Chapter Four: Dreams and Questions

Amanda P.O.V

I woke with a gasp, my entire body covered in a cold sweat.

My heart hammered against my ribs as I sat upright in bed.

"Wow," I whispered.

What a dream.

It had felt so real.

So vivid.

I could still see every detail.

Every face.

Every word.

I closed my eyes and immediately found myself back in the dream.

I was standing in the school parking lot, taking deep breaths and trying to calm my nerves.

Tonight was the Sweet Pie Dance.

One of Stone Rock High's oldest traditions.

The girls baked pies and brought them to the dance.

The boys bid on them during a raffle.

Whoever won the pie got to spend the evening dancing with the girl who baked it.

Normally, I wouldn't go.

Normally, I avoided every school event possible.

But somehow, in my dream, I had decided to attend.

I pushed open the gym doors.

The sight took my breath away.

Silver stars sparkled from the ceiling.

Balloons floated high above the dance floor.

Music echoed through the gym as students laughed, danced, and enjoyed themselves.

For once, nobody seemed interested in making my life miserable.

I looked down at myself.

A flowing blue gown draped around my body.

I almost didn't recognize the girl staring back at me.

For the first time in a long time, I felt beautiful.

In my hands sat the pie I had spent hours making.

I carefully carried it toward the approval table where the chaperones inspected each entry.

As I walked through the gym, heads turned.

Some students looked surprised.

Others looked annoyed.

A few looked openly jealous.

I ignored all of them.

Tonight wasn't about them.

Tonight was about enjoying something for once.

I had worked hard on my pie.

Maybe someone would buy a slice.

Maybe someone would bid on the whole thing.

Either way, I was excited.

This was my senior year.

My last chance to experience things that normal students took for granted.

As I approached the pie tables, I spotted my cousin Arica.

She was dancing with her mate, Deeds Oliver.

The two of them looked genuinely happy together.

Arica noticed me and smiled.

"You look beautiful, cuz," she mouthed across the room.

Warmth spread through my chest.

"So do you," I mouthed back.

For a brief moment, things felt normal.

Then reality returned.

"Look, everyone! Humi showed up!"

Laughter erupted from somewhere behind me.

I froze.

"She actually thinks someone will buy her pie!"

More laughter followed.

"Oh, this is priceless."

I lowered my eyes and kept walking.

"Maybe she'll take the pie home and eat the whole thing herself."

"Nobody's bidding on that."

"What a loser."

The words stung.

Even in my dream.

But I refused to let them see it.

I lifted my chin and continued toward the table.

I set down my pie.

Collected my raffle number.

Then made my way toward the bleachers.

I sat alone.

Just like always.

The music played.

Students danced.

The raffle began.

Then someone sat beside me.

I frowned and turned my head.

My breath caught.

Blue-grey eyes.

Sage Stone.

His gaze locked onto mine.

Intense.

Unmoving.

Possessive.

The entire gym disappeared.

The music faded.

The crowd vanished.

Suddenly, it felt like we were the only two people in existence.

"Why did you run away?" he asked softly.

My stomach flipped.

The way he said it sounded almost hurt.

Almost.

Then a slow smile appeared on his face.

"Baby," he murmured.

The nickname sent a shiver through me.

"You know you want it."

My heart pounded.

"You know you'll be mine."

I jolted awake.

Again.

My room came into focus.

The darkness.

The silence.

My racing heartbeat.

"What the hell was that?" I whispered.

The dream felt disturbingly real.

Too real.

I rubbed my face and reached for the lamp.

That's when I noticed something strange.

My shirt had ridden up while I slept.

Far higher than normal.

A chill ran down my spine.

I quickly adjusted it and glanced around my room.

Everything looked normal.

Almost.

My eyes landed on the window.

It was cracked open.

Only slightly.

But enough to let cool air drift inside.

I stared at it.

I could have sworn I had closed it before going to bed.

Slowly, I climbed out of bed and approached it.

The early morning sky was beginning to brighten.

Sunrise painted the horizon in shades of gold and pink.

Yet something felt wrong.

The silence.

There were no birds.

No insects.

No rustling leaves.

Nothing.

It was as if the entire world had stopped making noise.

I quickly shut the window and locked it.

The strange feeling lingered.

My throat suddenly burned.

Dry and painful.

I headed downstairs to the kitchen and poured myself a large glass of water.

The cool liquid helped, but only a little.

Eventually, I returned to my bedroom.

I crawled beneath the blankets and stared at the ceiling.

Sleep refused to come.

My thoughts kept circling back to one person.

Sage Stone.

Tonight was his nineteenth birthday celebration.

The night everyone expected him to discover his mate.

I wondered who it would be.

Vanessa was certainly convinced it would be her.

The thought made my stomach twist.

I couldn't explain why.

Maybe because she would never let anyone forget it.

Maybe because she was horrible.

Or maybe it was because I didn't want to imagine Sage choosing anyone at all.

I groaned and pulled the blanket over my face.

This was ridiculous.

I needed to stop thinking about him.

Needed to stop wondering.

Needed to stop caring.

In a few months, I will graduate.

Then I'd leave Stone Rock behind forever.

Yale was waiting for me.

A new life.

A fresh start.

A place where nobody knew me as Humi.

A place where nobody could tell me who I was allowed to talk to.

Or where I was allowed to sit.

Or how worthless I supposedly was.

Just a few more months.

I could survive a few more months.

Couldn't I?

A tear slipped down my cheek.

Then another.

Before long, I found myself crying quietly into my pillow.

Just like the night before.

And somewhere between tears and exhaustion, I eventually fell asleep once again.

Still wondering why Sage Stone suddenly seemed determined to haunt both my days...

and my dreams.