Hurl screamed and fell out of the bed onto the hard wooden floor and called for Evanya. Evanya burst into the room and asked, " Is everything thing okay?"
She ran over to the bed and sat down on it, besides Hurl. "Nightmares again?" whispered Evanya. Hurl sighed, "Yeah, again." A look of concern passed over Evanya's face.
She sat there silently listening to Hurl retelling her nightmare. "Sorry sis, just those stupid nightmares again."
Hurl felt an immense pain in her right arm. She rubbed her agonized arm, never taking her gaze off of Evanya.
Evanya hoisted her up on top of her shoulders and took her out of the room and went downstairs. She called for Ramone and Moonflower. Both of them ran down the stairs together with the first aid kit.
The kit was dangling from Moonflower's hands, swinging from side to side like a pendulum. As soon as they reached the bottom of the stairwell they almost fainted at the sight of Hurl.
Hurl felt weak. She was frail and fragile, and her outlook reflected her condition. She felt weaker than she had ever felt before. She tried to get up, but she felt her legs gave away from underneath her and she fell backwards on to the couch. Evanya, horrified at the incident, advised to Moonflower that they call the doctor over to check out Hurl. The doctor said she would be fine the next day, "Just a little shocked. That's all."
Hurl felt a flash of shame as the doctor pulled Moonflower and Evanya aside and scolded them for not taking good care of Hurl, "She is your sister for Pete's sake!" But Hurl still had questions about her nightmares. Who was Starline? What was the red skinned man doing to her? Is this all true?
The next morning was a disaster right from the start. From the minute Hurl woke up, she felt an immense pain, this time in her neck. She called for Evanya, but no one came.
She called for Ramone and Moonflower, but still no one came through the door. She plodded out of the room and ran down the stairs.
She heard a faint voice coming from under the floor. Hurl walked down the steep stairs leading to the basement.
Once she walked in the damp musty smelling room, she realized how similar it was to the creepy cavern from her nightmare.
The voice echoed through her mind. She felt dizzy and fell to the hard wooden floor. Her mind went blank and her vision blurred.
Hurl made a last desperate plea for help, but still no one came. A fiery pain seared through her body and she at last opened her mouth in a silent scream.
At last the pain disappeared as mysteriously as it had come. Her body finally gave up trying to fight the invisible force, and her mind was sucked into the swirling darkness.
*******************************************************
Evanya walked out of the bakery carrying a bright smile and a pretty chocolate cake. Ramone and Moonflower were right behind her. Moonflower was covered in party streamers, balloons, pastry baskets, and fluff.
"Hurl will be so surprised. I bet she even forgot it was her birthday today. Especially after all those nightmares, I hope she is feeling OK from last night," remarked Ramone worriedly. Moonflower shuddered with the thought of Hurl getting tortured by the nightmares she was having.
Evanya shot Ramone a warning glare to remind him that Moonflower was sensitive about Hurl, they were best friends, as well as sisters. Ramone guiltily glanced away from Evanya's piercing stare.
