Forever Young

Chapter Six

I always thought that when someone passed out, they kind of checked out of reality. Not so; I could feel someone's fingertips graze my cheek. I could hear the lullaby someone hummed under their breath - the same lullaby my dad sang to me every night until I was ten and too old for such things. I could hear the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs, and the sound of lighter ones moving toward my closet.

Don't go, I tried to say, but my mouth wouldn't cooperate.

I'll be back soon, the boys voice reverberated in my head. My eyes flew open, but he was long gone. The mirror was back to normal, too, reflecting my unmade bed back. I listened, hoping to catch a few strains of the odd music, but the only sound was the silence that rang in my ears.

A sudden knock on my door almost made me jump out of my skin. The knob turned before I could say a thing, and Mom stepped into my room for the second time.

"You okay?" Her features were scrunched into a look of concern.

I cocked an eyebrow. "Um, yeah. Why?" No need to tell her I'd just blacked out, and either hallucinated a hot guy in my room or had a concussion. Maybe both.

"I thought I heard you scream?"

"Oh." Had I screamed? "I saw a spider."

It was Mom's turn to raise her brow. She shot me a look that let me know she didn't buy it, but closed my door behind her.

The minute she was out of earshot, I jumped up and ran to my closet door. I ran my hand across the mirror's surface, expecting it to ripple and shimmer like it had when the strange boy had climbed through.

It didn't.

I closed my eyes. Visions of green hills and red-haired boys danced behind my eyelids. I put my hand on the cold doorknob and turned, keeping my eyes closed until I'd opened the door all the way. A tingle of anticipation shimmied up my spine as I opened my eyes.

My dream boy and beautiful view? A row of clothes, sorted by color and season.

It was a good thing I was used to disappointment, or I might have bawled.