I was rather annoyed at the alarm and glared at it after trying to go to sleep again. The damned thing had interrupted before I could finish speaking to Matthew. Rolling over again, I sighed and remembered the feel of his arms around me. I wanted to feel that again and immediately yelled at myself.
"What do you need someone to hold you for?" I asked myself. "What about your future?" I wanted to teach foreign languages at a university. And with the way I saw my future, there was no way for me to do that and have a boyfriend or husband in the mix. I finally gave up on going back to bed and dressed for the day. It was Saturday and we were going to the zoo with a couple of Dad's family friends. I was brushing out my hair in the mirror when I saw Matthew behind me in the reflection. I dropped the brush, gasped, and spun around.
There was no one there, but I still felt as though I was being watched. I shrugged, uneasy, and finished brushing my hair. All the while, I looked carefully at my reflection and not behind me. As I walked down the hallway to the frontroom, I heard Dad's voice. He sounded upset, but as if he was controlling it. I wondered who he was talking to but dismissed it. I talked to myself too, there was no reason Dad couldn't. Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me and arms wrapped around my shoulders. Before I could react, Lynn's voice came over my shoulder.
"Jumpy today, Sis?" she asked. "What's wrong?" Sitting down on the leather sofa in front of the fireplace, I quickly related my dream to Lynn. She gasped at my description of Matthew and her eyes narrowed but she let me finish. Then she told me her dream. I wondered what was going on and fingered the ring I always wore now. The word love kept flickering through my mind. I wondered if it was in relation to Matthew.
"Something's going on and it's connected to Mom and these rings," Lynn said adamantly. "I think we should go ask Dad what's up." I nodded and moved towards the stairs. As I passed by the door, a pounding startled me. I slowly turned to the door and opened it. Standing outside was a shaggy, black-haired man with brown eyes. They lit up when he saw me standing there. I gasped and had to hold the door to keep from falling.
"Matthew?" I asked incredulously. He smiled at me and held his arms out, luckily in time to catch me as I fainted.