Wildest Dreams

Chapter 1: Alone

3:00. Blink.

3:00. Blink.

3:00. Blink.

Anna glanced at the flashing red clock.

3:00. Blink.

She smiled. It was 3 am and here she was, lying in bed, awake. She loved having this time to herself. She may be a little bit sleepy and she may have a sore back, but she was alone. No one to bother her, no one to scold her, no one to judge her. But the best part was she felt special. She was the only one awake; her mom and dad were asleep in their room, and her sister and brother asleep in theirs. She was the only one up, it was her secret, and she loved it. 3 am was the best time to leave her bed as she knew for certain no one would be awake past 1. Anna sat up slowly, carefully saving her spot in the book she'd been reading and took her phone (which she'd been using as a flashlight) to survey her bedroom. She debated what to do tonight. Sneak outside? No, she was never daring enough. What would she say if someone found out? Oh hey, just thought I'd take a 3am walk, don't mind me, just a 16-year-old girl wandering outside in the dark, no biggie. Yeah, right. Anne groaned as she stood up, stretching her shoulders, sore from leaning up against her pillows. She decided she would sneak downstairs and grab a snack. She wasn't hungry mind you; she just liked the feeling of sneaking around by herself. She crept out into the hallway listening for even the slightest noises of anyone who may be waking up. Was that a noise? No, it was still silent. The only noise was the sound of her bare feet creaking on every floorboard.

Creeeaak.

She froze. A noise had come from downstairs, and it was loud, terrifying.

Thump.

Her heart pounded, her blood pulsed in her ears and she froze, unmoving in the light of the moon streaming through the window.

Thump, swish.

Thump, swish.

Anna unfroze and inwardly cursed herself. Idiot. She knew that sound; it was just her dog shifting in her sleep on the couch. Stupid, why are you acting like such a wimp? Anna continued her stealthy path down the stairs, wincing with every creak of the floorboard and praying that no one would hear her. She did this so often, why was she always scared? She got to the bottom of the stairs and let out a long breath to calm herself down. No one was downstairs, she was safe. She peered into the living room, it was just the dog, her big black furry form was sprawled over the couch, snoring softly. Anna looked away, and quietly walked down the hallway to the kitchen. As she tiptoed across the wooden floor, Anna passed the large ornate mirror hanging on the wall and couldn't resist stealing a glance at herself. In the faint moonlight of the hallway she appeared almost ghostly. Her long, tangled, blond hair was wild and monstrous, her gray-blue eyes were dark and foreboding, and her slight frame with pale skin only added to her creepy appearance. She showed her teeth, baring a glaring mouthful of silver braces and glowered at the mirror, wishing it would show her something different. Anna sighed quietly and continued down the hallway eager to get a snack and return to the sanctity of her room.

***

Back on her bed, Anna silently ate the bowl of chocolate ice cream she had made for herself. Mmm, I don't know what I would do if Mom stopped buying this, I've had three bowls today! She continued to eat her snack and reflected on her night. I sneak around in the dark and no one even knows, it doesn't get much better than this! I'm like a secret agent, not even Ian and Maddy are this cool, they're sleeping and I'm wide awake! I'm like a superhero; Yeah, I am the night superhero! No, even better, I'm the superhero of the night! Anna smiled, very pleased with herself. She continued to eat her dessert in contented silence, with the only noises being the her spoon clattering on the bowl and the sounds of the city around her. Anna's house was ancient, and right bang-smack in the middle of the her small town. The house had warped glass panes and wooden shutters on it's windows, fading yellow paint on its walls and was strangely located right next-door to the immensely tall (and only) apartment building in the town. Anna's home was the kind of house that guests always commented on, gushing about its old-fashioned appeal. Anna must have heard her mothers speech about the house hundreds of times. "Oh yes, everything about this house is such a rarity, the city doesn't allow us to change a thing, but Jerry does love his antiques" and at this, her mother would give an airy laugh at her father's quirks and bustle on. Though it was plain that Ellie held some disdain towards their home, Anna found there was a certain charm to the place. Outside Anna could hear all kinds of sounds, sirens, cars honking, people talking and music playing. All those people outside, most of them are sleeping, but I'm awake! I am a part of the nightlife! She smiled and finished her ice cream off, then placed the bowl underneath her bed so she could sneak it back to the kitchen in the morning.

All of a sudden, there was an ominous groan from the door. Anna froze. The door was opening. Her heart thudded and her stomach dropped. She burrowed under the covers and tried unsuccessfully to steady her errant breathing. Had someone heard her? Anna stayed perfectly still, in what she hoped was a natural sleeping position as the door creaked open. Then she heard a noise.

"Mrurp?"

It was the cat. Anna sat up, cursing at her stupidity. It was just the cat looking up at her with curious eyes, hoping to be allowed to hop up onto the bed. The cat's name was Princess Pumpkin, named so by Anna when she was 9 and had hoped that if her cat had a special name, it might make him special. A fat, orange, male tabby named Princess Pumpkin. That might not have been so bad, if Anna's younger brother Ian hadn't realized the nickname he could think of for the cat. He called the cat PP, or as he spelled it "Pee Pee". The stupid name, unfortunately, stuck. To 9-year-old Anna's dismay, Princess Pumpkin learned to only respond to the name PP, and would ignore her when she tried to call him by his full name. Superhero Anna and her cat PeePee. Some spy I am, getting scared at every sound. The dog, the cat, the sounds of my own feet, I'm not the superhero of the night, I'm more like the scaredy cat of the night!

"Murrrp"

The cat agreed.