Carmine stood in the forest, alone. The moon barely penetrated through the thick leaves. Up ahead was the road at the edge of town. The fog started to roll in, and her heart started to pound. It was happening again.
This time, Carmine didn’t waste any time. She knew what was going to happen, and she wasn’t going to wait around another minute. She turned down the hill and started to run like her life depended on it. Which, of course, it did.
She heard the thundering of hooves on the pavement behind her, but Carmine didn’t dare look. She just kept running. She heard that familiar laugh behind her, and a raspy voice screeched out at her.
“Run!”
And Carmine did. She sprinted as hard as she could, but she knew it still wasn’t enough. How could she ever hope to outrun a demonic horse? But she had to try. She ran past tree after tree, straining to hear the sound of hooves closing in on her. She didn’t hear anything, but that didn’t mean she was safe.
Finally, when she couldn’t take it anymore, Carmine turned around. Her lungs felt like they were on fire, and she couldn’t imagine taking another step. What was the point, anyway? She knew she was done for. She leaned wearily against a tree, trying her best to brace herself for the inevitable attack.
The horse hadn’t moved from the road. The horseman just stood there, his slimy green-white head leering at her. It was as if he enjoyed watching her run away, trying pathetically to avoid him. Carmine closed her eyes, waiting for him to charge down on her like he always did.
“Come on – hurry.” someone said beside her. Carmine opened her eyes in surprise as whoever it was grabbed her hand.
A boy Carmine had never seen before was staring at her with the most intense blue eyes she’d ever seen. He pulled her up out of the dirt and they ran.
Carmine had never run so fast in her life. But with this boy by her side, it seemed so effortless. And for once, running didn’t seem futile. Hand in hand they hurried through the darkness, never looking back.
They kept running, dodging between trees and jumping over rocks that littered the forest floor. Even the creek that ran through the middle of the forest didn’t stop them. Carmine could hear the pounding of hoof beats and the dried-up laughter from that horrible head in the rider’s hand. But instead of making her stop, it only inspired her to run faster. They hit the bank of the creek and Carmine could feel the horse’s breath hot on the back of her neck.
In one smooth motion, Carmine and the boy jumped over the water and landed safely on the other side. The horse neighed angrily and the head made a kind of shrieking howl. Carmine had expected the horseman to follow them, but he didn’t. She stared, transfixed at the sight. The horse stalked back and forth on the other side of the creek, reminding Carmine of a lion. Its nostrils flared as the horseman sneered wickedly. Still, they didn’t cross the creek. Why not?
“Let’s go.” the boy told her with finality, putting his arm around her shoulder. He led her farther into the woods, away from the creek and the demon lurking on the other side.
“Thank you.” Carmine said as the rider’s shrieks finally started to fade away. She couldn’t even begin to explain how glad she was that he’d been there – he’d saved her life. The boy smiled warmly at her.
“You’re safe now.” he said, and his conviction was so strong that for once Carmine actually believed it.
“But why didn’t he follow us?” Carmine asked. She didn’t want to seem ungrateful or anything, but she was pretty sure a Dullahan could jump a little creek like that.
“Because you didn’t want him to.” the boy said simply, as if that explained everything.
“What?” she asked, confused.
“It’s just a dream, remember? And if you don’t want him to follow you, he can’t.”
“A dream?” Carmine asked, knitting her brow. Then, she remembered. She’d had this same dream dozens of times before. But she hadn’t wanted the rider to follow her any of those times either. And that sure didn’t seem to stop him then. So what was different about this time?
“Just a dream.” the boy repeated. “Remember, nightmares can only bother you if you let them.”
“So…who are you?” Carmine asked. He sure didn’t seem like any dream she’d ever had before.
The boy just looked at her with those deep blue eyes and smiled. Carmine’s heart started beating faster. Slowly, he leaned closer to her, until his face was only inches away from hers. He smelled intoxicatingly like cinnamon. She sure hoped this wasn’t a dream. He smiled for just an instant, and Carmine felt her knees start to go weak. He put his arm around her to steady her. Then, he leaned in and kissed her.
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Carmine woke up, the lingering sensation of that kiss still on her lips. She looked blearily around the room, half expecting that boy to really be there. But all she was greeted with was a dark, empty room and a digital clock announcing in bright green numbers that it was 6:23. Carmine sighed, trying to contain her disappointment.
That day at school, all Carmine could think about was her dream. She paid minimal attention in her classes, and even the conversation her friends were having at lunch couldn’t hold her interest. All she was focused on was that kiss – it just seemed so real.
Even after spending hours sitting in school, the memory was so vivid. Carmine had to remind herself several times that it hadn’t actually happened – she hadn’t really met a wonderful boy in the woods, and he hadn’t really saved her from a Dullahan. Still, that didn’t stop her from replaying the whole thing in her mind over and over again.
Oddly enough, the only thing that wasn’t perfectly clear in her memory was the boy’s face. She remembered how strong he’d been when he pulled her to her feet. And how he ran like the wind. She remembered his sun-bleached hair and the intensity of his eyes as he leaned in towards her. But try as she might, she just couldn’t remember what he actually looked like.
Over the next few days, Carmine found herself feeling better and better. And after a week, she felt great. Ever since she’d meet that boy in her dream, things had been so much easier. She hadn’t had a single nightmare in over a week. And more often than not, he was in her dreams.
It was amazing, really. In only a few days, Carmine had gone from dreading the very thought of going to sleep to barely being able to stand getting out of bed. It was just that she had the best dreams. And maybe she didn’t wake up feeling quite as refreshed as she used to, but that seemed like such a minor thing. The important thing was that her nightmares had completely stopped. And having that boy there was a nice bonus.
With only ten minutes left before she had to leave for school, Carmine finally rolled out of bed and got dressed. She thought about telling her mom she was sick and hopping back into bed, but she knew she couldn’t; her mom would never believe her. Besides, she already did that two days ago. If she asked to stay home again, her mom would probably take her to the doctor. And if she wasn’t going to be able to spend the day in bed, she might as well go to school.
She brushed her teeth, put on the smallest amount of makeup she thought she could get away with, and made her way down the hall towards the kitchen. Her mom was already waiting for her at the table. Carmine decided on the quickest breakfast she knew how to make – a Pop-Tart. She threw it in the toaster and went looking for her backpack. She found it sitting by the door.
Carmine finished eating as fast as she could. Then she grabbed the keys off the edge of the counter and headed towards the door, slinging her backpack over her shoulder as she went.
“No fight about driving today?” Carmine’s mom asked, surprised.
“What’s the point?” Carmine asked, only half interested. “I’d have to do it anyway, wouldn’t I?”
“Of course.” her mom said, smiling a little too sweetly. “It does seem like you’re doing a lot better lately.”
“Thanks.” Carmine said. It was just another thing that was coming together for her since the nightmares stopped. That blue-eyed boy really was the best thing that had ever happened to her.
Of course Carmine knew it was only a dream, but she couldn’t help but feel like it was a lucky dream. Not only had her nightmares stopped completely after that, but other things had stopped bothering her as much too. She didn’t worry about going to sleep in class, or being attacked at any minute by real-life monsters. She didn’t even worry about being the only human in her group of friends – which had started to bother her a little lately. Even driving to school didn’t worry her anymore!
Carmine drove to school looking almost like a real driver. And when she pulled into the parking lot, her mom’s hands were sitting comfortably in her lap. It was the best she’d ever done. Mentally, she gave herself an A; if this was any indication, she’d have no problem getting her license.
At school, things went pretty much the same as usual. She managed to stay awake in every class, and she actually took decent notes for once. She didn’t even feel exhausted at lunch. She did think vaguely about going to the library for a small nap, but decided against it. Her friends were already starting to look at her a little funny – no sense in giving them more to scrutinize. She sat down at the table, doing her best to look interested.
They started talking about the math test that was coming up, and about the English one they’d just got back. Boring. Carmine got out her history book, ready to get an early start on her homework. If she finished fast enough, maybe she could be in bed by eight. That would give her about ten hours of sleep – and she knew at least one of those hours would have dreams about that boy. She’d been seeing him often enough that she could almost guarantee it.
Someone said something at the table, but Carmine didn’t bother to pay any attention. She was too busy fantasizing about going to sleep tonight. It just seemed so much more interesting than being awake.
“Carmine!” someone said, loud enough to make her jump.
“Huh?” she asked.
“Carmine, you ok?” Anna asked nervously. It was only then that Carmine noticed everyone was staring at her.
“I’m fine.” she told them. A little annoyed that they’d pulled her out of a perfectly good daydream, but other than that, fine. Everyone kept staring.
“What?” she asked. Was she not allowed to stare off into space? Or was it the fact that she’d been about to try and do some homework?
“You just seem a little...off.” Luke told her.
“I was just daydreaming.” Carmine told him. She didn’t see what the big deal was, but if her friends were going to act like that, then fine. She could try to pay more attention. She’d just think about that boy later.
“So, any great plans for tonight?” she asked.
“Not for tonight.” Luke told her. “But we were trying to plan something for this weekend.” He sounded normal enough, but he was still eyeing Carmine suspiciously. She’d have to keep on her toes a little more at lunch.
“Sounds great.” Carmine said brightly. But she was already planning her excuses. She really wanted to spend time at home this weekend – and going out would really interfere with her sleeping schedule. But she sounded enthusiastic enough that no one said anything. Perfect.
Carmine managed to pay attention enough that she didn’t have any problems for the rest of the period. And the rest of the day was even easier. She might have had some friends in a few classes, but she didn’t have to really talk to any of them. All she had to do was make it till the end of track.
When Carmine finally got home, the first thing she did was run up to her room and hop into bed. She still planned on going to bed early of course, but why should that keep her from taking a short nap? She snuggled up under the blankets and closed her eyes, already anticipating the dreams she’d have.
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