Chapter 1: Awakening

Somewhere in the Mediterranean: Thursday Afternoon

I hit my head on the top of the berth as I jerked awake.

At first I wasn't even sure what was happening. That dream was one of the most vivid I had ever experienced, and I was dazed from both the sleep and the bump on the head. Then there was the pain - I couldn't feel or move my legs at all, while my entire pelvis was not only flooded with pain, but gyrating as well. And by the looks of it, I was erect.

I obviously couldn't get up to find someone, and I was too confused to cry for help, so I just whimpered for a bit. Everything was fuzzy and distant - the dream I'd woken up from still seemed more real than the berth I was twitching in.

Then things really became surreal. My curtain drew back to reveal Marissa - one of the teacher's assistants - with no top other than a plain white bra. "Don't worry," she said. "I can make that better." It was clear from her eyes what she was referencing. She climbed up beside me and licked her lips.

I was getting very confused now, and feeling very exposed. As she pulled the curtain shut, I shifted uncomfortably. "M ... marissa? What are you doing?" My pelvis was slowing down, and the pain receding, but my legs were still numb - I was a captive.

She giggled, her two-toned eyes almost as glassy as Valerie's in my dream. "Helping you get lucky, of course." One hand started fiddling with my belt, while the other grabbed one of my hands and brought it around to her bra clasp. "Here's something you can do with your hands." She winked at me, exactly like Valerie did in the dream.

At this point I figured it was either still a dream, or I was going crazy; this was just too weird. So I decided to go along with it, and started fiddling with the clasp. Edward's jokes about practicing with mannequins started making sense as I struggled with it. We both managed to get them open at about the same time.

"Do you like what you see?" She wiggled a bit, showing them off, as she started pulling on my zipper. "Don't think I didn't catch you checking me out last week."

And they were a nice pair, well-shaped and healthy. But they were a bit on the small side for her frame, and dreaming of Valerie's impressive bust didn't exactly help that impression. "They could be bigger," I shrugged as I started touching them. "But they feel great." Why worry about being rude if I was halfway to crazy-town?

"Could be bigger," she repeated in that same breathy monotone Valerie did. Yep, still a dream. I was really going to need to have a talk with my subconscious one of these days. "Feel great." Then she started moaning - apparently she enjoyed the gentle touch of a sculptor's hands. "You like it when I do that?"

She purred like a cat in heat. "Yessss." Then her hand touched my cock, and a jolt of electricity surged through me. That didn't feel like a dream; it felt like my poor cock had been straining for hours. Of course, it had been a while ... It felt too early to let it go, though. So I pulled Marissa closer, and gave her a deep kiss. She was an excellent kisser, but I kept my eyes open, looking into hers. The little shudder that mismatched pair of eyes gave me helped put off the explosion.

While we were making out, I kept toying with her breasts, molding them like clay. I guess she liked that. It wasn't long before she started shuddering all over, whimpering and moaning. In a more normal voice, she said, "Oh my GOD. I've never cum just from my boobs being played with before." Now starting to stroke me faster, she continued. "Do that again!"

Her eagerness was a bit much, though. "Be gentler," I scolded, whispering, trying to be as nice as I could. "It's flesh and blood, not a piston." I was happy to notice the feeling was starting to come back into my legs, but getting rubbed raw wasn't very pleasant. At least it helped keeping me from going off.

"Oh, sorry!" She blushed, and started slowing down. "I'm supposed to be making it better, not worse." Her smile got as naughty as I'd ever seen it. "Here, let me kiss it; maybe that will work."

She must have been a contortionist in a previous life. These berths were designed for two people, but I don't think they were meant to handle them in the way we were trying to fill the space. But soon, she was kissing my cock up and down its length. I finally exploded pretty soon after she took me in her mouth. The whimpering sounds she was making sounded like, if she hadn't come again, she was enjoying herself almost as much. Things went kind of dark after that, but I'm pretty sure I remember cumming myself.

When I woke up the second time, I didn't see Marissa anywhere. My shorts were unbuckled and pulled down to my knees, and my entire lower body felt tender and tingling. I was also feeling very relaxed, like afterglow. It was the most vivid dream I'd ever experienced, and apparently one of the hottest, too given how spent I felt.

"What the hell kind of fucked up dream was that, Eric?" I tossed and turned, trying to find a new comfortable position, muttering to myself. I wondered what made me choose Marissa of all people for a wet dream - she was nice, but not my usual type for that kind of dream. And that necklace was kind of unnerving too - a crystal Scorpio. I tossed and turned a bit, wondering what it meant.

I was laying on something that was making me uncomfortable, so I pulled it out - and came face-to-face with a familiar-looking plain white bra. It hadn't been a dream after all. Well, at least the second part; I'd come to my senses enough to know that we hadn't reached Tunis yet, and even if we had, Valerie wasn't even on the trip.

"Okay, that's it." I pulled my shorts back on, grabbed the bra, and yanked back the curtain. More sleep could wait - right now, I needed to find Marissa. My head swam with questions only she could answer. "There has to be some explanation for all of this."

I swung my legs over the edge, hopped off the bed, and crashed to the floor. Guess all the feeling wasn't back in my legs just yet.

Somewhere in the Mediterranean: Thursday Evening

I staggered out into the common area, my legs still a bit weak, my groin somewhat tender. The sun was just touching the Mediterranean outside on the deck. It was a very pretty sight, but I only got to admire it for a brief moment before a strong hand grabbed my shoulder and started pulling me along.

"Holy shit," Edward, one of my best friends and Marissa's fellow TA, said as he started to maneuver me somewhere. "That IS a bra in your hand. You dog! I didn't think you'd get lucky before me, even if I did decide to give you that head start." I had no idea what he was talking about, but he was already going on, gesturing at my hand. "That's Marissa's, I assume?"

"What? Huh? Uh... ?" I sputtered. "Um, what has she been saying, Ward?"

"Not much." He shrugged. "At least, nothing I've heard. She's locked herself in one of the bathroom stalls, I think she's crying or something. One of the girls is in there with her."

My jaw dropped.

"What I CAN tell you," Edward added, leering, "is that she came out of that same door you did about fifteen minutes ago, and she wasn't wearing a bra. Or a shirt." He winked. "The only thing I know she's said to anyone is your name."

"Is ... is she okay?"

"I'd hope she's okay. Otherwise you need more practice." I fended off an elbow to the ribs. "But I know that swagger anywhere - she left you weak in the knees."

"Shut up, Ward." Something he said finally clicked. "What do you mean, a head start?" It was a petty thing to ask, but at least it changed the subject.

"Well, I wanted to give you a shot at the girls on the trip before I ruined them all for you. So I decided to take a week off. It hasn't been an easy six days, let me tell you. If not for the local girls..."

"Try six months," I muttered. "Or six years."

"Fuck that, Eric." Edward said. "Look, the only thing keeping the girls from you is you. Uh-oh, incoming." He grabbed the bra out of my hands and tried to hide it behind his back.

"I saw that," Diana's voice came from somewhere behind me, so suddenly that I jumped. "What are you hiding back there, Eddie?" Her voice sounded playful but I could hear the irritation beneath.

Diana was ... well, beautiful in an almost surreal way, like an overly expressive doll. Her eyes were like glass, her face was almost too expressive. In some of the pictures I saw later, she looked less real, and more alive, than the people around her. I never quite figured out what color her hair was - it was long and golden, sometimes red, sometimes brown, sometimes blonde. She was slender, but muscled, and her small breasts were an almost perfect handful. I remember her telling me she was studying biology and anthropology. I never did find out what she was planning on doing with that degree.

Edward grinned another Cheshire grin and revealed the incriminating undergarment. "Can't blame a guy for trying," he shrugged, handing the bra back to me. "Sorry, dude, you're on your own."

I just shook my head at him - it seemed like everything Edward had done so far hadn't helped. I guess I couldn't fault his intentions, though. Still, I didn't say anything until he'd left.

"What happened... ?" I started, and at the same moment Diana was saying, "What did you... ?" We both stopped. I gestured for her to go first.

"What did you do to Marissa?" She was looking angrier than I'd ever seen her. "And why the hell do you have her bra? Is it a trophy or something?"

I sighed, and slumped into a nearby seat. "Look, I was sleeping and then all of a sudden she's climbing into my berth; I fell asleep again right afterwards. I thought it was a dream until I woke up just now and found the bra." I was embarrassed about the dream, and confused about whatever it was that woke me up, so I kept my lips sealed.

"That doesn't sound like Marissa..." she sounded dubious. Then the anger came back into her voice. "She was a virgin, you know."

"She still is," I said, wearily. "Unless something happened after I fell asleep. You think I'm not shocked about this? This is not the Marissa I know. I came out here to figure out why the hell it happened. I mean, I was asleep - it's not like I was seducing her from my dreams."

Diana dropped into the seat opposite mine, and stared at me for a few moments. I wondered if she was ever going to talk again; time just seemed to grind to a halt. "Well..." She shifted, uncomfortably. "Why didn't you stop her?"

I held my head in my hand. "Like I said, Dee, I thought I was dreaming. It was all more than a little surreal. Still is, really." I sighed again. "Is she okay? Ward said she'd locked herself in a bathroom or something. Maybe if I talk to her... ?"

"I guess..." She shook her head. "But you can't go into the women's bathroom."

"Oh really?" I stood up, a little shakily still. Diana stayed seated. "I don't think there's anything really stopping me."

"Fine," she sighed. "Go." She was still sounding irritated at me, so I figured it'd be best to skedaddle before I made things any worse.

"I just want to make sure..."

Diana cut me off with another sigh, waving me off. "I know. Just go already." I swear I could see a dark cloud forming over her head as I walked away.

Bobbie was at the door, acting like a gatekeeper, asking people to find another bathroom. She noticed me the same time I noticed her, and our eyes locked. As soon as she did, her expression changed, and she waved me over.

Bobbie was the girl-next-door type; she had dirty blonde hair. She wasn't slim, but she carried it well, with quite a knockout hourglass figure. She also had a tendency to wear tops a bit too small; like her breasts were in denial at their size. We shared a birthday - nine years apart - and had decided to do a combined party during the trip. She was going to be turning 21. She was a creative writing major, had aspirations in becoming an author. We'd gotten to know each other over the past week.

"Eric, do you know what's been going on?" Bobbie stage-whispered as I came closer. "Miss DeLuca's flashed everyone, and now she's crying and saying stuff about ... wait a minute, is that a BRA in your hand?" From a whisper, she hit that high, loud note of 'BRA' pretty damned loudly. But for all she was shocked, she didn't seem angry like Diana, just worried.

"That's why I'm here," I said. I was already getting tired of explaining myself. "Look, I went to take a nap, and then woke up to Marissa climbing in my bed, next to me, with her shirt off. I want to talk to her to get her side of the story so maybe I can figure out what's going on."

Bobbie just nodded, smiling - it was nice to know someone was willing to at least give me the benefit of the doubt. "You're a good guy, Eric. I know you didn't mean to do anything wrong." Seeing the look on my face, she hastily added. "If you did anything wrong at all! I mean..." Then she blushed, redder than I'd ever seen her.

"So..." I said, drawing the sound out, giving her a bit of time to let the red fade from her cheeks. "Can I go in? I don't think we're going to solve this until we talk directly."

"Yeah, I guess you can?" A nod. "Yeah, you can." Another nod. "Definitely." Bobbie smiled at me. "I mean, how else can we figure all this out, right? It doesn't sound like Richelle's getting anywhere." A quick hug. "Good luck!"

I pushed open the door and hobbled inside. "I'll do my best." The door swung shut behind me.

The nice thing about a lot of public bathrooms is that their entrances are like airlocks. There's the outer door, then there's an inner door, leaving a weird little gap in between. This gave me a second to gather my strength, collect my thoughts, and feel the cold trickle of fear running down my back.

For a second there I was tempted to retreat - I mean, I didn't really DO anything, did I? If she decided to climb into my bed and do all that stuff, it was her decision. Right? But then what about the dream and all that? It was too uncanny to be a coincidence. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, pushed away the fear and pulled open that second door.