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I lay there watching it for what seemed likeattention to myself I didn’t knohat it was, but it kept very still, which wasshivers worked up hwith precise intensity For a split second I saw the thing Saw a hooded coat made of oily, wet fur and then a face, no eyes, but one wide, white sums An abyss

And then…

BLAAARP!

My alar Bright sunshine filled the roo at the door and everything was as I had left it Gentle wafts of bacon and coffee drifted in from downstairs It was just another dream

I shuddered at the memory My mom eyed me suspiciously in the rearviewa sweater with holes in it"

The air conditioner that my father had on full-blast definitely didn’t help, but I rolled my eyes and leaned my head on the coolCars zipped past in all directions, the fields by the highere bright green under the sharp, clear sky and defying autumn’s cold approach Next ould be October and it still felt as fresh as a June day At least we had that My dreanant had we been enraptured in the nor rain Normally I loved the storms and the prickly ats creepy But two scary and reer in the lobby, and this accoe

Feeling eyes boring a hole into the side ofat azine, in her ears, her iPod I noticed how perfectly manicured her nails were, the brilliance of the red polish and the preciseness of the application I didn’t need to look at my own hands to knohat they looked like

She narrowed her azure eyes "What is with you lately?"

"What?" I asked, a little too defensively

"I haven’t seen you this spacey since…," she trailed off

I gave her a sharp look and didn’t dare look atme carefully

"I’m fine," I said sternly

She leaned in a bit closer and lowered her voice

"Did you have another dreahed and nodded

"Same one?"

"No, different Still as f--," I stopped, reh"

"I didn’t hear you screah forfor an opening

"What are you talking about?" She turned in her seat to look at us and focused in on htmares, Perry?"

"I don’t know if I would call theht I needed was forLooney Tunes She’d always been far too eager to jump to that conclusion

Ada snorted "She wokeroutine You should be glad you were out jogging mom; she was a mess Totes"

I shot Ada a look,else

Mo, Perry, really?"