As the day went on, I searched and asked around, but could find no evidence that a "Mr. Peterson" ever existed - no teacher by that name, no one matching his appearance. The more I dwelled on it, the more I walked the halls in a daze, struggling to separate dreams from reality.
Through the crowded hallways, I walked past fellow classmates, upper years, and lower years alike. Everybody seemed busy, minding their own business. Though it was crowded, I noticed Maddie walking by. She looked fine, walking behind her group of friends. Since not even Tommy said anything about the dream, it seemed like it was fake. But I wasn't going to let my guard down just yet.
As we crossed paths, I felt a little force on my shoulder. I looked back, only to witness Maddie punching my shoulder as we passed each other.
Later that day, in the library, I searched through the school's yearly photo albums, checking names and faces. No Mr. Peterson, but everybody else seemed normal. All my classmates were there in the photos. Khaza Ellie, Maddie, Tommy, Max... talking about Maddie...
Bam!
A loud sound startled me and the other students in the library, even the librarian shushed us.
"I knew it. You would be checking the photo album if you didn't remember."
"Oh shit, don't tell me."
"Yeah, last night was real, and it was traumatizing."
"You remember, Maddie? Do you know anything? I thought I was dreaming. I was talking to Tommy, and he didn't remember. Wait, was it real? Are we real?"
"Shut it, James. I ain't no god now, but I do have some answers to you r questions. Firstly, I asked Ellie, she didn't have memories. I texted my cousin Max, he didn't have memories. I thought I was losing it until you. I haven't checked Khaza, but word is that he's sick, so something tells me he remembers. Whatever it is, it's just me and you for now."
"Okay, do we have a plan? Any information we can go from? Any leads at all?"
"In truth, no. But that itself gives us an answer. First, I did some searching on the camping site, Weerona Park. It never existed. At the assigned location, I searched and searched, found camping sites with similar names, but in totally different territories and landscapes from what I remember. And secondly, you've got the second clue, which is no clue."
"You mean Mr. Peterson."
"Yes, Mr. Peterson. No evidence, no record of his existence. You've got all the information in your hand, and I've got all the information in my hand."
I looked down at what she had in her hand, realizing it was a travel guide to Australia, camping maps. She had been searching and reading that.
"So, I don't really remember the location or name of the location. It feels like a fuzzy memory, not like long memories from childhood or trying to remember a dream. This feels different, like it was stolen forcefully."
"Right, I feel that too. My father also wanted me and my cousins to know the difference between falling asleep drunk and being drugged to sleep, just in case of an accident. he brought us to one of his friends that went through that own experience and wanted us study and take notes. Thus, for that whole day it was describe to us by my father's friends, so by what I already know it was a drug that made us fall asleep. If there truly is a supernatural force at work here, then we need to prepare. Our best bet is to tell the others, since we are all the target the six of us. There needs to be a cause, an effect, and a reason. "She explained.
"Don't strain yourself too much-!"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN-!" She shouted, and the librarian didn't even shush her but gave her a stare as if she was ready to throw her out. Maddie felt it and quieted down.
"Me strain? Look, James, I'm taking this seriously, and you should too. We are in danger, our families might be in danger. We can't take any chances. I've set up a group chat. You join and invite Thomas, while I invite the rest. I just asked one of Khaza's friends for his details. My theory is that whatever this dimension, this alternate reality is, it strikes mainly at night. I have a feeling, hopefully my sixth sense is wrong. Even still, we need to be ready. After school, we'll meet at the abandoned corner shop on Neveruson Road." She whispered this time.
"Wait how do you know, and will it happen every night, you know we can't live like this."
"Firstly, it's a feeling. Like somebody writing on your back and you feel what they are writing. Like you know you have at least a clue to what it is. It feels similar. Call it my Maddie sense. This wasn't the first time, when I was a child, I kinda had this feeling. I was near a cafe my mother wanted to take me to, and I kept forcing her not to go. So, my mother listened to me. The next second, a group of, let's say, armed men came and drove into the cafe. My mother was shocked, and I was shocked too. My Maddie sense has been acting up since the first hour i woke up, and its getting worse every hour." She said answering my first question.
"And secondly, James Walker, we have no choice but to live like this until the campaign stops altogether. If we want our lives back, our freedom, a normal sleep, then we have a right to fight for that chance. Are you with me on this?"
"I have rugby practice though."
"I don't care. Come or not, we need this. Do you understand, James?"
"Okay, okay, I understand. Crystal clear."