April 18, 1983
I had another one of those weird dreams.It's what Mom calls "recurring" dreams. I have them over and over again, no matter how much I wish they'd just go away.
In the dream, I see myself as a little boy, which is pretty strange since when I'm awake, I don't have any memory of my childhood. I bear voices. I think they're supposed to be my biological Mother and father. In real life, I wouldnt know my parents if I fell over them, but in the dream, I know it's them.
They're arguing about something. I sense they're always arguing. I'm playing with two floppy stuffed animals. Mom and Dad are yelling louder and louder, and suddenly the two dolls just sort of.
change. It's like they're changing into two monsters, fighting with each other. They leap out of my hands, hitting each other all by themselves, and then suddenly I hear a scream. . .
Well, that was my dream, anyway.
In reality, the only scream came from me
April 18, 1983
I had another one of those weird dreams.It's what Mom calls "recurring" dreams. I have them over and over again, no matter how much I wish they'd just go away.
In the dream, I see myself as a little boy, which is pretty strange since when I'm awake, I don't have any memory of my childhood. I bear voices. I think they're supposed to be my biological Mother and father. In real life, I wouldnt know my parents if I fell over them, but in the dream, I know it's them.
They're arguing about something. I sense they're always arguing. I'm playing with two floppy stuffed animals. Mom and Dad are yelling louder and louder, and suddenly the two dolls just sort of.
change. It's like they're changing into two monsters, fighting with each other. They leap out of my hands, hitting each other all by themselves, and then suddenly I hear a scream. . .
Well, that was my dream, anyway.
In reality, the only scream came from me when I woke up. It took me a minute to realize I was in my own. bedroom. Mom called my name, and that helped pull me out of it.
She flipped on the light and I squinted, rubbing sleep out of myeyes. I was shaking. It was kind Of embarrassing. I'm fourteen years old but I was as scared as any Me kid waking from a bad dream.
"Another nightmare, Bruce?" she asked.
I may not remember my real mom, but my adoptive mom couldn't anymore loving to me. I didn't want to worry, her. I know you should never lie toyour parents, but I lied to Marion, Krenzler just the same. "I don't know," I said, don't remember."
She came over to, me and held me until the shaking stopped. I'm still sorry I lied. But why should I get her upset over things even I don't completely understand?
February 27, 1986
As if senior year weren't stressful enough, something really strange happened in school today. And for some reason, I feel as though something like it occurred a long time ago ... but I can't remember when.
I was in the school lab, working with a microscope and studying some cell samples.
And then Alice came over.
Alice -- she's never noticed me before. She's never cared about me at all. Why should she? I'm a skinny guy, no muscles, not on any sports teams or anything. My hair is brown and shapeless and kind of hangs down. My ears stick out, my nose is weird. I'm really nothing special. But Alice, she's beautiful. And now she was making time for me.
So there I was, looking in the scope, and then I smelled her perfume, and she was right next to me.
"Hi Bruce. Whatare you doing?" she asked.
I tried to keep it together. Even so, my voice was trembling as I said, "It's cool. Uh ... you can checkout the DNA, you know." I wanted to explain thatDNA, of course, makes up the "building blocks" of humans. It's like the blueprint inside de you that decides whether you'll be short or tall, blue or brown-eyed, and a million other things.
"Can I see?" she asked.
So I said sure, and she leaned in close over the microscope. She smelled like flowers and the outdoors, and she Bald, "You know, I really get turned. on by brainy guys."
I could hardly stand, my legs were shaking just from her being so close, and I stepped back. The next thing I knew I was stumbling over a stool behind me I hit the floor while the metal stool clattered away, and suddenly I heard people laughing.
As if senior year weren't stressful enough, something really strange happened in school today. And for some reason, I feel as though something like it occurred a long time ago ... but I can't remember when.
I was in the school lab, working with a microscope and studying some cell samples.
And then Alice came over.
Alice -- she's never noticed me before. She's never cared about me at all. Why should she? I'm a skinny guy, no muscles, not on any sports teams or anything. My hair is brown and shapeless and kind of hangs down. My ears stick out, my nose is weird. I'm really nothing special. But Alice, she's beautiful. And now she was making time for me.
So there I was, looking in the scope, and then I smelled her perfume, and she was right next to me.
"Hi Bruce. What are you doing?" she asked.
I tried to keep it together. Even so, my voice was trembling as I said, "It's cool. Uh ... you can check out the DNA, you know." I wanted to explain that DNA, of course, makes up the "building blocks" of humans. It's like the blueprint inside de you that decides whether you'll be short or tall,blue- or brown-eyed, and a million other things.
"Can I see?" she asked.
So I said sure, and she leaned in close over the microscope. She smelled like flowers and the outdoors, and she Bald, "You know, I really get turned. on by brainy guys."
I could hardly stand, my legs were shaking just from her being so close, and I stepped back. The next thing I knew I was stumbling over a stool behind me I hit the floor while the metal stool clattered away, and suddenly I heard people laughing.
Continues...
Excerpted from The Hulkby HarperFestival Copyright © 2003 by HarperFestival. Excerpted by permission.
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