Page 72 of See You in Your Dreams

I take a deep breath and try to will Harvey away. The dream refuses to cooperate, the only sign of change a brief shimmer in the air.

Harvey’s accusatory finger pierces the space between us. “I knew you were bad news. All my friends warned me to stay away from you, but I didn’t listen. And now look what happened.Look!”

He twists his arm around to reveal his wrist, and I recoil at the angry red lines crisscrossing it.

“I didn’t do that!” I protest weakly. “T-that’s not my fault!”

“Of course, it is,” Harvey sneers. “Because that’s what you do, isn’t it? You hurt people. People you pretend to care about. I was an idiot to think it would be any different with me.”

I try to ignore his taunts even as they slice into me like well-placed knives.He knows just what to say to hurt you because heisyou. The real Harvey is alive and well back in Maine.

Carefully, I climb out of bed, keeping my distance from the imagined Harvey as I steal a glance toward my closed bedroom door.

When I look back, I find that Harvey’s taken a step toward me. “You’re like a walking plague. Corrupting every good and decent thing you touch.” He takes another halting step. “Your parents,me, Greta, Dylan—we’re nothing but a procession of victims waiting for you to ruin us.”

A tremor racks me. I shake my head, backing slowly toward the door. “No. That’s not true.”

“Oh, but it is!” Step. “Even if you’re too cowardly to face it. But don’t worry.” Fear prickles my skin as Harvey’s face contorts, becoming ghoulish. His eyes gleam with mad fervor. “I’ll make sure you never hurt anyone again.”

He lunges forward with inhuman speed, the shadows distorting his form and elongating his fingers into grasping claws. I hurl myself at the door, scrambling to yank it open.

For a terrifying moment, I think it’s stuck tight, that the dream won’t let me escape. Then, I tumble through the opening, landing hard on a slick floor.

Scrabbling on my butt and hands, I scuttle away, twisting to regard the doorway. It’s gone. Around me stretches the main hallway of Banton High. No sign of Harvey or my room at all.

My heart pounds as I shakily stand, taking a moment to catch my breath. When I’ve shaken off the worst of my adrenaline, I close my eyes and try again to influence the dream. Again, it rebuffs me, slipping right through my metaphorical fingers the same way Greta’s dream had.

I curse under my breath, shoving down the lingering guilt and failure that thoughts of Greta conjure. Dylan must be far gone right now, trapped in the throes of his own nightmare. Our negative energy is feeding off each other, amplifying the effects.Just like with Mom and Harvey.

The only way to snap us out of it is for me to regain enough control to reach him. And for that, I need to focus. No more distractions.

“Hi, Ash.”

I whirl, my heart leaping to my throat. Greta stands in the middle of the previously empty hall. She looks just as Iremember from her final dream, down to the same flower-patterned dress. Her wide grin, however, is frigid, lacking all its characteristic warmth. Goosebumps prickle my arms.

“Greta. What’re you doing here?”

She tilts her head quizzically. “What do you mean? Where else would I be? It’s not like I can go anywhere or do anything since you failed to save me.”

I clench my jaw, resisting the instant flicker of guilt. “That’s not fair. I did everything I could to help you.”

“Did you?” Her mocking laugh grates at my ears. “Just like you did everything you could to return my friendship?” She shakes her head, her smile widening. “Sorry, Ash, but we both know the truth. You never really cared about me. You’ve never really cared aboutanyone.The only person you truly care about is yourself. Why else would you keep letting everyone else down?”

With an enormous effort of will, I wrench my gaze away. Turning my back on her, I start down the hall in the opposite direction, my footsteps echoing off the linoleum. “I’m not going to stand here and debate a figment of my imagination.”

“Because you know I’m right!” she calls after me. “Just like Harvey was right. You’re an emotional vampire, Ash, sucking the life out of everyone who cares about you while giving them nothing in return except empty misery!”

I ignore her, my shoulders tightening at her taunts as I keep walking.

“But don’t takeourword for it! We’re not the first ones you let down, not by a long shot. Why don’t we askherwhat she thinks?”

Her?

“Aaash.” My steps falter as the elongated call echoes down the corridor in front of me, raising the hairs along my arms and the back of my neck. “Oh, Aaash. Where are youuu?”

A horrible wet, slurping noise comes from around a bend in the hall twenty or so feet ahead. I stare at it, bile rising in my throat as the blood curdles in my veins. I will my feet to run, but they remain locked to the linoleum floor.

“My beautiful baby boy,” the gurgling voice croons, growing ever closer. “Oh, how I’ve missed you.”