“Emy, please let me in.”Ari was knocking.
“Is it locked?”Dennis’voice now.“I can break it.”The rattling of his bracelet followed.
“Don’t,”she said.“It’s okay. I’ll wait here. I don’t think she’ll try to hurt herself or anything. You guys can go. She’ll let me in when she’s ready.”
“Are you sure?”Sean’s voice.
Rustling of hair against her shirt as she nodded. Dennis murmured something that sounded equally skeptical, followed by leaving footsteps. Only one pair.
“Dennis, really. You can go. I’ll get you if we need to break the door.”
There was a moment of hesitation before his footsteps followed Sean’s. Several minutes passed before I shakily stood to take an actual shower. I was determined to wash away every trace of the terrible nightmare, so maybe the memory of it would leave too.
A while later Iwas finished. I squeezed my dripping hair over the sink, then stared at my lack of reflection before robotically brushing my teeth. Maybe an hour passed before I opened the door to see Ari sitting across from it.
“Sorry.”I forced asmile.“I had a bad dream.”
“It was more than that. You don’t have to pretend with me.”
“Okay. It was a night terror and when I woke up I had sleep paralysis and thought I was being possessed byademon. I think I’m fine, though. I feel normal again.”
“You thought you were possessed?”she asked.
“What was the nightmare?”Dennisappeared, leaning against the wall a few feet from her.
“Uh. Someone killed Ari,”I started unsurely,“and then it switched to you guys.”I gestured to Dennis and then toward the living room, where Sean and Mateo were talking.“You got tired of me and left for good. Then my aunt and uncle decided they wanted nothing to do with me if Ari wasn’t around anymore and they left too. So I got a gun and I was about to shoot myself in the head when I woke up. Then I couldn’t move and I heard someone screaming and saw a man who looked like a demon staring me down.” I was tearing up again. Vivid images of the dream were coming back.
“You know that would never happen.”Aristood.
“I’m gonna go find clothes.”I walked away before another breakdown could hit.
Mateo and Sean’s conversation stopped when I entered the living room. It was clear in Mateo’s expression that he’d heard what happened.
“Are you feeling any better?”Sean asked.
“Yeah,”I said. “Thanks for checking.” I got clothes from my suitcase, carefully since I was only in a towel, and went back to the hallway where Dennis and Ari were quietly discussing something.
“I’m gonna change in your room,”I told Dennis.
For some reason, the idea of being in there was comforting. I dumped my clothes on his red chair, thensetmy towel on the floor so it wouldn’t get anything wet while I changed. There was a knock on the door just as I was reaching for my shirt.
“Yeah?”
It creaked open and Dennis walked in.“Are you sure you’re okay?”he asked.
“I’ve never had a dream that realistic before,”I said, purposely avoiding his question.“It seemed so real.”
“You know we’re not gonna abandon you.”
There were a few seconds of silence while I tried to believe him. I put my shirt on and straightened my skirt, then gathered my towel and other things. Dennis was carefully watching me and I was carefully avoiding his gaze. I shot him a fleeting smile before leaving the room. This time I didn’t mind when he followed.
“Here.” Aribrought my meds and water the moment we reached the living room.“I just talked to my dad. He’s on the way home, so we should probably head back. I packed our stuff already.”
“Aw, right now?”I pouted. Sean laughed.
“You seem so sad every time you go,”he said.“You guys should just move in.”
I nearly choked on the second pill before saying,“Too soon, too fast. No.”
