The Dreamstalker by Barbara Steiner Page B

guess it was supposed to look like blood. But there were no wounds. We can’t determine how she died.”
    â€œShe was scared.” Karen said that without thinking.
    â€œWhat do you think she was scared of?”
    â€œThe sharks. She was always afraid of sharks. She had to leave the room when we watched Jaws that time. She couldn’t sit through it. She got really scared, just like last night.”
    â€œKaren, you aren’t making sense. How could you know that Alysia was scared?”
    â€œI just know she was.” Karen knew. “She was scared in my dream.”
    â€œWhat did you talk about before you went to sleep? Did you talk about sharks or whales?”
    â€œNo. We talked about how mad Bill was.”
    â€œWho’s Bill?”
    â€œHer boyfriend. They had a fight.”
    â€œWould he be angry enough to hurt her?”
    â€œBill? No, of course not. Bill wouldn’t hurt Alysia. He liked her. He would have apologized tomorrow. Now he can’t. He can’t ever tell her he’s sorry.”
    Another policeman interrupted them. “There’s no sign of a break-in. We can’t find any way the killer got in.”
    The killer? Karen became alert for a moment. “You think someone came in here and killed her?”
    â€œIt looks that way. What do you think, Karen? Can you think of anyone who would want to kill Alysia?”
    The room was full of shadows. The heat clicked on, water gurgled in the pipes. She shivered. She was cold, so cold. She sank down into a waking dream state. “She was scared. Alysia was so scared.”
    â€œCarter, have Dr. Longly come in here. I think this girl’s going into shock.”
    Before the doctor could come, Captain Martin asked a few more questions. “Karen, don’t you think it’s strange that three people that you know have died recently?”
    â€œYes, that’s very strange. Gordon was scared, too. I don’t think Jesse was. He was used to having tigers run toward him.”
    â€œWhat do you mean? Why did you say that? Did you dream about Jesse the night he died?”
    â€œI dreamed about Jesse. I fell asleep while I was beside his bed. I shouldn’t have done that. But I thought he was going to be all right. They all ran at him, but the black tiger killed him.”
    â€œCan you tell me that dream about Jesse, Karen?”
    He talked to her as if she was about five years old. She wasn’t. She was seventeen. She was a senior in high school. She was going to graduate and go to college next fall. But Jesse wasn’t going to get to go with her.
    â€œJesse can’t go with me. To college. Neither can Alysia now. I’ll have to go by myself. Or maybe I’ll let Kerr come with me after all. I wanted him to go to a different college.”
    â€œKerr is your brother?”
    â€œYes, we’re twins.”
    â€œDo you think she’s hallucinating, Doctor?”
    â€œI’m not sure. Let’s keep her covered up.”
    Karen could hear everything that was said around her. She just didn’t care. She felt something cool on her arm, smelled a hospital smell, felt a slight prick on the inside of her arm.
    Captain Martin asked one more question before she started to feel sleepy. “Do you know how someone got in here tonight, Karen?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œDo you know how someone got into Gordon Anderson’s house?”
    â€œI told you once. Through the window.”
    Voices all mumbled together. The faces before her blurred. She wasn’t going to have any trouble falling asleep tonight. Sometimes she had trouble falling asleep, but not tonight. It would be nice to get a good night’s sleep—without dreaming.
    She wasn’t going to dream anymore. She didn’t like dreaming. Dreams were too frightening. She was never going to dream anything again.

Chapter 13
    Alysia Holland died of natural causes.
    That was the news Mrs. Holland called