Date [Part 1]

"Where do you live, N'Lea?" Pisces asked.

"Sugarhouse, just off of Simpson Avenue and 9th East."

"I live not far from there. Would you like me to drop you off?"

"I'd prefer to have Dorian drive me home tonight, but thanks for the offer. It was nice meeting you."

"Likewise."

I put my notebook away and shouldered my bag.

"N'Lea," Pisces said before I could finish climbing the stairs. "Can I get your number before you leave?"

"Sure." I pulled out a business card and handed it to him.

"Do you mind if I call you in a few days?"

"Not at all. Have a good night, Pisces. Good night, Shaunese."

"Good night, N'Lea," Shaunese said.

"Good night," Pisces said.

I followed Dorian out of the house.

"Would you like to get your car? I can follow you home."

"No. I'll bus over for it tomorrow."

"Alright." He was silent as we got into the car and started to leave. "Do you mind if I ask what the dream was about?"

"A strangling."

"Your own?"

"No, but from how my body reacts it might as well have been."

Dorian nodded. "So, what do you think of Pisces?"

"He's kind of cute."

"Anything else?"

"He feels safe. Much like you."

"Good."

"Is he really, 'just a client'? He seems closer to you and Shaunese than that."

"We've gotten to know each other well when he moved out of state. He hasn't been back for very long."

I nodded, watching the blurred house lights until Dorian pulled into my driveway.

"Try to get some sleep tonight," he said.

"Try indeed," I replied. "Thank you, Dorian."

"You're welcome, N'Lea."

We embraced briefly before I climbed out of the car with my bags.

I opened my door and gave Dorian one final wave of goodbye. He pulled out of the driveway as I closed the door behind me. I started my sheets in the washer before crashing in my room.

I still felt exhausted when I woke the next morning, despite finally having a dream free night. I dragged myself out of bed to finish laundering my sheets. Joan, one of my roommates, sat on the couch reading the newspaper. Betty and Donna had already left for work and school. I pulled some of my dry sheets from the dryer before moving the others over and carrying the clean ones back upstairs.

"N'Lea, listen to this," Joan said. "A young girl was found stuffed in a viaduct with her spleen missing."

I felt ill, but I approached the couch. It was another of my dreams. "Do they say what they suspect happened?"

"Not at this point." She looked up at me. "Are you doing okay?"

I nodded then took my laundry basket up to my room. I folded the sheets before finding the article online and printing it off. I was just about to close it when another article caught my attention. Another one of my dreams. Tears filled my eyes and I shook my head as I printed it off as well. When would this end?!

I sat at my desk for a long time, staring at my open dream journal. The number of days between my dream and the world finding out varied. There was no set time between the two. Maybe I should report it. Then I shook my head. They wouldn't believe me. Shutting my journal, I bagged it then took it with me as I left the house to get my car from the office.

The ride over was quiet. No sirens, nothing—just the typical buzz of traffic. I walked the short distance from the bus stop to the office. Dorian was just pulling out of the parking lot as I neared. He didn't see me, for which I was grateful. I got into my car and started the engine when there was a knock on my window. Pisces stood next to my car. I rolled down the window as he waved.

"I thought that was you," he said.

"Yep, it's me."

"Are you doing better today?"

"Kind of. I finally got some good sleep, but other things still make it difficult."

"Processing?"

"Kind of."

He nodded. "Would you like to go out to dinner tomorrow night?"

"Sure."

"What time are you done with clients tomorrow?"

"Not until 7pm."

"Would 7:30pm work for you?"

"Sure. Any specific place you want to go to?"

"Not really. You can dress casual."

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow night then."

"Okay. Bye, N'Lea."

"Bye, Pisces."

He backed away from my car and I pulled out. I drove to the nearby health food store and went shopping. I stopped in front of the ice cream choices. I wanted something to distract myself from how my dreams made me feel. I put two quarts of Bunny Tracks ice cream into my basket. I would have laughed had Shaunese or Dorian been there to tease me about getting fat, since I'm a skinny body. But the playful taunt wasn't there. The rest of my day and into my evening went okay. I cleaned what I needed to of the house before coloring until I felt tired enough to sleep. The half quart of ice cream helped quite a bit too.

My dream with Dorian getting killed repeated. Shadows accompanied the scene this time, so many shadows. My chest hurt less when I woke, coughing into my pillow. What were the shadows? Who were they and why would they cause Shaunese to kill Dorian? I got up and wrote my dream and subsequent questions. Maybe Dorian would be able to answer them or at least be able to talk to Shaunese about it.

I prepared for work, glad the weekend was here so I could try to recoup my sleep hours. Dorian wasn't at the office when I arrived, so I slid a copy of my questions under his door before preparing my room for my first client. As it turned out, I missed Dorian by half hour all day because of how our appointments fell. I had just finished my call back and confirmation calls when Dorian got out of his last appointment. It was 6:40pm. He leaned against the doorway.

"How are you feeling, N'Lea?"

"Ready for bed. Yourself?"

"Doing alright. I take it you had another dream about me because of your note."

"The same dream, but there were shadows surrounding Shaunese."

He nodded slightly. "I don't know who they might be."

"That's fine. I just thought I would ask. It's the one dream I hope does not come true."

"Have other dreams come true?" Dorian asked, straightening.

"Two others that I know of. I found them in the news yesterday."

"Any set timing between your dreams and their discovery?"

I shook my head.

"Would you like to come over tonight?"

"No, I need to get home. Pisces is taking me out to dinner."

"Good. He's a great kid."

"I look forward to getting to know him."

"Have fun."

"I'll try to. Have a good weekend, Dorian."

"You, too, N'Lea."

Dorian entered his office and I left to drive home. The roads were busy, so by the time I reached home it was nearly 7pm. I was still changing when the doorbell rang. I hurried to put my shirt on and shove my dream journal into my purse. I don't know why I felt to bring it with me.

"N'Lea, there's a man here for you," Donna called.

"Coming," I called back.

I pulled my hair back into a ponytail before grabbing a jacket and coming downstairs. Pisces stood from where he sat on the couch, his thick coat shifting as he did.

"You didn't need to hurry," he said.

"No hurry. Shall we?"

Pisces nodded then opened the door for me.

He drove a blue sedan. The backseat was a little messy, but I didn't miss the blue and red light in the back window. Unmarked government car. I smiled as he closed my door and I reached over and unlocked the driver's side door.

"Thank you," he said, climbing in.

"You're welcome."

Pisces pulled out and started to drive to the restaurant.

"How was work today?" he asked.

"Excellent. My clients amaze me in how well they take some of the changes they encounter."

"Probably helps that they have a loving facilitator."

"I don't know about loving," I said. "There are days I'm struggling to stay awake while I work."

"I don't know of a facilitator who hasn't felt that way."

"True enough. Have you received your next assignment?"

"Not yet. I haven't been back very long. So they've got me doing office work right now."

"Okay. Have you read any good books lately?"

"A few Steven King novels. A little bit of Sci-Fi."

I nodded.

"What about you, N'Lea? Has any particular book caught your fancy recently?"

"Not recently. My dreams have kept me from doing much of the things I enjoy."

Pisces glanced at me then back to the road. "Do they all affect you like the one you had at Dorian's and Shaunese's?"

"The ones I've had in the last few weeks have. Before then they hardly woke me."

"Do you know what's caused them to change?"

I shook my head.

The car slowed as he pulled into the parking lot of a burger joint.

"Has Dorian worked on it?" he asked.

"He has, but I'm not noticing a difference yet."

"Alright."