Cheveyo

Ben's party starts at nine, it’s eight-thirty and I still haven’t gotten ready. I am sitting in a pile of clothing, searching for the perfect outfit. I've tried on about fifty dresses and skirts and yet I still found nothing. Ben's going to kill me if I'm late; I'm never late for anything. Why is this so hard? It’s not like I'm trying to impress anyone. It doesn’t matter what I wear, no one is getting me tonight.

I close my eyes and pick up the first thing my hand touches. When I open them again, I know I've messed up the second I take a look at the dress. It’s tiny, black, and leather. Sara bought it for me and I've never worn it. It shows too much boob and doesn’t cover enough ass. When I readied myself to toss it, the doorbell rang.

Crap! Mel and Ash are here and I'm still in sitting here. I run down stairs and open the door. They both buck their eyes at me. "Wow- um-" Ash starts; he rubs the back of his neck nervously. "You look- uh- nice." He stutters quietly. I smack his chest and glare at him. Mel steps in front of him and looks me up and down, her mouth hanging open.

"What have you been doing all day?! Pig farming?" She asks taking in my paint covered overalls. I was having a little art session in my bedroom earlier today. This time my painting is of Cheveyo as he got stronger.

"I'm not ready!" I whine throwing the dress in the air. Ash catches it and looks at it with wide eyes.

"Wow, is this what you’re wearing?" He murmurs still staring at the tiny dress. Mel elbows him in the ribs causing him to go into a coughing fit. She hadn’t realized she had hit him so hard so she was trying to pat his back and she kept apologizing.

"Oh God Ash," She yells. "I'm sorry Snuggle Bear!"

"Ha! Snuggle Bear!" I chuckle. "But seriously," I mutter going from giggly to serious so quick Mel and Ash gave each other a funny look. "I don’t have anything to wear and I need to talk to you guys about something." We walk into the living room and sit down. My dad had the couch replaced after I threatened to become an arsonist. I take a deep breath and prepare to tell my twelve year old secret to my best friends.
"Is everything OK, Shawn?" Mel asks with concern. I sigh and shrug my shoulders.

"Guy's, I've had a secret for the past twelve years," I murmur. "I've been too afraid to tell anyone but Sara and she thinks I'm nuts now."

"You can tell us," Mel says giving me the most supportive tone she can muster. I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

"I'm in love with a man that only exists in my dreams!" I blurt out quickly. I keep my eyes tightly closed wait for their reactions.

"Oh come on, Shawn, you can have any guy you want." Mel says rolling her eyes.

"I wasn’t speaking figuratively," I mumble as I open my eyes. Mel looks slightly confused and Ash looks like he's thinking. He then holds up his hand like he has a question. I roll my eyes at him. "Yes, Ash?"

"Are you telling me that you dreamed about a guy a few times and you’re in love with him?" He asks without the slightest bit of humor.

"No, I'm telling you that I've dreamed about the same guy, every night, since I was four." Mel gasps but she still looks utterly confused.

"I still don’t think I understand." Mel mumbles. I sigh and break down our story bit by bit, giving them every detail of every dream, old and new. I told them of my recent visions and of the gifts. Sara had already tried to tell them about her finger but they didn’t believe it until now.

"Can I see the necklace?" Ash asks with excitement behind his voice. I narrow my eyes and clutch the necklace protectively. "Look Shawn, for some odd reason, I believe everything you said and I honestly can’t wait to meet the guy." I smile victoriously inside. Ash believes me and that’s the best feeling in the world next to how I feel about Cheveyo.

"Aren’t you afraid you'll get burned?" I ask with concern. "I don’t want all my friends walking around with burnt fingers.

"I'm not worried," He rolls his eyes playfully. "Look at me; do I look like I'm scared?" I look him up and down, dark hair, piercings, gages in his ears, tattoos, dark clothes. He doesn’t look frightened; he looks as if he anticipates moments like these. I sigh and pull the necklace out of my shirt. I stand and walk over to where he Mel sit.

Ash slowly reaches his hand out. He's hands are shaking slightly, I would be nervous if I were about to do something this extreme. He taps the necklace with his fingers quickly and when he doesn’t react he grabs it up in his hand and holds it. "That wasn’t so bad," He says sounding relieved.

"Why did it burn Sara then?" Mel asks curiously. Ash and I shrug. "I saw her finger, the acrylic nail completely melted. Some of it will probably be in her skin forever." I shudder knowing that Cheveyo's necklace did that to my friend. I would say she deserved it because she still doesn’t believe me but she didn’t deserve that.

Why would Cheveyo give me something that had the possibility of hurting someone and what make Sara so different from Ash? "So you guys believe me right?" I ask sounding hopeful.

"I believe you." Mel says. "I'm not touching the lava necklace though; I just got my nails done." She holds up her perfectly manicured hands. I know the colors and designs are a tribute to Ash. All of her nails are pink except her pinkies which are black with a silver skull painted on.

"I do too," Ash says truthfully. "You've never been a liar. You didn’t tell us for obvious reasons. Sara thinks you’re totally bonkers but I don’t. My great-grandma used to tell my grandmother stories similar to yours. You could meet her tomorrow if you want. Maybe she can tell you more about this than I can."

Do I want to put my trust in the hands of a little old woman? She could have been telling her mother’s tales as bedtime stories for all I know. 'Adawadvhidasd.' (Visit) I hear Cheveyo's voice and I know to follow his words. "Ok," I murmur. "I'll meet her." He smiles at me.

"I'll call her after the party tonight," He says. I look at him with a raised brow.

"Ash, you probably won’t get home until after four in the morning. Surely your grandma won’t be up." He shrugs.

"Grammy likes to get her day started early." What elderly woman is up just lounging around at four a.m.? I push the thoughts out of my head. I need to find something to wear to Ben's party.

"Mel, what am I going to wear?" I ask sounding panicky. We have ten minutes to get there and I look like I live in Idaho on a goat farm.

"Wear the dress," She says pointing at the black leather. I gasp.

"I just told you my deepest darkest secret and you suggest that I go out in that slinky thing?" I ask. She shrugs her shoulders and smirks at me.

"It was just an idea," She laughs. "But I think I have another dress in the car." She stands up and skips out of the house. Ash and I sit in silence for a few moments.

"I dream about Mel too," He murmurs quietly. I look up at him and he looks almost as if he's afraid. "I never told my Grammy about it, I'm actually relieved that you dream about someone too."

"Does she die in your dreams?" I ask hesitantly. He shakes his head.

"No, but she gets taken away in a carriage and I die." He whispers. "It’s like we're in old England. She was from an upper class family and her dad didn’t approve of our relationship. He had her sent away and he had me killed." He pauses. "You don’t think these dreams play a part in our future, do you?" I sigh.

"I hope not." I mumble just as Mel walks in carrying a knee length, black, sweater dress with silver leggings. Hmm conservative is nice.

"This should do for tonight," She says tossing me the clothes. "Now hurry up, we're already running late." I roll my eyes and run upstairs. When I'm safely in my room, I take a deep breath, trying to suck up as much of Cheveyo's woodsy scent. I quickly change into the dress and leggings. I run a brush through my hair a few times, not really putting in much effort and I slide on a pair of black flats and grab my purse.

I walk over to the box I put the flowers in last night and peek inside to make sure they’re still there. To my surprise, they are there and they look as fresh as they did when I discovered them. I take one out and smell it before sticking it behind my ear. When I make it back downstairs, Mel and Ash are waiting by the door. I lock up the house and we head out.

We are twenty minutes late when we arrive at Ben's. His parents own a nice, two story cabin a few miles from my place. It’s hidden off in a secluded area in the woods. It’s the dream party home. He has a big pool out back, a basketball court, huge TV's and surround sound. Its paradise.

The house is already packed full of half-naked, drunk teenagers. Ben throws the wildest parties next to Austin. The music is loud and I'm actually ready to have fun. I'm a lot more relaxed now that I've told my friends. I don’t know why it took me so long to do it; I guess I was just terrified of what they may think of me.

I see Sara and Ben in the middle of the dance floor. They are laughing and dancing together. Sara looks up and sees us standing near the door; she smiles and waves us over. She taps Ben and points in our direction. He looks up and rolls his eyes. "You’re late," he mouths. Mel and Ash both point at me, indicating that our tardiness is my fault.

I roll my eyes and walk over to them. He opens his mouth to say something but I cut him off. "You wanted me to come so I came, be happy!" He smirks and pulls me into a hug.

"Is everything ok Shawn?" He asks over the blaring music. I nod my head and smile with assurance.

"I'm Ok, Ben." I shout in his ear. "I know Sara thinks I'm nuts but I promise I'm good." He gives me an unsure look.

"You sure?" He questions. His eyes show his concern for me. I smile again.

"Look at me," I gesture to myself. "Do I look like I'm anything but fine?" He steps back and looks at me. He rubs the small patch of hair on his chin while he thinks. He finally shrugs.

"You look great!" He yells. A slow mischievous smile spreads across his face. The song ends and 'We are Young' by F.U.N. starts to play. “Let’s party!" He screams. His voice echoes through the house and everyone in attendance cheers. I laugh as he grabs my hand and we start to dance together.

"Drinks?" Sara asks with an apologetic smile. I smile back and nod my head. I hold up my finger indicating that I'll only have one drink. I only had one drink last time and the unthinkable happened. Sara disappears into the crowd of dancing people. I see Emmett and Adrian walking hand-in-hand through the crowd, both smiling like small children on Christmas.

"You too look happy!" I shout. The look at each other and their smiles seem to widen. They nod and look back at me, still grinning.

"Adrian's agreed to be my girlfriend." Emmett announces proudly. I stop dancing to congratulate them.

"He really is the sweetest person I've ever met." Adrian mutters, her cheeks turning red at the same time. I giggle a little.

"I told you he would be," I say. "I'm really happy for you guys. You better treat her right Emmett." He bows and kisses her hand. Adrian blushes again, more than I thought possible.

"Once a gentleman always a gentleman." He says smiling sardonically. "Speaking of gentlemen," He steps closer to me so I can hear him fully. "I hear yours will be here soon. When were you going to tell your best guy friend the news?" He crosses his arms and pouts.

"How was I supposed to know you guys would believe me?" I ask defensively. He shrugs and smiles.

"It doesn’t matter, as long as you’re happy." He gives me a gentle hug. Sara comes back with drinks; Ash and Mel follow behind her.

"Tequila!" She yells as she hands me the cup. I can tell she's already tipsy. "Good stuff too," She laughs as she gulps down half a cup quickly. I nearly gag watching her. How can such a small girl consume so much alcohol and not vomit or pass out? She must have a cast iron stomach or her family has a long list of alcoholics.

I take a sip of my drink and cough violently from the burn it produced in the back of my throat. Everyone laughs and makes jokes about me being a light weight. I roll my eyes at them and take another sip, this time I was able to swallow without nearly strangling myself. My head is already spinning slightly, Sara is right, this is good stuff.

The party escalates and I continue to sip on my drink. We are all seated on the couches where Ben's neat and cozy living room would normally be. "When is your brother coming back?" I ask Ben. His brother has been stationed in Iraq for the last six months. Cameron is nothing like Ben, he's extremely stern and strict. I guess that's what the army does to you.

He's a cool guy though. Every time he comes home, we all go to the movies or down to the beach. "He's supposed to be back on Halloween. He can only stay three weeks before he has to be back on duty." He frowns a bit. Ben didn’t want Cameron to go to the Army, he was worried that he wouldn’t see him again and I can see that he's still worried.

"Speaking of Halloween," Emmett says glancing at me. "Are you throwing a party this year?" Ben shrugs.

"I don’t know," He says. "If my parents are out of town then I'm definitely throwing one." Great, another party. Ben knows his parents won’t be home because his parents are gone just as much as my dad is. The only difference between them and him, they actually call frequently when they’re away and when they’re home, they pay attention to him.

They still have my idiot father beat out. He's probably shacked up in a presidential suite in some New York hotel with Karen. I grimace at the thought and gulp down a mouthful of my expertly made drink. Sara's the bartender, the best damn teenage bartender the East Coast has ever seen.

"Ben!" Emmett shouts from across the table. Ben stops talking to Sara and looks at him.

"What’s up bro?" Emmett nods his head towards the stairs.

"Let’s move the party to my room," Ben suggests. "I can’t hear shit!" We laugh and follow him through the mob of people and force our way upstairs. Ben pulls out a key and unlocks his padlocked door. "I'm not trying to find anybody in my bed like at my last party," He groans. "Gots to keep my domain clean and secure." He pushes his door open and leads us in.

I smile as I look around Ben's room. It looks like your average teenage boys room: sports posters, game system, bathing suit models on the wall, and dirty socks in the corner. This is Ben. If you were expecting more you’re wrong.

"Yea, those posters have to go, A.S.A.P." Sara says glaring at Ben. He covers his heart dramatically.

"Ms. December too?" He asks pouting playfully. Sara narrows her eyes at him.

"She better be the first one down." Ben walks over and pulls Sara against his chest.

"How about you do the honors?" He kisses her lips gently. She squeals and runs over to rip Ms. December off the wall.

"So Shawn," Emmett says. "Tell us more about this Cheveyo character of yours. Who is he?" I sigh and shrug. I look at Sara who gives me an encouraging smile.

"I don’t know," I whisper. "I think he was my soul mate from my past life." Emmett looks at me with a raised brow.

"Soul mate?" He says in disbelief. "You think those exist?" I shrug.

"Don’t you?" I ask. "You've liked Adrian for a long time right?" He nods his head and smiles at her. "Don’t you think that there is a small possibility that she could be made for you and only you? Just like those two over there ripping up Ms. July, and Ash and Mel. I can see you all in happy, long-lasting relationships with each other, marriages even."

"Maybe you’re right Shawn," He sighs. "I've always thought that Adrian was perfect for me, I guess I just didn’t use those words. Hey maybe one day when we're older she'll agree to marry me." Adrian gasps and flushes.

"You'd marry me?" She mumbles not meeting his eye. He lifts her chin with his fingers. She looks into his eyes. His lip twitches as he tries to fight his smile.

"I will marry you." He gives her a promising look. "One day you'll be Mrs. Adrian Bates." He rubs his nose against hers before pecking her lips. She smiles and wraps her arms around his neck.

"You know how to bring out the best in people," Asher stares as he runs his fingers through Mel's dark hair. I shrug and give him a half smile.

"I wouldn’t say that," I murmur. "I just try to get people to see the big picture." He nods.
"Because you've experienced it firsthand. You feel more in one night than some people feel in a life time." He states. "You've seen the man you love die every night for twelve years, you try to encourage others to embrace their relationship and not take them for granted." Well, that was very Dr. Phil-like.

"What are you going to college for, Ash?" I giggle. He shrugs.

"Engineering," He groans. I shake my head.

"I think you would do excellent in the Psychology field." I murmur. "You’re really good at reading people." He shrugs again.

"I get it from Grammy, she never misses anything." Mel sighs.

"I can’t wait to meet her." Ash kisses her cheek.

"She acts so much like me it’s scary." He shudders. I roll my eyes at him.

"Let me guess, she's got a nose ring and six tattoos?" I ask sarcastically. I take another large gulp of my drink. He cocks his head to the side.

"You've met Grammy?" I get choked up and alcohol flies out of my nose and mouth, splattering Ben's bed and floor.

"Ah! Come on Shawn!" Ben yells. "I just washed those sheets!" I catch my breath. I motion towards Ash.

"He's the one with the rock star granny!" I say giggling uncontrollably. Ash blushes and turns his attention back to Mel." Sara comes and sits next to me on the bed.

"Hey," She says.

"Hey," I say. "Look Sara, I'm sorry for snapping last night." She shakes her head.

"No I'm sorry," She mutters. "I should have believed you; I know you wouldn’t make up anything like that. I know you couldn’t make up anything like that. You suck at story telling." She hesitates for a moment. "He came to me in my dream last night," She whispers. My eyes widen and I know by her expression that she speaks the truth.

"How?" I gasp. She shrugs.

"I don’t know," She murmurs. "He said that he needed me to believe." She looks confused; well she's not alone there. "I believe now, that’s for damn sure." My conscience jumps up and down shouting victory at the top of her lungs. "Do you forgive me Shawn?" I pull her into a gentle hug.

"Of course I forgive you." I whisper. "You’re my best friend, nothing will change that." We made our way back downstairs after talking about Cheveyo for a bit longer. I had to explain the entire story to Emmett, Ben, and Adrian. They’ve made plans to become best friends with him once he gets here.

I made it home at around three. My feet ache from all of the dancing but I soon forget my pain when I inhale his delicious scent walking through the door. I wonder if he'll stay with me here. My dad is never home so it’s not like he would ever know, not that I would care anyway. I hope he stays with me. It will be pure torture if he left me every night, it will feel like he's dying all over again.

I strip out of my clothes once I'm in my room and head for the shower. I need to wash away the evidence of tonight’s party, which consists of booze and more booze. I can’t count how many times some drunken kids bumped into me and spilled their drink on my dress. Ash called his grandma and she's agreed to meet me tomorrow at two. She thinks it would be wise for everyone to come.

After my shower, I crawl into bed. I kiss Cheveyo's necklace and close my eyes. I feel at peace with myself and with how things are going. I know he's coming, I can feel it. I wrap my arms around my body and hug myself as if it was his arms around me and I fall asleep.