Awake Part 2

~ Bryn ~

When I finally start school again, my nerves are in shreds. My family and I have all been trying to recover from my coma state for a little over ten years. I've cut my hair the way it should have been and put back on most of my weight. But it's strange; I know what's going on in the world, I know people from town and my Dad's regular customers, everything I know from my dream is exactly right...except everything had happened without me there. I even know all the school material; I'd been tested to see if I was capable of starting all the way up in sophomore year. But everything was how it should be, except I wasn't a part of it. Of course some things would be different, particularly my three friends, Jenna, Ethan, and Brady. I was too scared to try and see any of them.

So here I stand on the edge of the schoolyard. It's exactly as it should be and I feel almost as though I can forget the last two weeks and pretend my life is normal. I've gone early so I can pass out all my homemade sweets to my homeroom class, which we have for half an hour in the morning and then return to for fifth. I somehow have the same schedule I did in my dreams, so I'm sure that class will still have the twins and Jenna. I glance at the little packages of cookies and fudge in my book bag. Even though no one would know me now, I wanted to thank them for a wonderful life as silently and unnoticeably as I could.

I slip in and breathe with relief when I find the school and--better yet--the classroom empty. I place a bag of sweets on each desk, including the teacher's, then slip out again and wait for the bell to ring.

~ Brady ~

When I walk into the classroom to wait for homeroom to start, I don't immediately realize what's weird. Then I blink; each desk contains a neatly wrapped package with a bit of ribbon on it. I've seen these before, but never when I'm awake. Am I still dreaming?

I sit at my desk and pick up my package. It fits nicely in my hand. A sweet, chocolatey aroma rises from it. I open it and stare in unbelief. There's a large, perfectly baked snicker-doodle, soft and warm, and a chunk of mint-chocolate fudge on top of that. I know this cooking! But that's impossible. Those were just dreams! Bryn has been in a coma since I first met her when she was five and I was seven.

I take a hesitant bite of the fudge, and that confirms it. Either I'm still dreaming, or the Bryn who had haunted my dreams for the past ten years was suddenly a real person. I toss my thin braid over my shoulder--it was the only thing keeping people from confusing me and Ethan--and savor the fudge as I wait for class to start. For the first time, I don't think it can happen fast enough.

When the bell finally rings, I stare at the door to watch as people come in. First is Ethan; of course, my brother despises being late. I normally despise being on time, except for I enjoy the classroom best when it's empty. He grins at me and takes his desk next to mine. "Hey, who are these from?" he asks, picking up his little gift. I shrug. He'd think me insane if I told. He opens it and nibbles the fudge, his eyes going wide. "Wow, whoever made these is a killer cook!" So I know I'm not dreaming, because if I was, Ethan would know her as well as I do.

The suspense is killing me. I have to know if it really is her! More of the class filters in, chatting or complaining. Ethan's girlfriend Jenna comes in with a strut and a merry wave, then goes straight to Ethan to peck him on the cheek. I scowl, but I don't let my eyes stray from the door. The second bell rings and my stomach drops a little; it isn't like Bryn to be late. But then the teacher enters, leading someone in--and it's her! It's Bryn! She looks just like she does in my dreams, with her loose, unattractive outfit and shy countenance and sweet face.

"Hey, everyone! We have a new student joining us today," she says in an overly cheerful voice. "I want you to help her learn the ropes." She adds in a stage whisper, "Introduce yourself!"

Bryn looks up. Is it my imagination, or do her eyes lock on me, Ethan, and Jenna momentarily? Then she ducks her head. "I'm Bryn O'Herra," she mutters.

"O'Herra?" someone asks. "As in Sharalee O'Herra?"

Bryn glances at me again, and this time I know she knows who I am. I am SO confused. "She's my sister," she says. "I've been...unable to come to public school until now." Her voice is quiet and nervous but filled with that unseeable strength. I'm now convinced that somehow, my dreams are right on.

You see, ever since Bryn first fell and went into a coma, I've been dreaming every night of how my day would be if she were in it. I don't know why it started. All I know is my dream life was better than waking, since she was there in it. She was the only one who didn't see me as a mean-spirited delinquent, the only one who treated me with the same kindness and consideration she did everyone else.

I wonder how things will go now that she's awake. I had visited her a couple of times in the hospital while I knew her family wasn't going to be there, but each time she'd been sleeping soundly with nothing but machines keeping her alive. I wonder what happened to make her wake up.

Bryn gets pointed to the same seat she had in my dreams; the one right beside mine in the back, where no one wanted to sit. She smiles at me nervously before taking her seat. She looks away too quickly to see me smile back, just as hesitantly. I lean back in amazement as homeroom starts. Somehow, the girl of my dreams has just walked into my waking world. I wonder with slight regret if she'll be as unattainable in real life as she was in my dreams.