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I gave her the scone I’d been holding hostage during our discussion and curled up in the oversized chair across from her. “Of course, things can go back to normal. If needed, I’ll just quit my job at the museum and go home. All I need to do is get this necklace off, and that will take care of everything.” I turned my eyes to the television and turned on a movie, effectively ending our discussion. It wasn’t my proudest moment, but I’d had all I could take. Magic powers might have been her dream, but it wasn’t mine. I liked a simple life with the people I loved. I found comfort in normal and reassurance in routine. This necklace threatened to take all of that from me, and I wanted no part of it. OceanofPDF.com Chapter Nine SLEEP WAS A WELCOME ESCAPE FROM MY WORRIES, BUT IT WASN’T THE reprieve I’d hoped for. Sensing a familiar presence, I rolled over in bed and took in the ominous shadow man looming over me in the darkness. I didn’t scream like I usually did when he appeared. This time, I lay still and studied the menacing form. It had no discernable facial features, only the swirling of dense smoke-like particles that made up his shape. Technically, I wasn’t even sure if it was male or female. Just that it exuded a malicious energy. His gaseous arms slowly lifted toward me. My heart rate skyrocketed, and I reminded myself that this was just a dream. The edges of his form began to blur until I could no longer recognize the shape of a man. The inky mass in front of me seemed to vibrate with energy, and in a sudden rush, the thick cloud shot toward my face and funneled into my mouth and nose. I was paralyzed. Not just with fear. This was something different. A violent outside force held me completely immobile while my body was seized. My lungs screamed for air as I helplessly watched the darkness fill me. A fullness pressed against the walls of my chest, like a balloon filled just shy of bursting. He was there, inside me, taking my body for his own, and I couldn’t do anything to stop him. Not one second felt like a dream. Every ounce of terror was real, and the threat was imminent. But before the blackness could swallow me whole, I bolted upright in bed, wrenching myself from the clutches of sleep. I attempted to inhale ragged breaths in a futile struggle for more oxygen. My lungs were frozen tight in a painful contraction, and not until I sat on the edge of the bed, dropping my head between my knees, was I able to get a taste of air. I did my best to exhale slowly and entice my lungs to relax. My hands began to shake, and my body broke out in a fine sweat as the adrenaline drained from my system. I had thought facing the shadow man might help me overcome my fear of him, but it had backfired. His presence now terrified me more than ever. Considering how real it had felt and everything I’d recently learned, was there a chance the dream was more than a figment of my subconscious? In the past, the dream had always been exactly the same each time it occurred. Not once had there been a single variation. Without the past week's events, I would have dismissed the mutation of the dream as a product of watching too many horror movies and gone back to bed. This change had me worried. I ran my hands over my face, quickly jerking upright when I felt moisture trickle from my nose. I held out my hand to examine my fingers, and even in the darkened room, I could see that they were now smeared in blood. My head swam with dizziness, and my already knotted stomach threatened to revolt. I stumbled to the bathroom and stood for some time over the toilet. Once the nausea settled, I splashed my face with water and stared into my reflection in the mirror. Aside from the unnatural paleness of my features, nothing about my appearance was any different than it had been before the dream. I wasn't sure what I was searching for, but I needed reassurance that the shadow man was only a dream. He had to be. Monsters and Fae and magic necklaces were a stretch. I couldn’t tackle dream demons, too. A girl could only take so much. I retreated to my bed and snuggled under the covers. Ashley had fallen asleep on the couch during the movie, so I had the room to myself, for better or worse. Having her close would have been comforting, but even her bravery wouldn’t ward off a bad dream. The shadow man was yet another demon I’d have to fight on my own. THROUGHOUT THE DAY THAT FOLLOWED, I couldn’t shake the melancholy that had come over me after the dream. I went through the motions at work but was lost in my head, attempting to sort out how I’d overcome my mounting problems. At noon, I took my packed lunch to the small break room. I had only taken a couple of bites when Cat came in with her sack lunch and asked to join me at the table. “Of course, have a seat,” I said with less enthusiasm than I meant. “Are you sure? I can just head to the café if you’d prefer to be on your own.” She started to turn away. “No, please sit. I just had a rough night’s sleep, and I’m dragging today. I’d love for you to join me.” She offered a timid smile and sat. “Did you make it to the Huntsman on Friday?” she asked, shooting me a curious glance. “Yeah, we did, but you were right. We should have listened to you and found somewhere else to go that night.” She’d warned me about shady guys, but she had no idea how right she’d been. That place was every kind of trouble.
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