Megan rolled over, glanced at the clock and groaned. 2:15 A.M. Another three hours and her day would begin. What is wrong with me tonight?
She felt hot, and her pillow was damp with sweat. She sighed, and switched her bedside lamp on. The sudden burst of light made her eyes ache, but they soon adjusted.

Megan untangled the sheets from her legs and got up shakily. When she stood, a sudden bolt of pain shot through her head.

Ugh.
She staggered to the kitchen, flipped on the light over the sink and got a cold glass of water. She relaxed a little and breathed deeply as the cool, refreshing liquid flowed through her body.

That's better.

Suddenly she gasped as her hands went numb and the cup fell to the floor, shattering in a thousand transparent pieces. Her mouth fell open as she stared at the floor, dumbfounded at her clumsiness and startled by the piercing sound that the cup had made as it broke.

I don't believe this.

Her next thought:

I'm barefoot.

Megan was relieved when she heard the click of a doorknob and saw Lacey shuffle into the kitchen. She squinted when she saw her mother standing behind the counter rubbing her hands with a bemused look on her face.

"What are you doing? Did something break?"

Megan glanced from Lacey, to the shattered glass, and back to Lacey. She suddenly saw the humor in the situation.

Megan Hunt, formerly a neurosurgeon, now reduced to dropping cups in the kitchen in the middle of the night to be discovered by her teenage daughter.

Lacey flipped on the big kitchen light and gasped in horror when she saw the shattered glass on the floor.

"Mom, what did you do?"

Megan shrugged.

"All I wanted was a drink of water…"

Lacey's dismayed expression tipped Megan over the edge, and she started to laugh. Lacey gave an astonished look at her mother.

"What's so funny? It's two in the morning and now I have to sweep up glass…" Megan stopped laughing and shook her head, smiling.

"Sorry Lace… it's just… I don't know. I'm just tired. You're right. I'm sorry I woke you up. My hands went numb and the cup fell…it just happened."

Lacey nodded.

"I know."

Megan paused for a second.

What did that mean?

"Anyway… uh, maybe you should put some shoes on before you start sweeping."

Lacey rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, thanks."

Megan chuckled as she watched her daughter depart to her room in search of shoes.

I think this is actually really good for her. She's needs to get out of her comfort zone sometimes.

Megan realized that she was sometimes overly-protective of Lacey.

But that's my right. After all, my husband stole her from me for practically five years…

Lacey came back into the kitchen wearing a pair of sneakers. She grabbed the broom from the closet and started to sweep. After a few strokes, she leaned the broom against the counter and shook her head.

"This isn't gonna work. I'm getting the vacuum."

Megan was stranded over by the sink until Lacey had vacuumed up as much glass as she could around the kitchen. She turned the machine off, and sighed.

"I think I got most of it."

Megan nodded.

"Thanks, Lace."

Eventually the mess was cleaned up and the vacuum put away. Just before Megan was about to depart for her bedroom, Lacey looked hesitantly across the room her for a second, and then looked at the floor.

"Mom… I can't sleep. I had a really bad dream, and I can't get it out of my head."

Megan walked over to Lacey and wrapped her arms around her, pulling her in close.

"So did I," she confessed. Lacey looked up into her mother's face.

"Really? You had a nightmare?"

Megan nodded.

"Yeah. I'm not immune from having bad dreams, you know. But never mind that. How about we do something together? Like… have popcorn and watch a movie?"

Lacey looked pleasantly surprised.

"Like, now? In the middle of the night? That sounds awesome, let's do it!"

Megan laughed.

"Okay. I'll start the popcorn, and you pick the movie."

Megan and Lacey settled down on the living room couch with a big bowl of popcorn and one of their favorite romantic comedy movies. Lacey forgot about her nightmare and just enjoyed the spontaneous entertainment. However, Megan's mind had drifted back to the haunting images that had filled her mind earlier that night. She puzzled over the reason for those thoughts and scenes.

Why would I dream something so… dark, and awful? I've never thought stuff like that about Lacey… is there something that I've missed? But it was just a dream. Dreams don't ever make complete sense. But… what if there is something out there, something evil, and I should be paying attention?

She shuddered inwardly as she recalled the disturbing images once more.

Lacey's laughter shook her from her unsettling thoughts.

I shouldn't worry; it was just a nightmare. Nightmares aren't real. I should just stop worrying. Lacey will be fine. She's here, with me.

But she couldn't stop. She couldn't shake the disconcerting feelings that her dream had brought upon her. She knew that for sanity's sake she had to just think about something else. She couldn't let a bad dream ruin her day. But it already had.

[What do you think? Shall I continue? Please review if you think I should!]