I sat straight up in my bed. It was the middle of the night, I couldn't figure out what had woken me so abruptly. I thought for a minute and remembered my dream. It was more of a nightmare. It was like I was being eaten alive. Every part of my body being devoured by hungry thieves. I can't usually see faces in dreams but I distinctly saw theirs. They were the other boys on the swim team here. I've only been in Australia for a few months, why are they haunting my dreams? I just shake off the dream and try to go back to sleep.

I'm back in the locker room of the swim club after practice. But something's not right. They're watching me. The other swimmers who were in my dream before, they're watching me. I take my bag out of the locker and turn to leave but the tallest one looms in front of me. This feels so real... it's weird...

The guy snickers, "I almost thought you wouldn't come back."

I tighten my grip on the strap of my bag. Two more come and block my way out, pinning me against the lockers. It feels so real that it even hurts when they rip my bag out of my hands. But it's alright, it's a dream, I'll wake up in my bed just like I did earlier.

Their hands start to ravage me and I can't stop them, I'm frozen. It'll be okay, I'll just wake up. But now I'm sitting naked on floor, curled up on the floor next the lockers. I think I heard somewhere that it means something when you're naked in your dreams.

The tallest boy reaches down and rubs my head, laughing, "You're such a little thing." He grabs the back of my head and forces my face to his hips. I just want to wake up. The other boys start shoving their fingers and parts in places I don't want them to. Why aren't I waking up already? I want to get out of this nightmare. When I feel hot tears rolling down my cheeks, I think that I might not be dreaming. The pain in my butt, my back, my mouth, it really hurts. But you're not supposed to feel pain when you're dreaming. I wish I hadn't realized... because then I could still believe that this is nothing more than a nightmare.

But I'm not dreaming. I'm awake.