What is going on with me? Bethany wondered to herself. What is happening to me? Where… Am I?

  Bethany felt movement as she came to. Making the effort to open her eyelids, she saw a stripe of light above her, and a person who looked to be a paramedic - female. Was…she in an ambulance?

  Nervousness had struck her. This meant…she was going to the hospital! Would they try to do a sleep study on her?

  She groaned and whimpered, trying to sit up, but the female paramedic gently placed her hand on Bethany’s upper chest to stay down, for her safety.

  My life is at stake! Bethany thought, feeling her heart racing.

  She looked around anxiously, the paramedic continuing to help her stay calm. They had just pulled up into the emergency side of the hospital it seemed since they had slowed down. Within short moments, the medical van stopped - parked - and then the female paramedic opened the back doors of which let Bethany see two other paramedics - both male. They carefully took Bethany out of the ambulance in her stretcher, then before she knew it she was being rushed down the hall at a medium pace since she wasn’t having a heart attack, but they wanted her to get treatment.

  Bethany watched the lights on the ceiling bypass her vision that soon made her feel dizzy. She shut her eyes and whimpered, wanting her Mom! What were they going to do to her? Once you were in the hospital, you pretty much couldn’t do anything! You had no control! It was up to the adults to make decisions! Having no control freaked her out! It freaked her out so much she started crying.

  “It’s okay, sweetie, it’s okay.” The female paramedic spoke gently, trying to help her. Bethany knew this, but it wasn’t helping.

She felt so scared…

  They rushed her to the emergency room and just as they reached her curtained station they switched her from the stretcher to the cot - Bethany panicking in the middle of this.

  “It's okay sweetheart, it's okay.” Another nurse spoke to her as they had her lie down to check her blood pressure.

  Bethany's heartbeat thumped hard in her body. She didn't want to be here. She wanted her Mom and she wanted to be home! She continued to cry, tears rolling down her cheeks, so confused at what was going on with her - nervous! Terrified! A seizure! Her first seizure she's ever had! Did it mean anything? Was it caused by that voice? Her anxiety? A lack of sleep? She's heard of these symptoms and signs before in Health class. But she never thought that she would end up with one. Her whimpering continued, begging to go home out of fear!

  “Sweetie you need to relax,” the nurse told her, but Bethany wouldn't listen, she kept on panicking - having a panic attack!

  The nurses attended to her and one approached with a syringe - a sedative - to help calm her down, and maybe to put her to sleep!

  Bethany saw it and started crying and screaming! Pleading, “N-No! NO!” backing away from them. She didn’t want to die in her sleep!!

  To her horror, they had no choice but to hold her down in order for the nurse to quickly rub alcohol on her upper arm.

  Then, she saw it, the syringe - the sedative.

  “NOOO! PLEASE! PLEASE!” Bethany screamed, struggling!

  “You need to calm down!” One of the nurses said with a raised voice, to be heard over Bethany’s screaming. The other nurse came closer with the syringe and quickly injected Bethany’s arm.

  Bethany cried out in a sharp pinch! The tension in her arm made it worse! It felt as if a tiny knife had stabbed into her muscle! Bethany started sobbing! Loudly!

  She didn’t want to die.

  “It's okay, it's okay…” The nurse spoke soothingly to her, feeling her forehead to settle her down. Bethany was hiccuping from crying so much.

  The sedative slowly but quickly at the same time caved in on her…making her feel drowsy. Oh no! No!

  She tried fighting it…but the sedative won her over. There was no use fighting…

Bethany stood in the middle of darkness - a world of nothingness. Where was she?

  A glow of red creeped out from ahead of her…blood red.

  She stared at it, squinting, wondering what was going on?

  Then…she saw him. The stranger…the headfirst - as if walking up the stairs…his image growing and growing until…she noticed something different about him. She didn’t know much about him - just half of his face but barely. But she didn’t see his face at all. It was like he was a shadowy figure…with the legs of what looked like a creepy-crawly insect.

  Her eyes expanded. What…the…?

  He just stood there, staring at her it seemed. Then, his eyes glowed a sickening white - appearing demonic.

  Bethany started breathing heavily. What is that? she wondered on edge, her internal words breathless.

  He just stood there, several feet away for a good minute.

  Not being able to control it, she spoke desperately, “Who…who are you?”

  No reply. He just stared.

  But then…that’s when she heard a growl. A demonic growl. His arms slowly spread from his sides, revealing clawed hands.

  Claws!

  His hands and arms moved so sickeningly slow she heard his bones crack.

  Bethany swallowed tightly, hard. Her heartbeat out of her chest. Her legs trembled, wobbled. She couldn’t move, speak, or blink. Just stared.

  He stayed like that, his image blackened against the red glow behind him, almost looking like a red moon but not. It was smoky.

  Bethany, now being able to think - finding her voice, told herself in a murmur, “Wake up… Wake up…” her voice shaking.

  Once she said this, the thing - that creeper - twitched, heard her. Alert.

  “Wake up, wake up. Wake up,” she told herself urgently. “Wake…up…now!” She tried working on her mobility within her mind to get out of this world - away from him!

  After a few more times of demanding this, pinching herself and all, the figure’s bones cracked as he moved inch-by-inch towards her with those spider legs! Seeing this she frantically spoke, “Wake up. Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!!” just as the man got those claws ready!

  “Wake up!!!” she screamed at herself. Then, just before he had the chance to slash her throat - she jolted awake! Gasping for air!

  “Bethany?” A familiar voice replied worriedly. Her Mom! Right by her side with a hand now on her daughter's shoulder. “Are you okay?” Helen asked, furrowing her brows. Concern was written on her face.

  Bethany, so glad to be awake, to be alive - to have her Mom there now, couldn't help but cry and reach for her mother. Helen did not hesitate as she embraced her daughter, comforting her sobs.

  “Did you have a bad dream?” Helen asked her, stroking Bethany's hair with her fingers.

  Bethany, not being able to keep it from her, nodded with a whimper.

  “Was it another continuous one?” Helen asked curious - keeping notes on her daughter's dreams, ever since Bethany was little.

  Bethany was about to answer her mother’s question but…she wasn't so sure what her dream was. The atmosphere was different, the vibe and energy.

  To her own confusion, she finally said, “No…just a nightmare.” She sniffled and wiped her own tears away when she now noticed Michael, her brother. “Oh. Hi!” She tried smiling. “I…thought you'd be at school?”

  “Well, Mom told me about your incident - phoning my teacher and all, and I got wicked worried so Mom picked me up.” He explained. “Luckily,” he added with a smile, “Stefan was able to cover for Mom so she was able to get us here sooner.”

  “Yes, thank God for Stefan,” Helen said, blessed by her coworker. He was like a brother to her - a young brother. He was in training - in school - to be a nurse. She ran her fingers through Bethany's hair asking, “So…a seizure, huh? You've never had those before…” She then looked around for the doctor that was caring for her daughter.

  “Yeah…” Bethany swallowed. “Hey, Mom? They sedated me when I got here - are they allowed to do that?”

  Helen looked at her, blinking surprised. “They sedated you? Why?”

  “I…was panicky I guess,” Bethany answered. “I wouldn’t calm down. So they injected me with a sedative.”

  Helen lowered her brows, thinking about this. “Well…if they had to sedate you like that…it must have been for emergency purposes. I'll talk to them about it, though.”

  Mike had a grimace-like feature on his face. He didn't mind shots…but that sounded a little uncomfortable, and maybe a bit scary.

  Just then, Helen's phone buzzed and she dug it out from her front jean pocket. “It's your step-father,” she replied and answered it. “Hello? Hey…”

  Bethany's muscles grew tense. Remembering the stuff that happened this morning. The things he said, the things that made her feel on edge.  

  “Yeah I just got here, traffic is nuts,” Helen said to him. She then glanced at Bethany replying to his request, “Yeah sure, she's right here, hang on.” She handed the phone to Bethany saying, “He's worried about you.”

  Bethany, not really wanting to talk to him, made herself take the phone, brought it to her ear, and responded with, “Hey.”

  “Hi,” Joseph said on the other line. “I heard you had a seizure, are you okay?” He really did sound worried, and also sounded like a father who had done wrong and was making it up to her.

  Hearing this tone in his voice made her say, “I'm not sure…” She massaged at her left temple, resting her elbow on her bent knee. “I've never had one before, so…I'm a bit nervous.”

  “Well, I'm sure the doctors will figure out the issue,” he said. “They may want to run tests, so be prepared.”

  “Great…” Bethany complained in a murmur, rubbing her forehead and down the side of her face, stressed.

  “Yeah, I know. But, hey listen…” He began to her. “I'm…sorry about yelling at you this morning. I should've been a bit easier on you.”

  Hearing this apology come from him made her blink. Did he feel guilty? He acknowledged that he was being weird? Easing herself on the whole thing a little she said, “It's all right.” She then noticed the doctor approaching her station and said, “Hey I gotta go, the doctor just arrived.”

  “Oh okay, well…good luck if they end up running tests. I promise you it'll be painless.” Then he finished with, “See you when you get home. Love you.”

  Bethany, hearing that last part, was not expecting that. First an apology and now he was saying the “L” word? Wanting to keep nice and polite - even though she didn't mean it - she replied lightly with, “Love you too.” They both said their farewells and hung up. Bethany shivered on the inside as she handed the phone back to Mom before the doctor approached.

  A brown-haired mid-forty-year-old male doctor approached with a friendly smile, greeting Helen by replying, “Hello, you must be Bethany's mother.”

  “I am,” Helen replied back, shaking hands with him. Then, wanting to get to the bottom of this, she asked, “Bethany told me that the nurses sedated her.”

Michael heard his mother say this and raised a brow as he glanced at the doctor, as did Bethany.

  “Ah, yes…sorry about that,” the doctor apologized to her. “We would've waited but…” He looked at Bethany. “She wouldn't calm down.”

  Bethany swallowed. If only they knew why. She nearly got attacked! Killed! That was a great example of why she didn't want the sedation. That…felt real. Her dreams were real. What was that thing? That…was a serious change of events from her “normal” nightmares, where it was the same scenery over and over again. This was darker…morbid. And it scared the crap out of her.

  The doctor noticed her eyes growing distant, and asked with a slight tilt of the head, “Bethany? You okay?”

  Bethany, hearing his voice, snapped out of it. “Yeah, I'm okay,” she assured him.

  “Okay, I'm just making sure you weren't having another seizure. There are different types of it. And speaking of seizures…” He pulled over an adjustable swivel stool on wheels. “Let's talk about your symptoms so we can help you.” He now began to go down the list of questions. “What happened before the seizure occurred?”

  Bethany was nervous now. How far did she want to go with her honesty? If she mentioned the voice following her around, they would try diagnosing her with something she didn’t have. And she knew she wasn't schizophrenic…or else she wouldn’t have a mark on her knee.

  Taking a deep breath, she ended up mentioning, “I…had a bad dream this morning…and I guess it took a toll on me this morning at school.”

  Helen blinked. “You had a nightmare? One of those continuous ones?” she questioned, lowering her eyebrows.

  The doctor listened to this, raising an eyebrow an inch as he glanced from Helen to Bethany. “Continuous?”

  Bethany swallowed and sighed longingly. “I have been getting continuous nightmares since I was a kid.”

  “What are they about?” the doctor asked concerned.

  Michael listened as he stood there, arms crossed by his mother, watching his sister with worry.

  “Well…” Bethany took a deep breath, saying to herself in her head: Just say what’s going on…but don’t mention the mark or the voice. “I’m getting chased by someone I cannot see,” she began to tell him in a summary-like manner. “But I know it’s male…and…” she sighed again before admitting, “…he’s stalking me with a knife…trying to kill me. I know this now because…I saw him.” Bethany’s shoulders tensed. “I didn’t completely see his face…but he looked scary, menacing…and he definitely had a knife and…” she glanced at her brother, “Michael woke me up before he struck.”

  Michael’s eyebrows rose as his eyes widened. “What?”

  Helen’s heart was pounding, stunned and honestly…creeped out. Not by her daughter, but…by these dreams! This man who tried to kill her!

  “But…” Helen now assured her daughter, touching her shoulder, “it wasn’t real. It wasn’t like he was going to kill you in real life.”

  I ain’t so sure about that now, Bethany thought nervously.

  The doctor, finding this a bit interesting, took a deep breath before he began considering, “I…think I may know what this is.”

  All three of them looked at the doctor. “Oh?” Helen asked.

  “Yes,” he nodded. “Have…you ever heard of what they call a Nightmare Disorder?”

  Michael blinked, taken aback. “That’s a real thing? I thought those were only night terrors?”

  “Night terrors and a Nightmare Disorder are similar,” the doctor began to explain to him, and also Bethany and her mother. “Your dreams are vivid, upsetting, often become disturbing as the dreams unfold. Your dream’s storyline is usually related to threats to safety or survival, but it can have other disturbing themes…yours,” he said to Bethany, “just happens to be continuous which - in my case - is kind of rare. You wake up feeling sweaty, your heart’s pounding while in bed, you feel scared, sad, angry, disturbed. And…what can also cause seizures is a lack of sleep.” He raised his eyebrows to her. “I sense that you’ve been fearing going to sleep because of these dreams, right?”

  Bethany, thinking about this Nightmare Disorder he was speaking of, slowly began to nod.

  “Okay, well…” he smiled calmly, “that will explain the seizure. Also stress and panic can cause it. Low blood sugar…which I do want to run a test on. So, which brings me to say: I want to do an MRI and a blood test, to see how you’re doing and if it’s something to be worried about. Whether or not it’ll come back - the seizures I mean.”

  “Is there something to stop the nightmares?” Helen asked the doctor, worried about her daughter, her hand on Bethany’s back.

  “Sadly, no…” The doctor said with a “sorry about that” frown. “But, what we could do is maybe sign her up with a specialist that can help her - like an imagery rehearsal therapist. They help with changing the scenery when the person is sleeping or awake. It may help…but that’s up to you. And…we may want to schedule a sleep study.”

  Bethany’s eyes widened to that last part. Oh no… The last thing she wanted to do was sleep. But was the doctor right? Did she have a Nightmare Disorder? But it didn’t make any sense… The mark on her knee shows it. Out of reflex upon her speech, she murmured, “I don’t think that’s what it is…”

  Helen, catching that, looked at her asking, “What?” confused.

  The doctor even looked at Bethany, confused as well.

  Bethany, realizing she had said that out loud, tried to avoid the intro of the new topic by saying, “Never mind…” shaking her head while keeping her eyes down.

  Helen, still unsure about that one - why her daughter said that, refocused on the doctor and asked, “When should we do these tests?”

  “I think now would be good,” the doctor nodded. “I’ll give Bethany a hospital gown to examine her - and also for the pictures,” referring to the MRI.

  Helen nodded, and he sauntered away to inform the nurse at what was going on, and then she went ahead and got Bethany a hospital gown, smiling while approaching. “It’s blue - just like your eyes,” she complimented, trying to uplift the mood.

  Bethany smiled at that compliment and Michael stepped aside as the nurse drew the curtains around the ladies to get Bethany ready.

The tests were painless, just like Joseph said. She had to lie down on a table of the MRI that looked like a mechanical donut. There were animals on the wallpapers, to make younger peers feel comfortable. Minus the fact she was fifteen…she did feel relaxed.

  After several pictures, they now moved her to an examination room where the nurse checked her blood pressure and the doctor listened to her heartbeat and lungs, and a bunch of other stuff to see how she was doing.

  Now…the moment she kind of dreaded - the blood test.

  Bethany wanted her mother close by as she was now stationed to the lab, sitting on a chair with a table that went over her lap to set her arm on. The nurse got the butterfly needle ready, the rubber band tied around her upper arm to help make the veins pop.

Bethany couldn't help it but hide her view from the blood test by using her mother's hip.

  Helen, worried and understanding how uncomfortable it was, helped her through it. Michael, on the other hand, sat in a chair on the opposite side of the room cringing. He didn't mind shots as he said…but blood tests were a different story.

  After the tests, Bethany was able to get dressed. The doctor approached her mother to inform her, “The test results will be ready within a few days. After finding out what the issue is, we should probably set up an appointment for Bethany to see a sleep specialist.”

  Bethany listened to this and felt her heart beating hard. She watched as her mother nodded, agreeing. She also said that maybe since Bethany was dealing with anxiety, they should give her something for that. Medication? Bethany never thought of being on medication. The thought of it kind of scared her. The seizure alone had scared her. Maybe her mom was right…

  But, the mark.

  She remembered when the doctor checked her knee reflexes and noticed the mark he had asked, “What happened here?” Bethany had lied by saying: “I must have gotten that when I collapsed,” which he seemed to buy.

  Helen finished talking with the doctor, said their farewells, and then she approached her kids who were waiting for her. “Okay, now that that's taken care of…how about we go get some ice cream from that place we like?” she asked, a smile brightening her face. There was an ice cream shack in the country part of town. It was nice and quiet, with no traffic. It was located just off the busy road near homes so people could go to it on the weekends, on their days off, or teenagers would go over there after school. They did that occasionally. But the down part about it was that it was seasonal. They closed during the winter, which made sense, but she wished they had everything indoors during that time.

  Oh well, she thought as they headed out. Cole had texted her asking how she was doing and that he would come by later.

  Bethany texted him back saying: I'm doing okay, still a little sore. Had some tests done and waiting on the results that'll be ready in a few days. Right now, my mom and Michael and I are going to get ice cream from that place you and me and Hannah go to.

  Oh, I love that place, Cole texted after a short moment. Bethany was now in the car just as he texted this. We should go there before the winter season arrives. Then he mentioned: Mom picked me up so we're heading home. There's construction going on where we usually go to get home so we're about to head in that direction Lol it'd be funny if I drove by and saw you guys. If I do, I'll stick my head out and wave.

  Bethany snickered. Yeah, that would be great, she texted. All right, I gotta stop texting, or else I will get motion sickness.

  Oh okay lol, he texted back. Talk to you soon.

  Bethany gave him a smiley face emoji, shoved the cell phone back into her jeans pocket, and just chilled there until they reached their destination.

  They arrived within fifteen minutes. It wasn’t busy which was nice. Helen pulled up to the drive-thru so they didn’t need to get out of the car, and ordered two twists in dishes for Bethany and Michael, and another order of it in a cone for herself - all of them wanting chocolate sprinkles.

  Bethany, once she received her twist, felt her mouth water. She selected the spoon that was stabbed at the side of her ice cream and began eating, being slow on her servings to savor its taste, and also to avoid brain-freeze. The ice cream melted on her tongue before she swallowed the rest. Yep, she needed this. After what she had dealt with this morning, heck yes.

  Helen started on the road again, eating hers by licking it. She was brave enough to drive one-handed. Joseph always grew a little paranoid when she did, which made her laugh on the inside because not once she ended up in an accident.

  Michael ate his in silence, making sure each serving on his spoon had sprinkles on it.   After a while, he suddenly perked up - like he remembered something - and told his Mom, “I got a 90 on my quiz today!” smiling proudly.

  “You did?” she replied pleased. “On what subject?”

  “Math,” he smiled a bit more. “I know, a shock.”

  “That…is a shock,” Helen said, actually surprised since Math had been a difficult subject on Michael’s part. “Good job, Mike!” she grinned. “I would hug you but…” she gestured to the ice cream cone.

  “No worries,” Michael smirked, waving it off. “You can hug me when we get home.”

  “Oh, I am,” Helen said, meaning it with a nod, and licked at her ice cream. She did a twist-twirl motion when she did to avoid the drippage. She then glanced into the rearview mirror to Bethany and asked, “How are you doing back there?”

  Michael heard Mom ask his sister this and looked back to her, wondering the same thing. Bethany could read it in his face.

  “I’m doing all right,” Bethany assured them as she ate her treat. “Just hungry,” she smiled lastly after swallowing her serving.

  “I don’t blame you,” Helen said. “Food’s important - especially ice cream,” she quipped, glancing at the mirror.

  Bethany nodded with a small smirk. “True.” She continued to eat her treat when her thoughts daydreamed about Cole. About what happened at school. About how they finally confessed their crushes on each other. Mom would like to hear about that. Her mother liked Cole. “Hey Mom?” she began to bring up. “I have a question.”

  “What’s up, sweetie?” Helen answered.

  “Um…am I…allowed to, um… Date?” she asked nervously, wondering if she was allowed to date since she was fifteen and not yet sixteen.

  Helen blinked at that subject. “Um…why do you ask?” she asked curiously.

  “'Cause…I may like someone?” Bethany answered in a funny questionable way.

  “Who do you like?” Helen asked with a hint of a smile on her face.

  “Cole Pierce,” Bethany admitted, watching her mother’s reaction.

  “Cole?” Her mother was indeed surprised. Her eyebrows had risen. “Does he like you back?”

  “He confessed first, so…” Bethany smirked.

  Michael arched an eyebrow at this conversation between the two of them. He wasn’t yet at that stage, so he just continued eating his treat.

  “Oh wow!” Helen chuckled. “That’s awesome! Hey, well, in that case - I like him since I know him! Hey!” she grinned, excited now, “maybe this weekend we can do a little shopping for dating clothes, what do you think?” she asked her this through the rearview mirror.

  “Sounds like fun,” Bethany agreed with a bit of excitement in her tone.

  “Oh my goodness,” Helen spoke all giddy-like, entering an area that had a fork in the road. “Finally! I get to take my daughter out shopping for her first date! This is so exciting…!” she looked at Bethany again through the mirror until Michael shrieked, “MOM!”

  Helen, hearing that shriek of his, looked ahead and gasped before slamming the brakes, halting the car! Both teens bracing themselves as she did, Bethany alarmed! She had never heard her brother sound so startled in her life!

  After a moment of shock, she looked to see what he shrieked about…and spotted what appeared to be a car accident that happened not that long ago. A black SUV leaned lopsidedly due to popped tires, while the silver Kia Rio sat there smashed against the front of the SUV. The windshield cracked due to the pressure of the crash.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  Helen, staring at the accident - breathing heavily from the scare, had Michael hold her ice cream she managed to keep steady on its cone, and told the two of them, “Stay here,” protecting their eyes, just in case.

  They both listened with a nod and watched their mother climb out of her driver’s side to check it out, seeing if anybody was okay.

  Bethany’s, and Michael’s, heartbeat pounded. They’ve never come across an accident, not like this. They hoped whoever was in the cars was all right.

  Helen studied the SUV, trembling in the knees. She never came across one either. Her heart was racing, hoping nobody was dead. Looking into the window of the driver’s side, of which was rolled down, she checked to see if the driver was breathing - then her eyes widened!

  It was Ms. Pierce and Cole beside her!

  Ms. Pierce’s head slammed against the windshield, unconscious while her son sat in the passenger’s seat, knocked out.

  “Oh my God!” Helen exclaimed and looked back to her kids and called out, “Bethany! I need your help!”

  Bethany, not liking the sound of that, unbuckled her seatbelt, set down her dish quickly, and told her brother, “Stay here.”

  Michael nodded as she climbed out, hurrying to their mother’s side.

  “Sweetie, I don’t wanna scare you, but Cole and his mother are in the SUV, go help him,” Helen spoke calmly to her, not wanting to scare her.

  Bethany, instantly shocked by this info, ran to the passenger’s side and looked into the window. Cole was knocked out, the window cracked at where his head had hit. Blood trickled from his temple down to his cheek.

  “Oh my God,” Bethany spoke horrified. She carefully opened the door, using her other hand to steady him from falling over. “Cole?” she asked. “Cole? Cole,” She lightly shook him, being careful.

  Cole, hearing a voice, finally stirred from his unconsciousness with a groan. He opened his eyes and saw Bethany’s face. “Beth…?” he croaked, blinking from the hint of blurriness in his vision.

  “Yeah it’s me, you’re gonna be okay. Are you okay?” she asked him, keeping him calm.

  “I…think so…?” He answered dryly, still blinking. He shook his head to stop the blurriness but winced to the crick in his head. His hand met that side of his neck and cussed, “Shit…” He then noticed Helen - Bethany’s mother - helping out his mother who was deeply unconscious from the crash. “Mom? Mom?” Cole panicked.

  “Your mother’s okay,” Helen spoke calmly to him. “She’s breathing. Just unconscious. Are you okay to climb out?” she asked him.

  “Um…” Cole tried moving his legs and feet. Luckily nothing was damaged. “Yeah,” he answered, and Bethany helped him out by taking his hand and having his armrest over her shoulders to steady him once he was on his feet on the pavement.

  “What happened?” Bethany asked him, referring to the person who crashed into them, looking over to the other car. She couldn’t make out the person’s face, nor hear his or her voice.

  “I’m honestly not sure…” Cole said letting go so he could rest against the car on its good side, rubbing at his neck at the crick. “One moment we were driving, and the next thing I know, that person drove right into us from that part of the road,” he pointed his finger to the fork in the road, to where a street of houses took place further ahead while the rest of the road was just country land and trees. “It was odd. It was as if the person forgot how to drive,” he continued. “Happened so fast.” He then looked to that car, seeing how wrecked the front was. He winced at the damage as he checked out their SUV. It was bad enough since his mother got hurt and nearly crashed through the windshield. He always lectured his mother to wear her seatbelt but she was too stubborn to listen!

  Bethany was confused by his story. Why didn’t anybody help if there homes nearby? Were those people at work? She looked at the other car now, concerned that maybe something occurred while the driver drove in that odd manner. Was the person drunk?

  “Why don't I go check on him or her, “ Bethany suggested, “while you help your Mom? I’ll let you guys know if something occurs.” She knew her mother had a lot on her hands so she wanted to help her out. Be an adult. And wanting Cole to chill for a bit.

  “All right,” Cole nodded and sort of limped over to the other side - going around the back of the SUV - and met with his mother who was laid down on the concrete with Helen’s jacket rolled up as a pillow. Helen was in the middle of a phone call with the police, calling for an ambulance.

  Bethany sauntered right over to the driver’s side at this time, furrowing her brows. She studied the damage before looking inside since the window was opened - probably for some fresh air since it was nice out, and saw the person. A guy. The lad appeared to be twenty from the looks of it. Nearly black-haired, handsome. He was unconscious but breathing. He was alive, and that’s all that mattered. But, was he okay?

  She leaned in more, sticking her head in to see his legs. The front of the car had almost crushed his legs. He was lucky. Really lucky.

  “Jeez,” she whispered out loud, and refocused on the guy, about to wake him when…she began to notice something…

  Pausing her movements, she studied him, her eyes gazing along his face. Half his face was shadowed by the lack of sunlight while the other was visible…revealing a very familiar jawline…semi-high cheekbones…

  Bethany blinked twice finally after gazing at his features. Why did he look so familiar?

Tilting her head perplexed, feeling kind of skeptical of him, she was tempted to wake him when she heard sirens in the distance. She looked ahead to where she heard them. The ambulance and police were on their way to help Cole’s mother, and Cole if he needed it.   Thank goodness! she thought on an exhale.

  During the time she was paying attention to the sirens though, the lad in the driver’s seat began to stir silently from his unconsciousness.

  Bethany continued to watch for them before looking back to the fellow, then noticed him waking up.

  Oh, thank God! Bethany thought, but decided it would be best for the paramedics to handle him. The only words she said to him were, “You’re gonna be fine,” before starting away, her hand leaving the window sill.

  But then, in a heartbeat, just as she parted from his window, the lad’s eyes opened, saw her leaving, and his hand reached fast and snatched her wrist!

  Startled, Bethany gasped along with a shriek! She tried prying away from the lad’s grip out of shock when she saw his eyes…staring at her.

  The lad was breathing heavily, studying her face, looking into her eyes with his electric blue ones. The vibe was dark, sending shivers down her spine.

  They stared at one another for a good moment before his lips curved a bit into a grin. “Hello, Beth,” he replied, his voice clear and semi-deep, his eyes growing intently in hers. “It’s nice to see you again.”

  Bethany froze and stared at him, wide-eyed.

  No. It - it can't be! She recognized that voice instantly! It - it couldn’t be him!

  The guy from her dreams…

  Stunned and terrified, lost upon words on how he got here - roaming free from the dream world! - tried freeing herself from his grasp! Her heart pounding against her chest!

  It can't be him! It's impossible!

  But, how would he know my name if it were impossible? she asked herself.

  Just then, he pulled her closer, and motioned his hand to the side of her face, touching her cheek with the backing of his lukewarm fingers, the sensation making her heart knock.

  What was he doing…?

  Then, with a sinister curve of a smile, he whispered, “Sorry about the knife. How's that knee?"

  Now Bethany knew it was him. Only he would know about the mark.

  Scared now, her eyes narrowing half widening, she smacked his hand away and finally ripped from his grip, nearly losing her balance and almost hitting the concrete.

  Oh God! she panicked. Oh God, this can’t be happening!

  Bethany scrambled to her feet and started running for her mother, calling out, “Mom! Mom!” like as if she was crying out for help - when the world around her swarmed into darkness. Everyone - her Mom, Michael, Cole, Ms. Pierce, the sirens…all vanished.

  “M-M-Mom? Mom?!” Bethany called out desperately, frightened. What was happening?

  She breathed heavily, not knowing what was going on… when she just then felt something cold snaking around her legs and ankles, and her arms and the side of her neck, sending her shivers.

  Turning around to see what was touching her, she noticed it was a blanket of fog, as thick as white smoke…with its own personality.

  Bethany couldn’t help but tilt her head. That was… interesting.

  Then, up ahead, she spotted a figure standing there in the cloud of it, the fog giving off a whitish-blue glow with trees and the road behind him.

  Was she still on the road?

  Now, he started to hum a tune. A lullaby…a lullaby her mother would sing to her to help her sleep after a nightmare when she was very young. The sound of this made her heart thump and her stomach churn.

  Swallowing, she built up the courage and bravely demanded, “Who are you and what do you want?!" Wanting answers from this man who's been haunting her all her life. Who had also caused her seizure!

  He stopped whistling, and then he sauntered slowly towards her, replying, “Bethany…you must stay calm," his voice off and unearthly.

  Bethany blinked at him as if he were crazy. “Calm down? Calm down?! You almost killed me! Who are you? Answer me!" She demanded again loudly, her legs trembling.

  Finally, he stopped sauntering, and took an even silent breath and answered, “My name is John. Sorry, we haven't been properly introduced to one another…" He showed himself now. His electric blue eyes on her while a hint of a smile curled along his face. He was just about five feet and ten inches tall, wearing a classic army green double buttoned trench coat, a dark shirt - most likely short-sleeved, denim jeans, and dark chocolate brown combat boots from what she could make out from beneath the fog. He didn't dress scary. In fact, he dressed like a normal person, like as if he were from the ’80s or ’90s. But looks could be deceiving.

  Her shoulders squared with tension as she backed away from him when he had gotten too close. "Why have you been haunting me?” she asked him. “Why have you been stalking me in my sleep?" Then she added, "And why did you try to kill me? And where are we?" she spoke puzzled, her eyes glancing around before they refocused on him.

  John was silent, trying to reply to her questions…but he was unable to. But instead of answering her questions, he said, "You're in a realm - my realm. Your family doesn't see it but you. Heck, they believe you're just standing there helping that poor woman lay on that stretcher. Don't worry, though, she'll be okay," he assured her. “Just a few stitches and two gauze bandages." He finishes with a half-smile.

  Bethany stared at him, swallowing. What? “What…do you mean by that? That they cannot see us?" she blinked trying to understand this.

  “It’s a little word I like to call Brainwashing, but the real term for it is Consciousness Manipulation, but I think it’s too long of a name.” He replied to this as he slowly sauntered around her. “It's a little handy-dandy magic trick I have up my sleeve. So," he turned to her in a somewhat dance with a grin, his eye featured dark and eerie, “that means I can twirl your world upside down and in circles and nobody will acknowledge it but you."

  Bethany's heart was in her throat now, scared. She wanted to go home to her mother.   Where she was safe.

  This has gotta be a dream…

  She pinched herself, then winced. Yep, definitely not a dream. This was actually happening.

  Panting, afraid to look at him, she could see him from the corner of her eye staring at her, watching her intently. Swallowing tightly she whimpered, “Can you stop staring at me, please?" Then she added as she dared to look at him, “I don't know what you want but please leave me alone. I want my mom," she said, feeling and acting like a vulnerable child.

  John studied her face for a moment. Then he frowned, softening. “That's the thing…” He sighed. “I'm afraid to let you go. Bethany, I have watched you grow, blossom, and not once have I been encountered by you until now. As you can see, I am not hacking you with a knife," he pointed out, showing both hands, his eyebrows raising a morsel. "I need you to trust me."

  Bethany's eyebrows furrowed, asking mildly, “Trust you?” she looked at him as if he had six heads! “How do you expect me to trust you? After you've taunted me! Please! I don't know what's going on here and it's freaking me out!" she yelled, feeling her head spin.   She hardly yelled…it felt alien on her tongue.

  “I know it's all confusing, Beth," John replied walking cautiously towards her. "But you really need to trust me or else…" he paused, eyes shifting to the side.

  “Or else what?" She asked, breathing heavily. “You gonna kill me as you did back at the ER?” remembering that dream.

  John, hearing her say this, shifted his eyes back to her face, his eyes narrowing slightly, frowning. He was about to answer her question until he heard something, suddenly perking up, alert - like a dog lifting its ear.

  Bethany watched him do this with lowered brows, and glanced around, not hearing anything.

  Then, fear crossed his face. Swallowing, he refocused on her replying quickly, “forgive me," and snatched her by the upper arms.

  Bethany shrieked and struggled with him! What was going on? “Let go of me! What are you doing?!” she demanded with a scream in her tone.

  “You gotta trust me,” he said intently, keeping his hold on her. “I’ll see you in a bit.   Just…pretend you got sick. I sent your mother and brother to the store to buy you some soup and crackers.”

  “What…are you talking about?" She asked him strangely, trying to edge away from how close he was to her. She could pick up his scent - an unearthly scent of sweet soil, rain-soaked moss, fallen leaves, and rotting pine and unsweetened maple with a touch of freshly dug-up roots. Not a horrible smell but interesting as a matter of fact. He smelled like the woods which were…strangely calming.

  “I can't tell you." He told her vaguely. Being quick now, he flashed a smile and replied, “‘Till next time!” then shoved her - hard! As she began to fall back he voiced in her head: Don’t tell.

  Bethany, gasping with a squeal in the mix, felt her body whooshing through the wind that pushed upwards! Like as if she were on a roller coaster ride going backward! On the drop!

  She prepared for a hard landing, praying it won’t hurt, when out of nowhere…she opened her eyes. Her landing was soft...landed on something soft… Her bed.

  She was back inside her bedroom.

  Heart racing, John’s grip still wrapped around her arms, she hugged herself, rubbing away the sensation of him off of her. She could still smell his wooded scent.

  “What…the heck…is going on here?”

  She swallowed, rubbing the side of her face when she remembered him voicing something inside her head right after he pushed her. Don’t tell.

  What did he mean? Don’t tell? Who? Who shouldn’t she tell?

  Bethany, needing to clear her head, got out of bed and opened her door just a crack. Was he out there? She didn’t hear anything. Why did he say to pretend to be sick?

  She checked her forehead and didn't feel hot. She headed for the bathroom, opened the medicine cabinet, grabbed the thermometer, and stuck in her mouth under her tongue.   After less than a minute, it beeped. She checked it…and saw that her temperature read regular numbers. So no fever then. She was fine.

  Then…why would he say that?

  Confused, she put the thermometer back inside the medicine cabinet and stared at herself in the mirror. She didn’t look sick - nor felt it. She then realized from the bathroom window how bright it was - the sun not setting. Her eyebrows furrowed. What time was it?

  Bethany headed back to her room to check the clock, and stopped in her tracks. 11:15… In the morning!

  “What?” Bethany murmured perplexed. She now ran out of her room and down the stairs to look at the calendar her mother had on the fridge - to see what day was crossed off. Then, to her shock…Friday was crossed off. It was Saturday morning.

  “What…the hell?” Bethany spoke out loud to this. She backed up and ended up against the other countertop across from the fridge. “What the hell is going on here?” she questioned with her hand to her forehead, feeling sweaty.

  Just then, she heard the front door open along with chuckles. Male, and older - two men. Her eyebrows furrowed, forming a crease between her forehead. Who’s that? Then, to her question, after a short moment of them coming down the hallway, Joseph popped in.

  Joseph, spotting her there, was nearly startled to see her just standing there all quiet and looking at him. “Whoa - hey,” he replied.

  “Hi?” Bethany answered, still having a perplexing feature on her face.

  Then, the other person showed up through the doorway - Mr. Kenny! What was he doing here?

  “Oh, hi Bethany,” Mr. Kenny greeted in his familiar friendly manner. “Feeling better? Heard you were sick.”

  Don’t tell...pretend, John’s voice ran through her mind - that memory. Deciding to play along with this, she replied, “Yeah…” nodding. “I guess it was a 24-hour thing. I-I’m feeling better though.”

  “Where’d your mother go off to? And Michael?” Joseph asked as he placed the two grocery bags on the counter by the fridge, looking back at her.

  “I think she said the store…” Bethany said, pretending to think. “I was dead asleep so…” she shrugged.

  “Ah,” Joseph said nodding to that and started putting refrigerated items into the fridge. “Maybe to fetch you things for your 24-hour sickness,” he guessed as he set the small pack of cokes on the bottom shelf.

  “Yeah…” Bethany nodded, still feeling tense but trying to hide it. Then, to her curiosity on Mr. Kenny she asked, “Not to be rude, but…what are you doing here?”

  Mr. Kenny smirked. “Fair enough,” he said and began answering, “Your stepfather and I met at the open house earlier this month.”

  “Yeah, while you were hanging with your friends while us adults were speaking with your teachers, Jay here…” he smiled back to him over his shoulder, “we hit it off. So we became friends.” Then to Bethany, he questioned, “I thought you knew this?” confused.

  “No…?” she dragged on the word, just as confused, surprised.

  “Oh, well, now you do.” Joseph half-smirked and continued putting the food items in the fridge “Jay and I are watching the game tonight so we got ourselves some snacks,” he explained to her.

  “Ah,” Bethany said politely, but honestly…she could care less. Then, trying not to sound suspicious, she began to ask Joseph, “Hey Joe? Er...Dad,” she corrected herself, her face reddening.

  “Yes…?” Joseph replied to that, looking back at her for a moment, arching his eyebrow.

  “Um…” Bethany inhaled a breath enough to gather the right words to ask, “How long was I asleep for?”

  Mr. Kenny - Jay - listened to this and raised an eyebrow before glancing at his pal.

  “Uh…why do you ask?” Joseph asked her confused, his eyebrows furrowing.

  “I just…um…” Bethany rubbed her upper arm nervously. “I just don’t remember when I fell asleep. Like…all I remember was…the accident and then…I hear my mother say something to me about going to the store and then I wake up.” She swallowed before glancing up at his face. “What happened?”

  Joseph honestly was surprised, and yet a bit concerned it appeared. “Uh…” he glanced at Jay automatically before replying, “Well…from what I understand from your mother, you…passed out on the road. After the ambulance showed up, they checked on you and your mother decided to take you home. The police followed you guys home to help you up the stairs since your mother wasn’t able to, nor Michael, and…I guess your memory’s a bit fuzzy ‘cause you were coughing up a storm and running a fever and all.”

  Bethany listened to him…trying not to stare at how shocked she was. Did…that really happen? This…didn’t make any sense…

  After growing silent for a good moment - making both men look at her strangely, she finally swallowed, saying lastly, “I…guess my memory is fuzzy, ‘cause…I don’t remember that.” She rubbed her wrist out of habit. This didn’t feel right…

  Joseph noticed her doing so and glanced up to her face asking, “Are you okay? Do you need to lay down again?”

  “No…” Bethany answered with a shake of her head. “I’m…honestly hungry.”

  “Well, your mother should be here soon with your soup,” Joseph said. “Why not you go sit down at the table for now,” he suggested, rather than telling her.

  Bethany, deciding to not be stubborn with him, went ahead and sat at the table, setting her elbows on the tabletop and messaging her temples with her fingertips. Trying to figure all of this out. What was going on here?

  Mr. Kenny - Jay - watched her do this and grew concerned, wondering what was going on with her. While Joseph removed the items from the other bag - smaller items, he sauntered towards the table and sat down across from her, and selected an apple asking, “So…how are you feeling? I heard about your seizure.”

  Bethany glanced up at him before lowering her eyes again. “I think okay…” she said honestly unsure. “I won’t know until I get my test results on Monday or Tuesday.”

  Her teacher nodded, thinking about that while fiddling with the apple, not really eating it. “You wanna talk about it? Why did it happen? It’s honestly concerning me.”

  Joseph looked over as he put the food items away, seemingly curious too.

  Bethany, unsure whether or not she should talk about it…inhaled a steady breath and began to say, “I get nightmares every night…continuous ones.”

  Jay Kenny blinked, taken aback by that. “Continuous ones? Of what?” he asked, interested - mystified even by this particular info.

  Joseph listened with his eyes flickering onto Bethany as he slowly placed each dry ingredient onto its shelf.

  “Of, um…” Bethany licked her lips, being careful with her words, “being chased by someone. Never seen the guy. I know it’s a guy - I hear his voice in the distance.”

  Jay Kenny’s eyebrows furrowed a slight, studying her. “So…these dreams of yours…they’ve been…affecting you? Caused the seizure?”

  “I guess,” she nodded, keeping her eyes lowered a bit - avoiding eye contact. “I was getting stressed and…I guess it took a toll on me.” She now met eye contact with him.

  “I see,” Jay said with a slight nod. “How long have these dreams occurred?” he now asked.

  “Since I was little,” she answered, rubbing at her wrist again. “Like five. He keeps getting closer and closer,” she now added.

  “Oh?” This information made his eyebrow twitch upward. “That’s interesting,” he said while glancing at Joseph who was observing. “So…he’s never approached you yet?” Jay asked, looking at her again.

  Bethany hesitated on answering that question. It wouldn’t matter, right? If she said he did but barely saw his face? Swallowing, she finally gave in…and nodded.

  “He did?” Jay Kenny replied, elevating his eyebrows, surprised. “What’d he do?”

  “He…had a knife,” she answered him. “And…he tried to stab me until my brother woke me up.” Her answer was simple but truthful and to the point.

  “Stab you as in…kill you?” Jay Kenny asked her.

  Bethany swallowed, and nodded. “Yep.”

  Jay Kenny raised an eyebrow. “Dang,” he commented. “That’s intense. But…you do realize that it’s all a dream, right? Even if he did stab you…it’s not real,” he smiled with a warm tone of voice, trying to make her understand that. “You’d probably wake up startled but… It’s not real.”

  Bethany listened to him, and just nodded…since she already met the guy - John. He didn’t hurt her… But that didn’t mean she trusted him. This could all be a trap. Yes, Mr. Kenny was right…you can’t necessarily die in your sleep, you just wake up startled with sweat all over you.

  “Why don't you try and rest,” Mr. Kenny suggested to her. “I’m sure your mother will be back soon.”

  “Yeah, go and rest,” Joseph encouraged right after with a fatherly smile. “Maybe on the couch this time.”

  “Okay?” Bethany responded as she got up from the table. The two men watched her walk towards the doorway, but then she stopped.

  “Oh. You know what? I do want a drink, I’m thirsty,” she said turning right back around to the fridge to grab a jug of orange juice.

  “Ah, yeah,” Joseph said with a nod. “Fluid is good too,” he smiled as he now looked back to Jay.

  Bethany grabbed for her juice, glancing at the two of them. She still couldn’t believe her stepfather was friends with her teacher. So weird…

  She got a hold of her juice and went to close the fridge door when she started feeling dizzy again. Blinking, she shook her head, trying to snap out of it. Maybe she was tired…

  Closing the door now, she started across the room towards the kitchen counter that her glass sat at - when out of nowhere, her body felt as if a lightning bolt had struck her!   The shock of this made her world go black and made her collapse to the floor like she did when she had her seizure! The jug of juice dropping with a hard thunk!

  Both men perked up to this, saw her on the ground, and immediately went over to her. Joseph, getting down on the floor on his knees, tapped her cheek, and shook her. But she was out cold… Unresponsive.

  Joseph, in the middle of Jay grabbing for a cloth to dampen under cold water, gazed at her face, his eyes grave and dark. His fingers brushed through her bangs gently… Waiting.