Shadow Souls

Chapter Eleven

I wake up covered in sweat, with my face stuck to a page of my physics book. As my eyes adjust to the darkened room, I try to peel the paper from my cheek and sit up.

"Again?" Ty asks, even though he already knows the answer.

I hate the pain in his voice, and it's part of the reason I haven't told him about the green-eyed boy that has started making special appearances. But now with everything else that has been going on recently, I think it's time that I share.

"No," I reply, "This one was different."

For just a second his face looks hopeful, but then immediately falls again when he takes in my grim expression.

"What happened?" he asks warily.

I tell him everything. About the first time I saw the new stranger in my dream two nights ago, and how he was there again last night as well. I tell him how everything else in the nightmare was exactly the same though, except for this person whom I'm fairly positive I've never met before.

When I finish, I watch silently as Tyler tries to process this new information. I know he hates that I have the same nightmare of that horrific day every single time, but I think it now suddenly changing is just as troubling to him.

"So, is that what happened this time?" he asks. "You saw this strange guy standing on the riverbank again?"

"Not exactly," I explain. "This is the first time that the whole dream actually changed."

"Changed how?"

"Right when the car is about to go over the side of the bridge," I see him flinch at my recap, "I'm suddenly just standing in the road," I tell him.

Not wanting to drag out the bad memories any longer I quickly finish by telling him about the stranger and this time also Finn, then wait for him to respond.

"And you're sure this has never happened before? The dream changing?"

"I'm positive," I confirm. "So, what do you think it could mean?"

"I don't know, Alice." He flops back onto the mattress. "Who says it has to mean anything anyway? It is just a dream after all."

"You know, for a ghost who has a best friend with superpowers, you sure do have a hard time believing something weird could be going on here," I challenge.

I get up out of my desk chair, moving slowly since I had just spent the past few hours sleeping at a right angle. I check the clock by my bed and see that it is a little after three-thirty in the morning. I can't remember when I fell asleep, but it must have been before my dad came home. I go to the window to make sure his truck is there, and I am startled by a flash of light streaking across the sky.

"Yeah, it started storming about half an hour ago," Tyler informs me.

"What time did my dad make it home?" I ask, continuing to look out the window and watch. I've always loved thunderstorms and been fascinated by them. Probably because of the whole affinity to air thing.

I hear him answer my question as more lightning streaks across clouds. However, I don't register what he says, because standing across the street from my house, is Paige.

"What the hell!" I almost shout.

"What?!" Tyler hurries over to see what's wrong, when another major flash of lightning strikes the sky. I am momentarily blinded the bright light and when I look back, Paige is gone.

"What is it?" Tyler asks while scanning the yard for any potential danger.

"Paige!" I shriek.

"Shhhh!" Tyler reminds me.

He runs through the wall headed to my dad's room, while I continue to scan the area looking for any sign of Paige. It only takes a couple of seconds until he is back shooting me a thumbs-up.

"What were you saying about Paige?" he asks again while holding a finger to his lips as a reminder to keep my voice down.

"I saw her outside."

"Are you sure?"

"Can you please just trust me on this?" I beg, not in the mood to keep defending what I know in my gut to be true.

"Of course, I can Alice, and I do believe you. I'm sorry for making you think otherwise, I just like to question things. See things from every angle. You know that." he shrugs.

I did know that. His inquisitive nature is part of what makes him so... well so Tyler.

"Come on Ali-cat. You should try to get some more sleep," he says while trying to coax me towards the bed.

As tired as I am though, I'm still hesitant to close my eyes again. I'm not sure what my imagination will have waiting for me on the other side of my eyelids this time. I glance at my bookshelf thinking maybe some reading will either help keep me awake, or at least take my mind off things. I don't consider it very long before I am stifling a yawn, and letting out a groan knowing I wouldn't be able to fight it anyways. So, I just surrender and climb into my warm bed.

Once I am situated, Tyler lays down next to me and starts softly humming a song I don't seem to recognize. I want to ask him what it is, but I can't. Because in what feels like seconds, I am right back where I left off. Standing in the middle of the bridge.

                                                                        Ω        Ω        Ω

I'm looking back at Finn who is watching me with that half smile of his that I already love so much. He lifts his right hand from his side and holds it out, beckoning for me to take it. I try to move my body to go to him, but just like before, I find that I am once again frozen in place.

"Alice!"

Startled by the sound of my name I turn my head back around to face the green-eyed boy. A mix of shock and fear on his face. "Alice!"

I watch as he calls out my name, wanting me to go to him instead of Finn. Again, I feel like something is trying to pull my entire body to where he is, but my feet still won't move. The feeling that I need to go to him becomes more and more overwhelming every time he speaks my name and it's almost too much to bear. I see his mouth form my name again and again as the sound of his voice reaches my ears, loving the somehow familiar sound of it.

A sound that feels like home.