! That's great! Why aren't you going?"

He looks incredulous. He gestures around us, "I can't leave you now."

"Dude!" I yell, exasperated. The nurse comes in and says I should rest, so I talk quietly, "I'm going to be out of here in a day. You're leaving at least a week or so after, right? Go. I have my sister. Don't worry about me and just go!"

He walks out the room to talk to someone.

"I need to find a way where I can get sleep. Rested sleep." I sigh

Did mom die because she had the same dreams? No... Jane Spencer was on our dad's side... would he know anything about it....?

Could I call him....?

Turns out that I had to stay in the hospital for a few days, but I was discharged soon enough and after Matt saw I was fine, he decided to go abroad too.

"Take care. I'll meet you before I leave, okay?" He'd asked worriedly as I nodded firmly.

It's been a week since the hospital incident and I managed to snag Rosie's phone and got our dad's number. Ironically enough, it was under the name 'Daddy' with an asterisk, which meant 'important'.

I don't think he's changed his number, then, because that's what she'd saved it as when we were all together. Which means she kept in contact with him for all these years.

I call him from a pay phone, not my own because he may become a bother. The weather's down and gloomy and I can only hope it didn't rain now. My hands are sweating and I'm petrified. All I can think as the phone rings is 'please don't pick up, please don't pick up'.

He picks up on the third ring.

"Who is it?" My mind is blank. It's been more than 12 years since we left, but the fear is the same. His voice hasn't changed either.

"Who the heck is this?!" He screams into the reciever and that shocks me back.

"...Fath--, uh, Daddy, it's me." I whisper, scared to death of this man who I have not seen in 12 years.

"Rosie? What do you want?" His voice gets ten times colder. I think of hanging up then and there, but the fear that I could die if I don't understand how to deal with my psychic-dream-super-power thing makes me just grip the phone tighter.

"Not Rosie. Vanessa."

From outside the booth, I notice it's started drizzling. Ugh.

For a while there is only static, but then in an emotionless voice, he says, "Vanessa?"

I gulp, "Yes. Daddy, do you know Grandma Jane Spencer?"

"What about the old hag?" His words are monotone so I can't tell the mood he's in.

"She used to have dreams... Do you know about them?"

"Demented old fool. Thought she had met her soulmate. It was thanks to my quick thinking we had her put in an asylum so no one would think we were mad, housing the mad." He sounds annoyed, now.

"I'm having the same dreams. She wasn't--"

"Listen, girl, I don't know what your sister told you to tell me. I won't call if you don't want me to. I just wanted a favor from my daughter. Is that too much to ask for?" He sounds very put off.

I stammer, "What favor?"

I can hear his smile, "pay me back for all the years I fostered you little weasels. Your sister's not working hard enough if all she can afford is to send me 1000$ a month. I think it's about time you picked up the slack and paid me back in full."

My blood is boiling and I hang up immediately.

The drizzle has turned into an all out storm, but I don't take cover, and just stalk home.

"Vee! You're sick. So walking in the rain. Come dry up--"

"You will never give that man a single penny of what you earn." I tell Rosie sternly

She looks horrified, "You spoke to him?"

"I did." I have no time to feel ashamed now. That man is killing her. "He's killing you! You give him 1000$ a month?! That's why you've been working so late and getting no sleep!" I yell, still doing onto the floor.

"He wants to take you back otherwise." She shakes her head, "And I can't have him do that."

I reach out to her, anger simmering down, "He only wanted more money. I'm sorry I spoke to him without telling you. But from now on, don't pay him anything. Please."

She swallows and nods, "I always thought he loved you and that's why he wanted you back. To think he wanted more money..." she whispers angrily.

"So, I still don't understand what happened last time," I tell Jesse that night.

"Well, it's as I said. You were lying on the floor for most of the dream. But you kept glitching to different places throughout. The sky was dripping and the trees were blacking out of existence and popping back in. It was like I was the only constant. And I had no idea how to help."

I nod, thinking.

I watch as he worriedly tries to decipher what happened in his head and smile.

"I think I've fallen in love with you." I think to myself

He turns to me in horror.

"What?" I think

"You love me?" He asks, but his mouth isn't moving. I frown.

"What? How did you hear that?" My mind is going in circles.

He frowns too, "You're not talking." He notices

"Neither are you."

"But we can still hear each other. We can hear each other's thoughts..."

I blanch, suddenly realizing he heard me when I told myself I might've fallen in love with him.

"Do you know what's happening?" He asks aloud.

I slowly shake my head. "What is going on?" I think and he looks scared.

"I-I need to go now. I'll come back later. We can figure it out then," he gives me a half smile. I nod. He walks off, looking to the side as if he's searching for someone.

I sigh.

Who wouldn't be scared of being in someone else's dreams where even they have no idea what is happening?

Seth picks me up for college now since I'm 'sick' according to everyone who talks to me. And since Allie isn't here anymore.

Sarah catches me at every single break nowadays and pesters me to join the track team.

"Hey, kid. She said she doesn't wanna join. And she's ill. Leave her alone, would you." Seth defends once, but leaves once Sarah starts ridiculing the lacrosse team he's on and says he could never understand true talent if it hit him in the nose.