The Child Dreamer: A Dead Dreamer Prequel

To Dream is to Die - Chapter One Excerpt

The accident happened three years ago and afterwards... life was never the same. In school I had been a social butterfly; now I was a social outcast. A few people still made an effort to talk to me, but most stayed away. They knew better; they knew something had changed the day I died. Everyone could feel it—and it frightened them. I couldn't blame them. It scared me too.

The day I died was the day I stopped dreaming. Everything seemed to bother me before: social dramas, dating, my sister stealing my books, but it didn't matter as much anymore. The day I died was the day I started to live with the dead.

I like to think I was a modern-day zombie with some vampire qualities. During the day, I was your typical human girl: average height, average looks, chestnut hair, and brown eyes. The girl next door on every street. Average, yet seeping with sarcasm. A personality trait my mother did not enjoy. Then at night, I would sleep and wake to find myself somewhere else—on the spiritual plane, or the Fade, whatever it was called – walking amongst the dead. And just like the living, the spirits ignored me as well. An oddity to be feared and pushed aside on any plane of existence. I guess people are all the same, no matter what plane of existence, no matter the time, and no matter the day.

And today was the "first day of the rest of my life," the day I move into college. Yes, I sensed the irony. It might have even been the fresh start I was hoping for, as long as my sarcasm didn't rear its ugly head. Chances were slim. If I were lucky, my roommate wouldn't be crazy, or notice just how nuts I was.

"Brenna, give me a couple more boxes," my dad grunted, swiping a hand through his short graying hair. "Why does this building have to have so many damn stairs?"

"It's not like I chose to live on the fourth floor of the dorm—and we could have taken the elevator, you know..." I blew my shaggy side-swept bangs out of my eyes as I hoisted a heavy box onto my shoulder; I should have taken mom up on that haircut....

"And wait for 30 minutes each trip? No thank you. Your mother is going to be enough of a basket case as it is. Helen! The door, please?" He yelled.

My mom quickly opened the door revealing a room—my room—already crammed with junk. Luckily for us, my roommate hadn't arrived yet, so stuffing the room with boxes wasn't that big of a deal. Since that was the last of everything in the car, I began the long process of unpacking and staked out the bed on the right-hand side of the room. First come, first serve, right?

A little over an hour later – with my parents' help – all of my clothes were put away and my TV was hooked up. When Dad let out a telltale sigh, I knew he was ready to leave.

"Mom, you and dad head on home, I can finish all of this." I told them.

A flicker of worry crossed her face. "It's your first time living away from home. Are you sure you're going to be all right?"

"I'll be fine, Mom, besides, you're only two hours away," I reassured her.

Dad came up beside her and nodded. "She'll do great. I'm sure Nephesburg College will suit her just fine. It's a small school —what could happen in this sleepy little town?"

"Famous last words, hon." Mom flashed me a smile and rolled her eyes in an attempt to hide the emotions so plainly written across her face.

Dad shook his head and pulled out a small wad of bills. "Just so you'll have some spare cash—don't spend it all on booze."

I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth to remind Dad that he knew me better than that, but before I could, a short and very tan girl walked in.

"Are you Brenna?" She asked as she pulled her sunglasses off.