Dreams
On a beautiful Saturday morning, Jessica, a slender, fair-skinned woman with pink lips, red hair, auburn eyebrows, and green eyes woke up yawning. She looked at her clock which read 4:13 AM and then checked her phone for any messages. She saw some from her work partner, Jim.
'Hey, Jess. How R U this morning?'
Jessica yawned harder as she texted. 'I'm a bit tired, I just woke up. You?' She replied back. 'What happened in your sleep? Anything wrong? Why didn't you get some sleep last night?'
Jim messaged her back. 'It's nothing. Just had some weird dream.'
Jessica texted back. 'What dream did you have?'
Jim answered. 'I was running from a dog, but then I was in some house, surrounded by these strange-looking toys.'
Jessica looked surprised and replied back. 'I had a dream similar to that. It was me in a suitcase, but I was on a plane about to take off, but then I saw you.'
Jim messaged her. 'Really? Sounds like it must have been scary.'
Jessica replied back. 'Well, since we both had weird dreams and didn't get a good night's rest, maybe Larry and the others will take over the store while we take the day off?'
Jim messaged her. 'That'd be nice. But I don't think the boss would agree to that.'
Jessica messaged him. 'I'll give it a try. BRB'
Jim replied back. 'Good. I'm gonna try too.'
-
Meanwhile, at Sunset Toy Store's office, Lynn a large man with magenta hair, a big nose, thick dark eyebrows, and light brown eyes was doing paperwork when he heard the phone ringing. He noticed it was from Jim, and put him on speaker.
"Well, hello there, Jim." He answered. "What are you doing calling so early?"
Jim yawned. "I just didn't get enough sleep last night, plus it's Saturday. So, is it okay for me and Jessica to take two days off of work, please?"
"Oh, that's a shame." He thought for a moment. "Well, you two take the day to rest up, and come in the day after."
"Thanks, Mr. Lynn," said Jim. "Have a nice weekend."
"No problem. You too, boy." He then hung up the phone.
-
Jim finally slept till 9 AM, while Jessica slept till 8 am. When her alarm went off, she took a shower, and then put on her white polo shirt, blue jeans, and put her hair in a braided ponytail.
She went into the kitchen and dining room, and so herself some corn flakes with banana slices and blueberries and poured a glass of orange juice. She picked up her phone to check her email from Sunset Toy Store.
There was a message from her boss requesting that she come in for her normal work shift the next day.
Jessica emailed him back that she might go to work tomorrow if she doesn't have the chance.
He emailed her back, telling her what he told Jim on the phone. He was letting them take the day to rest but to come in the next day.
She went back to eating her corn flakes when she got a text message from Brianna Edison.
'Hey, girl :) How R U doing?'
Jessica message her back. 'How did U sleep last night?'
Brianna answered. 'Pretty ok. I was looking over papers for my class. U?'
Jessica replied. 'Just eating some breakfast. What papers do you have from class?'
Brianna messaged. 'The usual stuff. Essays, tests, reports, that kind of thing.'
Jessica immediately replied back. 'How are your students? What dreams did you have last night? What are you working on?'
Brianna answered. 'They're doing fine. Just grading some quizzes from last week. I actually did have this dream that I was kidnapped, and Jim was trying to save me. It was so weird.'
Jessica answered. 'It's really weird. Who kidnapped you? And what was Jim trying to save you from?'
'I know, right?' Brianna replied. 'A pig in a hat, surrounded by soldiers. It wanted to kill me with either a shark or monkeys.'
'Holy Zeus!' Jessica replied. 'I had a similar dream of me as a toy in a suitcase and on a plane. But then Jim rescued me.'
Right away, Brianna answered. 'No way! I was toy-sized in my dream too!'
Jessica answered. 'Yes, way! It feels like we knew each other from another life.'
Brianna replied. 'Yeah, it kinda does. But it sounds crazy to think that we were probably toys once.'
Jessica replied. 'I agree. Just forget about that dream, it's my day off.'
Brianna messaged. 'That's nice. Do you have any plans for the day?'
Jessica messaged. 'IDK? I'll think about it.'
Brianna replied. 'Oh, ok. Since it's the weekend, I'm just gonna relax today.'
Jessica replied. 'How's your favorite student? And what quiz are you grading?'
Brianna replied back. 'You mean Susan? She's doing well. We had a quiz on Mexican Cinema, and they all did pretty well.'
Jessica replied back. 'That's amazing, girl! Gonna go now, gonna finish breakfast.'
Brianna messaged. 'Yeah! Ok, talk to you later. Enjoy :)'
--
At 9 AM Jim took a shower, brushed his teeth, then put on his yellow and white T-shirt, blue pants, and his brown loafers. He grabbed himself a granola bar from the kitchen, then begin to text Larry.
'Hey, Dude.'
Larry answered. 'Hey. Why aren't you and Jessica at work today?'
Jim replied. 'I just didn't get enough sleep, so I decided to take the day off.'
'Well, aren't you lucky' Larry replied sarcastically. 'You get to do nothing while the rest of us are stuck here'
Jim replied. 'It's just a day off, I just had a weird dream last night about me running from a dog.'
Larry messaged. 'Really? I had a dream like that a few nights ago, too. And you were there.'
Jim messaged. 'Yes! And what dream did you have? What was it like?'
Larry answered. 'You and I were running through a house from a dog, and then it chased through a busy street.'
Jim replied. 'Wow, it looked like us as toys. It's like we already knew each other from another life.'
Larry messaged. 'You're saying that in another life we were once toys? That's crazy.'
Jim messaged. 'I'm just guessing! Jessica had a similar dream, but she was in a suitcase on an airplane, and then I saved her.'
Larry answered. 'Well, crazy things often happen in dreams. It doesn't always mean that it's true.'
Jim predicted. 'I agree. And I think you should look out because some teens are stealing.'
'What? Not on my watch!' Larry put his phone down and went to go stop the shoplifters.
Jim chuckled and he texted a goodbye and good luck and then went to watch some TV.
--
Meanwhile, Jessica was cleaning her room when she found a page. She looked at it curiously. It showed a picture of her, Jim, and an old man dressed like cowboys, with a horse.
Jessica was shocked at the page "It's almost like the dream I had last night!"
This was getting a little weird. Jessica was a bit of a country girl, but she hadn't ridden a horse in years. Maybe it was just a coincidence.
--
Meanwhile, Brianna was dressed in her blue blouse, white leggings, and black slip-ons, instead of a teacher uniform which are blue and white blouses and shirts, black, white, and blue skirts, pants, and leggings, and black, white, and turquoise shoes. She's was eating some eggs for breakfast.
She couldn't stop thinking about the dream from last night. This one was different from other dreams that she had before, and it felt so real.
She then looked at the three-headed sheep statue on top of the counter and sipped her milk in confusion.
'Is that one of mine?' She wondered to herself. Her house did have several porcelain pieces, but she had never seen that one. Maybe she bought it years ago but then forgot. Brianna put the sheep on the top shelf of her bookcase, then went back to eating her breakfast. Afterward, she decided to call her other friend, Laura Reed.
--
Laura Reed sat in her living room when her phone rang. She picked it up and answered it. "Hey, Brianna. What's up?"
"Hey, Laura Reed," said Brianna with a cheerful look. "How are you this lovely morning?"
"I'm doing well." She replied, smiling. "How are you?"
"Well I'm doing good," said Brianna as she put it on while she checked her quizzes. "I just had a crazy dream last night of me getting saved from sharks and monkeys from Jim. How did you sleep?"
"Wow. That does sound strange." Laura Reed looked surprised. "I slept ok, but I had a dream that Clark and I were married and Susan and Barry were our kids."
"Oh God!" said Brianna as she finished her quizzes "It must be crazy. How's your new roommate?"
"Yeah, I know. I don't know where that came from. Oh, Jack? He's doing fine."
"These feel like memories," said Brianna as she finished putting her papers in her bag. "How did you and Jack meet? How did he move to your apartment?"
"I met him when he first came to town. He and Derek were looking for Hilary." She explained. "I offered Jack to stay with me after I found him living in his car."
"My gosh," said Brianna with a questionable look. "Why did he'd sleep in his car? I heard about him in the newspaper."
"He couldn't stay at the inn anymore. It's a long story. Oh, you did?"
"Yeah," Brianna said while she dusted her China dolls. "I always follow the Pixfare newspaper, do you?"
"Sometimes." Laura Reed replied while playing with a rubber band ball. "But I'm still getting to know him."
"Well, good to know," Brianna replied as she put away her cleaning supplies. "Gonna go now. Bye."
"Alright. Talk to you later." Laura Reed smiled and then hung up.
Jack came in eating cereal for breakfast. "Who were you talking to on the phone?" He asked with a questionable look. "Who's 'Brianna'?
Laura Reed looked up at him. "Oh, she's a friend of mine. She's also a teacher, at the middle school."
"Ok," Jack said as he washed his plate. "What does she look like? How long have you guys been friends? How long has she been at the middle school?" He asked.
"Well, she's got blonde hair and blue eyes." She thought for a moment. "Um... I'm not sure. We've both been teaching for as long as I can remember."
"Alright, It's fine," Jack said, going to get dressed. "Hilary said that Brianna is Bo Peep, like from that nursery rhyme."
"Really?" She looked at him, surprised. "But she doesn't have any sheep. That book must be getting to her."
"She's really obsessed with that book," Jack said as he straightened his red shirt. "What gave you the idea to give her the book? How old was she when she got it?"
"Yes, she is." She agreed, nodding. "Well, one day, I saw that she was sad and I wanted to cheer her up. I gave it to her so she could see that things can get better, and to believe in a happy ending."
"That makes sense," said Jack as he sat down on the couch. "I loved the movie we watched last night."
"Me too." She smiled. "It was nice to do something together."
---
Meanwhile, at Sunset Toy Store, Larry was having a lunch break. He had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, almonds, and a water bottle. He was mumbling about those shoplifters when he saw Angela, a tan-skinned, skinny bespectacled woman with black hair in a bun, and both eyes reading a book. "Hola, Ms. Hernandez."
She looked up from her book when he greeted her. "Hola, Señor Aldrin." She slightly smiled.
Larry kissed her right hand and arm. "My oh my, Mi Señorita Hernandez. You look absolutely lovely today."
"Oh. Gracias." She replied, flattered.
Larry then put on a floating grin. "How are you on this lovely afternoon?"
"I'm doing well." Angela smiled. "How are you? I hope I'm not interrupting work."
"Well, I'm on lunch break." Larry turned back to normal. "So, how's your family and Michael?"
"He's fine. Everyone's doing well. Same as usual."
Larry finished his lunch and looked at Angela's book, which was 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austin. "Oh, my coworker Jessica loved that story!" He said with a curious look.
"Really?" Her face lit up. "Oh, it's such a great, romantic story." She held the book to her chest.
"Hey!" Lynn slammed the door open. "Lunchtime over! Back to work!"
"Yes, sir. Of course. Right away." Larry said nervously. "Sorry, Angela. I gotta get back to my job."
"Alright, bye." Angela waved sarcastically. "I'll call you if I can."
Larry waved back as he began to leave. "Bye. I hope I get to see you again."
-----
Angela went home and saw Natalie, a 13-year-old bespectacled girl with and ponytail, and pink lip gloss, getting a snack from the kitchen. "Hola, Natalie," Angela said, heading towards the kitchen.
Natalie looked up at her and smiled. "Hola, Tia Angela."
"Hola, Mija." She said as she got some water and tangerine slices. She saw that Natalie was holding frozen gansito and a Mandarina flavored Jarritos in her hands.
"Try not to eat too many snacks," Angela said firmly. "Or you'll spoil your dinner."
"Ok, Tia," said Natalie as she took it to her room. "I won't."
"Good. Because you know how your Abuelita gets when you don't eat your food."
Natalie looked shocked. "Ok, I'll eat at the table," she said as she sat down on the table. Her Abuelita didn't want anyone to have lack of food or they'd starve. To her, she didn't want to end up having anorexia nervosa. "Glad you reminded me." She said as she sipped her drink.
"No problem." Angela smiled, knowing how tough her sister can be.
Angela sat down with her snack as well with a curious look. "Are you hiding something?" She said as she ate the second slice.
"What? No, I'm not hiding anything." Natalie looked at her, surprised. "Why would you think that?"
"Ok, ok. Just wondering." Angela said as she ate the last slice of the tangerine when she felt a flash of seeing Michael being thrown offstage in the Land of the Dead in her skeletal form. She then flashed back to reality, leaning on the kitchen counter.
"Tia! Are you okay?" Natalie asked, concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Angela said while rubbing her head and getting her back off the counter. "I just need to rest."
Suddenly, Natalie felt a memory flash in her head of Abuela smashing Miguel's guitar. She flashed back to reality and grabbed Angela's blue blouse.
"What is it, Mija?" Angela turned around, surprised. "What's the matter?"
"I don't know," said Natalie as she stood up and fixed her glasses. "It was me seeing Abuela breaking Michael's wooden guitar to pieces and then he ran away."
Angela put her arm on Natalie's shoulder. "That's ridiculous, you know your Abuela would never do such a thing."
"I know," Natalie said while fixing up her shirt. "It almost feels like a memory. Michael told me about his flash on Wednesday when he saw himself falling off a building."
"Michael had a strange flash, too? Why didn't he tell us?" Angela asked, knowing that Maria didn't like secrets in the family.
"Before I know you might have that same flash as him." Natalie said while fixing up her shorts. "It's was you in skeleton form. Just please, keep this a secret."
"Me as a skeleton?" Angela looked confused. "Oh, you kids and your wild imaginations. Alright, but your Abuela doesn't like keeping secrets from the family."
---
Later around 3 PM, Jessica was sipping peppermint tea and eating some lemon cookies when she received a call from Nadia.
"Hey, Nadia." She answered her phone. "How are ya?"
"I'm fine," Nadia said as she ate some cheese and crackers with her ginger tea. "I just had this dream last night about me and some people trying to stop some console from turning gray."
"That sure sounds strange. I had a weird dream, too. I was toy-sized trapped in a suitcase, and my boyfriend came to rescue me."
"Well, I was small with greenish skin and hair with sparkles all over," Nadia said with a curious look she crunched on the cracker. "It's almost real, like a memory."
"My goodness." Jessica looked surprised. "I know. That's how I felt about my dream, too."
"It's like Hilary's story, but it's real," Naida said as she sipped her ginger tea. "It like I'm Disgust from her Inside Out story, and you're Jessie from the Toy Story story from her book."
"Yeah, you're right." Jessica bit one of her cookies. "I was actually talking about this with one of my friends. It's almost like memories from another life."
"I agree," Naida said as she chewed a piece of cheese. "I feel like Hilary may be right about them and us."
"Yeah, maybe." Jessica agreed. "But it still sounds kinda crazy."
"Let's not think about our weird dreams and talk about something else, like food," Naida said happily as she changed the subject. "I'm having some cheese and crackers and some Ginger tea for a snack? What's yours?"
"Yeah, good idea." Jessica nodded. "That sounds good. I'm having some peppermint tea and lemon cookies."
"Sounds yummy," Nadia said as she sipped the last of her ginger tea. "My tea is homemade and the cheese are conquerors of from the store. Did you make the peppermint tea and lemon cookies by yourself or get them at the store?"
"Wow, that's cool. Actually, I got them both from the store."
---
Laura Reed was making some chicken when she heard a knock at the door. She rinsed her hands and went to go answer the door.
Audrey came to her door in her red coat and Red hat.
"Hi, Audrey," she said cheerfully.
"Hey, Laura Reed." She greeted her with a smile. "How are you?"
"I'm just here to visit you." Andrey began to sniff the air. "And is that chicken?"
Laura Reed glanced back at the stove. "Yeah. I'm making some for dinner tonight."
"Well," Audrey said as she sat on the couch. "I wanna talk to you about my dream last night."
"Oh?" Laura Reed sat beside her. "Was it like a nightmare or something?"
"Well, It was tiny me again," Audrey said. "Me and Mindy, who had blue skin and blue hair, running with the same pink and purple creature, and running away from a humongous clown all the way to some movie studio. Then I woke up at only 3:57 AM this morning." She said as she rubbed her head. "It's felt so real like I've know Mindy for a long time."
"Wow, that sure sounds scary." Laura Reed looked surprised. "Well, a lot of strange things can happen in dreams."
"It's more than a dream," Audrey said. "It's more like a memory. So what dream or nightmare did you have last night?"
Laura Reed thought for a moment. "I did have this weird dream about me and Clark. We were wearing these strange costumes and masks. Almost like we were superheroes."
Audrey looked at her with a curious look. "It looks like my daughter and Hilary are talking about Joy from the Inside Out story, and you as Helen from the Incredibles story," Audrey said as she stood up.
"Yeah, I guess so. Jack did tell me that Hilary thinks that I'm Elastigirl."
"I agree. I guess I need to go. Bye." Audrey said as she reached the door.
"Aww, already?" Laura Reed looked disappointed. "You just got here."
"Just came for a quick chat, that's all," Audrey explained as she closed the door.
"Oh, ok." She stood up from the couch. "I guess I'll see you later then."
---
Hilary and Riley were watching the Star vs the Forces of Evil reruns in the family room and discussing the plots while reading the Pixar storybook.
"Well, Michael is this close to finding out he's Miguel." Hilary said as she munched on some sour cream and onion chips.
"He is?" Riley looked amazed, taking some chips. "That's great. Did he find one of the pages from his story?"
"I'm just guessing," Hilary said as she drank half of her water. "It's when Miguel was thrown by De la Cruz at Sunrise spectacular."
Riley's eyes widened a little. "Really? Maybe he's starting to remember who he really is."
"It's just a guess," Hilary said a curious look. "And the one with The Incredibles fighting the Omnidroid was sent to Susan's house."
Riley had a thought. "Maybe this could mean that the curse is starting to weaken."
Hilary looked at the part with Miguel and the dead and living family on Día la Los Muertos at the end of the story. "I just hope. I mean, it takes some time."
"Yeah, I know." Riley nodded. "That's ok. It's not like we're in a hurry or anything."
----
At the Nakisaki mansion, Susan went to the kitchen to Susan on dinner, when she saw Lucas de Lafayette, a blue-headed, blue-eyed man.
"Bonjour, Susan."
"Bonjour, Lucas." She greeted him. "Um, is dinner ready yet?"
"It's ready." He said, handing out a plate to her. "Your favorite dish, Japanese sushi, a yummy half of my famous baguette, a sweet miniature size Chocolate molten lava cake for dessert, and your black lemonade. I can take it up to your room if you like. I'll set up your table on your bed."
"Wow. That looks amazing." Susan looked excited. "I would, but my aunt always makes us all eat together."
"Well, between you and me, I'll tell her that you're not joining her for dinner." He handed Susan her plate and drink. "I know you felt scared after your little dream last night."
"Oh, ok." Susan took the plate and glass. "Yeah, I did. How did you know about that?"
"Well, I noticed your mood this morning of that dream you had about you and Barry in the jungle. I'm just guessing." Lucas said. "I myself had a weird dream last night of me being a rat in some giant kitchen in France."
"Oh. Yeah, it was kinda scary." She had to admit that it was pretty obvious. Her eyes widened. "Wow. That is weird."
"I agree," Lucas said. "Now, get up to your room."
"Ok, ok." Susan headed up the stairs, plate in her hand.
After Susan, Barry ran to the kitchen to get dinner.
"Hey, Barry! No running in the kitchen!" Said Lucas, grabbing Barry's arm.
"Hey! Let go." Barry tried to break from his grip. "I'm just practicing for track."
"Alright, alright." Lucas gave Barry his plate "Here's your dinosaur chicken nuggets, Granny Smith apple slices, baby carrots, French vanilla ice cream for dessert, and a tall glass of ice-cold milk as you asked."
"Yay! Thanks." Barry shouted, snatching the plate and glass away.
-----
At the Hernandez household, the family was having some chicken tamales for dinner. Some were quiet, including Michael.
"Michael, what dream did you have last night that made you wake up at 4 AM this morning?" Asked Lucy as she unwrapped her tamales.
Michael looked nervous as everyone turned their attention to him. "Oh, uh, it was about me and these two skeletons. Then one of them threw me into this big hole."
"I had one this afternoon." Angela grabbed their attention. "I saw Michael being dropped off a high building by some buff skeleton man." She said as she ate her 2nd tamale. "Anyone else have some weird dream like this like this one?"
"That's like the other dream I had," Michael replied. "I was thrown off a building by a skeleton in a white mariachi suit. What's even weirder is that he looked kinda like my music teacher."
"I got a vision like that," Natalie spoke up. "It was Abuela smashing Michael's wooden white guitar, then he ran off."
Michael and Maria both gasped.
"Abuela, how could you do that? You know how much I love playing music."
"I'd never do such a thing like that!" Maria was about to grab a wooden spoon, but suddenly felt a flash of her smashing the guitar and snapped back to reality, almost falling down.
"Mama!" Edward gasped. He and the other adults quickly stood up and helped her back into her chair. "Mama, are you alright?"
"I don't know." Maria exhaustingly said as she rubbed her head. "It felt so real. It's the same as Natalie's vision."
"Just take it easy, Maria." Lucy touched her shoulder. "It was probably just your imagination."
"Umm... Michael and I should eat our dinner in our rooms and leave you adults alone." Natalie said she picked up her plate and drink.
"Ok, Natalie. Please don't leave crumbs all over the floor." said Lucy as she helped Maria to her room.
"Don't worry, Mama. We won't." Michael promised. He and Natalie headed to their rooms, carrying their plates.
-----
Laura Reed had already made dinner and was now eating it. "...And then she left so quickly." she told Jack.
"Did she at least have a reason why?" He asked.
"I don't know. Maybe she wanted a quick chat and that's it, weird right?" Laura Reed said taking another bite of the chicken.
"Yeah, I guess so." Jack slightly nodded. "Instead of coming over, why not just call?"
"No idea," Laura Reed said.
-----
Meanwhile, Michael and Natalie were talking in Michael's room eating their dinner.
"So Hilary might be right about us being characters from her storybook." Michael said as he drank his milk.
"But it still sounds kinda crazy." Natalie took a bite of her food. "The adults aren't gonna believe it."
"We might keep that a secret." Michael said concerned as he ate the last bites of the tamale. "We don't wanna freak them out just like Abuela did."
"Yeah, you're right." Natalie agreed. "Besides, we don't really know if it's actually true or not."
"These flashes felt so real, like memories." Michael replied as he put his plate away and showed the page from Friday to Natalie. "This looks similar to my nightmares and hallucinations."
"Ok. I see what you mean." Natalie looked at the page. "But even if we were, don't you think we'd remember?"
---
Maria was on her bed wearing a pink fabric nightgown, and her hair down to her back, still thinking about her flash.
"Hey, Mama." Her daughter, Gabriella, a woman with a messy bun, purple lip gloss, and pink eye shadow came in with her plate. "Here's your leftovers from dinner."
"Gracias, Mija." Maria looked up at her and took the plate, smiling. "Maybe I'll feel better after I eat."
Gabriella sat on the bed. "What happened to you at dinner? What did you hallucinate about?" She asked as she placed her food on the nightstand.
"I had this awful vision that I smashed Michael's guitar, and he was so upset that he ran away." Maria explained.
Gabriella began to pat on her mother's shoulder. "It's just some dream. Was it real?"
"I-I don't know." Maria tried to keep her voice steady. "It almost felt real."
----
Brianna was eating baked potatoes, spaghetti and meatballs, and some milk for dinner went a page flew to her table. She looked at it, and it was her seeing Woody getting kidnapped.
She still couldn't wrap her head around the idea of being a toy. Though the character in the picture did kinda look like her. The idea still felt ridiculous.
----
Jessica put on her beige nightshirt saying 'Country Girl' in the front in red rope writing, blue sports shorts, her red hair in two braided pigtails, and headed to bed. She started video chatting Jim, even though it was 6:59 PM, and already had her snack and dinner. "Hi, Jim."
Jim was in the middle of dinner when his phone started ringing. He picked it up and saw it was Jessica calling. "Hey, Jess." He answered.
"How are you doing this evening? I'm in my PJs." Jessica said while she got herself a glass of water. "Just had dinner! What are you eating for dinner?"
"I'm doing good." He then noticed her nightgown. "Oh, it looks nice on you. I'm having some leftover pizza."
Jessica blushed. "Aww, thanks Babe." then she got excited. "Yummy, that's awesome! What kind of PJs are you wearing?"
Jim smiled. "Yeah, it is." He finished one of the slices. "I'm wearing my favorite western pajamas. The ones with horses and cowboys."
"Awesome," Jessica replied as she showed the page from that morning to Jim. "I found this page from this morning while I was cleaning my room."
"Oh, really? Hey, that picture kinda looks like us." He noticed, looking at the page.
"It's us as toys." Jessica said she's sipped her water. "It must be from some memory that we forgot."
Jim looked confused for a moment. "Really? 'Cause I don't remember being a toy."
"I agree." she said as she finished her glass "This is very weird."
-----
Michael and Natalie finished their dinner, took a shower, brushed their teeth, then put on their PJs. Michael in his mariachi pattern pajamas, and Natalie in her blue nightgown. They went to their rooms.
Natalie was reading 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' by JK Rowling, went Angela came in in her light blue bathrobe with the twins 5-year-olds, Jimmy and Juan, cubby boys with messy hair and in their star pattern pajamas.
"Hola, sister." Jimmy said as he sat on her bed along with Angela.
"Hey, boys." Natalie put down her book and greeted her little brothers.
Juan sat on his aunt's lap feeling concern. "Why Abuela fell at dinner?" He asked.
Angela thought of a way to explain it so he would understand. "Oh, she just saw something that scared her. But she should be ok now."
Natalie looked at her brothers and aunt in both nervousness and concern. "Yeah, don't worry too much. She'll be fine." She lied so she doesn't want to hurt their feelings. "You boys might can sleep with me just for tonight if you like."
"Yay!" The twins cheered and climbed into Natalie's bed.
"Then, goodnight." Angela said as she left the room, then she saw her 46-year-old older twin brothers, Henry and Joaquin, with slick back black hair, brown eyes, wearing their same pattern red and white striped pajamas.
"Hola, hermanita." Joaquin said while getting some water.
"Hola, hermanos." Angela greeted them. "I just said goodnight to Natalie and the boys."
"We saw what happened at dinner." Henry replied and he got himself some crackers for a midnight snack.
"Looks at Maria's having some problems." Joaquin said while he took a sip of his water.
"There are no problems." Angela corrected him. "She said that she had a strange vision. That's all."
"Right, sorry." both Henry and Joaquin said in unison as they crunched on the crackers.
"I mean since Jack came to town..." Henry replied.
"...some of our neighbors had visions of weird places in weird bodies." said Joaquin, feeling concerned as he sipped his water.
Angela considered their words for a moment. "You know, you're right. This never happened before he came along."
----
Jack was gazing at the stars out the window, imagining what life could have been if he had a family. He imagined laughter and cheerfulness all his life until Laura Reed came in.
"Hey, Jack."
He snapped out of his thoughts and turned to face her. "Huh? Oh, hey."
She sat on the couch. "What are you thinking about, Jack?" She asked.
"Oh, I was wondering what my life would've been like if I had a real family." He replied.
Laura looked at Jack in shock. "My gosh." She said as she got some water. "Why did you wish for a family? How many foster families have you had? And did you have any friends before?"
"Because I practically grew up in the foster system." He explained. It was hard for Jack to talk about his past. "I've only had maybe one or two. I haven't really had any friends either."
----
Angela went to her room and took off her robe, revealing a purple nightgown, pink sweats, red socks, and let her hair down to her back. She was brushing her hair when she saw her skeletal self in the mirror, wearing a dress, and a leather brown apron.
She gasped and stepped back in shock, rubbing her eyes, hoping the image would go away.
When she opened her eyes, it was back to normal. She checked all over her body to see if it still had flesh, and was relieved. She looked at her clock which read 8:19 PM and thought she might finish her book.
"Must've just been my imagination." She thought to herself. She picked up the book she had left on the nightstand, hoping to ease her mind.
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Ivanna was at the shop, making some dresses when she saw a page of her and baby Jack-Jack.