Chance was your average seventeen-year-old teenager, a down to earth, good looking athlete he didn’t care much about anything. Then one day all of that was about to change. It started with a series of strange dreams, dreams that consist of a girl from long ago calling to him, dreams of war, dreams of an undying love, dreams of a tragic life once lived…then a car accident sends him back and now he has to relive the life of a boy he was a lifetime ago.

 

THE DREAMS

My alarm clock went off. It was Monday, the start of a new treacherous week. When the hell is summer? I don’t want to get up, all I want to do is sleep. The alarm stops, I go back to sleep, five more minutes wouldn’t hurt… next thing I know my little brother Teddy is nudging me “Chance! Wake up! You have to drive me to school! C’mon it’s 8:30!”

Shit! I bolt up “ Who says I have to drive you? Can’t you walk?”

“I not allowed to, remember?”

“Right” I forgot that he’s only eight. I get dressed in a hurry, knowing that school is going to start in about ten minutes. I start heading out, Teddy, who’s been ready, is waiting in the doorway.

“About time” he says sarcasticly.

“Shut up shortie”

“Stop calling me shortie”

“The time that I stop calling you shortie is the time when you can get the keys out of my hands” I said while dangling the car keys above my head. He starts jumping up trying to get them.

“Hey no fair!”

“Too bad, that’s life for you shortie. Now get in the car”

I drive him to his elementary school and drop him off.  I know I’m going to be late, it definitely wouldn’t be the first time. I park my car in the school parking lot. I enter, the hallways are deserted, students were in their classes. I walk into my first period class, Civics, I get to my desk quietly, hoping that the teacher wouldn’t notice me.

“You’re late Mr. Christian” Mrs. Thacker says while writing something on the board, I swear that woman must have eyes in the back of her head!

“I’m sorry, but my….” She interrupts me

“I don’t want any excuses Mr. Christian, take a seat” She starts to lecture the class on a chapter we read for homework. I could barely pay attention, I’m been so tired lately. My eyes start getting heavy and I began to doze off, and eventually I fall asleep, then next thing I know…

There’s a girl, a beautiful girl with long blond hair that fell into curls wearing a cornflower blue dress that matched her eyes. We’re at a deserted ally way, walking she looks sad and tells me, “I don’t want to leave you Eli. You’re the only boy that I ever loved. I can’t go, not without you”

“You must, it’s the only way, for both of us to survive”

We embrace each other and kiss. Suddenly I hear something in the background.

“Chance…Chance?”

I open my eyes, for a second I forgot where and who I was, I saw Mrs. Thacker’s ugly old face starring at me in a stern way.

“Glad to see that you’re awake Chance, next time it happens I’m calling your mother, do you understand?”

“Yes”

 

The rest of the school day went by slowly. I just want to go home and sleep, I’ve been so tired lately for no apparent reason. I figure that I’ll skip soccer practice today, they won’t notice me being gone.

 

As I drove home I was thinking about the dream I had in class earlier. It was just some silly dream, probably didn’t mean anything, but I couldn’t get the girl out of my mind. Something about her was familiar, do I know her? She didn’t look like anybody from my school, maybe I saw her somewhere else like at the mall or something. She called me Eli, who’s Eli?

I entered the house. Luckily for me Teddy was at his friend Billy’s house and wasn’t home to annoy me.  I go to my room and flop down on my bed. The feel of the cottony bed spread sends me into an instant sleep.

 

I was in a ballroom type place. There was a band and music playing. It was an upbeat tune that made you want to get out on the dance floor. There’s people about my age dancing along in a fast pace jumpy motion.  Then standing in a far of corner is her. She is just as beautiful as she was in the last time I saw her.  I walk over to where she is standing.

“Would you like to dance?”

“I thought you would never ask” she says as she takes my hand and goes with me to the dance floor.  I twirl her around and she laughs, we were having fun.  Then suddenly she looses her balance and I catch her in my arms, our faces only inches apart. She smiles…a whistle blows, the music stops immediately. We both let go of each other and look up to see young men in tan uniforms with something around their arm’s, I can’t really see what it was because they were at a far distance. There was yelling and confusion as people were trying to escape.

 She pulls me, “Come! The back way! They’ll kill you if they see you here!”

We run through the crowd to the back doors and go outside, we continue to run till we’re far away from the noise. We stopped, panting by a grocery store.

“Well…”

“Eli”

“Well Eli it was nice meeting you but it is far past my curfew and I therefore have to go. So…um…bye!” she says just as she runs away from me.

“Wait! You didn’t tell me your name! Wait!” I say running after her, but she disappears in the darkness of the night.

“Wait!”

My eyes suddenly bolt open. I’m back in my room. This is too weird. That dream was too real! That girl, who was she? This can’t be happening! Why the hell would I have dreams off the past? What do they mean? Could I be…no, that’s impossible! But maybe…no it can’t be! Those men they were…Nazis. Why would I have dreams of them?

“Chance? Are you okay?” My mom was standing in the doorway, I didn’t realize she was there.

“Yeah I’m fine, just a bit tired is all” I wouldn’t dare tell her the truth, she’ll put me in therapy!

“Oh okay. I was wondering if you would do me a favor and pick up something for me at the store tonight”

“Maybe”

“No maybe, you will. Don’t think I won’t take your license away.”

One of the only bad things about having a driver’s license, you parents making you do their errands for them. 

I walk downstairs. Dinner is ready and Teddy is home from Billy’s and is sitting down at the dinner table. My mom hands me my plate and I sit down and start to eat. Teddy however is not eating but playing with his food placing his toy soldiers in the mashed potatoes, that’s Teddy for you, always playing with something. I watch him as he role plays with them.

“Bam! Bam! No don’t shoot! NOOO! I’ve been hit! Ahh!”

As he’s playing, my head starts to hurt, I hear something, something that sounds like sirens, loud sirens and the sound of machine guns going off and then someone yelling “Get down! Get down now!” then I hear screams…

“Chance”

I’m back to reality “Yeah?”

“Are you sure you’re fine?”

“Yeah mom”, I look over to Teddy. He stopped playing and was looking at me.

“What?” he asked

“Will you stop doing that?”

“Doing what?”

“Stop playing war in you mashed potatoes” I take his toy soldiers from his plate.

“Hey! Mom! Chance stole my soldiers!”

“Good, maybe it’ll get you to eat your food instead of playing with it”

I could pay attention to anymore to what hey were saying. My head was hurting. I have to get out off here. I need to think about what just happened here.

“I have to go”, I said getting up fro the table.

“Go where?”

“To Brian’s house” which wasn’t a lie, I really had to go there to find out what I missed at practice.

“Okay, just make sure you pick up some milk at the store on your way home”

“Can I come” Teddy said, there was no way I was going to let him come with me.

“Sorry shortie, but I’m going alone, maybe next time”

I leave through the front door and get into my car and I start driving.

What’s happening? Why am I getting all these dreams and visions? What could they mean? What next?

As I’m driving another one comes. I hear someone calling. A girl.

“Eli! Eli! Help me Eli! Eli! Please save me!”

My head hurt’s even more…then suddenly out of nowhere I see a bright light. I slam on the brakes then the light becomes brighter and everything goes white…

I open my eyes and find myself in a bedroom but not my own.

 

The Life I Used to Live

 

I blinked. Where am I? What happened? I didn’t recognize the room I was in. The room was plain with beige walls everything was in a neat order unlike my room. I was sprawled on the bed I moved my hand and felt something near me. It was a book, I opened it up and read the title inside, All Quiet on the Western Front, I’ve read that book before. I get up from the bed and look out the window, I can’t believe what I’m seeing, the cars…well at least I know I now that I’m in the twentieth century but what year? I look out again, possibly somewhere in the thirties or forties. This is too weird beyond belief. Suddenly I hear footsteps. I turn around to see a girl. She looked to be about my age, she had light green eyes and shoulder length light brown hair.

“Well I’m glad to see that you’re up already and seem to be dressed which is very odd…Have you been reading? That probably explains why you’re already dressed. You fell asleep reading again haven’t you? You know what would happen if father ever caught you reading”

Why is it such a bad thing to read? My mom would be praising the lord.

“I washed your uniform for you I’ll put on your bed while you’re washing up”

Where’s the bathroom. I walk out of my room. This place was obviously an apartment. I found the bathroom finally after opening every door. I walk in, everything was so old fashioned, I looked at myself in the mirror. It was a stranger starring back at me.  My reflection showed that I had blue eyes instead of hazel and my hair was dark golden blond instead of brown then only thing that was the same was our skin color. Who are you?

After I washed up I walked back to my new room. On my bed was the uniform. It looked like something a boy scout would wear, tan with a bandana then I noticed something on the sleeve I look over to see what it was. I froze after I saw it, I couldn’t believe my eyes. This can’t be. On the sleeve was a symbol, the mark of hatred…swastika. I’m a Nazi! Everything made perfect sense now! What am I going to do? I can’t be a Nazi! Please tell me I’m going to wake up and be back in good ole USA! This can’t be happening! I can’t live through this! Hopefully I’ll wake up soon but for now I’ll play along, it’ll be like acting…I hope.

I reluctantly put on the uniform. How I’d like to just rip that damned swastika off. What to I do now? Where am I suppose to go? I stood there not sure.  I can’t ask, they’ll think I’m nuts! How will I explain that I don’t know anything, they wouldn’t understand.

“Are you okay…Eli?”

I froze. I was Eli.

“I fine, just a little bit dizzy.”

“Well you better hurry up, you know what they will do to you if you’re late, or what HE would do. All Hitler’s Youth have to be punctual and obedient.” She said in a tone that told me her hatred.

“I guess I better get going then” But where.

“Wait, aren’t you going to walk with Albert?”

Who’s Albert?