I found Kate near the Free People section and hurried over to her. After our usual hug, she looked at me. “You look different, Alice.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Is that a good thing?”
She smiled. “Yes, you look more confident.”
“Actually, I feel a lot better. I had a fight yesterday with my parents, but for some reason I woke up feeling refresh.”
We spent the rest of the day looking through clothes, eating lunch at Golden Crown, and finished up the afternoon going through the antique store that we swore a ghost lives in. We even stopped by the comic-book store that carries high-class signed comics, one in particular I liked I wished I could afford. A Stan Lee signed The Amazing Spider-Man, the first introduction to Doctor Connors, aka, Lizard Man. Only a couple thousand dollars, that’s all…
Kate’s mom picked us up and we ate dinner at Christo’s, a nice little pizza and pasta place. Then we retired back to her house and watched, ironically, Syfy channel’s Alice. It was Kate’s pick, not mine.
As we watched the three-hour long miniseries, we came upon the jabberwocky.
I threw a piece popcorn at the TV. “That’s not what the jabberwocky looks like.”
Kate gave me a look. “What did you say?”
“That’s not what it looks like.”
“It’s a creature from a fairy tale, how would you know what it looks like?” she asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know, I just do.”
“You are silly, Alice.”
We finished the series and ended up having a Teen Titan marathon. Sunday went by as well and we finished up homework that was due that Monday. Kate’s mom dropped me back off at home, and after proving to my parents that I had finished my homework and Kate reassuring them it was perfect, I went into my room and painted.
I painted what I remembered from the dream; the Dark Forest, the Kingdom of Dreams, the Circus. I decided to use watercolors for each of them, and opened my window to get the lingering oil paint smell out of my room. It never seemed to leave. Once I was finished, I used a hairdryer to make sure the colors were as deep as I wanted them, then finally went to bed.
Monday morning came and I got to school and emptied my bag in my locker, the books making a loud thunk as I shoved them on the top shelf. Kate stood by, all ready to go to first period.
“Oh, look Alice! It’s your boyfriend,” she poked fun at me as she did everyday.
I glanced over to see Malcolm and the others putting their books away as well. Malcolm looked over and I blushed.
“He’s not my boyfriend, you know that.”
“But your cheeks get so red when I say things like that.” She laughed.
I shut my locker and started for class. “You are so mean, Kate.”
As we were almost to our room, I felt someone’s hand on my shoulder. Turning around I found Malcolm standing right behind me.
“After all that we have been through, you don’t even say hi to me?” He smiled.
I stared at him for a moment, thinking. No, it couldn’t have been real. Chase, Melvin, and Davis came up behind him. I grinned and flung my arms around Malcolm.
“It was real!” I laughed. “And you came back!”
“Of course we did, Alice, you don’t think we would leave our favorite girl behind.” Chase grinned.
“Um, Alice,” Kate said as she saw my arms around Malcolm. “Did I miss something?”
“No, you missed nothing at all.”
“Okay,” she pointed down the hall. “But you do see those girls running towards you as if they are going to attack.”
I quickly ducked into the classroom, happy to know my friends were still with me and everything wasn’t just a dream. Chase and Davis sat next to me along with Kate. I smiled, happy to have such great friends.
With them, I knew I could overcome anything.
Other works by Dani Hoots
Sanshlian Series:
The Quest
Daughter of Hades:
Endangered
A Falling Starr:
Forgotten
Found
Free
A World of Vampires:
Hooh-Strah-Dooh
Baobhan Sith
Strigoi
Jiangshi
Asanbosam
Lilith
Peuchen
Aufhocker
Soucouyant
My Broken Heart:
Hanami
Last Summer
Professional Secret
Fraudulent Love
Shattered Engagement
Once Upon a December
Hel’s Labyrinth
Acknowledgements
I want to thank everyone who made this novel possible. A big thank you to my editor Justin Boyer who hopefully hasn’t gotten sick of reading my stories yet. Thank you to Desiree DeOrto for helping teach me how to use photoshop and make covers. Best teacher ever! And lastly, thank you to my husband and parents who are always supporting me.
About the Author
Dani Hoots is a science fiction, fantasy, romance, and young adult author who loves anything with a story. She has a B.S. in Anthropology, a Masters of Urban and Environmental Planning, and is currently in the Your Novel Year Program through Arizona State University.
Currently she is working on a YA urban fantasy series called Daughter of Hades, a historic fantasy vampire series called A World of Vampires, and a YA sci-fi series called Sanshlian Series.
Her hobbies include reading, watching anime, cooking, studying different languages, wire walking, tinkering with her violin and concertina, and volunteering at the library. She lives in Seattle with her husband and two cats.
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Feel free to email her with any questions or comments: [email protected]
Visit her website: http://danihoots.com
