Excerpt: VIRTUALLY LONDON, Neighborlee, Ohio, Book 3

 

Like I said, I hadnightmares. Those really nebulous, misty, disjointed nightmares where I knew Iwas being chased. I had to keep moving, because if I slowed down or lookedbehind myself, whatever it was would catch me. Plus, the nightmares weren'tletting me go. As soon as I fell asleep again, I was right back to the point inthe dream where I had managed to yank myself awake.

"What'sbothering you?" Bethany asked, one morning after somewake-me-up-six-times-during-the-night nightmares.

That was the greatthing about having Bethany for my closest friend. We could tell when thingswere wrong with each other, or when one of us had an incredible secret. I lostcount of the times, growing up, when one of us would be thinking about theother, wanting to talk, and the other one would call, or come by the house.Angela encouraged our friendship and said we were good for each other. As wegot older, I grew more sure that she somehow helped our link or whatever-it-wasgrow stronger.

So when Bethany askedme, before I even finished sitting down next to her in homeroom, I tapped myear, then my wristwatch, our signal for "tell you later--when the mundanesaren't listening."

We went outside atlunch and walked around the high school instead of sitting in our favorite spotunder the trees next to the agriculture class's experimental garden plot. Itwas the only way we could guarantee someone wouldn't eavesdrop. When I finisheddescribing the nightmares, the solid sense of threat but no other details,Bethany didn’t even pause before telling me what was only common sense.

"You need totalk to Angela. Have you told your folks?"

"I would have,but you know how crazy it is in the mornings at our house."

Bethany just rolledher eyes and grinned. She had slept over enough times to know that no matterwhat time of the year, whether it was the weekend or weekday, Longfellowscouldn't seem to get our acts together in the morning. We were always rushingaround and snatching up things, hurtling out the door and coming back a fewtimes. Usually we raced out the door half-dressed, running late for work orshopping or appointments or school or wherever we had to be that morning.

Honestly, I wanted totalk to Gram and Granddad about my dreams before anyone else. They would listenand understand. They weren't the kind of grownups who listened to psychologybooks that contradicted what their children knew was going on. I planned ongoing to them that night, probably after dinner, when all our day's crazinesshad calmed down.

Going to Angela,however... That might be a better first step.

So we went right after school, Doni and Bethany andme.