was amazing how much that fact comforted him.
He was in bed. Another dream? This was by far the strangest of the bunch.
Then he felt a movement on the other side of the bed. Hurriedly he jumped up, throwing off the blankets, and rushed to turn on the light.
It was Rose's room. He stared in amazement. How had he gotten here?
Rose sat up in her bed, rubbing her eyes. She blinked a couple times, and then her eyes opened wide.
"Billy!" she exclaimed, rushing over to where he was standing. "Billy, where did you go? I was so worried." She paused, tilted her head, and added, "Also, why are you in my bedroom?"
"I-I don't know." He stammered.
"Is this like the time that you tried to convince me you could teleport, but really you were just sneaking around everywhere wearing black for a week like a ninja?"
"No. And I wasn't sneaking around. I was trying to move through shadows." Saying it out loud made it seem silly, "Anyway, that was a long time ago."
"Last summer I think..."
"A long time!" Arguing with Rose was oddly comforting, but the dread had not quite disappeared. He sat down heavily on her bed, not even noticing as a stuffed animal fell off and plopped onto the floor.
"What's wrong?" Rose asked, sitting down next to him.
"Rose, when did you last see me?" Maybe it had all been a dream. He hoped desperately that Rose would tell him that she'd seen him at school and that he had gone home.
"At the aquarium. You disappeared! It was so scary! And Mrs. Mckillop's boyfriend was a mermaid, only really he was a merman but he said that it was the same thing..."
Billy stopped listening. It wasn't a dream. A little bubble of fear started building inside of him, trying to overwhelm him. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears.
"Billy! You have that look on your face that means you aren't listening to what I am saying. Billy, what happened to you? You look pale and sick like that time you tried to eat raw rat intestines."
"Something happened in that pool Rose. I think that maybe I almost died. It felt like I had died. I burned and I burned and still I was there. And then-" He stared at his hand, still amazingly attached to him, "Then I was here. Just like that."
He was in bed. Another dream? This was by far the strangest of the bunch.
Then he felt a movement on the other side of the bed. Hurriedly he jumped up, throwing off the blankets, and rushed to turn on the light.
It was Rose's room. He stared in amazement. How had he gotten here?
Rose sat up in her bed, rubbing her eyes. She blinked a couple times, and then her eyes opened wide.
"Billy!" she exclaimed, rushing over to where he was standing. "Billy, where did you go? I was so worried." She paused, tilted her head, and added, "Also, why are you in my bedroom?"
"I-I don't know." He stammered.
"Is this like the time that you tried to convince me you could teleport, but really you were just sneaking around everywhere wearing black for a week like a ninja?"
"No. And I wasn't sneaking around. I was trying to move through shadows." Saying it out loud made it seem silly, "Anyway, that was a long time ago."
"Last summer I think..."
"A long time!" Arguing with Rose was oddly comforting, but the dread had not quite disappeared. He sat down heavily on her bed, not even noticing as a stuffed animal fell off and plopped onto the floor.
"What's wrong?" Rose asked, sitting down next to him.
"Rose, when did you last see me?" Maybe it had all been a dream. He hoped desperately that Rose would tell him that she'd seen him at school and that he had gone home.
"At the aquarium. You disappeared! It was so scary! And Mrs. Mckillop's boyfriend was a mermaid, only really he was a merman but he said that it was the same thing..."
Billy stopped listening. It wasn't a dream. A little bubble of fear started building inside of him, trying to overwhelm him. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears.
"Billy! You have that look on your face that means you aren't listening to what I am saying. Billy, what happened to you? You look pale and sick like that time you tried to eat raw rat intestines."
"Something happened in that pool Rose. I think that maybe I almost died. It felt like I had died. I burned and I burned and still I was there. And then-" He stared at his hand, still amazingly attached to him, "Then I was here. Just like that."
