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Have you ever had a nightmare you can't wake up from? Elana Suthard has an interesting ability to dream the future. When she dreams of her best friend, Claire, setting fire to the school, she can't believe herself. Having no idea what is going on, she stubbornly tries to find out what she can do to prevent it. Only when it does happen, the event unravels more mysteries than she thought was possible. Elana follows her best friend into the world of supernatural creatures, only to find out she is one of them. And although she has a new handsome protective friend, there are a lot more people willing to hurt rather than help her.
The flames licked up Claire's legs, fire shooting out of her pale hands, fire surrounding her before I could get there. Her piercing screams splitting the air in two, and for the longest moment of my life, I couldn't get to her fast enough.
I rounded the burning cafeteria tables and reached out to help her, but only finding a pile of ash in the place she last occupied.
There was no way she was gone. She just got away, right?
An overwhelming feeling of helplessness sat heavy in my chest as I continued to search for her.
The sight flashed over and over in my mind and no matter where I was or what I was doing, my dream was still hauntingly fresh.
"Suthard! What is it?" I finally snapped out of my trance and was greeted by my ticked off history teacher.
"I'm sorry, I don't know, Mrs. Kirkwood." I blurted, not even knowing the question.
"You don't know why the American Civil war started?" She asked, dumbfounded as the rest of the class burst into a mass of giggles.
I didn't want her to catch on my dozing again, so I hung my head low and mumbled, "No."
Mrs. Kirkwood seemed to buy it, "Alright then, let's hope your friend here can help you. Ms. Bound, what is it?"
My best friend tore her gaze from me to the teacher and told her, "because of slavery." When Claire replied, she turned back to me and mouthed, 'are you okay?'
With a quick nod, I turned back to our teacher and tried to focus on what she was saying, but my mind kept drifting back to this dream I had.
The bell snapped my attention back into the present and I scurried all my belongings back into my backpack. I flung it onto my shoulder and looked up to find Claire waiting for me by the door.
I hurried to catch up with her, the whole time avoiding eye contact with my flustered teacher, who was watching me intently. I finally reached the door and rushed Claire into the hallway.
We made our way to my locker, like we always did after sixth period, with Claire shooting me worried looks all the way there.
When we made it to my locker, Claire finally demanded, "Alright, spill it."
I tried to shake her off, still knowing it wouldn't happen.
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, please. Don't play this with me. I saw how distant you were in class. You were practically drooling. What's going on in that mind of yours?"
I tried not to make it sound too creepy. "I haven't been sleeping too well lately."
She stared blandly at me for a second before her mouth dropped open and stayed that way until I finished placing my history book in my locker.
She finally spoke after what seemed like forever, but it came out as a small whisper, "Shut-up! You had another dream! Like the other mojo one? What happened?" She demanded.
I faced her full on after I shut my locker. "Nothing really. This one was really stupid and I doubt it would ever happen like my 'mojo ones'." I let some sarcasm seep into my voice at the end of the sentence.
"Yeah, but if it's not a stupid one, it could mean something or tell the future like your last ones. Tell me!" She begged.
A year ago, I told her I had a dream about her current boyfriend, Brody, getting mugged in an alleyway behind the old bookstore. I had never told anybody besides my brother, and I was surprised when she believed that I have these kind of psychic dreams that can tell the future.
We had called the authorities ahead of time and they arrived before anyone managed to get hurt. When asked by them why we called it in, Claire covered for me, saying she saw these creeps watching her boyfriend recently, and she was just worried. They are no longer together, but that incident has made me put my trust her in the highest possible way. The only other person I trust as completely as her is my older brother, Liam.
"You're probably going to think I'm losing it. Seriously, it's stupid."
"Yeah, right. When was the last time I laughed at you? Come on, I've known you for years. Just tell me what happened."
I took a deep breath and gave in, "Fine, but you can't laugh at me, okay?"
I waited for her nod before continuing.
"You set the school on fire-and it wasn't matches or anything. You actually shot the fire out of your hands."
I tried to ignore her confused look and continued.
"But, I couldn't get to you in time. No matter what I did, the fire made sure you were unreachable then you-"
I cut myself short, because I couldn't tell her the two of us went in there, but only one came out. I just stopped and looked at her
She was looking at me as if I had three heads.
She opened and closed her mouth three times, and I took the time to turn around and start heading for our next classes.
She appeared beside me before I could go far.
"Well, maybe this one is figurative, like, I start a problem or something, and there is no backing out of it?" she suggested
"Yeah, maybe..."
I let the skepticism seep into my tone, but then dropped it.
"But, it all felt so real. I felt the heat and the smoke suffocating me, like I couldn't breathe anymore. I don't know. Maybe this time, I am losing it."
"No, El. Look at me." She grabbed my shoulder and forced me to look at her.
She stared into my eyes as she spoke, "You haven't lost it. This entire thing means something like it always does. Okay?"
I still didn't really believe her, but didn't get a chance to voice my opinion before the bell rang.
She mirrored my smile and we both rushed up the stairs and into our classes, hers thankfully right next to mine.
I walked into my advanced Calculus class, which was full of seniors. I have to say it was a little awkward being the only junior in this class, but I loved math. It was one subject I was good at.
The assignment was easy, as always, and I finished early again. So, instead of studying or reading, like I usually did when I finished the assignment, I just sat back and let my mind wander.
What if Claire was right? What if it were just figurative, then what did it mean? Or was it just a regular, stupid, pointless dream like normal people had?
As much as I wanted to believe that, my dreams have never been normal, and there was no reason why they would start now.
-
6 years ago, Lydia suffered a brutal betrayal orchestrated by her own husband and step-sister, who drugged her and framed her. In a twist of fate, she ended up having a one-night stand with a stranger. Don't even remember what he looked like. Later, in the throes of death, she discovered the truth about her mother's death all those years ago. In the blink of an eye, she lost everything. 6 years later, Lydia returned with her genius son, vowing to exact revenge on all her enemies! Little did she know, she encountered an incredibly familiar man at the airport! *** The man was briskly pushing open the door to the restroom, heading to the urinal. Even with such a mundane action, he did it with unparalleled elegance and grace. Lydia, following him in a daze, saw his fierce lower body and suddenly snapped back to reality. She let out a high-pitched scream, instinctively covering her eyes with her hands, her cheeks flushed, and stood there stiffly, unsure of what to do. Lambert furrowed his brows slightly but remained calm as he continued to relieve himself. The sound of water hitting the urinal made Lydia's face even redder. She angrily shouted, "You pervert!" Little did Lydia know that Lambert, seeing her in this state, had a flicker of recognition in his eyes. Memories from many years ago flashed through his mind, and his heart couldn't help but stir. It was her!
The whispers said that out of bitter jealousy, Hadley shoved Eric's beloved down the stairs, robbing the unborn child of life. To avenge, Eric forced Hadley abroad and completely cut her off. Years later, she reemerged, and they felt like strangers. When they met again, she was the nightclub's star, with men ready to pay fortunes just to glimpse her elusive performance. Unable to contain himself, Eric blocked her path, asking, "Is this truly how you earn a living now? Why not come back to me?" Hadley's lips curved faintly. "If you’re eager to see me, you’d better join the queue, darling."
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"
Elena, once a pampered heiress, suddenly lost everything when the real daughter framed her, her fiancé ridiculed her, and her adoptive parents threw her out. They all wanted to see her fall. But Elena unveiled her true identity: the heiress of a massive fortune, famed hacker, top jewelry designer, secret author, and gifted doctor. Horrified by her glorious comeback, her adoptive parents demanded half her newfound wealth. Elena exposed their cruelty and refused. Her ex pleaded for a second chance, but she scoffed, “Do you think you deserve it?” Then a powerful magnate gently proposed, “Marry me?”
After three loveless years, Neil's betrayal deeply wounded Katelyn. She wasted no time in getting rid of that scoundrel! After the divorce, she devoted herself to career pursuits. Rising to prominence as a top designer, skilled doctor, and brilliant hacker, she became a revered icon. Neil, realizing his grave mistake, tried in vain to win her back, only to witness her magnificent wedding to another. As their vows were broadcast on the world's largest billboard, Vincent slid a ring onto Katelyn's finger and declared, "Katelyn is now my wife, a priceless treasure. Let all who covet her beware!"