I had fallen asleep, and as soon as everything around me fell dark, my eyes opened on their own. Standing before me was a man whom I couldn't identify. His two eyeballs shone like neon, and nothing else about him was visible to me.

Dad? Rud? No, it was impossible for him to be either of them. My chest felt heavier as it became even harder to breathe. My room suffocated me, and my muscles wouldn't respond. I had to keep staring right in front, and I had to keep witnessing how I was being stared back at.

My chest began to ache... I couldn't fight or flee, or react whatsoever. My situation made me feel vulnerable. Would he attack me? Was he only going to stare back forever? This can't really be happening...

That's right. This must be a dream. I'm still sleeping and I can't wake up.

Try to keep calm... It was hard, but I was getting there. I kept inhaling through my nose and exhaling through my mouth, just as Rudolph had taught me to breathe when I felt scared. It relieved the pain a little, but my nerves wouldn't fully calm down. Instead, I feared every second for the moment he would come closer, or speak, or do whatever sombers in nightmares did...

He only stared at me, unmoving, unspeaking, unfathomable, as if nothing was wrong here, as if I wasn't in this room at all.

I didn't have the guts to try to move again. I was scared I'd feel my body tense from its paralyzed state again.

"Gahh" a muffled scream came out as I gradually forced my throat to speak, to mutter, to make any possible sound. I could ask for help, I should have, but in my mind, only one question roamed, growing a desperation so intense, nothing stopped a mid-whispered call,

"Who are you?"

As soon as the words left my mouth, his eyes fixated on me gleamed weaker and weaker, like light bulbs running out of gas... And then I heard it, a whisper calling my name.

"Randy."

It had no mouth. It had not moved. But it whispered, as calm as the night, as far as I could tell. Why did it know my name? Was it real?

"I'm here, Randy."

His words made my eyes widen.

I knew them from before. He had... No... But that didn't happen? Did it?!

"I'm..." It kept whispering, "...here." It was hard for him to keep up; his eyes faded too, as well as his silhouette. "Randy..."

"Randy..."

"Randy..."

"Randy!"

The last whispers had merged into a clear and louder voice. I felt my body being shaken, and someone tried to wake me up. I opened my eyes, gasping and jumping as I sat up in my own bed.

"I'm awake!" I half-yelled, feeling half-relieved.

"Finally! Son, I've called you a thousand times. Dinner's ready." It was my mom. She was in my room, sitting next to me on my bed.

How had she gotten in? I thought I had made sure to lock the door.

I noticed she had turned the lights on and my room was illuminated with an old lightbulb. Her hand rested on my mattress and the other one on my shoulder. My breath had been heavy, but it eventually slowed down. Her eyes showed a slight worry, something I had been witnessing in her look for years now. A subtle worry towards me that never leaves her.

She cleared her throat, "uhm so, Agathe told me Rudolph took you to see the doctor."

I knew that was a lie, since Rud had told me how he had convinced her, but I played along.

"Yes, he did."

"How did it go?"

"Good, I'm quite healthy."

"Good to hear."

The silence that followed felt extraordinarily awkward. She seemed to be trying to formulate something else to say in her mind, as she looked around my room. Her hand on my shoulder had moved back to her lap, and then fixed a brand of dark brown hair behind her ear.

There was not much to say, and so after some awkward 'fine's' and 'was your day good's,' we reached downstairs. Agathe seemed to be serving the plates in the kitchen, and I found out my cousins were in the living room, discussing some sort of new video game that played on the TV before them. Mom moved closer as she sat next to them, casually involving herself in their conversation.

Behind me, Agathe startled me, saying, "Can you actually believe it?"

"Nate and Joss are downstairs." I replied, quickly catching up.

She nodded proudly, "I finally got those two to join dinner."

"You should've tried that sooner."

"I should've indeed," she smiled, then winked, "my tricks come sooner or later, but they always work."

I laughed heartily. Rudolph joined us, saying, "I'm actually hungry, can you believe that?"

"Feel ya," I replied. I would've thought we would feel lower, but I guess visiting the "doctor" did help us somehow. It was strange, but maybe we needed it more than we realized. I brushed it off as we went with our own plates to the living room too.

As we settled into dinner, a strange but unexplainable good mood enveloped me, momentarily easing the tension from earlier. Despite the warmth of the family scene, my mind lingered on the unsettling dream and the questions it left behind.

"Hey, Mom, Aunt Agathe," I began tentatively, drawing their attention away from the lively conversation with my cousins. "I wanted to talk to you both about something." I felt a flicker of courage within me, unexpected yet present. I knew I had to speak up before doubts crept in and stifled it.

Mom and Aunt Agathe exchanged curious glances, clearly sensing the seriousness in my tone.

"What is it, Randy?" Mom asked, concern etched in her features.

Don't back down. Don't back down. Don't back down!

Taking a deep breath, I forged ahead. "Well, there's a friend at school,"

"Really! What's their name?" Agathe interrupted me, then apologized for her outburst, "oh sorry, please continue."

"uhm, Faye," I muttered a bit low, hoping they'd probably wouldn't hear it, "I was just wondering if it would be okay for me to meet up with her after school, maybe come home a bit later?" I mentally face palmed me. This was not a good idea, I was feeling so nervous already. Like, why!

There was a moment of stunned silence as they processed my request. Mom's eyes widened in surprise, but a smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "Of course, Randy. If it's important to you, then it's important to us. Just make sure to let us know where you'll be and when you'll be home."

Aunt Agathe nodded in agreement, her expression mirroring Mom's sentiment.

Nathan couldn't resist teasing me, his smirk evident. "Ooh, Randy's got a crush!"

Rudolph seemed a bit confused but ultimately happy for me, offering a supportive nod.

Josiah, ever indifferent to matters not concerning him directly, simply shrugged, his attention already back on the video game discussion.

With their responses varying from teasing to support, I felt a surge of gratitude towards my family for their understanding and acceptance. Maybe this good mood wasn't so strange after all. Yet, beneath the surface, a nagging sense of unease persisted, fueled by the lingering shadows of my dream. The feeling of uncertainty gnawed at me, casting doubt on my trust in Faye, in everyone.

I shared a small smile with my family, but deep down, I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right. Was it okay to trust her, or was I walking into something more sinister?

I wouldn't know until I faced her. And with that thought, I couldn't help but wish for Monday to arrive sooner than ever in my lifetime.