Dream and Revelations
Part 1:
The sun rose bright and radiant over the abundant high rises and skyscrapers in the city.
As it rose further it began to shine through a solitary window in a large room in an
apartment.
In the room a girl slept, tossing and turning restlessly, as if tormented by some horrible
dream. Her honey-colored hair was in wild disarray, and her mouth was twisted in a
tormented expression. Suddenly, awakening from the nightmare, she bolted straight up in
her roomy double bed and opened her hazel eyes wide. She sighed in relief, slipped out of
bed, and started to get ready for school.
Why did she keep having these nightmares? She was home; there was nothing to be
afraid of anymore. Yet, they kept coming back.
As she was slipping into her designer jeans, the telephone rang unexpectedly. She picked
it up gingerly and answered.
"Hello?"
"Oh, hey Mimi." It was her best friend Sora. Her cheerful voice made Mimi feel better
after her visions that night.
"What’s up Sora?" she asked, trying to sound as sunny as possible.
"Just called to remind you about our study group with Matt and Tai tonight."
"At 7:00, right?"
"Uh huh. Be sure to bring your art book! You wouldn’t get to far without it."
"Okay Sora, thanks! I’ll see you in art today."
"Bye Mimi," answered Sora, hanging up the telephone.
"Bye." Mimi let the telephone slip back onto the receiver and she finished dressing. She
had completely forgot about the date, mostly because she had mainly different classes than
Sora and the others. However, they all had art together, and finals were looming over their
heads.
She quickly grabbed her book bag and hoisted it over her shoulder as she exited her room
to the kitchen.
"Oh Mimi, darling, breakfast is ready!" called her mother from the next room. Mimi
glanced at the counter and saw a mass of eggs on a large plate. If there was one kind of
food she hated, it was eggs!
"Not thanks Mom, I’m not hungry, and anyways, I’m late,’ she yelled as she sped to the
door. She jogged to the elevator, but being impatient, she opted to take the stairs instead.
She ran down the four flights and then out the door, almost knocking over her dad, who was
headed to work.
"Hi dad, Bye dad!" she called over her shoulder, her long hair swishing across her back as
she took off down the block. He laughed, shook his head, and walked off in the other
direction.
The high school was only a couple blocks away, but she had to get in some extra cramming
before her Algebra Final first period.
Her long ponytail was still swinging as she trotted past some other kids from school. Joe,
one of her other friends, was among them. Giving him a friendly wave, she caught up to a
redheaded boy toting a laptop in his backpack.
"Hello Mimi," he said as she slowed to walk beside him, "Ready for our Algebra Final?"
Mimi laughed. Izzy, always the organized one, must have studied for hours.
"Just some last minute stuff to go over, and I should be fine."
"Well good luck," he added as he went off towards one of his other friends.
As Mimi walked along, she heard rushed footsteps behind her. Then two hands covering
her eyes stopped her short.
"Guess who?" cooed a mature teenage male voice.
"Hi Matt!" Mimi giggled. He uncovered her eyes and they started to walk the rest of the
way to the modern high school building.
"So, ready for tonight?" he asked coolly as they entered the large double doors at the
front of the building.
"Sora had to remind me," she admitted sheepishly, "But it’s okay, atleast I didn’t make
any other plans." Matt smiled.
"Well, see you in art," he said, turning down a long hall and heading towards his locker.
Mimi sighed and continued on her way.
By the displays they put on, most people would assume Matt and Mimi were a couple, but
no. Mimi couldn’t really make any sense of it. She knew they both cared about each other
a lot, mostly from their experiences in the other dimension, but neither of them had made a
move, even after all these years. Oh well, she thought, I had better take my mind off boys
and start thinking about Algebra.
She turned into a small classroom and plopped into one of the desks in the first row.
"Hello Mimi—some studying to do?" asked her teacher politely.
"Just looking over some of the harder stuff," she answered, her eyes already glued to her
notebook. More students filed in as she focused even harder. I may be considered a
borderline airhead, she thought, but I know that if I can apply myself I will do a good job.
"Okay class," said the teacher, "you have all period to finish this final, so take your
time." A thick packet thudded onto Mimi’s desk.
"Okay, begin." Mimi flipped it over and looked at the first question nervously. She knew
it! She jotted down the answer and moved on.
She was one of the first to pass their tests in to the teacher. The rest of the day breezed
by, and before she knew it, Mimi was headed on the subway to Tai’s house. She had only
been there a few times, so she hoped Sora gave her the correct directions. What was she
thinking? Sora was at Tai’s 24-7, so she was sure the directions were right.
In no time she hopped off the train and headed up the street until she reached an
apartment building similar to hers. She took the elevator to the tenth floor, and then
knocked on the third door to the left.
"Come in, Mimi," greeted Tai’s mother cheerfully. As soon as she stepped in the door,
however, Tai’s younger sister Kari ran up to her.
"Come with me, you have to help me pick out an outfit for the dance tomorrow!" she called
over her shoulder as Kari dragged Mimi into her room.
"Umm, Kari, I…" But Kari interrupted her.
"What about this skirt with this sweater?" She giggled as she held up a short wrap-around
skirt with a black and white striped sweater. Mimi knew the only reason she was asking
was because that she wanted to impress T.K., Matt’s little brother. Everyone knew they
had a budding relationship.
"Ooooo! But don’t you have anything in pink?" she asked curiously. Just then, she felt
someone tapping her shoulder. It was Tai, and he was laughing.
"Sorry Kari, our meeting’s started, and we need her there so we don’t have to go over
everything ten times!" he teased. Mimi shot an ugly look at him.
"Very funny. I like the skirt, but do you have a different sweater, like maybe a sleeveless
one, so you don’t get heatstroke? I’ll come back later, okay?"
"Okay, I’ll wait until you’re done." Kari sat down at her desk and started reading a
chapter in her history book as Tai and Mimi left the room. They went further down the hall
and into a dark blue room with posters plastered over the walls. Sora and Matt sat in the
middle of the floor. As Tai and Mimi lowered themselves into cross-legged positions, they
completed the circle.
They all opened their books and started discussing a vibrant oil painting of a bridge over a
lily pond, half in darkness, half in light. Soon they had covered all of the paintings they had
to know about for their final, and the conversation turned to them.
"So how are you Mimi?" asked Tai, "We don’t see you very often, outside of art class
anyways." All eyes turned to Mimi. She blushed slightly, but she forged ahead.
"Well I don’t know… I’ve been having these really weird dreams lately," she confessed.
"About what?" asked Sora, surprised that she had not mentioned this to her before.
"About…well about…about back there," she sighed.
"What?!" Tai asked anxiously, "It could be some kind of sign or something!"
"They’re nightmares. Meaning what I am not sure, but there’s always another monster.
They’re always so horrible, and they keep coming back!" Mimi’s eyes had welled up with
tears, and she swiped her hand across them quickly so her companions would not see, but
they already had.
"Oh Mimi, don’t cry!" Matt said, a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "We defeated all the
bad guys, there’s nothing more that can happen."
"I just hope so. They upset me something awful," she said, laughing nervously.
"Well I have to get home, T.K. is coming over, and my dad wants me to be there." Matt
rose and collected his book from the pile on the floor.
"I’d better go too, you know how my mom gets when I stay out too late," sighed Mimi.
She got up too.
"I’ll walk you home," said Matt as they left Tai’s room after saying goodbye.
"Oh dear," Mimi hit her forehead with her hand, "I’ll be one sec, okay Matt?" He
nodded and Mimi rushed to Kari’s room, where she had patiently waited for almost an
hour.
"I have to go Kari…"
"Does this one look better?" Kari asked as she held up a cute sleeveless sweater with the
skirt from before.
"Oh, yeah, much better," Mimi assured her.
"Okay! Thanks Mimi!" Kari said smiling. Mimi said goodbye and rushed back to where
Matt was waiting.
"Last minute fashion advice?" he asked jokingly.
"Uh huh!" Mimi agreed. Soon they were on the subway on the way to her house.
"Brrrrrr," she shivered, "I guess Kari wouldn’t get heatstroke if it were as cold tomorrow
as it is tonight!" She turned away, and then she felt Matt’s arm fasten itself snugly around
her small shoulders. She looked at him curiously.
"Better?" he asked nonchalantly as he looked around the nearly empty car. Mimi
blushed and smiled to herself. It’s about time she thought.
"Yeah," she answered as she laid her head daintily on his shoulder. He did not wince in
protest, so she left it there, for the entire ride.
When the doors opened she was reluctant to let his arm slip off her shoulders, but they left
the car and the station and walked the block to her apartment building.
"Well I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?" he asked quietly when they reached the steps. She
nodded her head, and he turned to go.
"Matt," she called softly after him. He turned around, looked into her tender hazel eyes,
and knew.
"I…" Then she kissed him.
The kiss was brief, and Mimi broke it off as abruptly as she had begun it. Embarrassed,
she looked away, praying that he did not laugh at her. Then as she felt his hand on her
cheek, she turned back, and their lips met again.
All at once, Matt was oblivious to the world around him. There was only her.
This time the kiss was long and it lingered. As it was happening all Mimi could think was
this is it, my fantasy finally came true. She was kissing Matt, and he was kissing her back.
Matt stepped back and looked at her delicate features. She looked into his deep blue eyes
and saw tenseness. She had no idea he was as inexperienced as she.
"Well, goodbye," he stated quickly, dropping his gaze. He started to back up, then
turning; his walk sped into a run as he headed back to the subway station.
"Goodbye," she called softly after him. His footsteps faded into nothing. Inside she was
jumping for joy.
She ran up the four flights of stairs with ease, through the door, and down the hall to her
bedroom in a complete daze, a smile on her face. Her parents looked at each other,
shrugged, and turned their attention back to the television.
Mimi’s book went sailing onto the floor as she dove gracefully onto her bed, and squirmed
around until she had the telephone in her hand. Dialing like mad, she settled on her back
and stared dreamily at the ceiling as the telephone in Sora’s room rang.
"Hello?" answered Sora after about the sixth ring.
"Good, I didn’t think you were there! Guess what just happened!" Mimi shrieked. Then,
remembering her parents she lowered her voice. "Go ahead, guess!"
"Your mom bought you a new dress?" joked Sora. She could tell by the tone of her friends
voice this had very little to do with their normal conversations of fashion.
"Ugh, Sora, sometimes you really act worse than I do! Noooo, Think." There was a
lengthy pause. "Who did I walk home with?" Mimi asked in a sarcastic voice.
"Matt," answered Sora.
"And what do guys do when they drop you off after a date?"
"Kiss you goodnight I guess… What?! He kissed you!" Sora exclaimed excitedly.
"Well, technically I kissed him first, expecting him to be all like "’yuck"’ and stuff. But
then, he kissed me back!!!" she squealed ecstatically in her high-pitched voice. Sora
squealed back on the other end of the line.
"Well it sure is about time," she chuckled," I was wondering how long it would take you
two!"
"Me too. I mean, I just could not stand it anymore. So I took matters into my own
hands!"
‘This is great. Do you think he’ll ask you to the prom?"
"Oh, I hope sooooo! That way we can all hang together!"
"Yeah! Well, Mimi I’d better go to bed, I have like three finals tomorrow. We’ll talk in art,
okay?"
"Okay Sora," Mimi said, "Bye!" She hung up the telephone, then put on her pajamas and
hopped contentedly into bed.
Later that night Matt lay on his back in his bed, desperately trying to fall asleep.
Nevertheless, all he could think about was how oddly perfect his day had been. He had
aced his geometry final, the study group had gone well, T.K.’s visit had been a success, and
he had kissed Mimi.
Well actually, he thought, she kissed you first. He smiled to himself. Then you kissed her
back. Keeping the thought of Mimi in his head, he soon was in a deep sleep.
In art class in the morning, Matt and Tai were discussing what had happened the night
before when Mimi and Sora walked in. Mimi had on some hip huggers and a tight sweater
that really showed her slim figure. Tai winked at Matt, and in return, Matt whacked him
on the side of the head.
"Good Morning," Sora said. As always, she had a sparkling disposition. Tai noticed she
did not look so bad herself in her three-quarter-sleeve shirt and her Capri pants. This time
Matt was the one being hit.
Mimi and Sora looked at each other strangely as they saw Matt hit Tai, and then Tai hit
Matt. Mimi shrugged her shoulders, and gave Sora a look that said, "Who knows with
them."
"Is everybody ready for our final?" asked the teacher patiently, "It will be a slideshow of
select paintings you have learned about this year. When you see the painting on the
screen, write down the artist, the month/day/year completed, and the title of the painting.
Also, include anything else- like selling price, etc. Okay?" All the students nodded their
heads and she began passing out paper.
The study group they had held had definitely paid off. Mimi missed only a few things, and
since she got the extra-credit question, she knew her grade would be high. After she
passed in her test, she watched Matt as he racked his brain for the extra credit. He looked
so cute when he was in deep thought, she noted to herself. Suddenly Matt’s blue eyes
wandered up from the paper to Mimi’s face. She blushed and turned her gaze quickly to
the projector screen. As if he suddenly had gained knowledge from the look on Mimi’s
attractive face, Matt jotted down the answer he had been looking for, and with a smile to
her, went to pass in his paper.
Part 2 :
At the end of class, Matt gave Mimi the message that he wanted to meet her in the park
after school. Mimi quickly agreed and before long, she was strolling down the wooden
walkway towards a familiar bench. She and Sora met here often—it was sort of a halfway
point between their houses. When she saw Matt waiting silently at the designated spot,
her heart leaped. Then she had felt a pang of fear—what if he was going to tell her that
last night had meant nothing, that the kisses they had shared had been sudden impulses
and were mistakes. As she neared her destination, she hoped that his reason was exactly
the opposite.
"Well, you’re early," he said jokingly, knowing Mimi was never early for anything. Then
he noticed the timid look in her large eyes, and he beckoned her to sit down.
"What’s wrong?" he asked, a worried tone in his caring voice. She looked down at her
shoes on the boards of the walk.
"Nothing," she answered as quietly as possible. Matt reached over and lifted her chin up
in the palm of his hand. Then she broke down.
"Matt, please, don’t say it! Please don’t say what happened last night was a mistake!"
"Okay, I won’t," he chuckled, looking deep into her eyes.
"Really?" she asked, "You really meant to do that?" Her eyes widened as he answered.
"Of course, Mimi! Why would I kiss you and then tell you it was a misjudgment? I like
you a lot Mimi, I would never do that to you!" He smiled soothingly. A similar smile crept
onto Mimi’s face.
"Well, I guess I’d better ask you now before you turn into an even worse pessimist."
"What?" she asked, praying it was what she thought it was.
"Mimi," Matt asked in a pompous voice, "Will you go to the prom with me?"
"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!!!" she called out.
Mimi practically smothered Matt with hugs and kisses of gratitude, not that he minded
much, but after awhile he wondered if asking her to the prom was the right thing to do. She
talked about it non-stop!
That weekend Mimi and Sora went to the giant mall on the other side of the city to find
their dresses. Sora had gone to another mall a few weeks ago, but she had not found
anything she liked, so she had decided to go with Mimi today.
Around 11:00 they hopped off the subway that went directly to the mall. When Sora
looked around, she was amazed at the size of it all. Three stories towered above her, and
there were masses of people everywhere. Mimi smirked as she watched Sora’s eyes
widen. Mimi had been here dozens of times, but obviously it was Sora’s first.
"Jeez, Mimi, how are we supposed to even find our way around in this place?" she asked
curiously.
"Oh, Sora, I know my way around this place like you know your way around the city."
"Well I guess this is almost as big as the city. So where do we go first?"
"Umm, I think there is a dress shop over there," she said pointing over people’s heads at
a small boutique with a bunch of fancy designs on the windows, "Lets go there first." They
made their way through the large crowd slowly. Sora had to focus on Mimi’s long ponytail
or she knew she would lose her. Soon enough they were inside the shop.
Mimi had been right, there were plenty of dresses in this shop. However, after several
fittings, they were all either too short, cut too low, or too flashy. Mimi was trying to be
patient and let Sora find hers first, but Sora could tell Mimi’s patience was easily worn
thin. After the tenth dress that Sora rejected, Mimi looked like she was going to burst if
she did not get to try a couple on.
"Oh, Mimi I’m sorry. I just do not really like any of these dresses. I’ll take a break, and
you can try on some okay?" she asked. Mimi’s eyes lit up.
"Thanks Sora, there are just a few," she said smiling. Suddenly Sora was shoved out of
the dressing room; a pile of dresses thrown on top of her.
"Could you hand me that pink one with the little flowers?" she asked happily. Sora
obliged, then collapsed on a nearby bench. This was going to be a long day.
About three hours later Mimi had finished picking over about five different stores, and
had narrowed the dress possibilities down to three. Sora had tried on a couple more, but
none of these had seemed quite right.
"Well, this is the last one," called Mimi over her shoulder as she walked into a large
department store and headed to the formal apparel section. As they rounded a corner,
Sora looked up and gasped.
In the middle of the aisle, on a mannequin, was the dress she had been looking for. It was
mint green dotted with tiny white flowers, with a long straight skirt and a separate
high-necked top that laced in the back. It was not too flashy, or too short, or cut too low. It
was perfect.
"Oh Mimi, that’s the one," she exclaimed, running to it. She checked the tag, and it was
her exact size.
"It’s even my size!" she shrieked. Mimi smiled.
"Well, you should probably try it on just in case they made a mistake with the tags," she
giggled. She had never, in the entire time she had known her, seen Sora so worked up over
a piece of clothing. They hailed an attendant, and they gave her the dress to try on. When
she showed Mimi, she was glowing.
"Oh I just know Tai will love this!" she laughed, twirling around in a circle. Mimi smiled.
"Did you look at the price tag?" she asked curiously. Sora’s mouth went from a grin to a
frown.
"Oh no," she grabbed the tag hanging from the hem of the skirt. Her eyebrows went up,
and her eyes widened.
"One hundred forty dollars!" she blurted out. And just when I found the perfect one, I
can’t afford it! I only have one hundred."
Mimi saw her distress, went over, and hugged her.
"I’ll lend you the money for now!" she sighed, "You can pay me back whenever. I don’t
need a two hundred dollar dress anyways!"
"Oh thank you Mimi!" said Sora. She hugged her friend back.
"Well I’ll give you the money when I get home. I had plenty saved up, my mom just
warned me to take only one hundred so I would not go overboard. But this dress is so
perfect that I just have to have it!" Mimi looked at her understandingly and then they
made their way to the cashier at the other end of the store.
As they were walking, however, Mimi had practically the same revelation as Sora. Only
the dress was pink (of course!) with a long flowing skirt with tulle draped over it and a
peasant style top with three-quarters length sleeves that cascaded out at the ends. It
looked right out of a fairy tale. Mimi just had to have it.
"Oh Sora—look at that one!" she cried, rushing over to it. She checked the price tag first-
one hundred fifty six. Boy they were going to cut it close!
"Wow, Mimi, it’s pretty. Can you afford it after you lend me the forty dollars?" Sora
asked hopefully. She wanted to get her dress, but it was Mimi’s money.
"Oh, don’t worry! I think I’ll have about five dollars to spare. I already have some shoes
that would go good with this anyways!" Mimi smiled, and Sora sighed in relief. They were
both getting the dresses of their dreams!
Tai looked around the mall nervously. He was totally new at this. He never had cared
much for the mall, so it was a good thing he brought Kari along, or he would have been
completely lost.
"The rental shop is over there Tai," Kari said, pointing to a large window with several
mannequins in bridal gowns in it.
"Okay," he said as she started in the other direction.
I just hope no one I know is here, he thought as he made his way through the crowd. I
kinda wish Sora had not wanted to go. The prom is all so flashy and fake, but the fact that
we are nominees for King and Queen probably made a difference. I wonder how Matt
feels—Mimi talks about it every second she can get a word in. And that starts Sora in, and
Matt and I have to go into sleep mode or something.
Tai was halfway in the shop’s open door when he felt a finger tapping on his shoulder. He
winced and turned around slowly, praying that it was not another guy from school.
"What’s up Tai, the girls send you on Mission Impossible too?" asked a familiar voice. It
was Matt, who looked like he was in some sort of weird disguise.
"Oh good, it’s just you," he laughed uneasily. They entered the shop together.
"Yep, ever since Sora got her dress yesterday she has been bugging me to go and get my
tux."
"Mimi too. She even insisted that I, quote ‘"go right away, so they don’t run out!"’
unquote."
"So you two finally hit it off. Sora and I were wondering exactly how long it would take
you to make a move, and then it was Mimi who kissed you first."
"Yeah, well at least one of us did something, unlike you two. It took you like ten years to
make up your mind whether you liked her or not. I knew all along," Matt teased.
"Excuse me, can I help you?" asked an older female attendant.
"Yeah, we need tuxedos," answered Tai in a low voice.
"Prom time, right?" she asked smiling.
"Uh huh," laughed Matt, " We have orders from our girlfriends to hurry."
"Well, okay, do you have any preferences? Like what colors are your dates dresses?"
"Green, and I assume pink?" Tai asked Matt.
"There is no way I am going to be seen in a light pink tux!" he exclaimed shaking his
head.
"Don’t worry, I was just asking because we have a variety of different colored ties and
cummerbunds. All the jackets and trousers are black or white," said the attendant
reassuringly. Matt and Tai both exhaled slowly. Boy was that a relief.
"Sure, that would look good right?" Matt asked Tai.
"Okay, show us what you got." Tai told the attendant.
About a half an hour later, both teenage boys were admiring themselves in front of a large
mirror in front of the dressing rooms. They had both opted for different ensembles: Tai
chose a black tux with the mint green cummerbund and bow tie, while Matt, always the cool
one, chose a white tux with long coat tails and a light pink cummerbund and bow tie; both
trying to stick as close to their dates dresses as possible, without looking corny.
"Hey, we don’t look half bad," commented Tai as they were gazing at their reflections.
"Yeah, I guess this won’t be so bad after all," joked Matt. Tai smiled back. No, he
thought, this is going to be great!
Mimi was running. She was running faster than she had ever before. She could here the
footsteps behind her, getting closer and closer. She could feel its presence. She was
running as fast as she could, her long legs taking gigantic strides, but it was gaining. She
could feel it’s hot breath on the back of her neck, the gusts of wind it caused as it tried
vainly to reach out and grab her. She could see something in the distance, something,
someone. Then she realized it was a boy, a familiar one. His head was turned, but when
she screamed he craned his neck around and she saw his eyes. The eyes were as cold and
black as metal. Suddenly a giant force engulfed her as the monster pursuing her finally
made his catch.
Next Page
E-mail the Author
Dark Orchid
