Chapter 13 I had a dream

　　Louisa's POV 　　"Louisa, you need to calm down. Take a deep breath. In and out," Leah said. 　　As soon as she held my hands, I immediately started to breathe again. 　　"What did you see, Louisa?" Leah asked. Her voice was hypnotic. 　　"I... I saw... It must be a giant, wild beast! We should call animal control!" My mouth was dry. 　　"Louisa, there's no wolf on campus. If there was a giant wolf lurking around, people would have seen it!" Leah said. 　　"But I saw it... I really saw it!" 　　Jackie handed me a bottle of water and said, "Louisa, you need to be hydrated. Close your eyes for a while. All you need is sleep." 　　"I'm not crazy! I really saw it!" I insisted, gobbling down some water from the bottle. 　　"Louisa, you're exhausted. Close your eyes and take some rest. It's for your own benefit." 　　Leah's voice was as soothing as a lullaby. 　　My head started to feel heavy. The world in front of me darkened as time went by. My vision turned blurry. 　　"I... I have to..." I murmured. 　　Leah placed my head on her lap and stroked my hair gently. 　　"Don't worry, Louisa. I'm here with you. We're all here..." 　　Leah's voice faded as I fell into oblivion. 　　You know, when I was six years old, my dad took me out to a market fair in Elk City. 　　I accidentally ate a half-cooked mushroom quiche and was trapped in the first transcendental experience of my life. 　　It was really impossible to describe my feelings because I was only six. But one thing I remembered was my peripheral vision was blurred. 　　All of a sudden, I could literally hear colors and see sounds, which were noticeably brighter and louder. Everything seemed to be moving a little slower than usual, and I could really see the world as it was supposed to be. 　　My own self disappeared, only to make my new self emerge in the Sun, the stars, and the Moon on my own terms. I became a freak show, embodied by an invisible creature, floating in the weightless, colorless ether. 　　Years later, I watched a movie called "Interview with Vampires" with a bunch of people. In the movie, after Brad Pitt made out with Tom Cruise in front of his dead wife's grave, he became a vampire for the first and last time in his life. 　　And then, when poor old Brad looked at the stone angel on the tombstone, she suddenly opened her eyes and glared at him. Everyone who was watching this scene, including Brad himself, freaked out, but I didn't feel a fucking thing, because, you know, been there, done that. 　　When you were high on psychedelic mushrooms or Tom Cruise's blood, time stops being linear. Everything was out of context, yet still meaningful. The euphoria was so intense that you would be convinced that you could achieve some pretty sick feats like grabbing the sunshine or bending the time. 　　It was all about feeling invincible, even for a brief moment in your life. 　　On that day, while I was sleeping on Leah's lap, I felt exactly the same thing. I was flying in the wind before falling down into the bed of clouds. I was walking, or to be more specific, bouncing in the air. When I looked back, I saw for every step I took on the marshmallow-like cloud, I left a footprint. 　　But then, I saw another line of footprints beside mine. 　　Like blossoms spreading on the snow, those footprints were twice the size as mine, with oval-shaped middle pads and spiky toenails. 　　Was I... being followed by a giant wolf?! I thought to myself, feeling devastated. 　　I looked around, trying to look for the wolf, but I couldn't see it. 　　All of a sudden, I was drawn into a swirl of clouds and I started to fall. 　　It was the eeriest feeling that I had ever felt in my life. I was falling and rising at the same time. Everything around me, cars, trees, street signs, was floating in the air. I could hear people chatting from a long distance in indistinguishable languages. 　　Suddenly, I found myself standing in front of a dark, mysterious river. When I looked into the water, I saw a man's reflection. It took me a while to realize that it was Lucas. 　　He was staring at me with his ultramarine eyes. His raven hair was dancing from side to side in the breeze. 　　At that moment, I smelt the familiar scent of bergamot in the air. 　　"Louisa..." 　　I heard a strange voice calling my name. 　　"Look at me..." 　　The voice was deeper, darker, and more compelling. 　　I looked up and saw a giant black wolf standing on the other side of the river. It's charcoal black fur was dancing together with bleached reeds surrounding him. Dew and frost gleam under the unfailing blue sky. It stood there in the king's majestic manner. 　　Behind us, the boundless forest sheds its leaves shower by the shower. Between us, the endless river rolls its waves hour after hour. Nothing was done and nothing was said, yet everything had been done and all the words had been exhausted. 　　Its head slightly tilted to one side. I felt overwhelmed and confused at the same time to have the full attention of such a magnificent, beautiful creature. 　　I recognized those crystal clear cerulean eyes and the playful look on his face, and I couldn't be wrong with his smell. But I somehow had difficulties contextualizing this whole situation. 　　I wanted to call his name, but when I opened my mouth, I heard nothing but screaming. 　　I wanted to wave at him, but when I lifted my hands, they were clenched into angry fists. 　　I wanted to move forward to cross the river, but it turned out that I was actually stepping back. 　　Looking disappointed, the giant black wolf flickered his ears and walked away. 　　"No... Don't... Don't go away..." I muttered. 　　"Lucas... Don't go away!" 　　At that moment, the world came to an end. 　　"Louisa, wake up. We're here." I heard Leah's voice. 　　I opened my eyes and found myself panting heavily, drenched in a cold sweat. 　　"What happened to me?!" I grabbed Leah's arm and asked. 　　"Nothing. You were sleeping all the way. You must have had a dream," she chuckled. 　　A dream. Yes. It must be a dream. 　　"Feeling better now?" Jackie asked, handing me a towel. 　　"Worse." I shook my head. "I feel... suffering..." 　　"Because of the dream?" Jackie frowned. 　　"Because of life in general." 　　"How much do you suffer?" Leah asked. 　　"Plenty." 　　"Well, you know what they say..." Jackie pulled me out of the car and said. "Shopping is the best medicine in the world. Let the splurge begin!"