“I’m waking up. Meet us in Vancouver! And no more stabbing Maxine,” I shouted atRonnie.
Ronnie just shook her head, but a smile graced herface.
We’d made it. Another day, another Dream War, and we were allalive.
* * *
When I woke up,I immediately turned next to me to look for Damien, or a stranger, or whatever scenario it would be this time, but the bed was empty. Sitting up, I glanced around the room and chills broke out on myarms.
What the hell? It couldn’tbe….
A framed picture of a fourteen-year-old me, in army fatigues and holding a gun at the cadet academy sat on the nightstand. My heart was racing inside my chest. Pulling my legs over the edge of the bed, I stood and threw the door open wide, following the sounds that were coming from the kitchen. I ran through the hallway, took a left at the end and found Damien sitting with my mom, and one of her roommates at the kitchen table, enjoying a cup ofcoffee.
“Kitty!” my mom shrieked. She was wearing cutoff jean shorts and a black AC/DC T-shirt, sporting a gnarly red rash on herarm.
“Mom!”
She slammed into me with the tightest mom hug known to man. My mother was strong, inside and out, and sometimes her hugs bordered on bone-crushing.
“We’re in Miami?” I asked, bewildered. This couldn’t be an accident, couldit?
My mom put a hand on her hip and pulled out a skinny cigarette from behind her ear. “Imagine my surprise when I wake up to this handsome hunk in my bed.” She motioned to Damien, who grinned ear to ear. My mom’s best friend and roommate, Birdie, gave a catcall whistle, and passed a bottle of red wine to my mom. It was 5:00a.m.
“Yeah… this is my friend Damien. My client, actually,” Iexplained.
My mom raised an eyebrow. “Oh, is that so? Because he said you guys weredating.”
My cheeks flamed red and Damien grinned wider. He was enjoyingthis.
“Well… he has yet to actually take me on a date,” I said, flustered, and when the wine made its way to me, I poured myself a glass. I was not ready for Damien to meet my mother and her crazyfriends.
“Tell me more,” Birdie chimed in, resting her chin on her hands, and blinking up at mebashfully.
I knocked back the glass of wine in one big swallow and laughed nervously again. “Did you guys see the giants?” I changed thesubject.
My mom’s expression darkened, her long stringy blonde hair shaking as she nodded. “Evil, evil bastards. I shot his dick off and it grewback!”
Damien winced, grabbing hisgroin.
“Geez, Mom.” My mom was Maxine’s level of hardcore, and then maybe even a few levels above that. She didn’t give two shits about anything, except her friends andme.
I motioned to her arm. “Whathappened?”
She waved me off and started to cook something on the stove. “Sentry blood. Nothing I can’thandle.”
Damien’s phone rang then, and he answered it with a “Hey, buddy. Where areyou?”
Jeremy.
My heart pinched, and I held my breath as I listenedin.
“What? The old house on Rosecreek Lane?” His eyes flicked up to meet mine, his expression wide-eyed andfearful.
Damien told Jeremy he was sending the jet for him and then hungup.
“What happened?” I stepped closer to him while Birdie watched on, as if waiting for us to start making out orsomething.
“Jeremy woke up next to Josephine,” he toldme.
