A Light in the Dark

Chapter 58

'Lauren?' She slowly walked to the figure in front of her. The dim moonlight made it difficult to see, but it was definitely a girl with long hair. She hoped it was Lauren. Her feet were getting wetter with every step she took and a quick glance revealed that she wasn't wearing any shoes. 'Lauren, is that you?'

The person didn't move.

'Are you okay?' A cold wind picked up and, shivering, she crossed her arms and looked around. There was nothing but darkness. 'Where are we? Lauren?'

She finally came to a stop behind the girl and noticed that the long dark hair hung limp around her shoulders despite the wind. Carefully she reached out to touch her, but a familiar yet strange voice behind her made her freeze.

'You killed her.'

'What?' she whispered, not understanding. Who did she kill? Was that person even talking to her?

'You killed her. How could you?'

'I didn't...' She trailed off and glanced over her shoulder, but there was no one. With furrowed brows she looked back to the girl in front of her and took a step back in surprise.

Lauren was standing beside the girl. Where had she come from?

'Lauren? I thought...' She paused and looked to the other girl. 'But then... who is this?'

'How could you?' Lauren asked coldly. 'How could you?'

She shook her head. This was getting too weird. 'I don't... what are you talking about?'

But Lauren only nodded to her still raised hand. 'You killed her.'

She glanced confused at it and let out a horrified gasp when she noticed the knife in it. What had she done? There was no way that she... she couldn't have...

The girl beside Lauren collapsed to the ground and it was then that she could finally see her face. Hailee...

'No...' She shook her head vehemently. This wasn't real. It was a dream. It had to be a dream. 'No...'

'You killed her.'

Empty eyes stared up to her, the shy smile still on her lips.

'How could you?' Lauren asked again, but she could only stare at Hailee's still form. 'You're a murderer...'

─

Camila woke up with a start and looked around wildly. It had been a dream... it had only been a dream...

She took a deep breath and looked at her trembling hands. A nightmare. That was all it had been. Nothing more. She hadn't murdered anyone. She hadn't been there. It was the fault of that stupid gravestone... or maybe it had been the sweets she had shared with Sofi before going to bed... or both.

After another minute her heartbeat had returned to normal and the vivid images from the dream faded... with the exception of Hailee's face.

"It was only a picture," she whispered to herself and continued to stare at her fingers. "It was an old photo from school... nothing more. You didn't see her... like that. And Lauren would never..."

She swallowed thickly and let her hands sink. Only a nightmare. She was too old to have nightmares. Or to sneak into her sister's room when she had one... not that she had ever done that, of course.

Camila glanced to the red digits of the clock radio on her nightstand. It was too early to get up, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep again.