Shrink

It was another dream, wasn't it?
Lee didn't know where any of these strange, disturbing dreams were surfacing from- nor did he have any real idea of how or why. All he knew, was that every night for the past week, some nighttime horror was waiting to pounce, and things weren't improving. Every night, he'd woken up in the same cold sweat; wide awake and terrified.
And thoughtful. Shaken. And thoughtful.
These dreams were beginning to explore places he'd thought about... but he'd never really been before. Of course he'd considered them- of course he'd analyzed them- but never like this. Lee had always... always just accepted that equality was right. That Major Hoodham was right. And that he was right, since he was so very rarely wrong. And he'd never had any cause doubt himself, or his beliefs.
Until now.
"Y'all are thinking about it now, aren't you?"
Lee jumped. They moved in slow motion around him, swerving back and forth, laughing and calling- but in complete silence. In the far distant blackness, he saw Kira and Maddie waving to him, teasingly joking with each other like they used to. Lee wrenched his eyes from the spectacle and focused in on his friend.
Although all the others' faces blurred and moved and swirled, Jude stood completely solid before him; dark brown eyes gleaming confidently.
"You have blue eyes," Lee told him dully.
"I know," Jude replied cheerfully. "Y'all think I'm that thick?"
"Do I have to answer?"
Jude laughed, his voice echoing strangely about them, as though the surrounding figures of Lee's friends were joining in. Jude beamed fondly at them all.
"Nice folks these. Are they your's?"
"I guess," Lee shrugged. "Jude- J.D.- whatever you're getting called these days... do you have to do this to me?"
"I'm not doing nothing, mate."
"Double negative. Don't."
"No way, not me, no sir'ee."
"J.D, c'mon, seriously!" Lee cried, then rolled his eyes as Jude's grin stretched wider. "Hey. It rhymed."
"Hell, yeah, it did," chortled Jude. "And don't fuss Lee. I'm not here to give you any ghastly visions of death and horror. I'm here to talk."
Lee blinked. "To talk?"
"Like a shrink, sure," Jude shrugged. "I'm good at that, remember?"
"You serious?"
"Totally."
Lee groaned. "Straight to it?"
Those dark eyes sparkled like black diamonds. "Straight to it."
But there was just silence.
"J.D, what is there to talk about?"
"It's all basically the same as usual, isn't it?"
Lee frowned. "Pardon?"
"Worrying about that same ol' crap," Jude sighed. "Me too, dude. Hah! I said 'dude'. How American..."
"And I say 'mate'," Lee waved it away. "Concentrate, Jude! Worrying about...?"
"Well, y'all are scared about us," Jude said matter-of-factly, waving his hand back at the swirling pictures and faces of people; each coming in and out of focus briefly.
There was Marli, a dimple in her cheek.
The twins eerily alike in their wave.
Sean's waddled skip.
Eric's tight lips.
"That we might all be gone one day; because of this goddam war," Jude said softly, watching Lee.
There was Ellie's sweet smile.
Jack's endearingly arrogant swagger.
Mike's mock-mopey face.
Brian's laughing glance.
Lydia's fluttering lashes.
Matt's jaw clenched in a challenge.
Chloe's silent reproach.
"Maybe one day, we could all be gone forever," Jude said, his voice barely above a whisper. "You know too well all you stand to lose- and it's tearing you apart."
Will giggling over Diet Coke.
Macy's silent, thoughtful look.
Steve's rainbow hair.
Ailith spinning through Battle Training.
Tameron's raised eyebrow.
"That's why you want to fight, Lee."
Bethany's classically sarcastic rolling eyes.
His mother's sigh.
His father's grin.
His aunt and uncles' silent laughter.
Kira's dreamy gaze.
Madeleine's kiss...
"But think on this... isn't this what everyone's going through?"
"What do you mean, Jude?" Lee asked him hollowly, although he felt he knew exactly what Jude was referring to.
"The enemy, Lee. They're people too- people fighting for what they believe is right. With family, and friends. They're not all filled with hatred. Just hurt."
"Why are they hurting?"
"Because of what Major Hoodham has done." Jude's eyes were like ice as the swirling figures suddenly froze solid around them. "Because he forces us to fight. Because he won't compromise with his brother. Does Marius ask for total annihilation of other species? No. He's just being realistic."
"If we're treated differently according to species, colour and race, it spreads unwanted discrimation," Lee mumbled, but not very confidently.
"Marius had to fight his own brother," Jude said softly, as the dream began to fade into black. "How do you think he feels?"
And then... the dream was gone.