Chapter 1

In this chapter, you're introduced to one of her friends, as well as get to see into Natalie's mind a bit.

            “Good afternoon. Welcome to the Dress Barn. My name is Natalie, is there anything I can help you with?” I cheerfully asked a woman who had just entered the store as she began walking around, looking as lost as a rat in a maze.

            “Oh, uh, no thanks dear. I think I can manage to find what I’m looking for,” she said giving me a quick smile before walking away.

            “Alright, but if you need anything I’ll be around,” I called after her.

            Once she was out of sight, I slumped my shoulders and slunk back to behind the counter where the registers were. Sighing, I propped my elbows up on the counter and rested my head against my hand, wishing that 4:30 would come sooner so I could go home already. I really didn’t like my job, selling dresses, but at the moment a job was a job, and I needed one to pay the bills and buy food.

            “Staring at the clock isn’t going to make it go any faster,” my coworker Ashley said as she walked up next to me.

            Ashley was only two years older than my own 20. She was just out of grad school where she majored in fashion design and she only worked here as a part time job as she was currently interning in a high fashion company. Since she didn’t get paid much for being an intern, she picked up another job to help pay the bills.

            “I know, but one can always dream, can’t they?” I asked wistfully. I paused for a moment deep in thought before I spoke again. “Speaking of dreams, have you ever pictured a dream so vividly that you could almost swear that it was real only that you know it wasn’t because the objects or people in the dreams are total strangers?”

            “Actually,” she said, stopping a moment to tap her manicured nails against her chin, her blues eyes scrunching up in thought, “I think that I have. There was this one time I dreamed that I was having sex with this one stranger who was wearing a hockey mask, but oddly I liked it. Wait a moment, that wasn’t a dream at all! That was just my boyfriend and I and our usual sex games.”

            Rolling my eyes, I turned my attention back onto the store, not really up for Ashley and her usual stupid behavior.

            “You fell asleep while reading again, didn’t you?” she asked knowingly.

            I could only nod my head, ashamed of this fact. It’s sad that I have barely any friends, so I fall asleep while reading my books and the only person I usually talk to regularly is Ashley who has heard all about my many dreams that occur when that happens. I’m just happy that this dream wasn’t out there like many others have been.

            “Girl, you need to get out more,” Ashley said looking at me with pity.

            “Tell me something I don’t know,” I muttered.

            “I know the perfect thing!” she said giddily, clasping her hands together. My eyes widened in horror as she came over, putting her hands on my shoulders. “One of my friends is having a party tomorrow night, and you are coming with me.”

            “B-but I don’t do parties!” I stammered, my eyes widening even more if that was even possible. “I don’t even have anything nice to wear!”

            “Natalie, look where we work,” she stated placing an arm around my shoulders as she gestured around the store. “There are tons of dresses that would be cute enough to suit you to go out. And if there aren’t, we can always go on a shopping spree somewhere else.”

            “Shopping… spree?” the unfamiliar words choked out of my mouth. “Ashley, I really don’t think that it’s necessary to buy me new clothes to just to go to a party and then never wear them again.”

            “That’s nonsense,” she laughed while waving me off. “When was the last time that you actually treated yourself to something nice?”

            “Well, I uh…” I trailed off, not exactly remembering when it was.

            “See! Every girl deserves to pamper herself now and then, and since you haven’t done so in a while, tomorrow is the perfect time to do it!”

            Knowing that it was pointless to argue with her, my shoulders slumped as I let out a sigh of defeat to which she answered with a triumphant smirk. She knew that I would have nothing to say back to her, so I decided to leave the counter and roam the store in order to get away from her while she was gloating and also to see if any of the customers needed help. I wasn’t getting paid to just stand around and watch the customers shop. Well, actually I was, but we’re supposed to be trying to help them find the perfect dress.

            While roaming the store searching for customers to assist, I couldn’t help but let my mind wander as it often does. I daydream so much that back in high school a lot of my so called friends used to state that I was so lost in the dream world that they didn’t wonder if I was some creation sprouted from a book that is just wandering aimlessly around until I find my happily ever after. I used to just laugh it off, but then there would be the days that I would dream that I was really a character from a book who had sprung to life and now is searching for my story so I can have my happily ever after.

            While my mind wandered at that moment, it seemed as if everything around me had just disappeared while the scene in my head sprang to life. Music was blaring which in turned had the rest of the house slightly trembling from the bass. The air was thick with the smell of smoke combined with fumes of alcohol, making me dizzy.

            Trying to find my way outside to reach fresh air, I started pushing my way through the crowd, barely making any headway. It seemed that every step I took I ended up being pushed back another couple feet, none of it helping to reach my destination. Just as it seemed that I was finally able to get some clearway towards the door, a pair of firm arms wrapped their way around my waist, preventing me from going any further.

            I tried squirming away from him, hoping that he was just mistaking me for someone else and then decide to let me go. Unfortunately my struggling only caused him to laugh and tighten his grip around my waist, bringing me flat up against his chest. In a panic, I did the only thing I knew how to do which was to flail my arms and scream, hoping that either someone would save me or my limbs would come into contact with one of his.

            I jumped when I felt another pair of hands come down onto my shoulder. But then looking around me, I realized that I was back in the store and Ashley had a hand on my shoulder while looking at me with concern.

            “You and your overactive imagination Nat,” she let a small giggle slip as she stroked my hair comfortingly. “Don’t worry, I bet that whatever you were imagining this time is definitely not going to happen. Your shift is over soon, so then you can just go home and get some well needed rest.”

            “Yeah, rest,” I agreed, hanging my head in embarrassment before getting back to duty before Ashley decided to act all motherly again.

 

            Immediately once I got home from work, I kicked my shoes off into the closet before making a beeline straight for the kitchen. But before I could get too far, I nearly fell flat on my face as Munchie, my pet Husky, greeted me at the door.

            “Nice to see you too girl,” I laughed while petting her head before continuing on my quest to the kitchen.

            Before searching for my own dinner, I measured out her food and put it in her dish, and within the blink of an eye she was chowing it down. I laughed, watching her eating it while sneaking glances at me to make sure that I wouldn’t try to steal it from her. She doesn’t like it when people try to take her food, or else she’ll snarl and try to bite them.

            “At least you’re still nice to me,” I began talking, mostly to Munchie because if I were to talk to myself that would just be really weird. “There was this one woman at the store today who just ruined my day. I did the normal greeting for when anyone walks into the store, asking them if there was anything I could do do help. She didn’t bother to hide the fact that she was looking me over, her eyes roving over me before scrunching them up in disgust. It actually made her look like a pig, but I would never tell her to her face. Anyways, this lady looks me over and then says, ‘Not from someone who dresses like you.’ She then stuck her nose in the air and just walked away. I wanted to just deck her, but you know me, I could never hurt a fly.”

            Done with her food, Munchie padded over towards me, nuzzling her face on my leg, giving me the love that I needed. “At least I know that I can count on you,” I let out a sigh as I bent down to give her a belly rub.

            After settling for leftover pizza from the day before, I grabbed my book and headed towards my bedroom, ready to spend another night lost in the world of fantasy along with my favorite characters living vicariously through them.

            The book was set over in Ireland and was written by one of my favorite authors, which just happens to be Nora Roberts. She tells all of her tales so beautifully, describing all of the landscapes as if she had lived there herself and has seen firsthand the sights which she has written.

            I had just started to read this book yesterday after I finished another book that I had been reading for a few days. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m basically a hermit who has no life that likes to stay inside and read.

            Snuggling down on my bed, I set my plate of food on the bedside table as I turned to the page which I left off on before falling asleep last night. Munchie was curled up at the foot of my bed snoozing peacefully. Smiling to myself, I searched the book for a familiar spot before I began reading once again.

            The sky flashed dangerously as the storm clouds rolled in. Darkness clouded her perception of everything, but yet she still stirred as she felt his presence approaching. Warily she turned to greet the man who was now before her.

            His blue eyes searched hers, recognizing her the moment that their eyes connected as a surge of electric shock shook their bodies. But yet it was impossible that they knew each other, as they had never laid an eye on each other before that very moment.

            To him, this was like a dream, one so familiar that it seemed as if he were living it out, but he knew it could not be true. Tentatively he outstretched his arm towards her, movingly slowly as if she were a wild creature that would flee at a moment’s notice.

            “I’ve seen your face before,” her eyes scrunched up in thought as his calloused hand came into contact with her pale ivory skin. “It was in a dream, long ago, but I never would have imagined coming face to face with you.”

            “You’ve had the dreams too?” he questioned, his hand dropping down to his side.

            “I have this feeling that we had those dreams for a reason, I just can’t explain why. But what I do know is that I believe we are important to each other,” she stated.

            “Now that is where I think you’re wrong,” he scoffed. “Sure, we may have had the same dream, we may be in the same place but it doesn’t explain anything.”

            “You’ve been brought here for a reason,” she said in her lilting voice, “but whether you accept that or not is your own decision.”

            “I’m not going to let something that I saw in a dream dictate what happens to me. I’m out of here,” he stated before storming away, leaving her in his wake, staring at him with a forlorn sadness while shaking her head.

            I don’t know what I’d do if I was in his position. Wouldn’t it be weird if your dreams came to life and to you took unexpected or strange places? In a way I think it would be cool to have my dreams come true, that way I could meet the guy from my dreams. But then again there are instances where I’d rather not have them come true.

            Before resuming my reading, I scoffed at the idea of them seeing each other before. It’s not like anything like that could happen in real life.