I opened my eyes.

As awareness slowly wormed its way through my brain, I studied the long, strange shadows that stretched across my ceiling as I recalled the dream.

It was a dream, wasn’t it? A dream that was so very real as soon as my eyes closed. A dream that I desperately wanted to wake up from yet struggled so hard to retain once my eyes opened. I could still feel his eyes on me, the color of a storm, pitch black and fearless, studying me as I searched my sleep for dreams more peaceful, more normal — but it was over now. I was awake.

My room was hot for March; my tiny fan was waiting in my closet for warmer days. So confusion, of course, surfaced as I ran a clammy hand through my long, damp hair that moments before had been blowing gently around my pillow. I couldn’t remember getting under the covers and falling asleep, but here I was in bed, trembling like so many other nights.

Unable to go back to sleep, I pulled myself out of bed and shuffled over to my computer, which I’d accidentally left on the entire night.

An ad for overstocked Chia Pets stared back at me.

Ch…ch…ch…bye-bye.

Two messages were waiting in my inbox and I clicked on them, yawning. The first was a printable coupon for Barnes & Noble.

“Twenty percent off’s not bad,” I whispered sleepily to myself. Sheepishly, I scanned my bookcase and the overflowing collection it now held. “What’s one more?”

My mother, who is a librarian, is forever trying to convince me to borrow books instead of spending my precious allowance on them, but I can’t. I can’t give up the thrill.

I skipped to the next e-mail and instantly felt my skin prickle with fear. It was from Brynn Hanson — the beautiful, pom-pom shaking, self-appointed queen of Carver High School. I, unfortunately, was her favorite poor soul to pick on. Reluctantly, I opened it.

Only one word had been typed but that single word was enough to send irritation all the way to my toes.