My eyes scan the woman in front of me—vibrant purple hair that stops just above her shoulders, a grey hoodie beneath a leather vest, dark-wash jeggings, and a tattoo peeking out from under her sleeve.

She doesn't seem like the type to sell me on some kind of woo-woo nonsense, but I'm still 99% sure she's about to recommend I do yoga or see an aura-healer or something.

"You know someone who can help with what?" I ask, a brow raised.

I'm trying my best not to come off like a bitch, but apparently my best isn't very good because I can hear the skepticism in my tone.

"You said you're having weird dreams—right? Where you can't move? You said you thought someone was controlling you."

When I hear it repeated back to me, it hits me just how crazy it sounds.

"I... did say that... yeah."

"That happened to me too," she says, sincerity and empathy in her voice. She fidgets and pauses for a moment, like she's debating whether or not she wants to continue with whatever she's trying to say. "I just happen to know someone who can make the dreams go away."

Bullshit.

As much as I'm desperate for her words to be true, I can't help but doubt them. What are the chances that this random girl from the hospital knows what's going on with me and can actually help?

"How?" I ask.

"It's..." She bites her lip and sighs, her shoulders slumping slightly. "It's complicated. He's like... um... crap, how do I explain this?"

"Yeah, okay." I start to turn back toward the door, but she puts a hand on my arm.

"I know I sound totally nuts right now, but I promise, I really do know someone who can help." She pinches her eyes shut and shakes her head. "I get that this is weird, but hear me out. I only came over here because I know how scary these dreams can be. Not being able to move is petrifying, and there's a reason it feels a bit too real."

My eyes meet hers but I don't say anything. I'm not much for sharing my personal problems with strangers, but I can tell from her expression that she knows she's struck a chord.

She reaches into her purse and pulls out a pen, then grabs a pamphlet from a nearby stand.

"If you need help, just call me, okay?" She scribbles something on the pamphlet and hands it to me. "Text is fine too."

I look at the paper in my hands; It's a glossy white pamphlet titled 'Is the Shingles Vaccine Right for You?'. In an area of open white space is a phone number with the name 'Ava' written next to it.

*****

I drop my purse on the table and shrug off my jacket as Pumpkin runs up to me, his hooves pitter-pattering against the floor.

"Hey Pumps," I say, reaching down to pat his head. He immediately rolls over, exposing his plump stomach for belly rubs. "Did you miss me?"

He snorts as I crouch down and run my fingers through his soft, ginger fur.

I always wanted to come home to a handsome man after a hard day, I just never expected that man to be a 120-pound pig. But he always makes me smile.

"How'd your appointment go?" Zahra says, walking into the room in an oversized sweatshirt and knit hat.

"Terrible." I sigh, stand up, and lean against the wall. "The doctor referred me to a psychologist."

"Didn't you show her the text?"

"I did, but I think it was too weird for her. She acted like the connection was all in my mind. I tried to tell her that it wasn't the first time his texts had referenced things that happened in my dreams, but it didn't seem to make a difference. She made up her mind."

"Darn," she says, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, boo. That's the worst. What do you think you should do now?"

"I dunno." I shrug. "I did meet a girl in the lobby that said she had the same experience and had a friend that could help me, but I don't trust it."

"That's great, why don't you trust it?"

"I mean, she wouldn't even say what this supposed help was."

"What's the harm in giving it a shot?"

"Come on, Zahr, I can't just go meet up with a stranger and her mysterious 'friend'. That's definitely how you end up in a bathtub of ice with a missing kidney."

She chuckles and shakes her head.

"Then meet somewhere public or I'll come with you."

"I'll think about it."

We both head to the couch and sit down.

"Any plans for tonight?" she asks. "Or are you working?"

"No, I work tomorrow night. What about you?"

"I have a date." She smiles.

"Ooooh! This is, what, date 10? You two must be getting serious," I tease. "When do I get to meet him?"

"With any luck, after the wedding." She laughs and I scoff in reply.

"Why?"

"No offense, but you're like, annoyingly pretty. You look like the lovechild of Jennifer Lawrence and Gigi Hadid."

"Oh, come on!"

"It's true! You're all curvy and beautiful and you have that strawberry-blonde hair. It would be really easy to hate you if I didn't love you so much."

I haven't always liked how I look, but I am pretty satisfied these days. I have curves in all the right places and I've learned to love my red hair and freckles. But Zahra is also crazy pretty, with dainty features and the kind of shiny, thick black hair that could make a Disney princess jealous.

"You're terrible—you know I'm not going to steal your man away!"

"I know," she says with a laugh. "I just don't want him spending the entire date wishing he was out with my hot roommate instead!"

"You're ridiculous!" I laugh and throw a pillow at her. I stand up and sigh. "I'm going to head upstairs, pay some bills and watch some Netflix."

And try desperately to stay awake and functional.

My eyelids are already feeling heavy. I'm so exhausted, it will be a miracle if I can keep my eyes open for another hour.

*****

"Did you forget about me?" a voice asks. It sounds distant and muddled.

The air feels thick and heavy as I take in a deep breath and open my eyes.

It seems like I'm just alone in my bedroom, but that's how it starts.

That's how it always starts.

His silhouette hovers at the foot of my bed and I back up against my headboard. My mind is clouded and the room is dimly lit, but I know it's him.

"Why won't you just leave me alone?" I ask.

"Because I love you, Samantha."

Maybe he believes what he's saying. Maybe, to him, this is what love is. Maybe this is the closest to love that he'll ever be capable of feeling. But it isn't love.

"If you love me, then you'll let me live my life."

He sighs and sits down at the side of the bed, his elbows resting on his knees as he hangs his head. His brown eyes catch the moonlight and it triggers a flood of memories of what it felt like before, when we first got together. When those dark eyes would catch mine, my stomach would erupt in butterflies. I'd wake up and soak in the way the morning light would trace the edges of his strong jaw. Everything about him was perfect.

The memory is there, but it doesn't feel like mine. I have no connection to it. Now, when I see him, I just see the specter from my nightmares and my stomach flips for an entirely different reason.

"Can we start over? Please? Just for a moment, can we talk?"

"We have talked, Vic. I don't want to be with you. Your behavior scares the crap out of me, so much that I had to get away from you. What more do we have to talk about?"

He brings his hands together, interlacing his fingers and gripping tightly.

"I can be better. I'm sorry, I haven't been in a relationship for a long time before you, and I didn't expect to fall for you. It caught me off guard. I'm just really bad at this relationship stuff, I guess. I love you and I just want to make sure you're safe."

"You kicked down my door because I broke up with you. How does that make me safe?"

"I'm sorry, you're right. I'm just so in love with you, it makes me do crazy things sometimes."

"I don't want someone who does crazy things!" I sit up onto my knees. "I don't want you, Victor. You follow me, you make me uncomfortable, and I don't like being with you."

His head snaps toward me and his eyes have turned the same dark black they always do when he's furious. It's like a switch flips in his mind, and that's always when things get scary.

"You liked being with me once. You'll learn to love me again."

I try to move away from him, but my arms don't seem to work, and I collapse onto the bed.

No no no. Not this.

"What's happening?" In my mind, I'm frantically beating against invisible restraints, but my body doesn't move. "Why can't I move? What did you do to me?"

"Tell me where you are, and we can solve all of this."

"Go to hell."

I use every bit of my strength to move, to somehow jolt myself awake. Panic begins to rise in my chest, the desire to escape overpowering my every thought.

Victor appears above me with a sinister look on his face, holding out his hand. A dark claw extends from the tip of his finger, and he looks at me with an ominous smirk.

"I'm tired of this game we're playing, and I'm ending it now."

Suddenly, I feel an impossibly sharp pain in my stomach, as though I'm being stabbed. I scream out, but he just laughs in return.

"This is your own fault," he says. "If you told me where you were, I wouldn't have to do this."

"If you could just accept no for an answer, we w-" I start to say, but am cut off by more pain. He's twisting some kind of knife into my abdomen.

"Help!" I call, desperate now to wake up. Desperate to get away from him.

"There's no one to help you."

But he's wrong. There is someone to help me, if I can reach her.

"Zahra! Help!" I scream as loud as I can, hoping it breaks through to my waking body. "Zahra!"

I feel an intense rumbling and I jolt forward, my hands gripping my abdomen as I shriek. The room is lit by my lamp and I shudder for a moment when I see the figure in front of me, but I register Zahra's worried face. I look around and spot Pumpkin beside the bed, staring up at me with a concerned expression.

"It's okay, babe," she says. I reach out and pull her into a hug. "It's alright. You had another dream. You're okay now."

She rubs the back of my head for a moment as my breathing begins to slow.

The sudden vibration of my phone on the side table startles us both and we jump slightly.

"No way," she says, looking over at my phone. "Is it...?"

I warily grab the phone and the screen confirms my fear.

1 New Message.

How is he doing this?

But his message makes my blood run cold.

Vic: Who is Zara?

That's the difference between a dream and a nightmare—a dream ends when you open your eyes, but a nightmare stays with you.

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*A/N: I always appreciate votes and comments. I love to hear what you all are thinking! Can't wait to share the next chapter - time for Sam to meet Kieran!