The really odd thing was that, as I woke up little by little, I remembered that I had had almost exactly that same dream not once but twice before. And all within about three weeks. I guess this was what they call a recurring dream. I was starting to feel almost as if that big, musty building were a real place, and as if those strange old people were real people.

I squeezed my eyes shut and then opened them wide. Even though it was already light outside, I didn't feel ready to wake up. I was still sleepy, but I was also afraid to go back to sleep. The dream had been very unsettling, and I didn't really want to repeat it one more

time. Then I turned to look at my clock, and when I saw what time it was, I woke up fast. I was going to have to move it if I didn't want to be late for school!

I got dressed in a hurry, which wasn't too hard. I had laid out my clothes the night before, as I always do. That day I was wearing a pink sweater and chinos, with these cute little boots I'd just bought. I guess you could say that my style is basically pretty preppy.

Then I headed for Dawn's room, to make sure she was up. "Morning," I said, knocking on her door. "Are you awake?"

She opened the door. "Yup," she replied, rubbing her eyes. "Come on in and help me decide what to wear."

Dawn's room was kind of a mess that day. Clothes were flung all over the place. Her jewelry was scattered over her dressing table, and I counted about seven different shoes littering the floor. "How can you even have any idea of what clean clothes you have?" I asked, shaking my head.

"Oh, I know just where everything is," said Dawn. "For example, I'm thinking of wearing my denim skirt today, and it’s hanging on the closet doorknob. And with it, I'll wear my turquoise necklace, which is behind that book." She pointed to her night table. I picked