Chapter Nine

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My dad looked just as I'd remembered him. His brown hair was tousled, and his tie was half undone. His features were the same, too. After the accident, the men at the funeral home had fixed the broken bones and lacerations as best they could, then smothered him in makeup; as a result, the man laying in the casket hadn't looked a thing like my dad. What if it isn't, and he's wandering around with amnesia? I remember thinking. Is it really him?

"Is it really you?" I echoed my thoughts from so long ago.

"It's really me." He laughed, and a dimple appeared in his left cheek.

"But how - what-"

"It doesn't matter," he said, cutting me short. "I'm here now."

"But will you be there when I wake up?"

He laughed again. I savored the sound. It had been so long since I'd heard him talk, much less laugh. "What do you mean, wake up? You are awake, Laney."

Wow, this dream has went off the rails, I thought. "Then how- How am I here, and not in my room?"

"That I can't answer. But all that matters is that you're here. And if you want, you can stay here forever. All you have to do is drink the water." He nodded to the pond.

Oh well. I know it's just a dream. Might as well play along. I scrunched up my nose. "Out of there? Isn't it nasty?"

"No! It's the cleanest, sweetest water you'll ever drink."

"And if I do, I get to stay with you?"

"Forever," he promised.

I walked to the water's edge and peered over the small bank. The wind picked up, and my reflection rippled and distorted. I sucked in a breath and cupped my hands.

The water was cool to the touch. The little bit I had in my hands seemed clear. I brought my hands to my mouth and stuck out my tongue to taste it. It was good, better than the bottled water I usually drank. I tilted my head back and poured the rest down my throat.

I looked back up, but Lady and my dad were gone. Standing in their place was the dream boy.

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