My sleep was dreamless for which I was grateful. It was only 2 hours but I definitely felt the positive effects. The bags were still there and I'd still keep my sleep time as low as possible. But I felt like I could do something today.

Shauni would be released today according to her mother. I wasn't sure of the time but I'd go early just the same.

I tried to call her mother but she never answered.

I decided to get her a baked treat since she'd been complaining about hospital food for her stay there.

"Hey I haven't seen you in a week"
Joshua greeted with a smile. I barely managed to respond appropriately, only mumbling my good morning.

His smile faded slightly but didn't completely disappear. His manager badge was proudly posted on his chest. That was probably the last good dream I had.

"What will it be Valerie?"

My eyes darted to his. I don't remember telling him my name. But we've coming here for a while and he usually served us, so he probably over heard Shauni saying it.

"Uhm one slice of coconut and pineapple cake, a French mocha and blueberry muffin"

As he typed in my order he asked.

"You're not usually here on a Saturday. You going out or?"

" Yeah but no, It's my friend, she's in the hospital, I'm going to see her"

" Oh is it the girl you always come in with? I noticed that you guys didn't come in all week"

" Yeah, it was  a car accident" My breath halted as I remembered seeing her bloody face slump over the steering wheel. 

"Will she be alright?"

" Yea, uh shes getting out today. I wanted to be there when she does, give her the cake you know" 

I handed him my card.

"Well in the honour of a speedy recovery, this order is on the house"

He smiled. This time my mouth curved a little more. I never noticed his dimpled cheek before.

" We don't normally get busy until lunch, and I was wondering if after you've looked after your friend if you could spare a few minutes to talk?"

" Talk? About?"

" It's nothing really, you just, I was just thinking that...."

"That I what?" I was curious as to what he saw.

"You need someone to talk to..."

Someone walked in and was now waiting to order. I wasn't about to hold the line.

"Thanks but I'm ok."
He looked defeated but he soon put on a smile for the next customer.

" Welcome to Sunrise Cafe..." I heard him say as I handed in my receipt.

Did I look that sad that even the cashier thought I needed help?

At the hospital Shauni was angry at her mother for telling me to leave. In her defense I probably was just dragging everyone down with my dull mood.

Honestly, what did they expect? My best friend of 5 years almost died and I knew it was going to happen.

I wanted to tell Shauni about the hold up but she had enough to worry about. Knowing her she'd want to fight the guy with her brand new cast.

"I'm sorry about my Mom" she said when her mother had left the room. She'd been busy packing all of her things.

"The police came by again to take my statement. They say the guy is lucky I didn't die. Imagine the GUY is lucky that I'm alive".

"So what are you going to do?" Shauni talking about the police made me think I should probably report the incident.

It was dark and I'm not sure if I could identify the man clearly. He was tall and had a rough deep voice. I'd probably know it if I heard it.

Don't think they'll ever find him. My phone was already shelled down to it's parts.

"I think I'm just going to let insurance handle it. My mother wants to press charges but you know, I don't want the hassle."

" Well it's up to you."

" What is going on with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've been so, idk your mind has been in another world. Even after I woke up."

" Yea well I'm worried about you".

" Well you need not worry about me. I'm blessed saved and sanctified by God."

"You're feeling spiritual."

" Isn't everyone after they almost die?" I chuckled. She motioned for me to sit beside her.

"Oh Valerie, I'm ok. You saved me. If you weren't there, only God knows what would have happened"

I broke down for the millionth time in the past week.

"Oh honey... It's ok...I'm ok" she hugged me.

Her mother walked in.

"We're ready Shaunice." A nurse wheeled a chair in and helped Shauni into it.

"I'll come visit you tomorrow ok"

"Actually she'll be coming home with us to Savanna until she's fully recovered"

Oh I figured this would happen. They were never happy that she moved out on her own before marriage.

"Yea I already talked with Mr. Hooke. They're going to just make Headley find a landscaper till I'm recovered."

We walked down the long hospital hall while she was being wheeled.

"When's that going to be?"

"6 months maybe."

I was gutted. She'd be gone for that long?
Not wanting to be a dead weight.

"Well I'll keep you updated on everything on the daily. Don't you worry."

"You better."

" I'm a miss you Shauni"

"Me too Val" .

This is really going to suck, especially working with Headley alone will be a nightmare, even more so than the ones I dream.

"Here's your cake."

I took the cake from my bag and handed it to her.

Mrs Hopewell frowned.

"Cake, just what she needs to recover"

"She's right! After all hospital food, I really need something to wake up my appetite".

She put the word food in air quotes.

We hugged and said our goodbyes. I really was going to miss her.

I decided after I sent Shauni off, that I should probably go and report the crime.

It went just the way I had expected it to. They did nothing more than take a statement and my personal info, then made a promise that they would try and find this person that I would never be able to identify.

Unless I dreamt it again, can I even dream of the past?

I conveniently left out the part about living the whole thing twice. Once in my dream and then it actually happened.

Oh what if this is a dream? I pinched myself just to be sure. "Yup still here"

It was still early in the day and the energy that two hours of sleep supplied hadn't worn off as yet.

Next thing I knew I was back at the cafe, ordering lunch at 11 am. There were a few more people around.

Joshua wasn't at the cash register, but upon asking a server for him, I discovered he was in the back doing managerial work.

When she asked if she should get him, I told her not to worry.

I ate my chicken sandwich silently, wondering how I could get around this issue that I'm having. I wondered why it was always negative things. And furthermore, why it was happening to me.

"Penny for your thoughts?"
Joshua stood over me in his black apron and hands on his hips.

"They're way more expensive than that"

"How about a dollar?"

" Try again"

"He reached in his pocked and pulled out a crisp $100 and placed on the table"

" Huh, just one thought"

He smiled and sat down.

" Aren't you supposed to be working?"

"Meh I'm the manager"

" Junior Manager'" I corrected

"Same thing, there's no one managing me here. I run this" he said raising both hands in the air to show how impressive the tiny cafe was. I'll give it to him though. It was fairly popular. The coffee was good and the sandwiches and pasties were real good. Alot of variety. Nothing like where I come from.

"Well I see you're enjoying it"

"Yea about that, how did you know I got the job even before I did"

I diverted my eyes to the most fascinating tile I've ever seen. It looked just like others that surrounded but the texture of this one really captured my attention.

Or maybe I just didn't know how to answer the question.

" I don't know" I finally said.

" Come on, you said I told you or something or you heard".

I really wanted to tell someone about my dreams but he'd never believe me.

"Call it intuition"

" Come on, no one's intuition is that strong that they are sure someone they barely know got a job that they had no idea about"

He was right. Dangit. I barely knew him but yet still I dreamt that he got this job and he was very happy about it.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you"

"Try me, I like to stay very open, I paid a hundred dollars after all".

I could just tell him, worse comes to worst he doesn't believe me and every encounter after this is awkward because he'll think I'm a crazy girl who thinks she can see the future.

" I saw it happen"

"See what happen?"

"The call you got, I saw it happen"

" Well yeah, you were there and you congratulated me before"

" No I mean, I saw the whole morning happen. The food we ate, the spill Shauni made, the clothes we wore, your phone call, I saw it. I lived it."

He was puzzled. I would be too.

" You mean you had a deja Vu?"

"Yes but I saw it all in my dream. I saw everything to the T in my dream and the very next morning, it happened. But the thing is they keep feeling more real to the point where I don't realize I'm dreaming. So I thought I saw you get the job already so I congratulated you but it didn't happen yet."

He was silent for a moment.

"Say something"

"So you're saying that you can dream the future?"

Ive never said it aloud, but it only started to get serious a week ago.

"How do you know it's not just a coincidence?"

"A coincidence?"

"Yea like you just happened to have that kinda dream and it just happened to... Happen... The next day"

" I thought it was like that too. I brushed it off. But then I dreamt that my project got stolen from me, that happened and I dreamt that..."

"Dreamt that what?"

"Shauni."

I bowed my head.

"Shauni? Your friend that's in the hospital?"

"Yea. You saw her accident?"

I nodded my head. It was all I could do.

" That must have been awful."

" Imagine seeing it twice ".

"So do you know what this is? Or why it's happening to you?"

"No".

"Do your parents or siblings have these dreams?"

"I don't know and I'm an only child."

He arched an eyebrow to that as if it was unbelievable that I was a lonely child.

"So you have no clue what this is?"

"Nope none. After the accident I tried to avoid sleeping or even sleep for only ten minutes at a time to avoid dreaming"

" I don't see how that's possible. Sleep is compulsory and dreams are involuntary"

I rolled my eyes.

"I know, I just..." I sighed heavily.

" What do I do if I see all these bad things happen and I can't change them huh?"

He paused for a moment.

"What are you doing tonight at around 7 tonight?"

"Uhm probably going to stay home and watch a movie".
Was he asking me out on a date?
I haven't gone on one in over a year. It was always just Shauni and I going out doing things girls do.

"I think I might know somewhere that could have answers as to what you...are? Or what you can do."

"I don't know. I think I'll just stay in. It's been a long week and..."

"Meet me here at 7 tonight after I lock up ok"

I agreed. Although I had significant doubt that he'd know a place, I really had nothing to lose.

****
The hours passed by slowly. I busied myself with looking over reports Headley had sent me on the project. There were no delays and everything was on schedule, despite neither Shauni or I being there.

I guess I should be happy about that, but a part of me wishes that something had gone wrong, just so his life wasn't so perfect.

The lack of sleep was finally creeping up on me. My eyelids felt heavy and I nodded off a few times. But I didn't want to fall asleep, not yet.

When I got to the shop, Joshua had finished closing up. He'd flung a bag pack over his shoulder as he spoke.

"Hey you"

"Yea I figured there was nothing better to do and if by some miracle, we find something out, that would be great".

"Yea, I'm pretty sure we'll find something".

"I still can't believe that you believe me. I could be making up a bullshit story you know."

"Why would you make that up? Just to spend time with me?"

There's that dimple I only noticed today. I never pictured him as being so charming. I mean he was good at his job and making customers feel welcome, but he seemed different outside of his apron.

We walked to an olive Toyota Corolla which I assumed was his car.

"Where are we going?"

"The community college"

"Santa Cruz community college?" I have a cousin that goes there. If I can recall, she's studying Business.

"Yea".

"Do you go there?"

"Yup my last year, studying psychology"

"Oh cool". We rode in silence to the campus. He led me to the library, which would be open until 12 am.

"Welcome to the mythology section"

"Yea ok, thought we were going to look at the sciency stuff, to find out what was happening in my brain or something".

" We could but I think that this goes beyond just the physical mind. Your mind seems to be alot more powerful than the rest of ours. It's like a super power."

I snorted loudly at that. I hardly think seeing terrible futures are a super power. I contemplated telling him about the hold up last night but I thought i'd shared enough

We spent another hour combing through books filled with Greek, Roman and Asian mythology. We found nothing even remotely related to deja Vu and predicting the future.

Hours passed and my eyelids grew heavier. It took a couple shakes for Joshua to keep me awake. I was thankful for that. There was no telling what I might have seen.

"I found something that might have to do with you and your dreams"

He handed me a brown leather bound book that was coated in dust. I brushed it off gently. There was no title for it. Just an engraved bird, a hawk maybe with black eyes.

It was creepy but I opened it nonetheless. I saw images of a person dreaming, he wore a crown as if he were a king. The text spoke about him dreaming of building a temple and then deciding it was a sign from the Gods.
He then went on to build the temple.

It also mentioned a God of dream termed Mamu, and several dream prophets called Nabi. They were people from the Mesopotamian era who were known to dream of things to come.

I wondered if I had relation to these people. I was no history buff, but I know that era was now the middle East. But my brown milk chocolate skin and kinky hair bared no resemblance to middle eastern people.

This made no sense.

"Is there anything of use in it?"

"I don't know. It talks about dream prophets called Nabi but they're from a whole other region and time"

"Maybe so but people have spread across the world over the centuries, very few people have a pure bloodline"

"Yea but I don't think this explains anything I'm going through".

He didn't respond. I checked the time, it was almost 10 pm.

Shauni had also texted me, I decided to wait till I got home to respond.

"It's getting late, I should probably go".

"I'll drop you home".

The drive home, I was in a battle to keep my eyes opened. Joshua must have realized and wound down the window.

The cool air whipped my skin.

"Thanks."

"What are you going to do tonight?"

"I guess I have no choice but to rest."

The drive back home would only be 20 minutes. The cold air was no longer enough. My eyelids gave in and I soon drifted off.

"Valerie? Valerie? Valerie. ." Joshua shook me till I finally opened my eyes.

"We're back at the cafe, where do you live so I can drive you home."

My head snapped up and I sat up in the car seat.

"How long was I asleep?"

"I don't know, 15 minutes maybe" my heart rate increased rapidly. I was finding it hard to breathe.

"Did you dream something? What happened?"

"I did. And I saw something, people are going to die"