CHAPTER TWO

Shivers run down Sara's spine as she raises herself up from the ground. For the second time this morning Sara finds herself in a small clearing surrounded by darkness. Again she had no idea how she ended up here. How long had she been asleep? How had someone been able to get her out of the building so easily?

This has to be another dream?

If this was just another dream then why does it feel so real to her?

She could feel the damp grass against her hands as she pushed herself up. Cold air wisped around her. The aroma of wildflowers fills her nostrils. If it hadn't been for the darkness threatening to swallow it up, this meadow might have been a peaceful place to be.

"No!"

Panic fills Sara as a scream pierces the darkness surrounding her.

"Stop this!"

"Get out of my way!"

"I won't let you do this!"

Multiple voices break through the silence. As the darkness recedes, she tries to pinpoint where the shouting was coming from. Just to her left two silhouettes form, fighting amongst each other. As she stares at them, one figure turns and a gasp escaped her lips.

Mr. Williams! What is he doing here? Who is he fighting with?

He shoves the unknown figure to the ground. "Give up! I'm not going to let you harm her."

"You don't understand!" The unknown figure cries out, shoving himself up from the ground. "I don't have a choice, I can't control this!"

He shoves Mr. Williams out of the way with tremendous force before running off into the darkness. Soon the sounds of a struggle drift out of the darkness, echoing all around Sara.

"Noo…Stop!"

A painful scream fills the air. Sara looks for the source of the scream, but there is only darkness around her now.

"Sara? Come on, please wake up."

Lexi's voice rings through her ears as if she is standing beside her.

She can feel herself being shook, subconsciously gripping her shoulders only to discover no one had a hold of her. Harder and harder she gets shook. The darkness starts closing in, sliding across the ground, swallowing anything in its wake. Inch by inch it creeps towards her from all sides until she is cloaked in a black veil. A horrendous laugh fills the air, sending the hairs on the back of Sara's neck to stand on end. Instinctively, she squeezes her eyes shut, trying to will herself to wake up.

"Sara?"

Sara hears the concern in Lexi's voice as she speaks. Slowly opening her eyes, she looks up at Lexi in a daze, shaking her head and looking around the room. She looks around fearfully, nothing seemed familiar. It takes a moment before remembering she was in English when she fell asleep.

"What happened?"

Sara tries remembering what happened to her, but most of the dream is just a blur now. Images of the two men fighting were all that looped through her thoughts. There was also the terrifying scream from a woman and a loud crash. But it was too dark to see much of anything. She did know one thing for sure, Mr. Williams had been there.

Why was Mr. Williams in this dream? Who was he trying to protect?

"It looked like you were daydreaming."

As their eyes lock, Sara notes the worry in Lexi's.

Sara sighs, turning her attention instead to the clock above them while trying to gather her thoughts. 8:55a.m. She smiles slightly, glad to see class was almost over. With only five minutes to spare, she begins putting her things away.

"I don't know what happened. One second I'm fine, and the net I'm asleep. At least class is almost over."

"Finished with the lesson already?"

Sara jumps, looking up to find Mr. Williams standing sternly in front of her.

"Um..."

"Well why don't we just see how well you did then."

Not knowing what to do, she turns to Lexi panic-stricken, looking to her for help but Lexi just sits there looking from Mr. Williams to Sara. She couldn't help but wonder why he was acting this way towards Sara. With no other options, Sara slowly turns to face him.

"I'm sorry, I got distracted. What was it we were supposed to do?"

Mr. Williams continues staring down at her sternly, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Weren't you paying any attention to anything I was saying throughout class?"

Sara shakes her head, continuing to look frightened. "No, I'm really sorry. I think I passed out."

Seeing how mad he seemed to be, she decided to be as honest as she could with him. For an instant she could almost see worry flash across his face. Whatever she thought she had seen quickly disappears as he looks from the front of the classroom then back to her.

"I will not tolerate excuses, I said to read pages 123 through 146 then do all six of the essay questions about the story."

"Yes sir."

Before he can say anything back the bell rings, dismissing class. He glares at Sara for a moment before finally dismissing her. Sara grabs her backpack and hurries from the room, trying to shake the fear she was filled with.

Her next three classes seem to drag by slowly. As hard as she tries to concentrate on what the teachers were saying, her thoughts kept distracting her. She couldn't make sense of why Mr. Williams was in this dream. As the images play through her mind she tries slowing them down. She tries to make sense of what she saw, but Mr. Williams is the only thing she can see clearly.

Frame by frame she tries to make out who he I fighting with but the other figure remains a dark silhouette. She let the dream replay once more; the ear piercing scream makes her cringe. The voice seemed familiar to her, yet she couldn't think of who it was.

Tears form in her eyes as the scream fills her head once more. She squeezes her eyes shut, trying to clear her head without success. Just when she feels like trying to flee from her thoughts the lunch bell rings, thankfully saving her from her thoughts. She follows the rest of the class into the hall, glad to see Lexi leaning against a roll of lockers waiting for her.

"Finally, come on, I'm starving." Lexi chimes as Sara walks over to her. "How about you?"

"Yeah, I could eat." Sara replies weakly.

Even though she doesn't say it, she doesn't feel like eating at the moment. She drops her head slightly, walking quietly with Lexi as they grab some food and head out into the lunch room.

"Well someone seems distracted," one of the kids at the table says. "What's wrong Sara?"

"I'm fine."

Not wanting to talk, she pushes her tray to the middle of the table and lays her head down against the cold steel.

"Are you sure you're okay? Do you want me to get the nurse for you?"

His voice is quiet, as if speaking just above a whisper to her. Though she can hear the worry in his voice, she doesn't answer him. Instead, she just shakes her head no and closes her eyes.

"Sara are you okay?" he tries again.

"Look Chris, she's fine. Now leave her alone." Lexi yells at the boy. "She just needs to rest."

Sara tunes them out, letting herself slip towards unconsciousness once more. Soon they sound far away, their voices growing fainter and fainter until she is alone.

"Sara."

Her peace is only momentarily. She bolts upright upon hearing the girl's voice from her nightmare. Panic fills her, finding the girl standing mere inches from the table. She couldn't shake the feeling that whenever this girl was near, that man would soon show up. Her eyes scan the surrounding area, but there is no one else around, only darkness.

The lunchroom had seemingly vanished, only the table she was at seemed to remain as the darkness surrounds them.

"Who are you?" Sara asks, caution in her voice as she looks at the girl fearfully. "Why is it I keep having these… dreams about you?"

The girl simply smiles, bringing out a photo and reaching it to Sara.

"I am your sister. Now please I don't have much time, you have to figure out how to save me before it's too late."

With trembling hands, Sara reaches her own hand out, taking the photo from the girl. Instead of looking at it, however, her attention remains on the girl. She wanted answers for what was going on, but she knew these visions were just dreams.

The darkness around them shimmers and begins to disappear in chunks. Images of the crowded lunchroom begin reemerging. Sara's attention is brought back to the girl once more in time to see her fading away as well.

"Please hurry before it's too late."

His voice rings through Sara's mind as the lunchroom returns to normal.

Sara blinks several times, looking around the table to find her friends all staring at her with the same worrisome eyes.

"Sara, what's wrong?"

"She told me I have to save her."

She keeps her voice barely above a whisper so only Lexi will be able to hear her. It was nothing personal, she just didn't want the others to know.

She feels something in her hands and glance down. A slight gasp leaves her lips. She is shocked to discover the photo the girl had given her in her hands.

Where did this come from?

Lexi looks at her friend with worry before following her gaze to the photo in Sara's hands.

"Where did that come from?"

Sara tries to keep her face expressionless as she looks at the photo.

"The girl handed it to me in my dream."

"How is that possible?"

"I don't know, but I have to save her before it's too late. There isn't much time left." Sara replies, not caring how crazy she sounded.

A few tears roll down her cheeks as she looks at Lexi. As their eyes lock, Lexi smiles and places a hand on Sara's shoulder.

"Don't worry Sara, we will be here for you," Lexi whispers.

For some reason her voice sounds different to Sara.

Sara feels frightened when Lexi uses we instead of I but she doesn't say anything, For an instant Lexi's eyes flash, changing to a dark yellow. Lexi shakes her head slightly and looks at Sara, feeling momentarily confused.

"Don't worry, I will help you figure this out."

Sara lets her gaze fall back to the photo, wiping the tears from them as she tries smiling.

"Thanks, I don't think I can do this alone. Now come on, let's go before we are late for our classes."

Sara stands up quickly, heading towards the trash cans to throw away her untouched food. The girls leave the cafeteria then, heading towards their classrooms.

"Well Lexi, I will see you after school."

"Alright see you after school."

Sara stands at her classroom door, waiting until Lexi disappears around the corner before entering. She ignores the stares and whispers as she sits in the back. Her eyes are drawn to the picture once more.

How could I have forgotten you?

A smile forms along her lips as she stares at the picture curiously. Her mind, however, remains clouded with unanswered questions.

It doesn't seem to be long before school is over.

As the dismissal bell rings, Sara rushes out into the hall to wait on Lexi. After a few minutes pass, she smiles, seeing Lexi heading towards her. They exit the school and begin walking down the street towards Lexi's.

Lexi pauses as they start up the long hill towards her house, turning to look at Sara with worried eyes.

"So, you want to tell me what's really going on with you?"

"I don't know how to explain it."

"Well what was that about this morning when you fainted in English, then again in the lunchroom?"

"Look I don't know how to explain what is happening to me." Sara puts the photo from her pocket and stares at the girls with teary eyes. "The only thing I know for sure is that I am supposed to save the girl in my dreams before something bad happens to her."

"How exactly did that photo suddenly appear in your hands?"

As Lexi looks into Sara's eyes, a look of concern begins spreading across her face.

"I really don't know. The girl gave it to me in the dream and when I woke, I was somehow holding it. It really didn't feel like a dream. It was like I went somewhere else when I laid my head on the table."

Lexi doesn't know what to say, confused by what Sara was saying. Before she can reply, Sara shoves the photo back in her pocket and heads on up the hill. She stares through the rot-iron fence surrounding the house fearfully while waiting for Lexi to catch up. For some reason the place felt really familiar to her.

"Is everything okay?"

Lexi's voice startles Sara. She jumps, turning slightly to see Lexi unlocking the gate.

"Yeah, everything is fine."

Sara shivers as she follows Lexi through the gate. She can't help but to take in every spine tingling detail around her.

The house itself loomed over them, a two story Victorian manor that might have once been magnificent in its glory days. But over time it has become rundown, on the verge of being condemned. While the window panes seemed fairly newer, the shutters around them were tattered, some broken at the hinges, others completely broken off. The siding, old boards rotting away; large chunks of paint peeling off in spots.

To Sara, it reminded her of a spooky haunted house. You know the kind you seen in horror movies. To complete the spookiness, a large rotting oak tree stood in the front yard. To the right, the remains of an old swing set stood, rotting away among the thick vines covering it. Swings lay on the ground, partially sunk into the dirt. Past the swing set, at the base of the tree-line, were the remains of two rusted up cars. As they walked up the cobblestone drive, Sara couldn't help but notice it was growing darker around the house.

"Lexi why do you have to live in the creepiest house in town?"

"My parents aren't normal," Lexi smirks. "My mom loves buying these rundown dumps and fixing them up."

Lexi unlocks the front door quickly, her eyes darting across the yard as she steps inside with Sara. Once inside, Sara is surprised, gasping as she looks around in amazement. Despite how rundown the house appeared from the outside, everything on the inside looked brand new.

"Come on, let's go up to my room. We can play on my Xbox."

"Alright but can you get me something to drink first?"

Lexi just nods and heads into what Sara assumed was the kitchen.

"There's a couple sodas, I hope that is okay. One is a dr. pepper and the other is mountain dew, which do you want Sara?" Lexi cries out from the kitchen.

"Um... mountain dew sounds good." Sara hears the fridge door slam and begins feeling dizzy. "I feel like I'm going to..."

Sara doesn't get to finish her sentence. She sways, falling forward as Lexi walks back into the living room. Lexi drops the sodas as she rushes to Sara's aid, trying to catch her before she hits the floor. Her attempt is unsuccessful, however, as Sara's body slams against the floor, knocking her unconscious.

Lexi drops to the floor quickly, her eyes filled with concern as she checks to make sure Sara is still breathing.

"Sara, come on, please wake up."

Even though Sara can hear Lexi's voice, she cannot force herself to wake. As hard as she tries, she can't muster the strength to wake up. The familiar darkness is around her once again, pulling her further and further from reality. It isn't long before she can't hear Lexi's voice anymore.

Faint laughter begins flowing from within the darkness.

Hearing heavy footsteps heading towards her, she scurries to her feet and turns. Part of her was half hoping to see the girl from her previous dreams walking towards her. Instead however, she finds herself face to face with the guy that had tried to kill her.

"You won't be able to stop me. You couldn't save that girl, she's already gone and you will be joining her soon."

A sinister laugh escapes his lips as she stares at him wide eyed with fear. He is so close to her now.

Her heart starts slamming rapidly against her chest.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Why? You want to know why I am doing this? You and your sister are mistakes. You shouldn't have been born that night and now I am going to right that wrong before it's too late."

My sister? So she was telling the truth.

Her fear rises as she sees him pull out the hunting knife. Her eyes become transfixed on the bloodstained blade. She tries backing away only to find it has become impossible for her to move. Some kind of invisible force was holding her still.

The man swings the knife at her with great force. Sara's instincts kick in and she throws her arms up protectively.

"You don't have to do this!"

"Yes I do, I have no other choice!"

Sara lets out a scream as the blade slices through her sleeve and across her upper arm.

"There's always another choice!"

"You two are mistakes, I have to fix this!"

"What are you talking about?" Sara stares up at the man fearfully as he prepares to swing the knife again. "Why are you saying I'm a mistake?"

"You were supposed to be sacrificed. I shouldn't have let you live for this long."

The man grips the handle tighter, beginning to swing at her again. Sara braces herself as she holds her arms up again. Suddenly everything starts to spin. Sara feels herself being ripped from the strange place she was in.

"No!" he screams out, trying to grab Sara only to find his hand passes through her. "No! I had you!"

His voice disappears as Sara becomes enveloped by darkness. Soon the darkness fades and she finds herself staring into Lexi's worried face. She can feel water running down her face, dripping off her chin and creating a puddle on the floor. Lowering her gaze, she finds an empty water pitcher in Lexi's hands.

"I wish you would have done that a little sooner."

Sara sounds madder then she really is as water continues to drip onto the floor. She shakes her head, slinging water everywhere as she tries to stand. She sways, starting to fall again but Lexi wraps an arm around her quickly, steadying her.

"I'm sorry. I tried shaking you but it didn't seem to work this time. It sounded like you were in trouble so I did the only other thing I could think of."

"I was in trouble. I have to figure out what exactly is going on and why, fast. I feel like there isn't much time left."

Something wet begins trickling down her arm. Thinking it was only water, Sara glances down to see blood seeping from a small gash across her arm. A single blood trail runs down her arm and drips from her fingertips onto the floor.