Mister Dream Man

* Jana *It was a blessing that the weather was fine. Flying back to the island where I was born had always depended on the mercy of the skies. When storms lashed or the winds turned violent, flights would get cancelled, leaving passengers stranded for days. I had half expected the same this time, but the skies had been clear, the air still, and the sun generous.It had been over ten years. Ten long years since I last set foot here.From my seat by the small window of the plane, I leaned forward and pressed my palm lightly against the glass as the wheels touched the runway with a soft thud. The view outside blurred slightly, more from the heat in my eyes than the window's surface. The land looked both foreign and familiar. There were buildings that hadn't been there before, but the shoreline still curled the same way. The airport had been expanded, perhaps renovated, but the air that greeted me once I stepped out, it was the same scent of salt, warmth, and faint blooming gardenias I r

* Lawrence *The sun was high and merciless, but under the shaded lounge area of the beachfront Magnolia, life was good, too good, maybe. I leaned my back in the woven hammock chair, sunglasses slipping down the bridge of my nose, one arm lazily draped over the cold bottle of beer resting against my stomach. Waves crashed gently in the distance, mingling with the thud of bass from the Bluetooth speaker. My two best friends, Nico and Marcus, were lounging nearby, equally shirtless, equally sunkissed, and equally careless."Bro, I'm telling you," Marcus said between bites of cold mango from a plastic container, "the girl at the jet ski rental? Smokin'. She asked me if I needed a guide. I told her I was the guide." He winked, chest puffed like a twelve-year-old trying to impress at prom.Lawrence snorted, shaking his head. "And she still didn't give you her number?""She said maybe tomorrow," Marcus defended. "That's basically a promise.""Or a restraining order in slow motion," Nico add

* Lawrence *The next morning, the phone rang just past ten. I was still in bed, half-sober from sleep and half-sick from the night before. Dianne had left behind a trail of chaos, sheets tangled like regrets, a half-empty wine bottle on the counter, and a silence that rang louder than any argument we never finished.I stared at the ceiling a moment longer before I reached for the phone."Dianne?""Hey." Her voice was softer than usual, but not soft enough to be vulnerable. Still clipped. Still Dianne. "I need to talk to you."I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. "Is this about last night? Because—""No," she cut in, quickly. "It's not about us. It's... it's about my family."That got my attention.I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, letting the sea breeze creep through the half-open window. "Alright. Talk."There was a beat of silence. When she spoke again, her voice had shifted, lower, rawer, like she had scraped the polish off just for this moment. "My mother tried to ta

* Lawrence *"Where is she?"The words left my mouth like a quiet growl, forced through clenched teeth. I tried to keep the anger in check, to stop it from spilling into something reckless, something I couldn't walk back later. But it was becoming impossible, hours had passed, and Amanda Kramer still hadn't shown.The manager looked visibly uncomfortable. He stood near the glass wall of the office, fiddling with his watch strap, like he could escape the weight of my question by appearing busy. When his phone vibrated, he turned his back slightly as he read the message. A second later, his shoulders tensed and his face went pale."I—I need a moment," he muttered, then slipped out of the room.That was three hours ago.Still no Amanda. No return call. No word. Only a void.I remained in the manager's office long after I should've left, seated in a chair that was too plush to match the rising discomfort gnawing at my spine. Outside, the afternoon gave way to early evening, the light soft

* Jana *The storm outside had grown teeth.It howled and snarled through the shattered peace of our home as if it had been summoned by the chaos within. Rain lashed the open doorway, soaking the floor, the furniture, the frayed welcome mat Mama had once called lucky.But nothing about this night felt lucky.Lawrence's voice thundered over the wreckage. "Tear this place apart."And they did.One man flipped the old couch, spilling coins and old receipts onto the floor like the guts of a wounded thing. Another kicked open the door to Edward's room, shoving aside posters, toppling shelves. I heard a crash, Edward's speaker, probably. He'd saved up for that."No! STOP!" I screamed, running toward the hallway, but one of the men grabbed my arm and shoved me back.I fell. My shoulder hit the linoleum hard, and pain flared bright in the dark like a firework going off in my chest. I tried to scramble up again, but my legs felt too thin, too wobbly."This is our home," I said through my teeth