Midnight Serenade

Chapter 10

Sawyer and I were in woods somewhere. We sat together near the edge of a rock cliff so that we had a spectacular view of the beautiful moon above us.

Sawyer's arm was around me as he comforted me. We didn't use words, but somehow we understood each other better than if we had. Together like this, I had no doubts about him. I trusted him, and I knew he'd do anything for me.

Sawyer's lips pressed against my temple, and I turned my face upward to meet his gaze. After another assurance passed between us, our lips touched. This kiss didn't hold the same fervor as the previous ones, but it didn't lack an ounce of the passion. It was more intimate, speaking of a deeper connection.

A noise from below pulled my attention from Sawyer. Instinctively, I stood and moved closer to the edge. I squinted into the darkness but couldn't see a thing.

"Savannah!" The call was faint, but I didn't have a problem catching it.

Getting down on my knees, I searched harder. My mother was trapped down there. I wanted to ask how she got there. I wanted to pull her up, but everything was utter blackness.

"Mom!"

There was no answer. Again, I called, but only silence met my ears. I leaned over a little further and screamed when a hand gripped my wrist from below.

I hoped that somehow my mother managed to climb up, but she hadn't. When I looked at who the hand belonged to, I was staring into the face of the man who stole me away from her. It looked harsher than ever before. More animalistic. Predatory.

I pulled with all my might to get out of his grasp, but it was like iron. The only direction I felt myself moving was forward over the cliff.

"No! Sawyer!" I cried for help as I slid a little further.

There was a sickening lurch in my stomach as I tipped forward and began falling.

My body tensed violently, and in the next second, I was staring at a white ceiling, my heart pounding. Confused, I stared at the blank surface as my breathing calmed.

It was just a dream, I realized. Sitting up, I was momentarily confused again, seeing the unfamiliar room. I looked down, noting the strange bedding and the unfamiliar couch.

Feeling slow, I remembered the previous evening. I was at Sawyer's home. It still seemed unreal that he wasn't only a dream, but now that wasn't the strangest thing in my world. Not by a long shot.

And the really strange thing was, he felt more real in this dream than he ever had before. Somehow, I felt he was really there. If I got up the nerve to ask him about it, I knew he'd confirm it. And I knew that those things we communicated were real too.

Unfortunately the rest of it also seemed eerily real. Though logically I knew my mother was dead, so that part couldn't be. But the rest was disturbing.

With a yawn and a stretch, I decided to find the bathroom. When I set my feet to the floor though, I was startled to realize I wasn't alone. A little girl was sitting on the floor a few feet away, watching me. She had the same dark hair as the rest of the Petersons and her face shared a striking resemblance to Jessica's.

"Oh, hello," I said.

"Hi." She sat with her chin resting on her hands and continued to stare at me.

Were all kids this still? Weren't they supposed to be bouncing off walls and screaming? I'd never been around them much. I mean, not since I was one. But even then, I didn't really have friends. I didn't know how to talk to kids.