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That night my dreams turned into nightmares, like they had when I was little. I kept seeing the black door with the red X on it. Something was whispering to me from behind that door—something or someone who wanted me to open the door and let them out…
“No!” I protested. I wanted to run from the door and the thing on the other side of it, but some horribly strong force was holding me there. The same force grabbed hold of my hand and I watched in horror as I started reaching for the knob.
This time it would be unlocked. I didn’t know how I knew that, I just knew it. This time the knob will turn and the door would open and the thing on the other side would get me. He would get me.
I saw a flash of a face on the other side—glowing red eyes were staring at me, filled with malevolence and hunger. The thing on the other side of the door was a monster, I suddenly realized. He was a monster and he wanted to eat me up…
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Iwoke myself up thrashing and crying.
“No! No, no—no!”
Then Sebastian was patting my face and mewing anxiously.
I opened my eyes and saw my cat leaning over me, his whiskers twitching with worry.
“Sebastian?” I stared up at him fuzzily as the dream started to fade. “It’s okay—I’m okay,” I told him. I sat up and put a hand to my head. “Ohhhh!”
At first I couldn’t understand why I had such a headache. Maybe it had something to do with the nightmares I’d had last night.
“I had the worst dreams,” I said to Sebastian as I got up and dragged myself out of bed, rubbing my aching temples. “First I dreamed that I took some kind of potion and told Rath all about my terrible dating history. And then I had nightmares about that weird black door with an X on it.” I shivered. “Ugh, I’m so glad they were just dreams and I’m awake now.”
Sebastian mewed doubtfully as I made my way to the bathroom. I stumbled into the shower and cranked the hot water up, hoping the heat would ease the headache. It helped a little and I felt more clearheaded when I finally came out.
I dried off and put on some of my comfy clothes—yoga pants, a t-shirt, and fuzzy socks. It was chilly so I added a soft blue cardigan from my closet. I put my hair up in a messy bun and decided not to bother with make-up. After all, I was staying in today so I wouldn’t be seeing anyone I needed to impress.
I went downstairs and was about to make some coffee when I noticed a pot on the back of the stove. It was half filled with thick, dark purple liquid—almost like a syrup.
“What in the world?” I muttered staring down at the liquid in the pot. It had a strong herbal smell. “What is this? It looks just like the stuff I dreamed about.”
Then I had an awful thought—what if I hadn’t been dreaming? What if I really had taken a potion that made me tell Rath all the awful, ridiculous events of my past attempts to have sex? What if?—?
A rapping on the front door interrupted my thoughts. Who could that be?
Social anxiety gripped me and I thought about just hiding and not answering the door at all. Whoever it was would go away eventually—right?
But then I heard someone calling my name.
“Sarah? Sarah, are you okay?”
The deep, rumbling voice was unmistakable—it was Rath. I felt even more anxious. What if all those details I thought I had dreamed were real? Should I ignore the door? Should I hope he would go away?
“Sarah, it’s Rath,” he called again. “I’m really worried about you. Please let me in so I know you’re okay!”
Sebastian looked up at me and mewed.
I sighed and nodded.
“You’re right. I can’t just leave him out there.”
I went to the front door reluctantly, wishing I had put on some make-up after all. But it was too late now—it was also too late to hope that I hadn’t really made a fool of myself the night before. Though maybe I hadn’t—maybe I had drunk the purple stuff and made the rest of it up in my dreams?
Clinging to that slim hope, I opened the front door and saw Rath standing there with a worried expression on his face.
“Um, hi,” I said uncertainly.
“Are you okay? Can I come in?” he asked.
