He was unapologetically himself, making jokes at my expense, but in a way that didn’t sting. I had been on edge at first, waiting for the punchline to turn mean, for the joke to shift into something else. But it never did.

He leaned forward, holding out his hand with the kind of confidence that said he already knew I’d shake it. “Jamal.”

Tilting my head slightly, I gave his hand another glance. “Jamal, huh?”

He nodded, giving me a sly grin. “Jamal the Great.”

“Jamal the Great?” I laughed. “Alright, you’ve got my attention.”

He grinned, now holding my hand. “Well, I aim to please. So, what’s your name, Jurassic Park?”

I rolled my eyes but gave his hand a firm shake. “Blake. And I’m not fully convinced you’re as great as you think.”

“Challenge accepted,” he said with a self-assured smirk.

I smirked back, already regretting my words.

This day wasn’t going at all how I expected.

* * *

That night, I woke up with my heart hammering against my ribs, my breath caught somewhere between a gasp and a choke.

I blinked a few times, struggling to break through the fog in my mind, to pull myself back to reality.

I wasn’t there anymore.

I wasn’t trapped.

I wasn’t in the dream.

But my body wasn’t convinced.

My hands trembled uncontrollably, my pulse frantic as if it was still trying to outrun something that wasn’t there. I could feel the cold sweat clinging to my skin, the tangled sheets pressing uncomfortably against my limbs. It took me too long to remember where I was. To pull myself out of the dream and remind myself that none of it was real.

The room felt smaller than it had when I fell asleep. Too dark. Too quiet. Yet the darkness didn’t stop the images from clinging to my mind’s eye, stubborn and vivid.

For a moment, I wasn’t entirely sure I was awake at all.

My fingers twitched, instinctively reaching for the wall between me and Beverly, but I froze before I could knock.

I couldn’t move.

Every night, after a nightmare, she knocked twice. I knocked back. It was our thing. A confirmation. A reassurance. A system. Our way of saying, I’m okay.

Except tonight, I wasn’t. My hand wouldn’t move.

I stared at the wall, willing my hand to just move, but my body wouldn’t listen. My fingers curled into a fist, useless at my side.

Two knocks came, soft but certain.

I squeezed my eyes shut, my breath shaky as I exhaled sharply through my nose. Just knock back, Blake. Just knock. Knock back.

Nothing.