From: CyraLin Save Address Block Sender Date: Fri, 15 May 1998 21:29:38 EDT Subject: A midsummer night's dream. Teri felt something brush against her cheek and bolted awake, upright, arms flailing around her face as she mumbled a series of high-pitched, desperate noises which, to any trained ear would sound like "BUG! BUG! get if offa me! bug!". However, to the butterfly that was slowly lifting away into the air, the noise was enough to frighten it away, not even counting the wild and unaimed arm movements. Blinking as she realized that no horde of unsanitary bugs were launching an air-attack, she shifted to a more comfortable position in the clover and ran her fingers through her hair. As tiny flower petals and leaves were worked from her hair, she thought about where she was, and the strange dream she'd been having... She was dressed as she was now-- in a leather jacket, black spandex tank-top, tight jeans, black boots. A silver circlet around her neck. Her newly-cut brown hair pulled back into a high pony-tail, chin-length wisps around her cheeks. Nothing out of the ordinary, but for the way she _glowed_... with an almost fierce turquoise light... a cool, wet, softly rolling glow that floated, transparent all around her. Everyone had colors (some with colors that obviously didn't match the clothes they were wearing), some that hurt her eyes, burned her skin-- others with a filmy oil, and yet others with the fresh scent of spring. Then the light, the glows began to run together, to grow bigger-- she was being pressed against the wall-- there was a bright flash of white light-- But enough about dreams. Where was she? More importantly-- where were stana and paul? It wasn't like her to just fall asleep in the quad or something... her eyes narrowed. How DARE they let her fall asleep and then just LEAVE!? Teri stood up, brushing the grass from her Paris Blues hip-huggers and grabbing her black leather bag. Someone was in for some serious trouble. You see, it was a pet peeve of hers-- sleeping was one's most vulnerable state... she took care never to fall asleep in another person's presence. Unless it was her boyfriend, or it was nighttime and ppl were all going to sleep--- She didn't snore, she was sure of that. But who knew what faces, grimaces, twitches she made when dreaming? And she KNEW that she talked-- a lot-- while sleeping. She'd be known to carry on complete conversations merely in her sleep, with no recollection of them the next morning. So, sparing herself the humiliation, or the joke at her own expense, she rarely slept while other people were near, and awake. Which brought her to the question of how did she fall asleep, and how did she get outside? Last she rememebred she was deathly bored listening to Stana and Paul recite The PRincess Bride-- oh! she checked her email. She suddenly clutched her head as images began flashing in her brain... fingers digging into her temples-- she squeezed her eyes shut... flash of white... gold... a dizzying sensation, cloying smell, a scream-- Teri's eyes snapped open. She was on the ground again, her bag spilled open on the green grass... Beginning to feel the fear creeping inside of her, she shoved her cosmetic bag, book, spare glasses and wallet back into the bag and stood up. Looked around. "Where are they..." she whispered brokenly as she turned a 380... trees!!! where did all this fucking greenery come from?! where was the dorm? her car? her anime? the coffee shoppe? where was paul.. stana... She suddenly noticed that her eyes were as wide as they could go, her face frozen in panic and the tears were caught in the back of her throat... she forced herself to calm, felt the smoothing of her features. Releasing the fear, she built walls against her emotions. "Logic... ok... left? right?" The foliage looked thinner to the left. She started walking, her combat-boots crunching grass and twig alike under her single-minded advancement. Up ahead was a path-- and where there was a path, there would be a road... and eventually a public bathroom and a payphone.