Sweet Moon

The past two weeks we tried not to sleep, afraid that this girl might come back and call him someone he didn’t know. Is Kim playing a joke on me? Dean thought that a couple of times before ruling it out, she wasn’t home last night.
School had been tough as well. He tried his hardest not to fall asleep but many times he had caught a z or two.
“Dean man what’s up? You have been so out of it lately.” Jerry, some of the girls call him Jerrick because he acts like a dick from time to time. He was a good six foot one inch with hair he is always cutting himself, refuses to pay for a good quality hair cut. Dean stood two inches shorter, with the same problem, his was liable though, no money.
“No sleep, I had this one dream about a week and some change ago with a girl calling me June.”
“Ouch man, there is nothing like being called some other guys name to bruise the heart.”
“Shut up it isn’t like that, it’s very weird.” He couldn’t tell Jerry, he knew if he did Jerry wouldn’t believe it.
The rest of the school day continued on with Dean barely awake. Twice he was sent to the nurse, and passed on gym to reboot the energy he lost. Since gym was last period today he ran to the car and sped home, to drive slow would endanger anyone who was near him.
His driveway was empty he was grateful but not enough. Dean couldn’t afford to sleep.
Slowly going inside he hung up his jacket dragging his book bag up the stairs thumping it against his leg.
The door to his room stood open, inviting him in. He dropped the bag against the wall and started to pace. Thinking of possible ways to stay awake, it was something that wasn’t going to just go away with time. Though he wished it did. He laid on his stomach feeling his body meld into the bed, he couldn’t fight the dreariness he felt when his eyes started to close, and within an instant he was back where he didn’t want to end up.
“No, no dammit I don’t want to be here, change scene.” Nothing happened.
“I wish I was walking through the park.” Still nothing had changed, Dean moaned and cursed the day he closed his eyes.
“Stop cursing, you look ugly that way.” She came back, and took one step back trying to put space between them.
“June, please tell me what’s wrong with you?” There she goes again.
“How many times do I have to say leave me alone and that I am Dean before you get it through your head?”
She started to cry, her body camouflaging with the stream of her dress.
Celeste looked up now at him, seeing a mess of a boy, he resembled so much of her sweet June, yet he claims not to be. She wish it was June playing a game but if it was what a cruel joke to play against her heart. Damn those nymphs she thought. But if this is really a human boy then why is he here?”
“So you are Dean? Then where is June? Where did you put him?” Clouds formed in her eyes darkening them, piercing him for she was very close to him. He wondered how she drew near him that quickly.
“Yes I am Dean.” He took another step away from her. “I don’t know who June is so I don’t know where he is.” Celeste grew with worry, feeling her heart break.
“Can I ask how you are wearing water for a dress? Where am I? This is supposed to be my dream not my nightmare.”
Her worry turned to fear, fearful that someone might have hurt June, why would this Dean call this place a nightmare? Nightmares are for the weak minded, for the ones who can’t believe.
“Don’t ever call this a nightmare silly human; if you want a real nightmare I shall take you there but here…to be here is to call it haven.”
“You still didn’t answer my questions though.”
“What questions would that be? My dress, well it is simply a dress.” And it was there was no water but the simple thin dress that covers her. Her hair was pulled back, with the diamonds around the pull of hair. Her lips the color of ivory and full. “You are where you appear to be.”
“There isn’t a name for it?”
“No there isn’t we don’t need to always name things that we claim. It is ours.” She turned away from him walking near the cliff. He looked around seeing nothing but the display of colors streaming around him.
“When I first came here someone called my name, was that you?”
“Of course not, I have been calling you June, so lonely I have been since June left and you stopped coming here. That must have been Aria playing a trick on you.”
“Aria?”
“Yes Aria.”
“But no one was near me.”
“Well Dean Aria must have been, if not her than I don’t know what to tell you, I am highly upset, my June is no where near.” From the west he saw a shadow forming, moving quickly than it seemed.
“Nuvens have you found him?”
“No I haven’t, Allégement has seen him though, said something about shadows taking him. Thought it was me he did, but it wasn’t.”
“I know Nuvens; meet Dean, the human who shows up from time to time.”
Dean didn’t like that at all, when he looked at Nuvens he saw an even taller man than he expected. Wide set with a growing stomach.
“Hello Dean.”
“Hello.”
“Celeste, my light do not be so down, June shall come back, he will.”
Nuvens walked away, taking his time.
“I don’t like him.”
“You don’t have to, he does not wish for your approval.”
“Fine.”
She lowered her eyes, and then picked them up again, looking at Dean but seeing June.
“Who is June?”
“June is my light Dean, he shines the brightest and I love him for that, but I fear he may be with the nymphs again.”
“So much for love.” Dean walked away trying to find an exit to this dream.
“Really? And do you know what love is Dean? To have a light that you need to live? Or are you lonely?”
“I am only 19 love is in a book, I have to live before I love.”
“Love makes you live, only in a book. Such crazy talk for a mere human. I know what you do all day Dean, you just sit around and read, you write and you pray to the moon. Tell me how does the prayer song go?”
He turned back to her baffled beyond reason, how could she know that he prays to the moon?
“Hoping for change right? Let’s sing together, I see the moon and the moon see’s me –
“That’s enough you crazy water witch lady girl thing. I’ve had enough of this dream.”
She grabbed his hand yanking him back to her.
“Wait please don’t go, I need help.”
“You have help, this is a dream it doesn’t matter.”
“But this isn’t a dream, ‘tis real just please.”
Dean sighed, feeling defeated. This is only a dream, not a nightmare but a dream.
“I thought this Allégement guy was helping and Nuvens?”
“They are, but obviously I need you. Aria is telling me that, June needs you to help him.”
Who is Aria? All these people with weird names, the only real name is June.
“You look so much like him, I guess that can be the only logical explanation as to why you are here instead of a dream. You two must be brothers.” He laughed at her sitting down on the crystal, no grass had appeared for him as it did for her, and he wondered why. It was cold though and hard, but he lay back seeing the ceiling of crystal as well. No sky or stars, just a forever brightness bouncing off the walls. He closed his eyes feeling her stare at him.
“Don’t sleep; we don’t want you trapped here.” He opened his eyes at the alert and she began to giggle, lying down next to him causing the grass to lift up from under his body. The cushion it brought was a relief from the stone. She picked a gem from the flower and showed it to him, handing it over it turned to water as it passed through their fingers, creating a small pool on his shirt. Never leaving a mark it lay on his stomach as he played with the cool feel of it.