My body prickles. I feel someone or something nearby and I swim up from the depths of sleep to see what it is. When my eyes flutter open, I see bright sunshine pouring in around me, and for a moment, I expect to feel Monie sliding up beside me. I almost think the nightmare is over until I see the lay-in drop ceiling above me. I blink and look up again, hoping I’m mistaken, but no, this is not our bedroom in the Taratoni mansion, and Monie is not beside me. What’s more, when I try to turn to see what woke me, I can’t. My head refuses to obey and I can’t move my arms and legs. Oh my God, I wasn’t imagining it or the humming voice, nor the opening and shutting of a drawer nearby. My breath catches and my heart drums. Suddenly, I can’t breathe for a moment until my body takes over and I gasp.
