His face turns red and he glares at me. “You’re grounded even longer,” he says in a stern voice.
“What?” I shout.
“You heard me.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“You lied to me,” Ron says.
I feel like punching him. I never understand why he always makes this stuff up. And he wonders why I don’t like him.
“I can get a copy of my late slip Monday to prove it.”
“Then get one to me by Monday or you’re grounded,” Mom says and shuts my door.
My heart sinks. They are always angry with me and I don’t get why. Nothing I do is ever good enough for them. Sometimes I feel like my mom regrets having me or that I’m such a problem child. I want to run away. Somewhere that isn’t stressful.
Pulling out my notebook, I return to a world where I can be free. Casper’s face circles my mind as if thinking of him is comforting. Why is he the first one I think about?
I sigh and push him from my mind. I think about the two characters in my story. Living in a world where they are lovers and immortal beings. I imagine Vincent and me on a date, smiling and laughing. I picture his dark blue eyes peering into mine before he leans down and kisses me.
But will he ask me out? Will he like me? If he ever meets my parents, he’ll run for the hills. I take a deep breath and continue writing. It’s the only thing that brings me solace.
Chapter Seven
Casper launches a punch into the man’s face. The man groans, then tackles Casper to the ground. They have to stop. I look around to find something to hit the man. The gunshot explodes and I freeze. I wait for Casper to move out from underneath the man but it’s the man who stirs. He grasps the gun and gets to his feet. It’s him.
I run. Fast. The man screams for me, but I keep running, past several trees. I come to a halt after I see a hole in one of them as if lightning struck it. It’s small enough for me to hide in. I hold my breath, and my heart pounds inside my chest; it throbs in my ears. His footsteps approach.
I should turn myself in. I shouldn’t have fallen in love with an Elf, but I did. And now I don’t know if he’s dead or alive. I bite my lip to keep from making a sound. The man’s shoes crunch over branches and my chest burns from holding my breath. I close my eyes and a tear falls down. I can’t let him see me.
He walks past and I hear his footsteps become more and more faint. I’m not sure how much time passes before I exit the tree, but when I do I dart toward Casper’s body. “Casper,” I whisper as I crawl toward him. My vision blurs from the tears as I shake him, but he doesn’t move.
When I open my eyes, I realize that I’m crying. I raise to a sitting position and reach behind me to turn off my alarm before it goes off. My black hair falls around my shoulders as I cover my face with my hands and cry. The dream stays with me and I feel as if I’ve lost my true love.
Someone knocks on my door, and Mom comes in. “Good mor—what’s wrong, Meg?”
I sniff. “Nothing. Just a bad dream.” I quickly wipe my tears.
“What was it about?”
I shake my head. “Nothing. It was stupid.”
“All right. Well, have a good day. See you tonight.” She hugs me and I hold onto her a little longer. She pulls back and kisses my forehead. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
I nod.
“Okay. Don’t forget the copy of the late pass,” she says and leaves.
Savannah burrows out from under the covers and sneezes. She yawns and stretches while looking at me sleepily. I hold all twelve pounds of her to my chest, hoping for some comfort.
Once I see Casper, I’m sure I will calm down. It’s the strangest thing. I feel like the dream really happened which is why I have to see him.
I get to school rather impatiently and meet Cherry at my locker. She’s talking, but I only half-listen because my eyes are peeled on the vast group of people walking down the hall. I chew the inside of my cheek. I fidget with the strap on my backpack. My eyes dart back and forth looking at every single face that passes by. None of them is Casper.
“Okay, seriously, Megan, what is with you?” Cherry asks.
“Nothing,” I mumble.
“Well, could you pay attention to me for five seconds?”
When I don’t respond, she lets out an exasperated sigh. “Who are you looking for?”
I don’t see him at all. Something is wrong. My heart drops to the pit of my stomach, swirling around with all of the other uneasy feelings.
“Hey,” she shouts and grabs my arm, making me look at her. “Calm down. Lay off the Red Bull. Yeesh. What’s the matter with you?”
I can’t calm down. She doesn’t understand my urgency, but it doesn’t matter now. “I have to go check on him.”
“Who?”
I swallow. “Casper.”
Her eyebrows push together with disbelief in her eyes. “What?”
“He was shot, Cherry. I have to see if he’s okay.”
“What?” Her eyes enlarge.
“It was a dream,” I tell her. “You don’t understand.” I quickly add as she gives me a disapproving look.
“Meg, it was a dream. It wasn’t real. Why does he concern you all of a sudden?”
“I don’t know. I gotta go.”
She grabs my arm again and the bell rings. “Are you crazy? You can’t go to his house.”
“I need your phone.”
“What?”
“Give me
