《Echoes Of The Dream》


 Chapter One

    My name is Matteo Andrews. I¡¯m 17 years old and I live in Harlem, Manhattan. I¡¯m in my junior year at Harlem National High School. Right now, nothing is going well: my parents argue constantly, my sister hangs out with troublemakers¡ªin short, the "exciting" life of a teenager. To be honest, this family situation is really affecting me; I¡¯ve been feeling down for quite some time now. Every new argument makes the knot in my stomach grow. I try to ignore it, but it¡¯s impossible. It¡¯s 10 p.m., and I have to go to bed. After dining in a grand atmosphere of disputes and bickering, I returned to my room to clear my head. I could feel my heart breaking. Why do they always argue? I put on my headphones to listen to some music, hoping it would help me feel better. At 10:30 p.m., I packed my bag for the next day, set my alarm, stopped the music, and went to bed.


    At 7:30 a.m., my alarm rang. I was a bit confused. I had a headache and had a strange dream. My vision was blurry, like I wasn¡¯t fully back in reality. I could still see the faces of two people... They seemed familiar. I have a strong feeling I¡¯ve seen them before. I got up with difficulty and headed to the bathroom for a shower. Afterward, I stared at myself in the mirror above the sink for a while. Who are they? I asked myself. I¡¯ve seen them somewhere, but I can¡¯t remember. Ugh, I¡¯m thinking too much. I¡¯ll figure it out later. I grabbed my bag, took my breakfast to go, and left the house. Usually, my parents argue in the morning over who should drop my sister off at school, but today, oddly enough, nothing. I was a bit relieved. On the way to school, I thought about the people I saw in my dream. The more I thought, the clearer it became in my mind. I gradually recognized them. We go to the same school, even the same class. But I¡¯ve never spoken to them and barely remember their names. The cool morning air helped me focus, I guess. As I approached the school, I noticed a familiar figure. As I got closer, I recognized her. It¡¯s a girl from my class. I stopped to watch her. She was walking slowly, shivering¡ªit was cold, after all. She was fairly tall, a bit above average for girls. She wore glasses, had long blonde hair, and fair skin. She was far from me, so I couldn¡¯t see her face clearly. I got closer. I still wasn¡¯t on the side with the gate and the school, but I was close enough to see her face. That¡¯s it¡ªI think I remember now. Her name is... H-Hannah?


    Hannah¡¯s POV


    Brrr, it¡¯s chilly today; I should¡¯ve worn a sweater... I keep thinking about that dream I had¡ªit was weird. Why did I see Matteo and William in it? I recognized them quickly, though we haven¡¯t even spoken yet. Speak of the devil... I passed Matteo near the school gate, but I don¡¯t dare talk to him. He¡¯s tall and easy to spot, walking with his hands in his pockets. He was wearing a white sweater with a visible t-shirt underneath, and black-gray cargo pants. His hair was a bit long. As we got closer, I could make out his face more clearly. His skin was neither too light nor too dark¡ªhe must be mixed. He¡¯s really handsome. No wonder he¡¯s popular with the other girls. But he remains indifferent to it all, for reasons I don¡¯t know. I think he¡¯s the same age as me, but he seems much more mature¡ªso calm, with that preoccupied look on his face... it¡¯s almost scary. I¡¯d better just observe him first. Why did I dream about that? Well, it¡¯ll be easy to observe them since we¡¯re in the same class, but I have to avoid eye contact, especially with Matteo¡ªhis gaze is so intimidating... The bell is about to ring; I need to hurry. I¡¯ll get there faster if I run. The gate is right in front of me.


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    Matteo¡¯s POV


    Should I approach her? Wouldn¡¯t that be weird? No, I¡¯ll wait a bit longer. I¡¯ll observe her discreetly first. // But wait¡ªwhy is she running? Did I scare her by looking at her? Damn... Thud Did she just fall, or am I dreaming...? Hannah fell near the school gate. She quickly got up and glanced my way to see if I saw her. I was a little further from her but close to the school and the gate. At the same time, I pretended to tie my shoes to avoid an even more awkward situation. Then she headed inside. I could tell she was embarrassed. I¡¯d better hurry before the bell rings. There¡¯s one minute left before it does, and Hannah keeps giving me strange looks. Despite the crowd that formed in no time, I could still see her watching me. I must¡¯ve scared her. Ugh, now I feel like a stalker. I need to clear this up. I¡¯ll talk to her at recess. ¡°Ring ring ring¡±; well, it¡¯s time for class. It¡¯s strange¡ªI haven¡¯t seen the other person from my dream. I can¡¯t even remember their name... I¡¯ve already identified one person; now there¡¯s only one left. It¡¯s so annoying not to be able to remember something...


    ??? POV


    Quick, quick, quick! I¡¯m late for the first time ever¡ªwhy didn¡¯t my alarm wake me up?! Is it because of that strange dream? Why was one of our teachers in it? Was I so out of it that the alarm didn¡¯t work? Oh no, I need to hurry¡ªschool is still two minutes away! I can¡¯t stop running!


    Matteo¡¯s POV


    Once in class, I still didn¡¯t see that person¡ªthey must be late or something. There are about 15 of us in the class; I didn¡¯t bother counting since the teacher hadn¡¯t arrived yet. We had French class. I took out my phone to pass the time and saw a news alert on the TV station¡¯s website, posted yesterday, about how disappearances were increasing in our city. Up to six people had gone missing in unexplained circumstances. I didn¡¯t pay much attention to it; it was probably just a way to get more viewers or attract attention. I also noticed that Hannah kept glancing at me more and more. She tried to be discreet, but I caught her. Five minutes later, they finally arrived. The other person from my dream. He¡¯s an average-height guy with short curly hair, dark, shiny skin, a closed and slightly hunched posture, as if he wanted to make himself small. He avoided eye contact with people¡ªyou could tell right away that he was shy. When he sat down, he started looking around like he was searching for someone. Then he began to discreetly observe Hannah. It was weird. I still couldn¡¯t remember his name... Am I really that antisocial? Two minutes later, a girl in the class exclaimed:


    ¡°Hey guys, did you see the news yesterday? Apparently, more and more people are going missing in the city. Like, six people are missing.¡±


    ¡°Seriously? Do you actually believe that?¡± a guy replied.


    ¡°For real, it¡¯s just weird stuff!¡± added another.


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re just trying to create a buzz.¡±


    ¡°What if it¡¯s true? Like, this is happening in our own city. Doesn¡¯t that bother you?¡±


    ¡°Relax. It¡¯s probably just a story made up by the media. They love to exaggerate these things.¡±


    Personally, this story didn¡¯t faze me at all. I didn¡¯t believe it, or at least there wasn¡¯t enough proof to support it. Ten minutes later, the principal walked into the class, looking pale, accompanied by two other teachers with their heads down, ready to make an announcement that would change my perspective.

 Chapter 2

    "Good morning, dear students. It is with a heavy heart that I come to share this terrible news with you..." With these words, a deathly silence fell over the class.


    "I regret to inform you that your beloved teacher, Mr. Jack, has been missing since last night."


    The faces of my classmates were frozen, they were all in shock. This announcement made me question my own thoughts. The post I had read earlier was starting to make sense.


    "We have already notified the police, and they will start their investigation as soon as possible. Therefore, we are allowing you to go home for today. Take care of yourselves and be very cautious."


    The principal finished with these words and left the room with the other teachers. The class remained silent. I looked at the girl who had been talking about the post a few minutes ago; she was petrified. I didn¡¯t know how to react. Mr. Jack... First, my strange dream, then the post, and now our teacher disappears? What on earth is happening today!?


    ¡°Th-this is just a c-coincidence, right?¡± the same girl asked, trembling. No one answered her. I suppose the bad news was too hard to digest. Suddenly, a strange thought crossed my mind. Could my dream be connected to this disappearance? That¡¯s impossible, of course, since I only dreamed of Hannah and that other guy. Nothing more. No connection to this. Still, I wanted to know more about my dream, and most importantly, apologize to Hannah, so I quickly devised a plan. I stood up and spoke for the first time.


    "Um... I know this news has shocked everyone. Some of you are freaking out. Since the principal said we could go home, let¡¯s... head out."


    At that moment, the whole class looked at me in silence. I had a strange feeling. Is this what it feels like to speak to a crowd? They began gathering their bags, packing their things, and slowly heading out one by one. Their steps were heavy, and you could feel their morale had dropped to zero, not just because of the teacher¡¯s disappearance, but more due to the eerie connection between the post and the event. I waited for a bit, and before Hannah could leave, I caught her by the hand.


    "Can I... talk to you for a second?" I asked. I could see that I had surprised her.


    ¡°Uh, s-sure...¡± she replied timidly.


    ¡°I noticed you were watching me strangely for a while. I must have scared you in the street for you to run off like that. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    "Oh, no, no! It wasn¡¯t because of you at all! I ran because I didn¡¯t want to be late for class," she replied.


    I was somewhat relieved, but it didn¡¯t explain why she was staring at me.


    ¡°So then, why were you constantly staring at me?¡±


    ¡°Uh... sorry, it¡¯s just that... this is going to sound weird, but yesterday I had a really strange dream¡­¡±


    She was hesitant, as if she was worried about how I would react to her confession.


    ¡°Um, you¡¯re probably going to think I¡¯m crazy, but in that dream, I... saw you... with someone else.¡±


    I was skeptical. I had a dream where I saw her too, with someone else. But... how is that possible?


    ¡°Well, now that you mention it... I had a similar dream where I saw you... with another person,¡± I replied.


    "Really? Are you sure? But how can we both dream of each other? Hmm, the person you saw, could it have been... William?"


    William? Is that his name? Does she know him? I¡¯ve never seen them talk before... How can I be sure we¡¯re talking about the same person? It¡¯s a guy, but are we talking about the same one?


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure we¡¯re talking about the same person. The one I saw in my dream is in this class; he arrived a few minutes after the bell,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s him. It¡¯s William. He arrived five minutes after the bell,¡± she confirmed.


    "Now that I think of it, I didn¡¯t see him leave the class..."


    We turned around, and to our surprise, he was still there. We must have blocked his way without realizing it.


    "Uh... I was about to leave when you grabbed her hand to talk," he said, looking at me. "You were in the way, and... I didn¡¯t dare say anything to pass by... I overheard your conversation when you mentioned my name..."


    "Oh, sorry for blocking the way. It must be weird to hear us talk about having seen you in our dreams," I said, and his response was surprising.


    ¡°Well... actually, I didn¡¯t dare to approach you earlier, but I wanted to say the same thing... I was afraid you¡¯d think I was crazy¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯ve been watching me ever since you arrived,¡± Hannah said.


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    ¡°S-sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to make you uncomfortable,¡± he said timidly.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ve all been watching each other, I guess. So, in your dream, you saw Matteo and me?¡±


    He nodded silently to say yes. I suggested we leave the classroom; the atmosphere was becoming gloomy with all these revelations. It didn¡¯t bother me, but I could tell William was uncomfortable. We left the classroom and headed downstairs. Our school was built in a unique style. There were three buildings surrounding a large courtyard with a paved ground and a big fountain in the center. One building was for first and second-year students, another for seniors, clubs, and the gym, and a smaller one for administration. Once we were outside, the cool air sharply contrasted with the stifling atmosphere of the classroom.


    I noticed there were a few people around. They were mainly seniors; they probably had stuff to do. There were also a few sophomores sitting under a tree near the soccer field. Don¡¯t they have class? It was already eight-twenty. We headed toward the school exit. Suddenly, William stopped and revealed to us:


    ¡°You know... I didn¡¯t tell you the whole truth about my dream¡­¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± Hannah asked him.


    ¡°I did dream about you two, that¡¯s true, but not just that,¡± he continued. ¡°In my dream, I also saw people turning to smoke. And among those people... I recognized... Mr. Jack¡­¡±


    Hannah and I were speechless.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything earlier!?¡± I shouted.


    ¡°I-I was scared, scared that you would suspect me, and... I didn¡¯t think that information would be useful¡­ I-I was scared¡­¡± he said, lowering his head.


    Hannah put her hand on his shoulder and said, ¡°But don¡¯t worry, that information is useful, on the contrary. Thank you for telling us. You shouldn¡¯t yell at people like that, Matteo! Apologize, please.¡±


    I muttered a ¡°sorry¡± before continuing, ¡°You dreamed of people turning to smoke, including Mr. Jack, whom you recognized among them. But that doesn¡¯t explain how he disappeared. After all, it¡¯s just a dream. This is becoming more and more worrying.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right; it¡¯s all intriguing, even frightening.¡± She thought for a moment and continued. ¡°I suggest we exchange our phone numbers and discuss this more once we get home. I¡¯ll create a group where we can talk about all this.¡±


    After exchanging our numbers, we left the school in heavy silence, each lost in our thoughts. As we stepped out onto the street, Hannah waved goodbye to us. William and I replied before we set off. We were taking the same route home, so we would be walking together for a while.


    Since it was morning, the neighborhood was not yet lively. The sidewalks were wide, allowing us to walk easily. They were lined with tall trees and brownstones. The typical brownstone houses with their front stairs characterized the landscape. At the street corners, you could see small shops, still closed for the moment, as well as a few restaurants preparing to open.


    The silence became oppressive; the only sound was our footsteps.


    ¡°Uh, I¡¯m really sorry for yelling at you earlier. It¡¯s just that this whole dream and disappearance thing is troubling me more and more,¡± I sighed.


    ¡°No, no, don¡¯t worry. I-I¡¯ve forgotten it,¡± he stammered.


    We walked for about five minutes before parting ways. William turned left; there was an alley he had to cross before continuing on his way home. We said goodbye, and I continued on my route. I started to feel thirsty, so I took a slight detour to get something to drink from the convenience store nearby. I paid for a bottle of water and a can of soda. As I stepped out, I drank all the water with great satisfaction. Was I that thirsty? I then resumed my walk. A moment later, I opened my can and started sipping. I walked for a few minutes before spotting my sister across the road that separated us, and of course, she was hanging out with those dirty hoodlums... Isn¡¯t she supposed to be in class? I¡¯m sure those idiots encouraged her to skip school. So, I decided to get closer to sort this out.


    I felt my heart beating faster, tightening with every step I took toward them. Seeing my sister sink so low because of those nuisances tore at my chest. It was as if she was drifting away from me, and I couldn¡¯t do anything about it... She wasn¡¯t like this before¡­ She used to be so sweet, so kind¡­ My beloved sister whom I had to protect... Why did she start hanging out with them? Why? What could have gone wrong with her?


    ¡°Hey, Jade. Isn¡¯t that your jerk of a brother showing up?¡±


    ¡°Shit, what¡¯s he doing here? Should we leave?¡±


    ¡°Naaah. I feel like we¡¯re going to have a good laugh.¡±


    ¡°Jade!!¡± I shouted.


    ¡°What are you doing here? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be in class!? Why are you still hanging out with these thugs? Do you want to ruin your life or what!?¡±


    She turned her head, avoiding my gaze as she replied, ¡°Do you think you¡¯re better, huh?! Mr. ¡®I always lock myself in my room¡¯¡ªare you even trying to understand what I feel!? What I go through every day, with you and the parents!?¡±


    I stayed silent; I didn¡¯t know what to say¡­ I lowered my head.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t quite catch that, who are the thugs here?¡± one of the guys said, looking at me.


    I ignored him and turned back to her. ¡°Let¡¯s go home; we¡¯ll sort this out once we get there.¡±


    Before I could react, the thug slapped my can sharply and repeated in a mocking tone, ¡°Hey, jackass, did I ask you a question or what?¡±


    The liquid spilled onto the ground, reflecting my patience. I didn¡¯t think; my hand moved on its own. My fist slammed into his face, knocking him to the ground. Naturally, the others jumped on me. I knew how to defend myself, and there were four of them, so I could manage. The second one lunged at me to punch. I dodged and grabbed his arm, then threw him over me onto the third. Jade watched the scene, helpless and shocked.


    The fourth one, more cautious, kept his distance. I then rushed him, grabbed him by the collar, and slammed him to the ground. My rage exploded. I started beating him, throwing punches repeatedly. I kept hitting him, again and again. Jade screamed, ¡°Stop! Stop! Can¡¯t you hear? Stop it, damn it!¡± But I kept going. I could see Jade trying to intervene, but she could do nothing.


    I was in a state where I could no longer hear anyone...


    After a few seconds, I regained my senses. I stopped hitting him, got up, and looked at my hands, trembling and covered in the blood of the one I had just attacked. I looked at his face, bloodied and half-conscious...


    ¡°Get lost!¡± I shouted. They then picked up their friend off the ground before leaving. It was still early; the street was quiet. No one saw the scene. Me, beating up some poor guy... for my sister... Is it understandable? No? I then grabbed Jade by the arm and muttered, ¡°Let¡¯s go home now" before we started walking home, I could feel that she was shocked by what I had just done. She must hate me even more now... The more we walked, the stranger I felt. My emotions were confused. I didn¡¯t know what to say, what to do, or how to think. I knew that sooner or later, I would have to take responsibility for what I had done... I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn¡¯t notice I was gripping her arm tighter and tighter.


    ¡°You¡¯re hurting me...¡± she said in a really cold tone before violently pulling her arm out of my hand. At that moment, I was convinced. She really hates me...

 Chapter 3

    ¡°You¡¯re never here! You come home at impossible hours! Do you even think about the kids at least?¡±


    ¡°Calm down, damn it! You¡¯re going to wake up the whole neighborhood!¡±


    ¡°How can I stay calm in such a situation!? I can¡¯t take it anymore! You¡¯re only here to take Jade to school, then you disappear like a thief! Lately, we don¡¯t even recognize you! That¡¯s enough!¡±


    ¡°Babe, what are you doing? Stop!¡± breaks the frame


    ¡°Are you serious!? Pull yourself together, for God¡¯s sake!¡± breaks the vase


    ¡°Stop it right now! Hey! Can you hear me!? Come back!¡±


    We arrived home at five to nine. Before going in, I heard a noise. A noise that did not reassure me. I opened the door, and what I saw¡­destroyed my whole world¡­


    ¡°M-Matteo? Jade? Y-You¡¯re already back? At this hour?¡± asked my father.


    ¡°I-Is that blood on your hands!?¡± he added.


    I didn¡¯t answer right away. I was looking inside. Our family photo was on the floor, broken, the vase Dad had given Mom was lying on the floor, in pieces. I looked my father in the eyes, my tears slowly building up. I clenched my hands, cleared my throat, and Jade ran off to her room crying.


    ¡°You just can¡¯t help yourselves, can you?¡± I said in a trembling voice.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s not¡­what you think¡­¡± he replied, lowering his head.


    I couldn¡¯t hold back any longer¡­


    ¡°WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT¡¯S NOT WHAT I THINK!? Our family photo is shattered, the vase you gave Mom is in pieces on the floor¡­WHAT ELSE COULD IT BE BESIDES ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR DAMN FIGHTS!? Do you even think about how your kids feel? Do you think about Jade!? Do you even try to find a solution!?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t keep talking. I ran into my room, so many tears in my eyes they blurred my vision. I slammed my door shut and threw my bag on the floor in anger. I sat down, back against my bed, curled up. Then¡­I cried, over and over again. To the point where I lost track of time and space. I didn¡¯t know what to do anymore, how to react, how to get back up¡­ I reached my limit; my heart couldn¡¯t take it anymore¡­ I could feel every beat. I could hear it screaming in pain¡­


    I started hitting the bottom of my bed in rage, over and over. Why do Jade and I have to carry this burden? Why can¡¯t we live normally? Happily? Why!? Is that too much to ask!? I clenched my teeth, my fists. I could see my clock showing 9:10. I want to disappear¡­


    My vision started to blur even more. I tried to fight it¡­ Rage, anger, sadness, grief¡­ all these emotions were concentrated in one place. I couldn¡¯t fight them. The shock was too intense for me. I had never felt like this before. Like being stabbed in the heart repeatedly. Tears had taken over my vision. I was struggling to breathe. I was sweating, with perspiration covering my face¡­ I couldn¡¯t make out colors anymore. The emotions were too strong. My body couldn¡¯t handle it. I could still smell the blood on my hands. My eyelids grew heavy. I¡­


    Matteo fainted, tears still in his eyes¡­


    ---


    Hannah¡¯s POV


    This disappearance case is really intriguing. And on top of that, the shared dreams we had, Matteo, William, and me¡­ it¡¯s very strange¡­ What if this puts me in danger? Puts us in danger? I really need to find out about all this¡­


    Once I got home, I went up to my room to change and put my phone on charge. After that, I headed to the kitchen to make a hot chocolate. Once my drink was ready, I left the kitchen for the living room, placed my cup on the table in front of the TV. There was a window just behind it. I took a quick glance outside. The neighborhood is so quiet in the morning. I went back to my room to get my phone. Once I grabbed it, I came back to the living room and sat on the couch, checking my messages while sipping my hot chocolate. Then, I created a group and added Matteo and William.


    Hannah: Heyyy, guys, what¡¯s up?


    William: Hi Hannah


    Hannah: Yooo William, made it home alright?


    William: Yep, thanks!


    William: Where¡¯s Matteo?


    Hannah: Good question! He hasn¡¯t logged in yet, maybe he¡¯s not home yet.


    William: Yeah, probably.


    Hannah: Well, while we wait for him to connect, I suggest we start looking for clues about Mr. Jack¡¯s disappearance. Let¡¯s meet at the park around 10, does that work for you? I¡¯ll try to contact Matteo to inform him.


    William: Okay, see you there! Later!


    Hannah: Bye!


    I put down my phone and started to think. We need to investigate Mr. Jack¡¯s disappearance. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s connected to our shared dreams. First, we need his address to look for clues directly at his place. I hope his house hasn¡¯t been quarantined by the police¡­ My dad is a police officer, high-ranking, and he has a computer with information on all the people in the neighborhood, so I snuck into my parents¡¯ room to "borrow" it. I searched for quite a while before finding it. I don¡¯t know why he hides his computer. Once I found it, I had to unlock it. It was easy; it was my name and birth date. Ahh, Dad, you really need to learn how to set harder passwords¡­


    I still had to find the file with the city residents'' information. I searched for about three minutes before finding it. The files were organized alphabetically. It was going to be easier to find Mr. Jack¡¯s. I typed his name, and his file appeared. I grabbed a piece of paper and noted down his address. Then I turned off the computer and put it back where I found it. I went back down to the living room and sat on the couch. It was 9:40; I thought Matteo must be home by now. So I grabbed my phone and called him. He didn¡¯t answer. I tried a second time, then a third time, still nothing. What¡¯s going on? Did something happen to him? Well, I¡¯ll leave him a message anyway.


    There were about thirty minutes left before my meeting with William at the park. So I went up to my room to get ready. I took a bag and put in a flashlight (Dad¡¯s), a pen, and a notebook to write down anything we might find. Once ready, I turned off the lights and left the house for the park. It was quite far from my house. I was afraid I might be a bit late. On the way, I stopped at the corner store to buy something to drink and snack on the road. Since it was already 10:40, the neighborhood was starting to come to life. I could already see street vendors setting up their stands, street artists getting ready to sing, dance, or paint. Ahhh, I think I prefer this atmosphere. Harlem is really a beautiful city.


    I was approaching the park and could see William sitting. I must have kept him waiting. It was already 10:20. Once I entered, I called him while waving my hand. He got up and walked towards me.


    ¡°Heyy William! Sorry for being late; the park is pretty far from my place, and¡­I also made a few detours¡­¡± I said, scratching my head, looking embarrassed.


    ¡°Uh no no, don¡¯t worry. Actually, I just got here too,¡± he exclaimed.


    ¡°Oh, okay! Let¡¯s sit down, then.¡±


    So we sat down to think better about the situation.


    ¡°Have you heard from Matteo?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Not at all. I tried calling him several times, but no answer. So I left him a message.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. So what are we going to do about Mr. Jack?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ve thought of everything. I¡¯ve got his address right here.¡±


    I took out the piece of paper where I had written down Mr. Jack¡¯s address and showed it to William. ¡°How did you get it?¡± he asked, surprised. I told him that my dad was a high-ranking officer in the local police and had all the info of Harlem¡¯s residents on his computer. He was like, ¡°Wtf, lol.¡±


    ¡°Wow! Now we can start the investigation!¡± he exclaimed excitedly.


    ¡°Totally! But we have to stay calm and pay attention to everything around us. Mr. Jack¡¯s house is probably under quarantine by the police. We have to be discreet,¡± I warned him.


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    Then we headed off. We walked for a long time. The city was slowly waking up, and car horns were becoming more and more numerous. We walked side by side, in silence. I could see that William was lost in thought. I also had a strange feeling. Were we becoming friends? The house was quite far from where we were, so we stopped halfway to take a break. There were benches almost everywhere in the neighborhood, so we sat down for a moment.


    ¡°Thirsty?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah, a little,¡± he replied.


    I could see sweat running down his face. After all, it was almost noon, and it was starting to get a bit warm. I rummaged through my bag without looking and handed him a water bottle. Then I began to admire thearea. He grabbed it and began to empty it. Suddenly, I remembered something. The bottle I had handed him¡­ was the one I had started drinking earlier before arriving at the park! I quickly turned and saw him drinking all the water, his mouth touching where mine had been¡­ I-Isn¡¯t that an indirect kiss? I turned bright red and looked down.


    ¡°Are you okay? Are you feeling sick? You¡¯re all red,¡± William asked.


    ¡°N-No¡­ E-Everything¡¯s f-fine¡­¡± I stammered. It must be the heat¡­


    ¡°Are you sure? You seem a bit embarrassed about something¡­¡±


    I think he understood¡­ He turned around to avoid my gaze and suggested we keep going. On the way, the atmosphere was very awkward. I think he was still thinking about what had just happened. He kept avoiding my gaze. Actually, I was still embarrassed too¡­ Why am I so affected? This doesn¡¯t usually happen to me¡­


    We were approaching the house, and I couldn¡¯t help but notice how much greenery there was in the area. His house was quite isolated from the others. There was no road leading to it, just a long path lined with small trees, extending from where we were to the gate leading to the house. And as I expected, there were security tapes all around the house and police officers in front of it. It was 10:50 when we arrived.


    ¡°Damn, there are police officers in front of the house; they must be investigating too.¡±


    ¡°What do we do, then?¡± William asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll go around them and sneak inside. But first, we have to make sure there aren¡¯t other officers inside,¡± I replied.


    So we discreetly made our way to the back of the house, which was quite big for a French teacher. But that¡¯s not the point. There were lots of dead leaves on the ground, making it hard to move quietly. When we got to the back of the house, I saw a staircase leading to a door at the back. We approached slowly, crouching to stay hidden behind the stairs. I quickly peeked to see if anyone was there. Then, I motioned for William to move forward. He went to the window next to the door and looked inside. After a few seconds of peering over the window, he signaled me to come. I moved to the door and tried to open it. Of course, it was locked. So I took out my hairpin and started to pick the lock. It was way harder than it looked in movies. I told William to keep watch while I tried to unlock the door. It was really tough¡­ I scraped the inside of the lock with concentration. Sweat started to run down my face. I could only hear my breathing and William¡¯s footsteps as he watched. My hands grew clammy, and the pin began to slip. Eventually, it fell. I shook my hands to dry them a bit before picking up the pin. I tried again and again, until the thin piece of metal was bent out of shape. The tension was high¡­ After what felt like endless minutes, I finally managed to unlock that damn door. I let out a big sigh of satisfaction. My hands were all red.


    Before going in, I signaled to William to join me. I took another quick look inside before stepping in. The entrance led into the kitchen, which was small. There was another door in front, next to the refrigerator. I was sure it was locked too. Once in the room, William joined me, moving carefully. I moved to the door to check if it was locked. To my surprise, it wasn¡¯t. Before opening it, I looked through the keyhole to see if anyone was there. Although it was hard to see clearly, I noticed there was no one. So, I gently opened the door, just a bit, to avoid creaking, and we slipped through the opening I¡¯d left.


    Now we were in the dining room. The living room and dining room weren¡¯t separated by another door, so we could access the upstairs where Mr. Jack¡¯s room was. We had to be careful. There was a big window right in front of us. It was frosted, but we could still see the silhouette of one of the officers.


    ¡°Hannah, the other officer moved, he¡¯s probably inspecting the back now,¡± William whispered.


    ¡°Damn, if he sees the door open, he¡¯ll come inside for sure to check what¡¯s going on,¡± I whispered back.


    ¡°Keep going upstairs; I¡¯ll go back and create a diversion,¡± he murmured.


    ¡°Are you sure? I don¡¯t want you to get caught here, man.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be very careful. And if I do get caught, I¡¯ll find a way out. Don¡¯t worry!¡±


    I was still hesitant about his idea, but he insisted before heading back to the kitchen. I whispered, ¡°Be careful,¡± and he replied with a thumbs-up. Then I headed toward the living room where the stairs to the upper floor were. The floor in this living room was hardwood, so I moved in a crouched position. I climbed the steps one by one to avoid making noise. I could still see the officer¡¯s silhouette in front of the door. Once upstairs, I started looking for the teacher¡¯s room. There was a long hallway with no lights. It was abnormally dark, and I couldn¡¯t see anything clearly. So I took out my flashlight and began to explore. The air was heavy and musty. The atmosphere changed drastically the moment I stepped here. Eventually, I found a door. I tried to open it, but it was locked. I pushed a little, and to my surprise, it opened. Unfortunately, it was just the bathroom. So, I continued my exploration, still moving cautiously to avoid making the floor creak.


    Then, I came across another door. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t locked. It was a small library. Not surprising for a French teacher. I went in and rummaged a bit here and there. I looked for things related to dreams, but nothing explained what I was searching for. I didn¡¯t find any clues. Neither about the disappearance nor about our dreams¡­ So I left the room and continued my search. Wow, this hallway is really long, and the creepy atmosphere was chilling me little by little. I was also wondering if William was okay. We¡¯d been separated for a long time already. After a long walk, looking from left to right, flashlight in hand, I found another room. I really hoped it was Mr. Jack¡¯s room and that it wasn¡¯t locked¡­ I turned the handle to open it, and as I expected, it was locked¡­ I didn¡¯t have another hairpin, so I was at a dead end. Then I remembered. The kitchen! There must be utensils that could help me pick the lock.


    So I headed back, making my way to the stairs quickly. I was just a few steps away when I heard the front door open, and the officer came in with a sigh. I was in a rush, and when I stopped suddenly, I slipped and fell. The noise of my fall was loud, so he shone his flashlight towards the stairs, shouting, ¡°Who¡¯s there!?¡± I quickly got up and went into the first room I saw. It was the bathroom. I quickly closed the door, got into the bathtub, and pulled the curtain to hide. I turned off my flashlight and started praying that he wouldn¡¯t come in here. But unfortunately, he followed his instinct and entered the bathroom. I lay down to avoid my shadow giving me away when he pointed his light toward the bathtub. I covered my mouth to keep any sound from escaping. My heart was pounding. I held my breath to make sure no sound came out. But I guess my hiding spot was too obvious. He was approaching the bathtub step by step. I could hear every footstep he took toward me. I was running out of air; I needed to exhale. He was now right in front of me. I could see his shadow through the curtain because of his flashlight. It was over; I was going to get caught. I couldn¡¯t hold my breath any longer. He grabbed the edge of the curtain, and just as he was about to pull it, a loud shout echoed. It came from outside. It was probably William. The officer turned around and quickly left the bathroom. There was a window at the end of the hallway; he was probably heading there. Meanwhile, I let out a big exhale before running to the window and jumping over it. The officer, having heard the noise I made, quickly returned to the room and shouted, ¡°Hey!¡± He must have seen me go by. I had jumped from the first floor, and in the fall, I really hurt myself. There were twigs all over the ground. When I landed, some of them stuck into my hands. I didn¡¯t have time to think about it or catch my breath, so I ran as far away as possible from where I was.


    I reached the gate, pushed it open with difficulty to pass through, and then continued sprinting towards the street while pulling the twigs out of my bleeding hands. Once there, I collapsed from exhaustion. I was struggling to breathe, taking big gulps of air like I¡¯d just run a marathon. I¡¯d never exerted myself like this before. My head was spinning, probably from lack of oxygen.


    Damn, I left William behind. Just as I was about to go back for him, he appeared in front of me, running, and I let out a surprised scream.


    ¡°W-William?¡± I said, out of breath.


    ¡°Hurry! We need to get out of here!¡± he replied urgently.


    Seing that I was exhausted and probably couldn¡¯t run, he picked me up in his arms before starting to sprint as far as possible from the house.


    He ran a long distance. I didn¡¯t know he was that strong and enduring¡­ There were a few people on the sidewalk we were walking along, looking at us like, ¡°What are they doing?¡± or ¡°Are they a couple?¡± etc. I was so embarrassed¡­ William stopped near a bench in front of us. He put me down before collapsing onto it, breathing heavily. He was sweating a lot and breathing really hard. I sat next to him. I hadn¡¯t completely caught my breath either. There was a moment of silence as we both tried to gather our thoughts. I could see that William was still shaken by what had just happened. I was confused too. I¡¯d never been so scared of getting caught. It really left a mark on us¡­


    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked, still a bit out of breath.


    He took a moment before answering.


    ¡°When I went back to the kitchen, I went outside, closing the door behind me, and went to the back of the house. The officer was about to try to open the door, so I threw a stone to distract him. We did that for several minutes. But since there were twigs all around the house, I accidentally stepped on one. He heard me and grabbed me¡­¡± he explained.


    ¡°And how did you get away?¡±


    ¡°I screamed really loudly, it threw him off, and I took advantage to grab some leaves off the ground and throw them in his face before making my escape.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. Plus, your scream saved me. I almost got caught by the other one too.¡±


    ¡°No kidding!?¡± he exclaimed.


    ¡°I swear!¡±


    So I told him about my misadventure.


    ¡°What!? How could you do something like that? You could have seriously hurt yourself! That was a huge risk!¡±


    ¡°Oh, says the guy who went off alone to create a diversion against a police officer!¡± I retorted.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the same!¡± He grabbed my hands to examine them before continuing. ¡°Never do something like that again! It could have been really serious!¡±


    ¡°Geez, I¡¯m fine! He looked at me, insistent. He seemed sincere¡­


    ¡°Well¡­ alright¡­ I¡¯ll be careful next time,¡± I said with a sigh.


    Then we looked at each other for a moment before both laughing, and I gave him a little pat on the shoulder. It felt good to laugh.


    That thing I was feeling was growing stronger. Were we really becoming friends?


    ¡°Did you find any clues?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Unfortunately, no. All the rooms I¡¯d inspected had no clues. Only the one that was locked was left.¡±


    ¡°Damn, we came for nothing then¡­¡± he said with a disappointed tone.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay! We¡¯ll go back later! But this time with Matteo! By the way, I still wonder what¡¯s happening at his place. We haven¡¯t heard from him since this morning.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s getting really worrying¡­¡±


    I looked at my phone; it was 11:35. We really need to solve this mystery. I want to know more about the teacher¡¯s disappearance. And the feeling that it¡¯s connected to our dreams keeps getting stronger¡­


    ---


    Matteo¡¯s POV


    I was slowly opening my eyes. My body felt heavy¡­ I couldn¡¯t get up right away. What happened? ¡­Ah¡­Yes¡­I remember¡­ I was gradually regaining my strength and was finally able to stand up.


    Arghhh¡­My head hurts¡­ W-Where am I? My vision is blurry¡­ Everything is white?¡­ I see no one¡­ Am I dead? No¡­ impossible¡­


    Someone¡¯s coming¡­


    W-Who are you?