What’s happening?
I try to gauge where I am and what’s happening.
“Zhen,” I call desperately trying to find him. Panic overtakes my body. My heart is beating fast, and my hands tremble.
Sitting up in bed, I reach for Zhen. He lifts his head from the mattress and stands protectively over me. I pet his head, trying to calm myself.
“I had a dream, Zhen,” I tell him.
Zhen relaxes into me as I lay back down. I try to find a new comfortable position, but it doesn’t matter how many times I turn, that dream remains disturbing.
I flick the covers back, and sit up in bed. Zhen jumps off the bed, and sits beside me. “You okay, boy?”
It’s pitch black in my room. There’s no moonlight shining through the window. There’s no light at all, not even a glimmer of the stars. My eyes take only a few seconds to adjust to the dark.
“I had a dream,” I say to Zhen. He wags his tail and yawns. “I saw that bunny again. It’s got to mean something.” Zhen turns his head, and gives me a lick on the hand.
Standing, I head into my bathroom, and splash some water on my face.
This dream felt so real. Like I know the boy from somewhere. That damn bunny, ugh. It gives me the creeps. The boy-man, not so much. But the bunny makes my skin crawl and my stomach churn with dread.
I leave the bathroom, and head down to the kitchen to get some water. Zhen hangs his head, and follows me down the staircase.
I grab a glass from the cupboard and turn on the faucet. I stare at the running water; my mind is consumed with the vivid memory of that discolored bunny.
“Are you okay?” Mom asks as she walks into the kitchen. Her hair is a mess, and she’s in her mis-matched pajamas. She wipes at her eyes, and leans against the counter.
“I had a dream.”
“Yeah, you okay?”
“It was actually a nightmare. I think. I don’t know.”
“What happened?”
It’s all fuzzy now, except for the sharp image of that damned bunny. “I don’t remember all of it. Except, I saw that rabbit again.”
“What rabbit?” Mom walks around behind me, and takes a glass from one of the top cabinets. She fills her glass with water, then returns to lean against the counter. All the while, I keep seeing the bunny. The big, floppy ears. The discolored body. The beady little blue eyes. I know it’s a children’s toy, and stuffed animals make kids happy. But this one is making me anxious, and I have a sick feeling in my gut. “What rabbit?” she asks again.
“Remember when I rescued Zorro?” Mom nods. “I told you, just before I confronted that guy, I saw an image of a bunny. Remember? I even asked you if I had a bunny when you adopted me.”
“Oh, yeah. Can you tell me anything else about the dream?”
“Nothing else.” I rub my fingers across my eyes, trying hard to remember what I can. “Um, I think there was a guy in my dream. I don’t remember, Mom. But this damned rabbit.” I walk over to the table, and drag out a chair before sitting. Zhen lays down on the floorboards, and within a moment, his paws are moving like he’s running.
Mom comes to sit beside me. “I don’t know how to help you. All I can tell you is you didn’t have much when we adopted you.”
“I know.” I exhale a long-drawn-out breath. “I just wish I knew why I keep seeing this rabbit. What does it mean? Mom, is there something wrong with me?” I hate feeling so hopeless.
“There’s nothing wrong with you,” she assures me.
“Is there nothing you can tell me about my life before I came here? Nothing at all?”
Mom looks away and shakes her head. “What I know, I’ve already told you.”
I’m so frustrated. I wish I knew more. “Do you think I could research where I came from?”
Mom’s head whips back to look at me. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Molly.”
“Why?”
She averts her eyes, and chews on the inside of her cheek. Does she know more than she’s ever said? “I think you should leave the past where it belongs.”
“But this dream…and the rabbit. Maybe it’s trying to tell me something. Maybe I should try to figure this out. What if all this is meant to be a warning or something? I don’t know, Mom. I don’t know what to do.”
“How about this.” She pauses, and I wait for her to continue. “Leave it for now. You never know, maybe this rabbit doesn’t mean anything at all. You’re going through a lot of changes and this rabbit has only appeared since your life has taken a turn.”
“What do you mean?”
“Dylan, and Zorro, and now work. Maybe they’re triggering something that you’ve buried. Or possibly, maybe the change is what’s causing this. You know, like things are uncertain and not solid. You’ve always been someone who blossoms under routine and structure.”
Mom’s right; I do like routine. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I’ll wait for everything to settle and see if I keep seeing this rabbit.”
“Maybe start writing it down. Over time, you can see if there are corresponding events that happen around the time you see this stupid rabbit.”
“That’s a really good idea. Thanks, Mom.” I let out a huge yawn. And that very moment, Zhen farts. He doesn’t even move, but Mom and I both turn to look at him. The waft of his fart spreads fairly fast. “Oh my God!” I say as I cover my nose.
Mom balks. “That’s rancid,” she says. “I’m going to bed to get away from that smell. What are you feeding him, Molly?”
“Just his normal food.”
“I suggest you sleep with your door open tonight. Because if he farts like that again, you’ll die of suffocation.”
“’Night, Mom.”
She blows me a kiss from the other side of the kitchen.
I’m sure Mom’s right. A lot has been happening, and this is probably my brain telling me things are changing and I’m not a fan of change.
“Are you okay?” Tina asks as we drive to meet Dylan and Preston. Zhen and Zorro are secure in the back, and the picnic basket is in the trunk of the car.
“I’m fine. I didn’t sleep great last night. Had a stupid dream.”
“What was it about?”
“I can’t even remember most of it. Except this stupid white stuffed bunny. Anyway. It doesn’t matter. What’s Preston like?”
I quickly glance sideways at her before turning my attention back to the road. “He’s nice, I think. I don’t know. I want you to give me your honest opinion.”
“I will.”
“He’s a bit older, but not like Dylan old. Preston’s twenty-two.”
“Zhen’s the best judge of character.”
“Maybe for you, because he’s super protective of you. Everywhere you go, he’s right behind you.” Tina looks out the window and sighs. “I really like Preston. I think I could love him.”
“I’m happy for you.”
“Promise me, Molly. Promise me if you get a bad vibe or anything from him, you have to tell me.”
“Promise.” I hold my pinky out to her to make her a pinky-promise. She hooks her little pinky around mine, and we shake on it. “You have to tell me what you think about Dylan too.”