''You know how they came up with the word Lunatic?'' he asked.
I shook my head, feeling like I probably didn't want to know the answer. His lips pulled up on one side in a mischievous, lopsided grin.
He stepped closer. ''Because all of the worst m...
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Dark colors swirled around the figures that were yelling in the woods. All five of them were shimmering with dark energy. My eyes couldn't make out their faces so I tried to move closer to see them. It seemed that the longer I walked, the further away they got.
I was rushed forward in front of the five figures and pushed down to my knees and when I looked up at them, my stomach dropped.
They all had no face. The space where their mouths and eyes should've been was glossed over by porcelain skin.
In a slow succession, they began raising their arms and pointing behind me. The fifth figure, when he raised his arm and pointed, let out a shrill, childlike scream. The scream seemed to reverberate around me until the five figures disappeared and my knees were suddenly submerged in water.
I rose from what looked to be a river and looked around for the five figures. They were nowhere in sight but I searched relentlessly until I found myself tripping over something in the water. The water splashed into my eyes and I was blinded for a moment.
When I reopened my eyes, I was staring into the cold, lifeless irises of a corpse. The skin was blue and withered, corroded by the water. It wasn't until after I saw the red baseball cap atop the man's head that I screamed.
It was then that I saw the wolf. He stared back at me with sharp, intelligent brown eyes. I knew those eyes. I had seen those eyes-
I woke from the dream in a cold sweat. I shot up in bed, breathing quickly as the memory of the dream washed over me.
It wasn't the sort of dream that left you moments after you woke up. This was the kind of dream that I would never forget. I felt every bit of the water and the woods on my knees. I could still taste the bile in my throat that had risen when I found the red-hatted man.
I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and craned my neck to look at the clock next to my bed. It read 4:34 AM and I groaned loudly. There was no way I was going to go back to sleep and I still had two hours before I had to be up for school.
With that realization, I scooted off my bed and looked around my room. If I was going to be up, I might as well unpack a few boxes.
I didn't have much, but I'd completely avoided unpacking my things. Plus, Owein had thrown in some boxes as a welcome present. I was hesitant to open them and for good reason too. The boxes were filled with clothes that I would not be caught dead wearing.
I finally got around to unpacking all of my stuff and the clock had moved to 5:40. Closer, but still no luck. Feeling antsy, I pulled open my door and decided to wander a little bit. As I walked down the long stretch of hallway, I was reminded of the darkness in my dream and I was overcome by the need to find answers.
Ever since my family arrived at the stupid mansion, all I'd been given were questions.
I found my way to Owein's study and my stomach dropped as soon as I crossed the threshold. Afterimages of the red-hatted man lying dead in the river filtered into my head. With a deep breath, I sat in Owein's chair and fired up his computer.
