This Could Be Home

I must be dreaming.

We splashed each other for a few minutes before she tripped backwards and fell back into the water. When she sat up, she was giggling uncontrollably as she pushed the hair out of her face.

"This place is amazing," I said to her, watching her look all around her. When her eyes landed on me, her smile grew.

"So where are you from Chris?" She asked me, stretching her toned arms above her head.

"Joplin, Missouri. How about you?" I said, noticing the water glinting all over her body making her sparkle.

"I'm from Litchfield, CT. It's this really small town," She said, looking down like it was bad she was from a little town.

"I'm from a small town too. That's why I started touring to see the world," I said swimming around a little bit. She just watched me.

"You toured?"

"Yeah, I'm a musician,"

"Already? No offense, but you don't look like you're very old,"

"I'm nineteen," I told her, stopping mid stroke to look at her. She looked about my age.

"Me too, and that's amazing you're already doing all that," She said amazed. I looked down awkwardly.

"Well I was before I got here," I said mournfully. I was content being where I was, but I could already feel my heart ache when I saw my mom's face in my head. A silence grew between us for a few moments before she awkwardly coughed and moved a little.

"Do you remember how you got here?" She asked timidly as I looked up at her. I thought for a couple minutes, before I recalled a few memories.

"I was singing a song. It was a new song I had just written. I was walking out of the studio to get something. I can't remember what. Then, for some reason, I went down an alley and then everything went numb. I couldn't feel anything or move. I could hear everything though." I said looking right at her, stepping closer to her.

"That's what happened to me, too. Everything was numb. I'm sorry that happened to you," She said, walking closer to me, our bodies underneath the water up to our chests.

"I'm not," I said to her as we drew very close. I leaned closer to her, keeping eye contact until she looked behind me for a split second.

"Bendsten?" She questioned, looking behind me. I turned around cautiously to see a guy standing on the shore. She looked at me for a moment before running out of the water towards the guy she called "Bendsten".

I followed at a slower pace, trying to hear what she was saying rapidly to the man as she kept hugging him. I hoped he wasn't her boyfriend. It didn't look like it, because he just looked pained to be in her presence.

"I'll explain everything in a moment. I need to wait for Chris to get up here," The guy said as I walked up the shore to him.

"How do you know my name?" I asked dumbly.

"I know a lot about you Mr. Ingle. Please follow me," He said, wrapping Kate up in the towel I had brought down to the beach. The three of us trudged up the path, and I noticed the dirty Jeep Wrangler parked next to the house. I glared at the back of Bendsten's head as we neared the house because of the way he put his hand on her back. I knew he probably knew her more than I did, but he wasn't being very nice interrupting us like he did.

He sat the two of us down on the couch in the living room like we were little children. He stood and paced the room a few times before looking at us.

"Sit Benny, please," Kate pleaded with him. He looked at her before grabbing a footstool and sitting on it.

"Well, first of all, Chris, I'm Benny Bendsten. I'm a scientist," He said putting his hand out for me to shake. I shook it reluctantly, so I wouldn't disappoint Kate.

"Do you know why we're here?" Kate asked him. He nodded.

"Yes, yes I do. Are you ready to hear the story?" He asked us.

"Of course we are! Please tell us what's going on?" Kate said, looking over at me to see if I had any objections.

"I want to know too," I said honestly. He shook his head before sighing.

"Alright, but please don't be mad at me."