Catty Turner sat up in bed, sweating. Someone had been nudging her awake,
caressing her face.
She had had been dreaming that someone - or something had been taking her to her death. She didn't know how she had woken up, but she was glad that she did. She had a bad feeling that it had been the Atrox. Only he could enter your dreams, and Catty had a bad feeling that is she hadn't woken up, that she really would have died. She shivered.
Catty glanced at the clock. 2:45 am. Way too early to call the other daughters.
She resolved to call them in the morning. She didn't exactly want to go back to sleep, but something overtook her, and she was soon drifting off into a fitful dreamless sleep.
**~**~**
Cattty woke up, and tried to remember what her dream had been about. Nothing. "Odd," she thought.
Then she remembered the person in her dream had been trying to bring her to her death. The thought brought shivers up her back.
It was 8:30.
"Damn," she muttered to herself. She was going to be late for school, but she still might be able to catch some of her friends before they left for school.
First she tried Vanessa. Nobody.
Same with Tianna.
When she called Jimena, her grandmother answered.
"No, Jimena is gone," she told Catty when she identified herself and said that she wished to speak with Jimena.
"Oh. I figured she would be at school." Catty replied. She figured she could tell them about the dream when she got to school.
"School?" Jimena's grandmother asked. "No, no. Jimena is at Planet Bang. She and her friends had been trying to reach you all day."
"Oh, right." Said Catty, feeling perplexed. "Right. Thank you." She hung up.
Catty looked at her clock. She saw the small "PM" in the corner.
She groaned. She had slept the whole day away! Well, she might as well go to Planet Bang. She could talk to her friends there.
Catty slipped into some hip huggers when she heard the doorbell ring. Since her room was above the front door, she peeked out through a crack in the curtains. It was the other daughters! She rushed downstairs, forgetting to put a shirt on over her bra.
When she opened the door, her friends hugged her fiercely.
"What happened to you? We were so worried that something happened to you! You weren't at school," said Jimena.
"Yeah, and how come you're half dressed?" asked Tianna.
"I slept the day away. I called you guys' thing it was morning, and nobody was home. I thought it was because you were at school. Then Jimena's grandmother said you were at Planet Bang."
"So you're OK?" asked Serena.
"Well, sort of. Something else happened last night. I woke up, and I felt hands nudging me awake. But there was nobody there. But that's not what's scaring me. I dreamt that something was taking me to my death." Catty said.
The last part left an icy chill over her friends.
"It was lucky that you woke up when you did." Jimena said.
"Yeah, and it kinda sounds like the Atrox." added Tianna.
Vanessa was silent. She looked scared. "You don't think it really was the Atrox, do you?" she asked. I mean, that's pretty creepy."
"Nah." Catty said. But she did think it was the Atrox. "But I know how I can find out if it was someone nudging me awake." She was going to go back in time. "Bye," she called as she went into the tunnel, before her friends could object.
The tunnel was opened, and Catty was spinning down in the black void. She watched her watch until the right time, then she fell out.
She scrambled behind a dresser before whoever it was saw her. She was surprised at her accuracy at the landing.
She looked at the figure over her bed. Defiantly a man. "He looks my age," thought Catty.
"Catty," he whispered. He was rubbing the sleeping Catty's face.
Then he saw catty from the future. He started walking towards her, not frightened that there were two of her. Before he could reach her, Catty opened the tunnel and fell out in reality.
Her friends rushed to her side.
"Are you OK? We were so worried when you left. You shouldn't have gone!" Serena said.
Ignoring Serena's thoughts, Cattty said breathlessly "It was a man, maybe our age. When he saw me, he tried to talk to me, but before he could, I left."
"Do you wanna talk about it?" asked Tianna.
"No," Catty paused, looking at her friends' outfits. "I wan to go to Planet Bang!"
The others didn't look like they wanted to.
"Fine. I'll go by myself. I need to have fun. I hate being serious." Catty reached for the door.
Now they laughed. Catty gave them a look like, what? "You might want to put on a shirt first!" laughed Serena.
Catty smiled and threw on a cut off peach tank and came downstairs.
They walked with their arms around Catty as if to protect her. Catty didn't notice the same guy that was nudging her awake follow her out of the house.
She had had been dreaming that someone - or something had been taking her to her death. She didn't know how she had woken up, but she was glad that she did. She had a bad feeling that it had been the Atrox. Only he could enter your dreams, and Catty had a bad feeling that is she hadn't woken up, that she really would have died. She shivered.
Catty glanced at the clock. 2:45 am. Way too early to call the other daughters.
She resolved to call them in the morning. She didn't exactly want to go back to sleep, but something overtook her, and she was soon drifting off into a fitful dreamless sleep.
**~**~**
Cattty woke up, and tried to remember what her dream had been about. Nothing. "Odd," she thought.
Then she remembered the person in her dream had been trying to bring her to her death. The thought brought shivers up her back.
It was 8:30.
"Damn," she muttered to herself. She was going to be late for school, but she still might be able to catch some of her friends before they left for school.
First she tried Vanessa. Nobody.
Same with Tianna.
When she called Jimena, her grandmother answered.
"No, Jimena is gone," she told Catty when she identified herself and said that she wished to speak with Jimena.
"Oh. I figured she would be at school." Catty replied. She figured she could tell them about the dream when she got to school.
"School?" Jimena's grandmother asked. "No, no. Jimena is at Planet Bang. She and her friends had been trying to reach you all day."
"Oh, right." Said Catty, feeling perplexed. "Right. Thank you." She hung up.
Catty looked at her clock. She saw the small "PM" in the corner.
She groaned. She had slept the whole day away! Well, she might as well go to Planet Bang. She could talk to her friends there.
Catty slipped into some hip huggers when she heard the doorbell ring. Since her room was above the front door, she peeked out through a crack in the curtains. It was the other daughters! She rushed downstairs, forgetting to put a shirt on over her bra.
When she opened the door, her friends hugged her fiercely.
"What happened to you? We were so worried that something happened to you! You weren't at school," said Jimena.
"Yeah, and how come you're half dressed?" asked Tianna.
"I slept the day away. I called you guys' thing it was morning, and nobody was home. I thought it was because you were at school. Then Jimena's grandmother said you were at Planet Bang."
"So you're OK?" asked Serena.
"Well, sort of. Something else happened last night. I woke up, and I felt hands nudging me awake. But there was nobody there. But that's not what's scaring me. I dreamt that something was taking me to my death." Catty said.
The last part left an icy chill over her friends.
"It was lucky that you woke up when you did." Jimena said.
"Yeah, and it kinda sounds like the Atrox." added Tianna.
Vanessa was silent. She looked scared. "You don't think it really was the Atrox, do you?" she asked. I mean, that's pretty creepy."
"Nah." Catty said. But she did think it was the Atrox. "But I know how I can find out if it was someone nudging me awake." She was going to go back in time. "Bye," she called as she went into the tunnel, before her friends could object.
The tunnel was opened, and Catty was spinning down in the black void. She watched her watch until the right time, then she fell out.
She scrambled behind a dresser before whoever it was saw her. She was surprised at her accuracy at the landing.
She looked at the figure over her bed. Defiantly a man. "He looks my age," thought Catty.
"Catty," he whispered. He was rubbing the sleeping Catty's face.
Then he saw catty from the future. He started walking towards her, not frightened that there were two of her. Before he could reach her, Catty opened the tunnel and fell out in reality.
Her friends rushed to her side.
"Are you OK? We were so worried when you left. You shouldn't have gone!" Serena said.
Ignoring Serena's thoughts, Cattty said breathlessly "It was a man, maybe our age. When he saw me, he tried to talk to me, but before he could, I left."
"Do you wanna talk about it?" asked Tianna.
"No," Catty paused, looking at her friends' outfits. "I wan to go to Planet Bang!"
The others didn't look like they wanted to.
"Fine. I'll go by myself. I need to have fun. I hate being serious." Catty reached for the door.
Now they laughed. Catty gave them a look like, what? "You might want to put on a shirt first!" laughed Serena.
Catty smiled and threw on a cut off peach tank and came downstairs.
They walked with their arms around Catty as if to protect her. Catty didn't notice the same guy that was nudging her awake follow her out of the house.