CHAPTER ONE

Sara shivers as she finds herself standing in the middle of a unfamiliar clearing. The cold autumn air stings her bare skin, having been wearing only shorts and a plain tee shirt to bed.

She stares at the darkness around her fearfully. A quick look around and she realizes she isn't alone. Fifty yards away, another girl is struggling to her feet.

How did we end up here?

Sara tries to get a better look at the girl, but dark clouds floating overhead hide the moon and swallow the stars until the clearing is bathed in complete darkness. As hard as she tries the only thing she can see is the dark outline of the other girl.

"Who are you?" Sara shouts into the darkness.

Her question goes unanswered as the wind begins howling through the clearing. Leaves and other small debris whip around her, the wind drowning out all the other sounds.

"Are you hurt? Do you know how we got here?"

No matter how hard she tries, her shouting seems useless. She gives up yelling, deciding to go to the girl's aid instead. Sara tries to move, quickly finding herself stuck behind an invisible wall. Try as hard as she could, she cannot break through the strange barrier. No matter what way she turns, she finds herself trapped, like she is stuck inside a box. She begins to feel claustrophobic, beating her fists against the invisible wall over and over, trying to break free.

She slumps against the wall, letting tears fall as she continues beating her fists into the barrier. Light begins to shine down on her as the moon peeks through a break in the clouds.

Panic begins to set in. She freezes as a dark shadow falls over her. Even though she could hear and feel everything around her, her own actions and sounds are muffled.

Sara turns slowly, wondering why she hadn't heard footsteps approaching as she stares at the figure creeping towards her. Her eyes become wide with fear as the guy moves closer and closer to her. On first glance, Sara thinks he is coming for her, but he continues walking. He passes right through Sara as if she wasn't really there, walking straight towards the other girl.

Feeling helpless, all Sara can do is follow him with her eyes as he walks swiftly across the clearing. While her eyes follow the man's movements, her eyes are drawn to a shiny glint in his right hand. A gasp escaped her lips as she saw a large, bone-handled knife in his hand.

"RUN!"

Sara hopes her cry will be carried across the yard, yet she knows the girl won't hear her. She begins to feel an angry fury building up inside her. She has to get free, to help the girl. Her eyes close against her will, hands balling into tight fists. A strong, strange electrical sensation overcomes her. Not knowing what was happening to her, she feels as if she is floating. A loud explosion pierces the silence. Sara feels a strange wave of energy wash over her, knocking her to the ground.

Opening her eyes, she can feel something has changed. She no longer felt trapped.

"RUN!" She cries out again.

For just a moment, the girl's head turns, their eyes locking on one another. Sara knew she had to do something to help her. Before she can do or say anything else, the girl breaks eye contact. The girl's eyes instead lock on the weapon.

Bright beams of silver moonlight bounce off the blade with each step the man takes. As he walks, he moves so he is blocking the girl from Sara's view.

Waves of fear race up Sara's spine as the man grows closer to the girl. The thudding of his boots echoes loudly through her mind. She sees the girl for a moment as the man staggers a bit to his left. The girl shudders, her face contorting with terror as tears trickle from her eyes. Silent pleas lift from her quivering lips.

The man smiles as the girl trembles before him. Taunting her, he raises the knife and chuckles. His lips move, but his voice is indecipherable from where Sara stands.

Sara doesn't trust herself with so much as a breath.

Sara sees the girl's eyes following the path of the blade. They flutter across hers and lock on, traces of hope glistening past the terror she couldn't hide. Sara opens her mouth to speak but the girl breaks eye contact quickly, her focus brought back to the man. She lets a sob escape her lips.

"Please don't do this," the girl begs, her voice is hoarse and airy, lips trembling. "Please let me go!"

The man pauses, rubbing his chin as if he's considering what she said. His lips turn upward into an evil grin, his eyes glimmering with excitement.

"I don't think I will."

Continuing to feel helpless, Sara watches as the man closes the gap between himself and the girl. The girl takes a step back and trips, tumbling onto the grass.

"This should have been done a long time ago," the man says, stopping before the girl. "It will be over soon." He whispers to himself, chuckling.

Sara's heart kick-drums against her chest. Her brain is overcome with one thought.

I have to save this girl.

Her eyes scan the area, searching for anything that would be useful. But she's running out of time and nothing catches her eye in the open field.

Before even she can figure out what she's doing, she's sprinting across the yard. She reaches for his outstretched hand as he turns. Still, he knocks his fist into her chest before she can grab his arm.

She falls hard against the dew-covered grass; the air expelled from her lungs. The man's shadow looms over her as she gasps for air. Her brain struggles to keep up because of the blood pounding in her ears. Her vision becomes blurred by the darkness creeping over her irises. Finally, as her vision clears, she sees his soulless eyes boring holes in her skull.

"How did you get here Sara?"

As he speaks, the smell of alcohol drifts towards her, riding along the wind.

Unable to speak, Sara lays on the grass gasping for air.

He smiles at her pain, bringing his foot up and kicking her in the head. Black appears around her vision as she tries to put the pieces of her mind back together. Comfortable Sara is no longer a threat, he turns his attention back on the other girl.

"Now, where was I?"

Obsessed with the fear in the unknown girl's eyes, he brings the knife back around. Raking the tip of the icy steel down her cheek, he draws blood as her screams pierce the night air. She squirms but he holds her still with his free hand. The knife stops at her neck, and she stiffens, quietly pleading for her life.

Her eyes flick down to Sara whose head is still swimming, her vision blurry and her thoughts jumbled. She attempts to sit up, but she feels weak, so, so weak…

"Help me," the girl whispers, her chapped lips quivering in the moonlight.

He stares into the girl's eyes as he holds the knife just above her navel. "This will be quick. I promise you won't feel a thing."

"NO!"

Sara's weak scream does nothing to assist the girl as he plunges the knife deep into the girl's stomach. The handle makes a sickening thud against her body. Tears gush from Sara's eyes as she reaches toward the girl. Their eyes meet once more while the life drains from the irises of the girl she couldn't save.

"I'm sorry," Sara whispers as blood trickles from the corners of the girl's mouth. "Please forgive me."

The girl sags against the man before he pulls the knife out of her stomach. He shoves her body off him as he wipes the bloody blade against his pant-leg.

With the first part of the task completed, he turns to Sara, surprised to find she is standing. She grits her teeth to ignore the pounding in her head.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I have to set things right."

"You don't have to do this! And you didn't have to kill her!"

"Don't worry, you will join her shortly," he says, a wicked smirk forming along his lips.

Slight tingles of electricity run throughout Sara's frame. She wants to flee, but her body does not obey her. His footsteps seem to grow louder with every passing second.

Why won't my feet move?

"Don't forget to say hello to her for me," his deep voice rasps close to her.

Her knees tremble, legs nearly buckling. Her stomach knots up, tears forming in her eyes. She tries to swallow, only to find her mouth has become dry. She struggles to look away, but every inch of his wretched face takes up her vision. A single shiver runs through her as the knife presses against her neck.

He begins to drag it across her skin. "Goodbye Sara."

Sara is jolted awake, breathing heavy, only to find herself surrounded by darkness. Her body is drenched in an icy sweat. She can feel powerful hands gripping her shoulders, making her wince as sharp nails dig into the soft flesh.

"No! Let me go!"

"Sara, calm down, it was only a dream."

Desperate to be free, she claws at the hands keeping her pinned down, squeezing her shoulders tight. She wants to scream but cannot find her voice, distracted by the pain shooting through her body.

"Sara, honey, calm down."

Her vision comes into focus, adjusting to the darkness. Her mind, however, remains fuzzy, remnants of her dream looping through her thoughts. Realization sinks in as she finds herself awoken from the nightmare. With teary eyes she looks up, surprised to find her mother staring down at her. Traces of concern spreading across her face.

"Mom, what… what's going on?"

"You were having a bad dream sweetie. I just wanted to make sure you are okay"

Sara glances around in a daze. Part of her still thought she was dreaming. Everything had seemed so real to her, too undeniable to be just a dream. Unaware of her movements, Sara's fingers run across her neck, tracing a minor scratch.

She didn't want to believe her nightmare was real.

Dim rays of sunlight shine between her window blinds. They bathe the room in faint light, reminding Sara she needed to get up.

"I'm fine mom," she hisses through clenched teeth, shoving her mother's hands away. "I was having another nightmare."

While she wore a smile to mask her face, Sara knew she wasn't fine. She didn't feel comfortable lying, but she knew she had to. Even though she was grateful that her mom woke her when she did.

Her feelings are torn. Part of her wants to tell her mom about her nightmare, but the other part knows her mom doesn't want to hear about it. The last time they discussed one of her nightmares, her mom became angry, telling Sara never to speak of it again.

"I was about to wake you for school. You wouldn't want to be late, would you?"

"I guess not."

Sara tries hard to push the nightmare aside as she climbs out of bed against her body protesting.

I don't want to go to school today.

"Don't take long, you have school in thirty minutes."

Sara turns around in mid-step only to be blinded by bright light. Her irises sting from the sudden burst of light flooding the room. Instinctively, her eyelids shut, blocking the intruding light.

"Sara."

A familiar voice fills the surrounding space in an airy whisper. The hairs on the back of her neck stand. Shuddering, she opens her eyes and turns her head slightly. Her lips quiver in anticipation and fear as she looks toward the source of the voice. To her surprise, Sara finds herself alone. She hadn't even heard her mom leave.

"It was only a dream," she whispers, trying to convince herself that the voice wasn't real.

She takes several deep, calming breaths and turns towards the dresser only to become paralyzed. Staring at her in the mirror hung above the dresser, face twisted in agony, is the girl from her nightmare.

"Please, you have to save me," the ghostly figure cries out, her voice breaking.

Sara stares at the reflection hesitantly, unable to speak the words floating around in her mind.

This isn't real.

"Please, save me before it's too late."

"This can't be happening! You aren't real."

"You are the only one who can save me."

"How am I supposed to do that? It was just a dream. You don't exist!" Sara screams at the mirror, determined not to let fear control her any longer. "You can't be real!"

She stares unnerved into the girl's eyes, watching as the girl's reflection flickers. A smile forms across Sara's lips as the reflection fades until she is staring at herself once more.

A small, uneasy feeling sits in the pit of her stomach. Hesitantly, she reaches for the mirror. With her fingertips inches from the glass, she freezes. A black mass moves across the mirror. She gasps, her heart thudding as a hand touches her shoulder. She can't move and it wasn't because of the hand holding her still. Her eyes scan the mirror, but there is nothing behind her.

The invisible hand squeezes her shoulder tighter, causing pain to shoot through her back. For a moment the mirror shimmers, and the man from her nightmare appears behind her.

"Thought you could get away so easily," he whispers, laughing loudly. "There is nowhere you can go that I can't find you."

She forces her eyes shut as the pain intensifies, fighting to ignore it.

"Go away! You aren't here!" she screams out, ignoring the pain rippling through her body.

"Sara, snap out of it. There is no one here."

A sense of calmness washes over her as she hears her mother's voice and turns to face her. A sigh escapes her mother's lips as she reads Sara's facial expression.

"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Nothing," Sara lies for the second time that morning. "I don't have time for this. I will be late for school."

Sara knows her mom would be angry if she was late for school. She didn't mean to sound hateful, she just knew her mom would not listen to her. Instead of arguing, she grabs her clothes and storms past her mom. After a quick shower, she dries off and starts getting dressed, trying to push the remnants of her nightmare aside. Just as she slips her tee shirt over her head, her eyes glance across the mirror and she freezes.

There, across the fogged over surface, being scrawled hastily across the glass, three words begin to appear.

HELP ME SARA

Sara yanks a washcloth from the towel rack and wipes the words away with an angry fury. A triumphant smile forms across her lips as the letters disappear. Her smile breaks, however, as the words begin to reappear. Several more times she wipes away the words, only to have them reappear.

"Hurry Sara. We need to leave. NOW!"

Her mother's voice disrupts Sara from her current task. She tries her best to ignore the words on the glass and finishes getting ready, putting her hair in a messy bun before rushing downstairs. She spots her mom standing at the back door. A furious scowl sits upon her face as she stands with her arms folded across her chest. Her foot taps rather impatiently against the floor tiles while waiting for Sara.

"I'm sorry mom, I didn't mean to take so long," Sara says, seeing how upset her mom is. "Can we just go?"

She doesn't wait for her mom to reply. Instead, she grabs her backpack and walks briskly towards the door. Swinging it open a little harder than she intended, she starts out the doorway. With one foot out the door, her mom grabs her arm, spinning her around.

"Sara, there's something you need to know."

"What? What is it?" Sara asks hatefully, trying to yank her arm free. "I'm going to be late."

"Sara, you're..." her mom starts, but pauses. She knew she had to tell Sara the truth about why these things were happening to her, but she couldn't. At least not yet. "Nothing, you look beautiful sweetie. Come on, I will drop you off at school."

Sara couldn't shake the feeling her mom was about to say something important, but she didn't. Instead of questioning it, she just smiles as her mom releases her arm. Once in the car, Sara cranks the volume on the stereo and stares out the window. As hard as she tries to listen to the music playing, her thoughts are louder.

Why is this happening to me?

Images of the nightmare break through her thoughts, replaying the girl's death over and over. No matter how hard she tries, she can't stop thinking about what happened to her.

It had all been so real. How could it have been nothing more than a dream?

Sara feels her eyelids becoming heavy, closing against her will.

"Sara, wake up. We're here."

Sara raises up quickly, thankful her mother's voice had penetrated her thoughts. She grabs the door handle, ready to bail from the car, just wanting to get the day over with.

"Sara, wait."

"What mom, what do you want?"

"Look, I know that nightmare scares you, but it is only a dream. You can't let it keep bothering you."

Sara finds herself at a loss for words. Only mustering a weak half smile, she climbs out of the car. Keeping her head down, she makes her way across the parking lot and into the school building unnoticed.

Why is this happening to me? Why won't this nightmare stop?

"Hey, Sara."

Sara's mind is so clouded by her thoughts she doesn't hear her best friend. Only an ominous shadow creeping towards Sara causes her to look up, bumping into the girl in front of her. She quickly grabs her friend by the arm to steady herself.

"Lexi! I've got to talk to you, now."

Lexi is a shy, quiet girl whose hair, while straightened, wisped around her face. A small strand of her bangs curled down over her left eye. Small, round framed glasses set against the brim of her nose. They gave her that cute, big eyed, adorable look. She was the sweetest girl in the school by far and there was nothing that could dampen her spirits.

The girls had met when Lexi moved to town nearly two years ago, becoming instant friends. Sara has always been able to confide in Lexi and Lexi in Sara. It was just the way it was.

Lexi raises an eyebrow. "All right, what's wrong, more nightmare problems?"

Sara looks around at the crowded halls in a panic, shaking her head slightly. "Shh, not here."

Sara scans the halls quickly, looking for a place they could talk privately. A door beside them squeaks as someone bumps into it. Sara peeks around the doorway, and relief washed over her as it appears to be empty this period. Smiling, she grips Lexi's arm and tugs her into the classroom before slamming the door shut

"Sara, is everything all right?" Lexi asks, noticing the worried expression spreading across Sara's face.

"I'm fine, and yes, I had another nightmare last night. That man was trying to kill that girl again, but it was different this time."

"How was it different from the other nightmares?"

A single tear rolls down Sara's cheek.

"Instead of just watching what was going on from above, I was there with her, trapped in some invisible box. After he killed the girl this time, he turned and came after me. I've never felt so terrified of anything before. He was about to kill me, but I woke up."

"It sounds like these nightmares are starting to get to you."

"If these are just dreams, then why do they feel so real, like I was really living them?"

"Don't let these nightmares get to you. They are just dreams, and dreams cannot hurt you. No matter how scared they make you feel, nothing bad can happen to you."

"If you can't get hurt in a dream, then explain how this cut appeared on the side of my neck. The guy had a knife pressed against my neck. When he began pulling it across my skin, I woke up and there it was. The same cut from the nightmare on my neck, only I didn't cut myself."

Lexi feels confused, trying to find a logical reason for how the cut appeared. But before she can reply the first bell for class rings.

"Come over to my house after school and we will talk about this later," Lexi yells, trying to talk over the bell.

"Alright. Now lets go before we are late for English."

Sara opens the door and they take off sprinting through the halls as the late bell starts to ring. As they round the final corner, they quietly slip inside the classroom, hoping their English teacher doesn't see them. Once seated in the back they sigh with relief, relaxing as they discover the teacher's desk is still empty.

"I wonder where Mrs. Bentley is? She has never been late to her classroom before."

Sara turns slightly in her seat, opening her mouth as if to speak, only to pause as the classroom door opens. Their principal walks into the room followed closely behind by another, taller, figure.

"Class, can I have your attention? Because of unforeseen circumstances, Mrs. Bentley won't be here for several weeks. This man behind me, Mr. Williams, has agreed to be your sub until she returns."

The principal turns and leaves the room quickly, leaving Mr. Williams to teach the class.

"Alright class, I'm sorry your regular teacher couldn't be here but I will try to do my best until she returns..."

His voice falters as Sara looks up at him.

Sara couldn't shake the feeling that she had seen him before. And it wasn't her imagination that everything was growing darker the moment their eyes met.