For the first time in a long time, I got up before the alarm went off. I jerked upright, screaming, tears rolling down my eyes, and my hands scanning my body. Oh crap! I gasped when I realised it was a dream. I quickly assessed my situation and remembered I was home, safe, and my mother was there too. I lay back shortly, allowing my body to relax. I exhaled, and my ribs protruded, pulling at the skin that holds me together. With everything that was going on, I didn’t want to go to school.

I didn’t sleep much, which had been happening a lot lately. I lumbered out of bed and into the living room. My mom was at the kitchen table, reading the morning newspaper and drinking coffee.

“Good morning, honey,” she greeted me. “You look miserable.”

“I feel miserable.” I poured myself a bowl of cereal and sat across from her. “Anything interesting in the newspaper this morning?” I ate from my cereal.

“Just the usual.” Nicole took a sip of her coffee.

“Anything new about Sectobola disease?” I asked.

“Our town is one way in, one way out. No one can enter the gates without a proper background check, and when residents travel outside for a period and return—they must visit the hospital for check-ups. It’s our system, and it works. It was why Forest Edge has a low crime rate and illness. Yet somehow, Sectobola illness made its way here. One can only become infected after bitten by a bug that originated outside of town. It’s such carelessness.”

Nicole seemed troubled by the issue. I finished my cereal, placed the bowl in the sink, and took a bottle of water from the refrigerator. Wade had done plenty to secure our town, though it was only to protect his precious vampires, and now I understood why. It was because problems like the Sectobola disease could happen anytime and endanger us.

After my shower, I hauled on my uniform and scarf, then pushed my hair backwards with a headband. Few of my locks accessorised with beads and colourful wraps that went against school rules. Before I leave home, I phoned Uta. I should’ve done so the second I woke up from my dream, but it was early, and I didn’t want to disturb him. I called, but he did not answer. I was getting wound up! My stomach was in knots! Calm down, girl. It was only a dream. It might have been the fact that this was the worst dream I had, and it might be I was afraid it wasn’t a dream. My tummy flip flops. I get easily anxious over matters like this. I remember the morning I saw Witt after he witnessed my glowing hair, and I felt stupidly anxious. My legs were shaking, and I was sure he could tell.

After another failed attempt, I called Yasu’s phone.

“You’ve reached the voicemail box of Yasu. If you wish, leave a brief message, but I don’t promise to return your call.”

“Nice try, Yasu. Could you be any lamer?”

“How is it that, even this early in the morning, you’re still the very bane of my existence?”

“Wow! You’re not only an arrogant ass during the day, evening and night, but also in the morning.” I hoped my words annoyed him like his infuriated me.

“I’m the most irritable in the mornings when I hear galling little voice like yours.”

I grimaced and chose not to reply.

“Is there an infected vampire in your house threatening your safety and that of your mother?”

His question caught me off-guard and brought up memories of my awful dream.

“No.”

“Then why are you calling my phone this early in the morning? Listen, Feisty—”

“Stop calling me that!” I let out a heavy sigh, which he heard.

“You rather Spitfire? Cause I think it’s more settled, don’t you?”

“Not that either!”

“I’m down for whatever chitchat you want to have, but not right now. We talk later.”

“Yasu, wait! I called Uta, but he didn’t answer his phone. I had a dream where hell broke loose. Everyone was dying, and Uta got infected and attacked you, which turned you into one of them and… well…”

“You’re wondering if everything is all right over here.”

“Yes.”

“You worry too much. It’s only a dream.”

“With everything that’s going on, I can’t trust that. I like to make sure.”

“And now that you’ve confirmed your crazy dream of the world ending was just that, a dream, I’m hanging up.”

“Wait!”

“What now?” Yasu hissed, and I laughed.

“I like to talk to Uta, please.”

“Are you coming back to bed?” I overhear someone asked. “Hurry back.”

“Who was that?” I asked.

“Who was who?”

“Don’t play games. The girl in the background is not, Tone, is it?”

“Who’s Tone?”

“My friend, you dimwit.”

“You mean the Goth girl I met some time ago? I wonder where she got my number. You know she called me, right? But I don’t dig Goths.”

“Thank God. You’re not good enough for her, anyway. Take your phone to Uta so I can talk to him for a sec.

“He’s asleep. I’m not about to wake the guy because you’re having a meltdown. Call him later or something.”

“Please,” I begged.

“Come on, Feisty. You think sounding sweet and innocent will play on a manipulating a person like me?”

Yasu never called me by name. Not once.

“Bye!” He cut the line.

He was more interested in returning to play dollhouse with his one-night fling.

Stupid Yasu!