(A/N) I'm trying really hard to update this weekly… So imagine my dismay when I had this chapter all typed and then FORGOT TO SAVE IT. GOSH DANGIT. Sorry everyone, but it took me awhile to get over being pissed at myself :P

"I sure hope everything will work out," I replied, suddenly tired. My eyelids were growing heavy, and I could feel them closing until I blinked sharply, trying to keep myself awake.

Simon looked at me and said confidently, "It will. We'll make sure you're safe."

"But how?" I half-snapped. "Are you going to watch me all the time? Follow me into the bathroom?"

He grinned. "That's Tori's job."

I rolled my eyes, frustrated. I didn't like feeling so helpless, like I couldn't take care of myself.

Though maybe it was right for them to be treating me the way they were. My whole life I'd been told what to do, what to say, and evidently, how to think. Was I even capable of acting on my own, let alone keeping myself out of harm's reach? Probably not.

"Unfortunately," Tori muttered. "I'm going to bed." She walked away angrily.

"Casting spells can wear us out," Simon informed. "And trust me, you don't want to be around Tori when she's tired." He made a motion like he was slicing off his neck and I smiled.

"You never really answered my question. How are you going to keep me safe, exactly?"

Simon frowned, like he hadn't wanted to talk about this. "Well, one of us is going to be with you at all times. We're going to find you a necromancer at some point so you can learn how to control your powers if you can't figure it out on your own."

"That's really nice but," I bit my lip, "how is that supposed to help me be safe?"

Derek laughed darkly. "You'd be surprised at how your biggest threat can be yourself."

I was about to ask him what he meant when he turned those bright green eyes on me. Derek frowned a bit. "Do you need to go to sleep?" He asked gruffly, like he wasn't used to catering to other people's needs very often.

"No, I think I'm-" My words were swallowed up by a loud yawn. I covered my mouth the way Aunt Lauren always told me to. When I was finished sucking in oxygen, I laughed just a bit and said, "Yeah, maybe I do."

I headed for the stairs. Easily taking them two at a time, the sound of loud footsteps reached my ears. When I got to the top of the staircase, I saw Aunt Lauren peeping out of her bedroom. Her face was tear-stained, and she sniffled, "Chloe?"

Maybe it was really mean of me, but I brushed past her into my own room. I was too hurt to talk to her, and I knew I'd only say something I'd later regret. My on heart began to ache though, when she only whispered that if I wanted to talk she'd be willing to listen.

I closed the door and heard it click. I tugged off my clothes in the dark and pulled on a pair of polka-dot sleep shorts and a lime green camisole before climbing into bed.

For awhile, I stared at the ceiling. My room was elaborately decorated, and my ceiling had those little glowing star stickers leftover from when my mom stuck them there. I couldn't bring myself to peel them off.

They seemed to be spinning, hypnotizing me. It was easy to let myself get lost in the strange illusion then to think about all that had been happening to me lately.

The stars were growing brighter. They swarmed in, closer to my face and I tried to lift my hand up to drowzily poke at them but my arm was too heavy. My eyelids fluttered shut, and the last image I saw before blacking out were the stickers burned on my eyelids.


I was running faster then I'd thought possible. I was never very good at sprinting, but at that second I could've easily given any Olympic star some serious competition.

Something was chasing me. Something bad, something horrible. Something that would do horrible things to me if they caught up with me.

Strangely, I didn't grow tired. I seemed to be full of unending energy which was good because the other people certainly didn't seem to be slowing down. I pushed myself even harder, finding that my legs moved fluidly and without pain.

A loud noise that sounded almost like a grunt came from behind me and I tried not to squeal. The noise was human, but wrong, like it was recorded and messed with on my favorite movie-editing program I got last Christmas.

Just a short time later, a moan reached my ears. "Chloe..."

That was when the real terror set in. Adrenaline pulsed through my veins, the kind that came only with being scared for your life. The urge to scream had never been so strong, but I couldn't even give myself that closure.

It was like living in a horror movie, the kind that haunts you years after the first and only time you ever watch it.

"Chloe..."

I jerked in fear before commanding my body to go faster. Still, I didn't grow tired. Unfortunately, my pursuers didn't either.

"Please, Chloe..."

Faster, faster, I told myself. I couldn't let them catch me, I just couldn't.

Because this was a dream, and no one could protect me here but myself.

"Chloe..." The voice groaned again. "We just need your help, Chloe."

Every time he spoke my name, chills crept up my spine. The noises and crying got louder until I was certain there were more people then before. "We're getting angry, Chloe."

I wanted to shout at him that I didn't care, but I knew I couldn't waste the time. I had to go faster or they might catch up with me. So I kept going, legs pumping furiously as the chase went on.

Everything continued like that for awhile. Me running away from the horrible moaning creatures.

Until one caught me. Long, spindly fingers of a piano player were clasped grotesquely on my shoulder. But something wasn't right. There was no flesh, just bone.

With one came others. Their hands were grasping all parts of my body, touching me like my body was theirs and not mine. I tried kicking them off but they only got mad and applied more pressure, making me cry out in pain.

"We'll make you help us." The leader hissed.

Then they all whispered eerily, "Chloe..."

So I screamed.


I knew that the shrieking was coming from me and it was awful. It was high-pitched, a sound full of sheer terror. My body started shaking from the exertion of kicking out with the sheets tangled around me and I had to clamp a hand around my mouth.

When the noise finally died down, I pinched myself just to make sure that I was awake. When I found that I was, I pulled on a sweatshirt and sweatpants laying at the foot of my bed over my pajamas.

Half-way through brushing my hair, an act that strangely seemed to calm me, my door burst open. I froze mid-stroke and was about to summon another awful scream for a person to come save me when the person shouted out, asking if I was okay.

Before I could muster up the courage to answer the person I thought to be Derek, someone else came in with a loud torrent of spells leaving their mouth. Light flickered on in my room, though it wasn't quite natural and had no real source.

I saw Simon, Tori, and Derek all looking around my room. I knew what they were seeing.

No one was there. Nothing was moved or disturbed. Everything was perfect. So why was I screaming?

Apparently, Derek was wondering the same thing and had no problems rudely demanding, "What the hell?"

"I-I-I..." I took in a deep breath. "I had a nightmare," My voice was throaty and hoarse.

Tori shot me a withering look, full of condescending disbelief. "You woke us up over a dream? Are you kidding me?" When I said nothing she glowered. "I'm going back to bed." She muttered something under her breath that sounded a lot like psychopath.

She slammed my door shut before I could say anything. Derek lifted his eyebrows at me as if to say that he was thinking the same thing as Tori. "I had a dream. About... about zombies. All over me. Th-they just w-wouldn't g-g-go." My voice was quivering by the end of my sentence.

Derek put on a face of patience but it was false. I felt like a child being told that there was no such thing as monsters under the bed and resisted the urge to cry or yell at him. "Then you better hope you never see them in real life."

Despite the harshness of which he spoke, I couldn't help but agree with him. What would I do if a situation like that would arrive? Ask them nicely to leave?

Simon walked over to the light fixture in my room and clicked it on. The magical light faded with a few murmured words and he sat down on the bed next to me. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Shuddering, I shook my head. I didn't ever want to relive that horror. "I'm sorry," I murmured as I felt my cheeks heat up.

He yawned and said, "Part of the job."

"To what, hold my hand when I had a bad dream? Don't think that's what you were signing up for."

He grinned at me then, somehow seeming more awake as his eyes lit up. "Well, somebody's gotta do it and I don't see you reaching for Tori anytime soon."

I laughed at him and then an awkward silence spread over us. I was about to say thank you to him for coming to my rescue and being so great about everything when I remembered that Simon wasn't the first one in the room.

Derek was. I turned to him and asked curiously, "Hey, how'd you get in here so fast?"

He seemed a little bit taken aback by the question. "I always have a plan. Had to be ready in case someone attacked at night," He grunted. Then he glanced over at Simon, a warning in his eyes. "And I guess I'm just used to it."

For a second I was confused at what he could have been implying before I realized that maybe he really did mean protecting me. Sifting through my memories was much easier as I thought back to that night in the alley.

Those green eyes were watching me. No, not watching me, watching out for me.

Glancing at Derek in present time, something emanated from him that told me he could take on just about anything that was threatening me. "You really were there," I whispered in awe.

So I wasn't going crazy.

He nodded and looked kind of awkward as my blue eyes continued to widen. "Would've been there in the forest but Tori-" He cut himself off to mutter some not particularly nice words about her, "insisted on taking over."

"She let me be attacked? She was there the whole time and watched me get assaulted?"

I knew I shouldn't have been so shocked. There was in no way I would ever be best friends with Tori, at least, not with the way things were looking at that moment, but was she really cruel enough to endanger me?

Derek cussed a few more times. "Couldn't have lost our only necromancer."

Simon shot him a look. Then, to my surprise, he stuck up for her. "Her magic comes in handy."

Derek made an odd noise. I looked at him weirdly and noticed it was a repressed laugh. I blinked. So he really did have a soul. "Yeah, like when she made Chloe all doped up in the alley."

"She made me get high too?" I exclaimed in disbelief.

The blonde shook his head in exasperation. "Apparently, she made you less freaked out after seeing Derek. And apparently, she amped up the magic a little bit too much." But then something like approval flashed in his eyes. "Sounded pretty weird from what I heard because you seemed to be trying to resist her magic even though she said she was giving it her all."

Derek nodded, black hair shifting across his forehead as he did so. "After that we decided to have a chat with your aunt."

"Before that you were watching out of me? Since I saw you in the hallway?"

Again he nodded, more hesitantly. Gratitude spread throughout my body, a warm sensation that sparked from my head to my toes. I beamed without really knowing it and Derek blinked at me. "Thank you."

He grunted. "Now go to bed," He said in a voice that suggested he didn't feel like having any more heart to heart conversations.

And to my surprise, I felt just a little bit disappointed.

(A/N) So I figured I'd explain that this chapter name is not saying that Chloe is recognizing them as in, "I've seen them before," But more that she's recognized just who they are and that they will protect her :)

You know what I just realized? All of the events that have happened so far occurred in ONE day... see what I was saying about having the same pacing as the books? Haha :P

For those of you who think the Chlerek is progressing a little bit too quickly: remember I only have about fifty chapters to write this, and the whole story is only going to take place in the course of maybe 1-2 weeks. Also, once Chloe begins to actually trust Derek, their friendship/relationship really does seem to improve, and they've already established that trust.

Though not to worry, there will still be PLENTY of tension and squabbling that we all love ;)

Yeah. I think this is long enough... feedback, please?