The Boy in the Black Hoodie

21

*Dream*

After the loud bang, I pushed the duvet off. The loud noise made my heart leap from my chest and I wanted to run to mummy and daddy. A guy with blonde hair is standing over my bed. His skin is pale with blotches covering it. His clothes are muddy with holes in the shirt. A scowl spread across his face when his eyes landed on me. I pushed myself to the edge of the bed away from him. Those familiar green eyes staring at me remind of someone close to me that I shouldn't fall for. But that can't be because I'm only a little girl.

I look behind me to see daddy holding a gun in his hand, pointed at the tall man standing over my bed. I recall hearing more voices in the room, but I don't see anyone else other than the guy over my bed who daddy called Charlie and mummy and daddy. The other voices disappeared after the loud bang went off.

"Rachel, you don't want to go to the guy with the gun," Charlie says in a low frightening voice.

I look behind me at daddy. His eyes widen, staring back and forth between me and Charlie. "Daddy," I call for him, wanting to be in his arms where it's safe.

Charlie steps closer to me, pulling a sharp object from his pocket. A yellow toothed smirk spreads across his face. I try to cautiously lower one foot to the floor without Charlie noticing. His eyes are on daddy and mummy, but then his eyes move back to me when the bed creaks. I let a gasp at the new evil showing in his dark eyes. He reminds me of the evil Jafar in Aladdin when his eyes glow. That evil character tries to do something very bad to Aladdin, that's what mummy said. I try to quickly rush to daddy this time and fail. Charlie reaches across the bed, grabbing me by the arm and yanking me towards him, holding the sharp object close to my neck.

My eyes widen and my heart races. I swallow a huge lump in my throat preventing me from calling out for mummy and daddy. I open my mouth to speak, but no words come out. The sharp object pricks my neck as Charlie's hand shakes.

"Let her go, please," mum begs. "She's not a part of this." Tears slide down her face.

"Give me what I want and I will," Charlie demands. I have no idea what he's talking about or what's going on. All I know is that it's wrong because of all the Disney movies I've watched with mum.

"Let her go first," dad says.

Then everything after that moment is a blur. All I remember is feeling pain shooting through my head and dad yelling Charlie Irwin over and over and mum yelling my name over and over. White and black spots appear throughout the room until everything turns to black.

*end dream*

I pop up out of Ashton's arms, letting out a scream. The dream feels so real. The pain in my head inside the dream is there. My head is pounding. A sharp pain is shooting through my neck. I feel the sides and back of my head then feel the sides of my neck. There aren't any bumps or marks. But it felt so real. Nobody else is in the room but us.

I've never been that far in the dream before. It always fades out after the loud bang and I wake up. What does it mean? I try to piece this new information together. I was knocked out at the end and possibly stabbed somewhere, I think, but I can't be sure since I woke up. The guy, Charlie, was in my dream before but not as vivid as he was this time. This time I could clearly see all his familiar features that tell me exactly who he is, and I'm not going to lie. I wish I didn't know.

The Charlie in my dream as the same green eyes I stare into daily. He has the same defined jaw as someone I've kissed. Also, he has the same Australian voice I've come to love. I'm not one hundred percent certain, but I think the Charlie in my nightmare is Ashton's dad. Ashton had told me about how addicted to drugs he was and how he bought from my parents. In my dream, he looked manic and slightly high. He was begging my parents for drugs, probably because he was broke.