froze.
“Quinn?”
“I’m here.” He knew. He had to know. Why else would he say that? Or maybe he could read her mind. A mix of anxiousness and excitement gripped her.
“Dreams?”
“Yeah, you know, dreams. Those things you have at night while you sleep?”
Was he fishing? “Try nightmare.”
Another long pause.
“A bad one?”
Quinn wished he would change the subject. She wanted to talk about it, but she didn’t know how. Her leg trembled as the urge to trust him intensified.
“No worse than usual.” She pulled at a strand of short hair that fell across her eye and decided just to blurt it out. “The weird thing was … you were there. It was so real, you know, like you were really there. I felt your hand and heard your voice as clear as I’m hearing it now. You’re not a dream-walker or something out of a sci-fi movie are you?” A nervous giggle escaped her lips.
Silence.
“Crazy, right?”
Silence.
“Aaron? Are you there?”
Dial tone.
“Shit.”
Then her phone buzzed with a new message.
UNKNOWN 11:38 AM: HE CAN’T HELP YOU.
Quinn stared at the message. Her hands shook as she typed.
WHO IS THIS?
UNKNOWN 11:39 AM: YOU KNOW WHO WE ARE, QUINN. HE CAN’T HELP YOU. HE DOESN’T HAVE THAT KIND OF POWER. NOBODY DOES.
UNKNOWN 11:40 AM: EARTH TO EARTH
UNKNOWN 11:40 AM: ASHES TO ASHES
UNKNOWN 11:40 AM: DUST TO DUST
UNKNOWN 11:40 AM: EVERYONE DIES.
UNKNOWN 11:40 AM: HE CAN’T HELP YOU!!!!
UNKNOWN 11:40 AM: HE CAN’T HELP YOU!!!!
UNKNOWN 11:40 AM: HE CAN’T HELP YOU!!!!
She dropped the phone and jumped on the bed, covering her ears as dozens of new messages flooded the mobile. It tapped and danced across the wood floor.
“You don’t scare me.” She hoped the waver in her voice didn’t give away her false bravado. “Leave me alone! You don’t scare me!”
The phone shuddered two more times, spasming like a dying fish before coming to rest in a pool of light on the opposite side of the room. Her heart hammered. She scanned the corners, waiting for something else to happen.
Ten minutes passed. The sun grew brighter, and her breathing steadied. She climbed from her perch and warily approached the now-silent phone. She kicked it, drawing her foot back in case it jumped to life. When it didn’t bite her, she picked it up and turned it over. She clicked the message tab and scrolled through texts from her mom, Teresa, and Aaron. The mysterious texts had vanished.
A giggle bubbled to the surface before exploding from her lips. She was cracking up. Glancing around the room, she laughed again, falling into a heap on the floor. The whole scenario was ridiculous—dark visitors, demon texts, mysterious boys from school saving her from her nightmares—all of it too bizarre to be real.
“A phone malfunction.” She pointed at her shadow. “You’re just my imagination gone wild.” She giggled again. “You don’t scare me, you’re not even real.” She repeated the mantra over and over as she rushed to get dressed. The words steadied the creepy feeling crawling over her skin.
***
“Hello? Quinn? Can you hear me?” She was gone. “Shit.” Aaron pulled the phone from his ear and checked the settings. Full reception, over half battery life. He redialled her number.
“This person is not accepting calls at this time,” the cold female robot on the other end informed him.
Aaron checked the number and tried again. “This person is not accepting calls at this time.” Quinn had deliberately blocked his call.
First, he’d saved her from cracking her head open in the hallway. Then, he’d changed her tire, rescued her from a crazy dream, and ditched class to answer her text only to have her hang up on him in the middle of the conversation and then block his number from her phone. He shoved his cell in his pocket and kicked the stall door shut. It thudded against the latch, bounced back, and thudded again.
“I am so over it.” He stood in front of the mirror and splashed cold water over
“Quinn?”
“I’m here.” He knew. He had to know. Why else would he say that? Or maybe he could read her mind. A mix of anxiousness and excitement gripped her.
“Dreams?”
“Yeah, you know, dreams. Those things you have at night while you sleep?”
Was he fishing? “Try nightmare.”
Another long pause.
“A bad one?”
Quinn wished he would change the subject. She wanted to talk about it, but she didn’t know how. Her leg trembled as the urge to trust him intensified.
“No worse than usual.” She pulled at a strand of short hair that fell across her eye and decided just to blurt it out. “The weird thing was … you were there. It was so real, you know, like you were really there. I felt your hand and heard your voice as clear as I’m hearing it now. You’re not a dream-walker or something out of a sci-fi movie are you?” A nervous giggle escaped her lips.
Silence.
“Crazy, right?”
Silence.
“Aaron? Are you there?”
Dial tone.
“Shit.”
Then her phone buzzed with a new message.
UNKNOWN 11:38 AM: HE CAN’T HELP YOU.
Quinn stared at the message. Her hands shook as she typed.
WHO IS THIS?
UNKNOWN 11:39 AM: YOU KNOW WHO WE ARE, QUINN. HE CAN’T HELP YOU. HE DOESN’T HAVE THAT KIND OF POWER. NOBODY DOES.
UNKNOWN 11:40 AM: EARTH TO EARTH
UNKNOWN 11:40 AM: ASHES TO ASHES
UNKNOWN 11:40 AM: DUST TO DUST
UNKNOWN 11:40 AM: EVERYONE DIES.
UNKNOWN 11:40 AM: HE CAN’T HELP YOU!!!!
UNKNOWN 11:40 AM: HE CAN’T HELP YOU!!!!
UNKNOWN 11:40 AM: HE CAN’T HELP YOU!!!!
She dropped the phone and jumped on the bed, covering her ears as dozens of new messages flooded the mobile. It tapped and danced across the wood floor.
“You don’t scare me.” She hoped the waver in her voice didn’t give away her false bravado. “Leave me alone! You don’t scare me!”
The phone shuddered two more times, spasming like a dying fish before coming to rest in a pool of light on the opposite side of the room. Her heart hammered. She scanned the corners, waiting for something else to happen.
Ten minutes passed. The sun grew brighter, and her breathing steadied. She climbed from her perch and warily approached the now-silent phone. She kicked it, drawing her foot back in case it jumped to life. When it didn’t bite her, she picked it up and turned it over. She clicked the message tab and scrolled through texts from her mom, Teresa, and Aaron. The mysterious texts had vanished.
A giggle bubbled to the surface before exploding from her lips. She was cracking up. Glancing around the room, she laughed again, falling into a heap on the floor. The whole scenario was ridiculous—dark visitors, demon texts, mysterious boys from school saving her from her nightmares—all of it too bizarre to be real.
“A phone malfunction.” She pointed at her shadow. “You’re just my imagination gone wild.” She giggled again. “You don’t scare me, you’re not even real.” She repeated the mantra over and over as she rushed to get dressed. The words steadied the creepy feeling crawling over her skin.
***
“Hello? Quinn? Can you hear me?” She was gone. “Shit.” Aaron pulled the phone from his ear and checked the settings. Full reception, over half battery life. He redialled her number.
“This person is not accepting calls at this time,” the cold female robot on the other end informed him.
Aaron checked the number and tried again. “This person is not accepting calls at this time.” Quinn had deliberately blocked his call.
First, he’d saved her from cracking her head open in the hallway. Then, he’d changed her tire, rescued her from a crazy dream, and ditched class to answer her text only to have her hang up on him in the middle of the conversation and then block his number from her phone. He shoved his cell in his pocket and kicked the stall door shut. It thudded against the latch, bounced back, and thudded again.
“I am so over it.” He stood in front of the mirror and splashed cold water over
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