End of dream!

…

Saying that makes you want to say

END OF DAYS

Hmmm…

Weird.

Anyway, continuing on.

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My eyes shot open, almost unwillingly, because I was so afraid I was going to wake back in Paris.

All around me was darkness, with a few human like shapes strewn about on the ground. The familiar musty smell filled my nostrils as I breathed deep and long.

It was just a crazy dream. Nothing happened. You just had too many skittles and too much coke… that's all…

I closed my eyes and sighed. I was back at Clair's grandma's house and it was all good.

I shifted my position a little bit, but right as I moved my hip, I froze.

Holy Mary Mother of the Lord Jesus. There was something on my waist.

I looked back down, and then behind me, and immediately my heart started pounding.

Ethan was lying next to me, his arm draped around my waist.

At once my dream came back to me, and I shuddered at the memory of Him touching me.

As I shivered, Ethan's strong arm protectively pulled me closer to him so that I my back was pressed against his stomach.

My eyes closed, and I tried to relax.

I felt myself start to drift off, but all of a sudden a voice filled my ears.

"I'm going to kill him…"

I gasped out loud and sat up looking wildly around the room for the voice, my breath coming in little bursts as though I had just run three miles.

"Katey, what's wrong?" Ethan asked; now evidently awake from me jerking his arm.

I laid back down next to him and whispered "Damn movies."

I could see the vague outline of a smile on his face before he asked "Are you okay now?"

"Yeah, yeah… stupid Clair for having a scary movie marathon." I added, smiling.

We were silent for a moment, and I looked over to make sure he was asleep again before I let myself tense up again.

There was absolutely no way I was going to go to sleep again. I wasn't going to risk going back to Francois's little lair.

I was going to keep my eyes wide open until dawn. Then I wouldn't have any problem staying awake.

But now, it seemed like the earlier terror of Francois was disappearing. Now images of the Exorcist were coming back to me, dancing in front of my eyes, almost daring me to freak out.

I shut my eyes tight, but that only seemed to make it worse. Now all the scary images I've ever seen or heard of were dancing in front of me, freaking me out.

I clenched my jaw, trying to keep back a whimper, but at the 'sight' of Emily doing that demented vacuum-like sound and having that seizure thing I couldn't keep it back.

I felt like smacking myself. I was acting like some wimp who was afraid of her own shadow, freaking out and crying over every little thing that gave me the jitters.

Next to me I felt Ethan shift, and his arm went around my waist, pulling me closer.

I leaned my head against his chest and closed my eyes, wondering why I couldn't just have a normal teenage life.

-

"You're back?"

I sighed and turned around, my skirts rustling.

"Yeah, rather un-willingly if I might say." I said, facing Erik.

He raised him eyebrow and motioned for me to sit on one of his couches.

"Why?"

I sat down, spreading my skirts out so they wouldn't wrinkle (as I had learned from when I lived here) and sighed again.

"I've been here already tonight. But I found myself in Francois's…"

"Cave." Erik finished for me.

"Yeah. Well, long story short, he proclaimed his love for me and… made his move." I shuddered, thinking of how I had wanted his touch, and practically pleaded for him to kiss me.

"So even though he tried to kill you he now evidently loves you?" Erik asked, totally bewildered.

"Precisely." I said, pursing my lips.

"Anything else happen?" He asked, and I knew what he was thinking. Erik wanted to know if Francois had tried to, um, grope around.

"No… but… he…augh, I can't explain it." I said raising my hand over my eyes.

"Try." He said, and I lowered my hand suspiciously.

I hadn't really noticed it until now… but… Erik was actually being nice to me; which is odd, because he should hate my guts right about now.

"Why on Earth are you being so… nice?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

"Because, that idiot has been trying to 'make a move' on my Christine."

Ah. That certainly explains an awful lot.

"So you're trying to prove that he was the one who killed me so that Christine will forgive you and you two can live happily ever after?" I said, chuckling a little.

"Pretty much, yes. Now, as you were saying." Erik said, getting a businesslike tone.

I sighed. I would really rather not share the way I felt about Ethan to Erik, seeing as I haven't even told my friends yet.

"Well, I like this boy back in my time…" I started, but Erik cut me off.

"In your… time?" He asked, looking lost.

"Yes, my time. I'm from the future. 21st century America. My real name is Katey Anne Douglas and..." I told him everything about what happened, and I could see his eyes grow wide. I wasn't sure if he was amazed, or thought I was mad.

"And then I came back here, and at first I thought I was just dreaming, but it turns out that it's just an after affect or something." I said, finishing up my story.

"Now go on about that boy you started about." He said.

I took a deep breath.

"Well, right now in my world, I'm at my best friend Clair's at a sleep over with a big group of my friends, including guys." Seeing his shocked expression I hurriedly added "things are different in the future, that's considered acceptable."

He nodded, but I could tell that he didn't like the idea of the future one bit.

"So I fell asleep just a little bit ago, before I came here, and arrived in Francois's cave, where he said 'I knew that you couldn't stay with that idiot that you've taken a liking to from your time.' And then I asked if he was jealous, and he said yes, and then he seduced me.

"He tried to kiss me, but I realized what was going on, and so I tried to make a run for it but slipped and hit my head on a rock. And then I woke up back in my time, and convinced myself it was just a dream, but out of nowhere I heard Francois's voice say '"I'm going to kill him…" so I freaked out, but told myself that it was just my imagination, and then all of a sudden I sort of blacked out, and I came here."

I finished lamely, but Erik still had the astounded expression on his face.

"So he is still madly in love with you, and has threatened to murder that boy you love" I winced at him putting my feelings out so bold "out of jealousy?"

I nodded.

"You've got to go to the police."

My eyebrows shot up.

"You think they'll believe this?" I asked. I knew for a fact that the French police would be sure to send to me to an asylum.

"No, but we can have you say that you're someone else to get him put in jail."

"Ah, well, good luck with that." I said, standing up.

"But I can't do it, in case you haven't noticed. I'm a criminal who is wanted for your murder, remember?"

"Well too…" I broke off mid-word. I was hearing someone… talking… and it sounded like Clair!

My mind seemed to go distant, and my body went light, almost like it was disappearing.

"I'm waking up!" I gasped, and in the next moment, Erik's lair vanished and I was opening my eyes back in my time.

-

"See, I told you that they loved each other!" Amanda giggled from above me.

The sun was pouring through the big bay windows and the guys were crowded around me; and Ethan too for that matter.

Ethan had been lying on his back, while I had lain on my side with my head rested on his chest and his arm around me as though clutching me to him.

We had sat up quickly and scooted apart, me blushing a furious red and him nervously laughing.

Clair came over to me and grabbed me by my arm, dragging me off to her room while the other girls followed.

She shut the door and locked it, and then spun around to face me.

"Alright, lover-girl, explain." She said, while the rest of the girls raised eyebrows, crossed their arms, or laughed; a few doing all three at once.

"Um… it's nothing...?" I said, sitting down on the old bed and drawing my knees up to my chest.

"Yeah well that didn't look like nothing to me." Jenny said, causing the girls to laugh out loud.

"Yeah, what happened?" Abby demanded, sitting down next to me.

"Nothing happened…" I began but they wouldn't take that answer.

"That wasn't nothing, you nerd, that was something." Kelee said.

"Tell us everything!" Christi said, tugging on my arm.

"Yeah!" A few girls said together.

"Well… nothing really happened! After the Exorcist we all just, fell asleep, but then I had a nightmare, and woke up freaking out, and he just sort of calmed me down…" I was interrupted by Clair.

"What did he do? Kiss you?"

The room exploded with laughter.

"What? No!" I said, shaking my head.

"Then what'd he do?" Amanda asked.

"Well, he just asked me what was wrong, and then…"

"Then he made out with you!"

"What on Earth is it with you people and me kissing someone!" I demanded, silencing the newly erupted laughter.

There was an uncomfortable pause.

"Well…" Clair said after a moment or two. "You've only been on a few dates, and you've never kissed a guy before… so you know."

I paused, and the door in the back of my mind flew open in a collage of all the times Francois had kissed me, including the one last night.

"So?" I said, pushing the memories back. "It'll happen when it happens, and not any sooner."

"Well still, you can't blame a girl for trying." Jenny shrugged and we all laughed.