Hours later, a knock on my front door made me cringe. Walking to the door, I opened it to reveal Naomi smiling.

"Hey," she said.

I smiled back as she walked inside. My mind was swimming with visions of my nightmare. We ate dinner, then sat in my room, talking. I told her about James and his time in the Air Force, and she told me about her family. Her mom worked as a waitress at the local diner, while her dad was a lawyer.

Later that night, I lay awake, staring at the ceiling, Naomi asleep beside me. Every time I closed my eyes, the Black Fury appeared. Then I saw Naomi and James's pleading faces and felt the searing pain as the Black Fury sliced a claw into my back.

Heavy exhaustion settled over me as darkness crept into the corners of my vision. I opened my eyes hours later and glanced at Naomi asleep beside me, my heart racing.

After I got dressed, I walked to the kitchen. I grabbed an apple before sitting down at the table. My head spun with visions of the Black Fury. After breakfast, I grabbed my phone, searching for the Black Fury online. My heart stopped as I saw a picture: the same thing that was in my nightmares.

I stared at it, all the color draining from my face. Naomi tapped me on the shoulder, making me flinch. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

I quickly shut my phone off, shaking my head. "Did you sleep well?"

Naomi nodded, smiling. "Yeah. Thanks for last night. I had fun." She glanced at me, noting my tense posture. "Everything okay?"

Sighing, I turned on my phone, showing her the picture.

A horrified expression appeared on her face. "What is that?" She asked, her voice shaking.

I shook my head, tears welling up in my eyes. "It's called the Black Fury. It's haunted my nightmares since my first day at school. The one last night was one of the worst ones yet. It was you, me, and James. I saw you and James in the corner of my vision, with pleading expressions on your faces. Then the Black Fury appears behind me, slicing a claw into my back. That's all I remember."

She put a hand on my arm, and I glanced up at her. "I'm always here if you need me."

I sighed, nodding, then grabbed my phone. Quickly clicking on a familiar name, the phone rang. A few minutes later, I heard rustling on the other line, then a familiar voice. James. "Cara?" I blinked back tears as I listened to his voice. "Everything okay?"

I took a shaky breath before speaking. "Yeah. I just really needed to hear your voice. How are you?"

Hearing his voice calmed my nerves. "I have a surprise for you and Mom. I'm coming home for good this weekend."

My heart stopped, then started again as my exhausted mind struggled to make sense of his words. He'd left last weekend, but it felt like a lifetime had passed since. "Really?" My voice broke. "I can't wait to see you!" For the first time in weeks, the Black Fury was the furthest thing from my mind as his news sunk in. I wondered if Mom knew.

He laughed, and I could hear the smile in his voice. After we hung up, a smile remained on my face. I couldn't believe he was coming home for good.

Naomi cleared her throat, and I glanced at her. "If you smile any wider, your face will freeze like that."

I stuck my tongue out at her, and she smiled. "My brother's coming home. For good." A laugh of disbelief escaped me as the words left my mouth.

An enormous smile appeared on her face. "That's amazing!"

That night, I lay awake in bed, my thoughts occupied by James. Hours later, I fell asleep with his voice in my head.

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