Dream Phantom

Chapter Two

He held on tight to the wooden horse as his body moved up and down in tandem with the carnival music that danced around him. He hated horses but his parents insisted he ride the carousel at least once. He looked at the crowd of people surrounding the popular ride. Couples, families, and small children all watched the revolving horses. He stretched his hand out to the crowd, wanting his parents to rescue him.

The music became louder and the crowd's murmurings distorted itself into wicked laughter. Their faces melted into featureless dark shadows. He watched in horror as his parents turned away, ignoring his cries, "Don't leave me! Please, don't leave me! I want to go home!"

He tried to jump off the pink and white horse but it suddenly came to life. The painted cornflower blue eyes of his horse suddenly took life and burned a fiery red. He screamed as the horse reared back and his hands were suddenly glued to the sides of its wooden ears.

"Mom! Dad! Where are you going?"

The carousel began to spin faster and the music became wild. A dark fog surrounded him and bright orange flames came out of nowhere, licking the soles of his Nikes. He shrieked in fear as he watched his parents disappear.

A silver wolf jumped from the fire and landed before Dani who suddenly appeared before the boy. She took an unsteady step backward, as the wolf growled and leaped forward.

Dani Deleon Michaels woke up gasping for air. She took an unsteady breath before glancing at the alarm clock on the nightstand closest to her. It was 3:15 AM. Her husband, Jax, still hadn't returned.

She groaned as she forced herself out of bed. She hated nightmares about children being abandoned. They always left a queasy feeling in her stomach. She figured it was because of the issues she had with her mother. Dani's mother had abandoned her when she was a kid and her father passed away not too long after that. It wasn't until a few months ago, that Dani had reconnected with her mother, Helen Deleon. She had also discovered that she had a brother, Calvin.

"That was a weird one," Dani whispered, referring to her dream, as she made her way to the kitchen, her sketchpad and charcoal pencils in hand. She was off today and didn't have to work her usual shift as a waitress at King's Diner. This gave Dani the luxury of being able to sketch with no interruptions. As much as she loved Jax, she still found it difficult to live with someone. She was used to being alone and living in silence. Jax was an endless ball of moving energy that consistently revolved around her. She was grateful for his affection but it still took some getting used to. She was still amazed that he accepted her despite knowing her deepest secret.

Dani had the unique ability to see a person's nightmares with a single touch. There was no rhyme or reason to her dreams. She could never control whose fears she saw or when they would show up. In the past, she had been unfortunate enough to see the nightmares of a serial killer. It eventually led to his capture, but not before putting her life in danger.

Her ability had been passed down to her by her mother. Dani also discovered that her brother Calvin shared this trait as well. A family secret that should've brought them closer together had somehow kept them apart, leaving Dani to make sense of their relationship. Despite everything, Dani couldn't help but compare them to mismatched puzzle pieces. As hard as she tried, she couldn't seem to completely forgive her mother or accept her new brother.

Dani sat at her kitchen table, her sketch pad in front of her. She flipped through the pages, each drawing a reminder of a different nightmare. There was a sketch of a man's face with no eyes. Another drawing was of a woman at her child's funeral. Today would be the child left behind by his parents. Her mind thought of the silver wolf. She'd have to draw him too. Dani checked the time again on her phone.