Back to the Dream Page
Chapter 1
Here he was, finally home, and exhausted. It had been a long flight and then another long drive back to the home he'd grown up in. It had taken so much effort to try and stay awake as he was welcomed and then questioned by his family. Finally, his mother noticed how tired her son looked and had sent him off to bed. And now that he found himself in his room, looking around at all the things that hadn't been touched since he'd last been here, he found that he was no longer tired. He glanced at the clock and saw that it wasn't too late. He opened his window and breathed in the fresh air. He looked across the yard and grinned, seeing that the window across from his was open as well. It was dark in there. He got out his flashlight, turned out the lights in his room, and flicked the flashlight on, blinking it on and off so that the light flashed on the walls of the room across the way. He wasn't the least bit concerned that there was no reply. It was, after all, still only 9:30. He'd wait half an hour before trying again. And so, Lance settled himself into bed, reaching into his backpack and getting a book to read after setting his watch to remind him of the time.
Half an hour later, the watch beeped at him until he finally turned the alarm off. He flicked off the lamp he'd turned on so he could read and glanced back out across the yard. The room was still dark. Hoping that his instincts were right, he once again switched the flashlight on and off. He waited a minute, staring across into the darkness. Barely, he could make out a shadow in the window and then there it was! A beam of light shone into his room. He grinned as he read her message: "How dare you come home without telling me!"
He wrote back to her. "Things all clear?"
"If you think you're welcome, think again!"
"I'll be over in a couple."
And with that, he put his trusty flashlight back into his desk before climbing out his window and crossing the yard. Lance easily made his way up the ladder and into his neighbor's house. He stopped at the window though as a girl's face glared at him, inches from his own. "Didn't I tell you that you weren't welcome?" Her voice was edged with ice.
"Yes, you did," Lance grinned. "But why should I believe that? I'm welcomed everywhere else."
"Just because you're famous doesn't mean you can take advantage of other people's houses."
"Like yours."
"Just like mine."
"So what? Are you going to have me go back across the yard and have me annoy you by writing to you in code or are you going to just give in already and let me come in?"
The girl let out an exasperated sigh and moved aside to let him in, grumbling all the while. As soon as he was inside though, all the acting stopped and the two came close for a hug. "I missed you, Lance."
Lance pulled away first but held onto her and looked her over. "I missed you, too, Juliet. It's been a long time. You've grown up."
"And what did you do to your hair?" Juliet asked, reaching a hand up and frowning as his gelled hair poked her. "It's so bright."
He shrugged and sat himself down on her bed. "It'll fade." He waited till she pulled up a chair from her desk and sat in front of him. "So how are you, kid?"
She sniffed at him, indignantly. "I'm not a kid anymore, Lance. Everyone else has noticed but you."
"Hey, I'm sorry!" He chuckled. "It's been awhile. And besides, you know I'm just using your nickname."
Juliet's face instantly brightened. "I know. It's been awhile since someone has used that."
"I figured that much out. I meant it when I said you've grown up."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Juliet smiled.
"You're welcome."
"But anyway, to answer your question, I'm doing fine."
"I didn't doubt you would. So what have you been up to?"
"The usual."
"So you're still stuck helping out with all those little kindergartners?"
"Of course! What else would I be doing?"
Lance shrugged. "I don't know. To be honest, I can't think of you doing much else. You've always grown up loving kids."
"And I always will. But enough of me and my boring life. What have you been up to?"
"The usual."
"Singing your heart out on stage, seeing the world and experiencing all the exotic cultures so unlike home, getting harassed by all the crazy fans…"
"You make it sound like I live a very hectic life."
"Well, don't you?"
He shrugged it off. "That's beside the point."
Juliet smiled. "Ever so humble."
"Always."
The two laughed quietly so as not to bother Juliet's own parents who were downstairs. Then the two went still, as they let the faint sounds of the television float up through the floor to them. In the quiet, Juliet asked Lance, "So are you happy to be home?"
Again, Lance shrugged as he lay back onto the bed. "Sure, I'm glad. I get to be home with family and friends I haven't seen while I've been away. I get to relax and get to catch up on stuff that I haven't been able to do while on the road…"
"But you're not going to be out on the road much anymore, huh?" she asked quietly.
Lance gave a long sigh. "Nope. Our audience is changing. It wants music that we can't provide them. It won't take much longer before we're forgotten."
"Oh, Lance." Juliet got up and came over to the bed, leaning down and giving him another long hug before resettling herself next to him on the bed, both of them staring up at her ceiling. "You're that upset, huh?"
"Why wouldn't I be? We worked so hard for every bit of acknowledgment we got. We earned so much. I knew it wasn't going to last forever, but still…"
"So in other words, you don't know when this vacation's going to end, huh?"
"Nope." The quiet stretched out between the two as Juliet tried to come up with something to say and Lance just let his thoughts rumble around in his mind. After awhile though, the silence became uncomfortable for Lance and he got up to leave. "Well, I guess I better get going."
"You sure? I mean, are you okay?" Juliet got up, worry on her face.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Don't worry about it. Hey! Are you teaching tomorrow?"
"Actually, we're taking the kids on a field trip to the zoo. You want to come help chaperone?"
"Yeah right! I'll just meet you all back at the school then when you guys get back."
"Sure thing, Lance. That'd be great."
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow!" Lance said, as he started to go out the window. He paused at the top of the ladder to give her a quick hug before climbing back down and going back home.
"Yeah, I'll see ya," Juliet said, quietly under her breath so he couldn't hear. She watched as Lance's form melted into the darkness of his own room across the way. Concern for her friend filled her but she brushed it aside, drawing close the curtains and settling into bed.