He was surprisingly gentle when he rested his hands on my shoulders. Turning me to face him, he lifted my chin, forcing me to make eye contact. My body shuddered as he spoke.

“Forget this for now, Leath.”

Someone screamed, and my world went black.

16

Knox

I stood at the edge of the river, watching the boy move toward me. His eyes were trained on mine, and a delicious smile settled on my lips. It was sunset. The ripples of the water caught the fading sun, casting him in a golden crown. He moved slowly, each step agony to me as I waited for him to come just a little closer.

The boy stopped a few feet away. I reached out and grabbed the fabric of his gray hoodie, pulling him to me. Laughing quietly at my impatience, he wrapped his arms around my shoulders. I rested my head on his chest and listened to the steady rhythm of his heart, which only served to stir my desires more.

Eager to kiss him, I lifted my head and pulled back the hood of his sweatshirt. The sun gave a final burst of blinding light… and an alarm went off in my head.

The cell buzzed, oblivious to all it had taken from me. I lay on my bed, pulling a pillow over me and holding it close. I’d had dreams about the boy for as long as I could remember, and they had all ended the same way. Every time I’d gotten close to getting a look at his face, the dream abruptly ended, taking the boy with it. As usual, my emotions were split. I was left feeling complete bliss over seeing him again, as well as a devastating sense of loss over the end of the dream.

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

I dragged the cell off my nightstand and answered it, annoyed at whoever had interrupted my dream. Was it too much to ask that I be allowed to sleep in on a Saturday?

“You even close to being ready?” Anamae asked.

Ugh. Was that today? 

There was no more delaying it. Prom was next weekend. As Anamae had so succinctly put it, “We can’t go in our pajamas. It’s not we’re going to Walmart.”

I sighed loudly, hoping she’d read my annoyance. “Yes. Give me twenty.” I slid the cell off and rolled over, trying to remember the details from my dream. Ten minutes later, I knew I could stall no longer. After a quick shower, I pulled my hair into a messy bun and dressed in my favorite pair of jeans. When I heard Anamae stomping up the stairs to my room, I was pulling on my boots. I zipped up a light sweater just as she opened the door.

“Come in,” I said sarcastically.

“Chill,” Anamae said. “I’ve seen it all before. At this rate, I’ll be the only one who ever will.”