Thanks to my three reviewers :) Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Falling Skies.

Chapter 5

I was curled up on a cot, pressed up against another person. However, as I panicked at the close contact with a stranger, my dream self just melted into the embrace. Arms wrapped loosely around my waist and one hand reached up to gently mess with a long, soft strand of my sun-lit blonde hair.

The soft glow of sunshine radiated throughout the room, lighting up the small book in my hand. Guessing by the light golden hue and the direction from which the light came from, it was probably a little before sunset. Babbling noise and chatter filtered in through the crack in the doorway, but a silent peace filled the small classroom.

That was odd. Why were there cots in a school, and why were we here?

Ignoring that for a moment, I focused in on my dream self, who smiled softly and snuggled deeper into the warm body behind me. We sat in silence for a while, my dream self reading while I studied the room carefully. It, like everything else around me, triggered some memory in the back of my mind that I couldn't place.

"Hailley?" a slightly gravelly (and familiar) guy's voice murmured from behind me. I ignored it for a moment before my dream self answered.

"Hmm?" my dream self mused, still absorbed completely in the book. That was surprising. I don't remember liking books that much.

"Why do you want to be a fighter?" the boy asked, continuing to twirl my hair lightly. My dream self froze. Even my breath caught at the question. Fighter? What did that mean, and why did I want to be one? Also, why was it such a big deal?

"How…?" my dream self stammered, dropping the book in shock. "How did you…?" I turned around to face the owner of the voice, a dark blonde guy whose piercing green eyes were studying me carefully.

Wowza. No wonder I was cuddling with him. He was hot!

"Oh, please Hailley," the boy rolled his eyes, using his recently unwrapped arms to run a hand through his slightly messy hair. "You really think you could ask around and no one would say a word to me? Please, you're smarter than that."

"Hal," I growled, my dream mind racing through multiple ways to get back at the stranger. One scenario included a rather elaborate scheme involving an older blonde girl and a towel. "That boy just can't keep a secret!"

"He's just looking out for you," the guy defended the mysterious Hal. He grabbed my hands, holding them in his. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into! Besides, he's my brother. You really think he wouldn't tell me that my girlfriend wants to get herself killed?"

"And how would you know? It's not like you're a fighter," I protested, throwing my hand up in frustration. Wait, he was my boyfriend? Thank goodness. At least now I could add something to the tiny list I knew about myself: I had a great taste in boyfriends. Minus the whole protection complex thing he had going on. "And I am not trying to get myself killed! I'm trying to get revenge on the bastards that destroyed my family!"

The boy sighed, running a hand through his hair and looking away. "Hailley…"

"Don't you dare Hailley me, Ben Mason," I growled. Ben. Now I knew who he was. I swear I had heard that name before… "I am going to do this, and you can't stop me."

"Maybe not," Ben considered. "But is there anything I can do to change your mind?"

"Hmmm," my dream self grinned playfully. "Not really. But you can try." I caught the not-so-subtle hint my dream self threw out, and so did Ben.

Pulling me in close, he gave me a searing kiss that I felt all the way down to my toes. Smiling into the kiss, the last thing I saw before the dream floated away was soft green eyes filled with something that made me want to cry. Love.

Eh. Don't really like it. But whatever. Super-sized sorry that it's so short, but I'm really busy lately and just don't have time to add on. Plus, it just kinda ended itself. I was trying to make it longer, but it just didn't turn out that way. Ok, review please! Also, check out my new story, When the Wind Blows! :D