Over the years nightmares have been a frequent friend in the Hopper house. Chills and a scream lodged in the back of her throat is the only way that Christine Hopper knows how to wake up. Her father tries hard to believe his daughter has a handle on...
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The mall is crowded, just as it has been every day of summer. Ronda and Chris have been in and out of various stores all day, absently window shopping and roaming through the long walkways on both floors of the mall. Ronda's feet have started to ache a little bit, and she could get something to eat, but she can sense that Chris is trying to stay away from the food court for as long as possible. They keep circling around the center of the mall. Ronda found the perfect pair of black sandals for the pool and even a nice new pair of swim trunks for Nic, who'd already be needing a new pair by next week. Even after walking through the mall twice, Chris still hadn't purchased anything.
"Are you hoping to stop anywhere else?" asks Ronda, raising an eyebrow at Chris. When Chris shakes her head, Ronda exhales loudly, glancing down at the food court on the main floor. They're on the second floor, nearing the escalators. They can go down or they can circle the retail stores, the movie theater, and even the jazzercise class that will be over in seven minutes. "I could go for something to eat. My feet are starting to kill." Ronda gives her a small smile.
"Uh, sure," Chris says, the frown not leaving her face. "Wanna get pretzels?"
Throwing caution to the wind, Ronda replies, "How 'bout ice cream?" When Chris hesitates, Ronda turns, stopping her. "All right, spill. What's going on with you and Steve?"
"What? Nothing. Nothing is wrong. I just, um, I think he..." Chris glances around, lowering her voice. "Last night, I think...Steve had a nightmare about me...dying." Chris swallows, her face going pale and blank. "He won't talk to me about it."
Furrowing her eyebrows together, Ronda frowns back. "He saw you there? Didn't he?"
Shaking her head, Chris starts walking toward the escalators. "No. It was like I wasn't there at all. Which has never happened before...you know? I couldn't change it either." Ronda follows along, having experienced Chris's Shadow Walking firsthand. It's been fun to test out the boundaries of Chris's abilities, but it seems to be a burden more often than not.
The two girls step onto the escalator going down, ignoring the people around them. When Ronda places a hand on Chris's shoulder, she can feel how tense her friend is. Ronda's eyes are wide with concern, and the redhead with unruly curls tries to mask the dreadful expression with a thin-lipped frown. "As awful as it was, avoiding him isn't going to change it. Knowing Steve, he's probably freaking out," Ronda trails off with a chuckle.
A tiny smile appears on Chris's face. "Probably..."
"C'mon. We'll get him some lunch, and you two can talk." Ronda pulls Chris toward Scoops Ahoy. The two of them pass Erika Sinclair and her group of friends. Erika hardly acknowledges the two and walks on with not a care in the world, holding multiple blue spoon samples in her hand. Her friends are doing the same. As they move to the front counter, Ronda freezes, spotting someone she isn't expecting. Chris throws a glance at her, surprised at Ronda's sudden stop.
