Bloods Gem (12 page)

My dream man by my side, taking my hand in
his, we saw bright red gems glowing alongside clusters of rocks,
the deeper we swam. He picked one up and handed it to me. Once in
my hand the gem began to grow. I tried throwing it but it had
attached itself. As it grew it moved upward and over me and I was
suddenly enclosed. No longer attached to my hand, I could see
through the clear red glass. My dream man swam under the gem
pushing it up out of the water. Once we surfaced, I saw him holding
one hand up as he guided me and the gem closer to him.

Levitating above the water, in a muffled
voice, he chanted. Suddenly I felt pressure building up,as if my
body would explode. Punching the inside of the glass I yelled for
him to stop. The gem shook and a high pitched ringing invaded my
head. I held my hand over my ears willing it to stop.

A pop signaled the gem shattering beneath
me. I glanced down and saw that it had turned into glitter. Silence
surrounded me on all sides. I levitated, naked, above the water. I
smelled it before I saw it. The coppery odor of warm blood. I
glanced down and saw myself covered.

My dream man smiled from a distance. Eyes
fixed on mine, a calm set upon me. He waved his hand causing my
body to echo his hand movements. Under his spell, I was paralyzed
into submission. One stroke of his hand, wiped the blood from me.
He rose into the air, but kept a distance between us.

Closing his eyes and cupping his hands, he
extended his arms out with his palms open towards me. Pulling his
arms inward, i felt a tug on my body. I watched as his body dropped
to the ground. Simultaneously, an enormous pressure hit my chest,
entering my body. His voice broke though. "Don't be frightened, my
love. We will be forever bound."

His spirit wrapped around mine. As our
spirits twined, one around the other, our souls attached as the
earth to the moon. Embracing and bound together as one.

A constant ringing woke me. I wanted
to remain in the dream world with him. He was now my keeper and I
his. Though it was a dream, I hoped it would never end. Every time
I woke I felt ripped from my new reality.
Is this what love feels like?

I finally answered the phone. “Yeah,” I
answered still half asleep.

“
Babe, are you okay? Why didn’t you
call me last night? Did something happen?” Chris was
overreacting.

“
What's up with the twenty questions?
No, I’m fine. I felt a little sick last night and went to bed
early,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“
Okay, next time text me, or
something, so I don’t worry. I miss you so much,” he
said.

“
I miss you too, and I'll see you
tomorrow.”

Hanging up, I staggered out of bed. The
strong smell of bacon cooking drug me downstairs. “Smells good,” I
said, entering the kitchen.

Kate walked up to me smiling. “Are you
feeling better?” she asked.

“
Oh yeah, much.”

“
Good. I have a question to ask you,”
She said, seeming excited.

“
What?” I asked curious.

“
Would you mind if we stayed a few
more nights? Gina can't bear to part with us yet and she wants to
show us the town.”

I agreed. Knowing the longer we stayed, I
would continue to dream about my fantasy man vividly.

She squealed and hugged me. I patted her
back, pulling my shoulders up to protect my sensitive ears.

After breakfast we lounged around the house
most of the day. Though I wanted to fall asleep again, I wasn’t
tired. I looked around for sleeping aids, but could not find any
and was embarrassed to ask. I figured they might think I was a
junky or something.

Upstairs I day dreamed about the night
before. Everything seemed so clear. The way our spirits embraced
intrigued me. I wanted to stay in that moment forever. The feeling
I had for Chris could not compare with this.

I wondered If I had never had one of these
dreams, if I'd still want Chris intimately. I also wondered if my
dreams were making me lustful, when in reality my body was trying
to act out my desires for the dream man.

It wouldn't be good if I made love with
Chris and come to find out I didn’t love, or feel much for him to
begin with. I thought I should give it more thought before I
actually went along with our Valentines Day plans. I didn’t want to
do something I would regret forever.

The sun setting indicated how much time had
passed. I jumped up and ran downstairs, found Gina and Kate
lounging in the living room.

“
You girl's still want to go out
tonight?” I asked, hoping they would say no, so I could just go
back to bed. Gina glanced at the clock. “Shit, we need to get
ready. We’re supposed to meet Cameron for dinner.”

Sighing, I ran upstairs to get dressed. I
felt sexy, so I wanted to wear something that complimented my mood.
Finally I settled on a tight-fitting, low cut, black top and
skirt.

Gina let me borrow her black high heels
again. Letting my hair down, I put on a little makeup. Looking at
myself in the long mirror that hung on the bathroom door. “Wow,
nice,” I thought smiling.

Walking downstairs Kate and Gina chuckled.
“Going to try to get some tonight?” Gina laughed.

I laughed sarcastically, “Yeah right.”

After dinner at a pub,we headed to the club.
Nervous fluttering arose from my stomach, prompting a memory of the
dream from the night before. The idea that those butterflies had
somehow moved into my being and might be setting up a nest in my
stomach almost caused me to cry out. I don't know why I thought it,
but suddenly I felt anxious and ready to bolt. Taking a deep
breath, I looked out the window as Cameron parked. The sound of
music grew louder as we approached. Despite my dislike for crowds,
I smiled and acted as though nothing was wrong.

Inside, a crowd gathered on the dance floor.
In the dim light, I used Gina as a guide. Candles lined the walls
and table tops. There was a bar set up in each corner, lit with a
string of green Christmas lights. Cameron led us to a section
furnished with leather sofas and settees. Kate and I sat on a sofa.
Cameron and Gina left us alone to check on other employees.

“
This is so cool!” I yelled over the
music.

“
Yeah, very,” Kate replied.

We both sat quiet for awhile. Seeming tense,
I could tell Kate was uncomfortable. Looking around, I noticed the
majority was our age group. Some older men lurked in the darkness,
waiting to pounce on innocent drunk girls.

Watching drunk people dance, we laughed, and
pointed out individuals making fools of themselves. Neither of us
were drinkers, but we thought on this night, we might make an
exception.

Cameron brought drinks, then quickly
abandoned us again. The drink tasted of sweet lemonade. I had four
before I began slurring. Kate followed my lead and our initial
anxiety evaporated.

We stumbled our way to the dance floor,
laughing. Goofy dance moves caused a few looks in our direction.
Holding our noses, waving our free hand we performed a squat and
then jumped up to the imaginary watery surface. When the music
transitioned to hard rock, we jumped up and down head banging,
uncaring of those around us.

After an hour of dorky dancing, throbbing
began at the back of my head it soon escalated into a full blown
migraine. We moved off the dance floor to our previous spot on the
sofas. Laying my head on the back of the couch, the room began to
spin.

The image of my dream man floated through my
mind. Kate laughed loudly and poked at my sides. Groaning, I pushed
her hand away trying to get her to stop. Trying to get away from
her and the images in my head, I stood up. She tugged on my shirt
and pulled herself up.

“
You have an admirer,” she said
laughing again. Glancing in the direction of my so called admirer.
I followed her stare, turned and looked in that direction. Then I
froze.

The rest of the world disappeared, and I was
alone in the room with him. Staring into his dark eyes, I was
unable to look away. My eyes stung with tears. Without any
conscious knowledge of moving, somehow I made my way toward him. He
held to the bar to his side, his expression pained.

Wanting to touch his face to make sure he
was real, I hesitated.

“
Are you okay?” I whispered leaning
in. My face touched the side of his cheek. Stepping back, I glanced
at him. Wondering why he had not responded. He seemed frozen,
unable to move or talk. Looked into his eyes, he seemed absent as
if some part of him had taken flight.

I reached into my purse, grabbing for a pen
and piece of paper and wrote my number down. My hand shook as I
hurried to put the paper in his hand. He flinched.

“
Please take it,” I said holding my
hand out in front of me. Falling to his knees, I gasped. Suddenly I
was being shoved away. Long red hair and dark eyes, she glared at
me. “I’ve got him,” she snapped.

I held out the piece of paper and asked her
to give it to him. She snatched it from my hand and drug him away,
hurriedly.

It was all tied together somehow but I
wasn’t sure how. Everything I had experienced during this trip and
before, lead me to this particular moment. As if every step I took
was a path already laid.

Kate had passed out on the couch. I moved
back across the room and sat next to her unable to think, until
Gina appeared and told us it was time to go.

By the time we got back to the house, I was
sober. Cameron and I helped Kate to her room. Needing time to
think, I hurried to my room and shut the door. Laying on the bed, I
glanced at the phone, wishing he would.

Had I imagined all of
this?
If I could meet him under normal circumstances
perhaps this wouldn't all seem so crazy.

I imagined Chris yelling at me. Saw us
yelling at each other. I texted Chris and told him I was still sick
and would be home in a few days. Texting back, he asked why I was
delaying my return. Not wanting to argue, I called my mom.

“
Hey mom.”

“
Hey baby, how’s your
trip?”

“
Its going good, but Kate and I are
sick. We might stay a few extra days before we come
home.”

“
Okay honey. What’s wrong, did you
catch something?”

“
I’m not sure. We think it might be
something we ate, but can you do me a favor?”

“
Sure, do you need some
money?”

“
No. I’m good. Kate’s handling that. I
need you to call Chris and tell him I’m too sick to call or talk.
Can you do that for me? He keeps bugging me and its hard to enjoy
this with him constantly worrying.”

“
Yeah. I'll call him right now. Don’t
worry. I'll get him off your back.” She said laughing.

“
Thanks mom. Love you.”

“
Love you too honey. Feel
better.”

I passed out with the phone still in my
hand. My dreams were simple. I dreamed about returning home. Chris
was waiting for me at the airport. He was happy to see me home, he
asked me to never go on a long trip like that again unless it was
with him. He said he couldn’t stand being away from me. In another
dream with Chris he was on one knee, purposing.

I woke to the phone ringing in my hand,
still half asleep.

“
Hello?” I answered.

“
Hello, am I speaking to Faith?” My
heart jumped and butterflies fluttered in my stomach.

“
This is her,” I replied.

“
Hello Faith my name is Daniel Hill.
We met at the bar last night. I’m sorry about the incident. I had
too much too drink and…”

“
Ohh,” is all I could get out. A lump
had formed in my throat. I giggled nervously.

“
I remember you. You’re the one who
passed out at my feet.”

He paused. I thought maybe I had offended
him, then heard a crash in the background.

“
Sorry again,” he said
softly.

I smiled and bit my hand, reminding myself
this conversation was really taking place. We agreed to meet at a
cafe.

Excited, I ran to the bathroom hurrying to
brush my teeth and hair. Scrambling for my purse downstairs, Gina
watched me. "Going somewhere?" She asked. I glanced at her. "Oh,
can you write down the directions to Cafe la Blue?" I asked. She
wrote down the directions for me. "I guess you need to borrow the
car?" She asked.

"Yes, please. If you don't mind."

She tossed me the car keys. "Be careful, not
a scratch." I grinned back at her, “Hugs,” I said. She waved me out
the door.

I wanted to seem uninterested in Daniel. Not
just because I had a boyfriend, but to be safe. I didn’t want to
feel vulnerable to him. And I definitely didn’t want to get hurt,
knowing the feelings I already had for someone I didn’t even know.
He would most likely either be married or have a hundred girls at
his beck and call. I didn’t want to be another girl who threw
myself at him.

I didn’t know what would come from this or
even what I was going to do or say. And I wasn’t going to tell him
about my crazy dreams, because he might think I was a crazy
person.

I pulled up to the side of a building, so I
could walk down the road to the cafe. Walking towards the cafe I
pulled my sun glasses from my purse and put them on.

As I got closer I saw him sitting outside
the cafe. He wore a black pea coat and also donned sun glasses. I
didn’t know if he was staring at me or the empty street beside
me.

He stood up as I approached.