"How about we switch over to math? All this reading of boring insects is making me sleepy." I stated, digging through Drakon's bag for his math workbook.

Drakon yawned, closing his book and pushing it to the side. "How about we take a nap? I'm tired, mom."

I finally found it and flipped through the pages. "You can a nap after we finish homework."

Drakon groaned and lifted his pencil. He watched for a while and read his post-it where he had written his homework. "It's page sixty-seven."

"I knew that." I said, turning to the page. Drakon sighed and started answering the questions. I rested my elbow on the table and leaned my head against my knuckles as I watched him, helping him out every so often.

"Hey, mom?"

"Yeah?"

"How come you suck at the multiplying?" Drakon asked when he noticed my hesitation.

"Hush. Blame it on grandma. She kept me home the day my teacher went over the times tables and I missed it. Mrs. Bubbles never went over it when I went to school the next day. That old wart hated me."

"Wait, wait. Mrs. Bubbles? Your teacher was Mrs. Bubbles?" Drakon asked, sleep disappearing from his eyes as he sat up.

I nodded, scrunching up my nose as I remembered my old teacher. "I know. My friends and I used to raise hell. On the last day of school, we all brought bubbles to school and blew when she walked through the door. You should've seen her face." I laughed softly at the memory.

Drakon scoffed. "How come when I do stuff like that I get grounded for a month yet I learned it from you?"

"Because unlike me, you get suspended whereas I only get dentation."

"It wasn't my fault!"

"You scared your teacher when she was going up the stairs with a hockey mask and she fell."

"She turned out okay."

"You almost got her into a coma, man."

"It's not my fault you taught me that."

"How did I teach you that?"

"You did that to dad and he fell just like Ms. Hayden."

"You know what? Let's go take that nap. I feel pretty tired, too." I said, giving up. Drakon smirked, knowing he won the argument.

I put everything away and we headed upstairs to my bedroom. I yawned as Drakon climbed up my bed, taking the spot Javon slept in. I laid in the bed next to him and Drakon snuggled to my side, arm draped over my stomach.

"Mom?"

"What, honey?" I said tiredly, rubbing my eyes.

"What's the greatest thing that ever happened to you?" He asked, voice just above a whisper as his eyes slowly drifted shut.

"The day... I got my first phone."

He nudged me and I chuckled, running my fingers through his hair. "I'm kidding. The day you were born."

"Really?"

"Of course. Not only did I become a mom, but I got myself an excellent partner-in-crime."

Drakon smiled. "I love you, mommy."

"I love you too, Robin."

-------

I panted as my arms pumped at my sides. My bare feet splashed at the wet dirt below me. I almost slipped, but I managed to catch myself on a tree. My vision was blurry, but I felt no rain and there was no fog.

It was a clear, hot night yet I couldn't make out anything, but shapes.

Panic started racing through my veins and my heart slammed against my tightened chest. I felt like screaming, but my throat was clogged up and nothing came out except whimpers.

The sound of horses and men shouting alarmed me and I looked behind me. I couldn't see anything, but I was able to see fire and make out the shape of horses charging straight at me.

I gasped and continued to run, slipping and falling. The sound of the hooves beating against the wet ground had me running faster than I thought could.

They will never catch me. I won't allow them to.

I thought to myself when all of the sudden my foot twisted and I went rolling down a muddy hill. I muffled a scream of pain, holding my leg up. It was blurry, but I was able to see my ankle was twisted in an awkward way.

Tears of pain rolled down my face as I pushed myself back to a fallen branch that almost appeared like a makeshift cave. I grabbed fallen leaves along with me and covered the small entrance with it.

I breathed hard as I blinked the tears away and covered my mouth as one white horse stopped just a few feet away. The man from the horse jumped down, his big heavy boots splashing the mud. I swallowed hard as other men caught up and were all hushed.

"Where did he gone?" One of them asked, walking right past me.

"He couldn't have just disappeared!"

"Maybe one of 'em bears got to him and dragged him away."

"Really, Phil? A bear? Don't you think we would have seen one?"

"I was just saying. No need to be harsh..."

"All I was—"

They suddenly fell silent and the one with boots started walking away. I was only able to make out from the waist down and something odd stood out from his side.

"Jones, shine the light here." He commanded, his voice sending shivers down my spine.

I blinked hard and held my mouth harder. No, please don't.

I wasn't able to hear anything, but I could see the boots walking towards the branch I was hiding in. My heart skipped a beat with every step he took.

I slowly backed away until my back hit a branch which creaked and I squeezed my eyes shut. I heard the leaves being pushed away and I finally opened my eyes and met a blurry face.

"There you are... Don't you know it's not nice to run away, Tristian?" He said before his gloved hands grabbed my good ankle and tore me away from my hiding place.

I woke up with a gasp, my body shooting straight up. I immediately reached over and turned on the lamp, feeling relieved to know nothing was hiding in the shadows.

I threw the blankets off of me and shakily wiped my sweaty forehead. Drakon was sound asleep and I gathered my hair up in a ponytail. I climbed off the bed and headed to the kitchen. I turned on all the lights as I went. The hairs on my arms rose up as I looked around. I turned on the stove and leaned back against the counter.

I wrapped my arms around myself, closing my eyes as I listened to the water boil.

Tristian... Why did I dream of him? And in his body especially? Weren't dreams about myself and trippy adventures that could only happen in dreams?

I opened my eyes and held my hand out. It still shook. My hands clenched and I tucked them under my armpits.

Whatever dream it was, it was bad. I never had a dream that felt so... real. My chest felt tight and now that I thought about it, my ankle hurt.

I picked up my ankle and moved it around just to be sure. I scoffed at myself and lowered my foot down. It shouldn't mean anything. Dreams were only dreams after all. They don't mean anything...

"Right?" I asked myself aloud as the kettle started to whistle.

-------

"Yes, mom. I'll behave. I heard it a million times already. Why do you keep telling me?"

"Because after the conversation we had last night, I don't want you to get any funny ideas." I said and Drakon smirked. I slapped the side of his head. "Hey, I mean it. No funny business."

Drakon rubbed the side of his head and frowned. "Fine. No funny business."

I smiled and ushered him inside. I watched as he was swallowed by other students and headed home.

It was cloudy and the news reporter had said there was a chance of a thunderstorm later in the afternoon. The wind was starting to pick up and I hurried.

Learning from my mistakes, I made sure I took my keys this time. I went straight to the kitchen and turned the stove on. I headed to the living room and sat down on the big red chair.

I sighed and threw my feet up the coffee table. I slouched and yawned loudly. Just as I was nodding off, the doorbell rang.

I pushed myself off my comfortable position and headed towards the front door. I opened it and found myself staring at the young girl. Her eyes were bagged and red-rimmed. I could faintly make out a bruise on her cheek and her hair looked like a bird's nest. Her knee-length faded red dress was dirty and her shoes had holes in them.

I took a step back, startled by her presence and gripped the door. "Um, c-can I help you?" I asked when she said nothing.

She sucked in a deep breath and shifted forwards. "Oh, y-yes. I-I was wondering if y-you had some spare change. Y-You see, I'm far from home and I haven't eaten anything for days."

My shoulders dropped and I was about to nod when I saw her hand shift as if she was hiding something. I forced a smile. "Let me take a look. I'll be right back..." I trailed off and slowly started to close the door when she put her hand out, stopping me.

"W-Wait! I was wondering if I could also use your bathroom." She said and I swallowed hard.

I reluctantly opened the door and let her in. She walked in and I closed the door, locking it just in case she had friends hiding in the bushes. I turned around when I saw her hand heading towards me. I quickly sidestepped and her small knife plunged the door, barely missing my head.

She gritted her yellow teeth and seethed. "I want everything!" She screamed.

My heart kicked into overdrive and my instinct was to run, but she was blocking the way. I pushed her hard with my shoulder and took off running towards the kitchen.

I grabbed the phone and dialed 911 when she came in. I held my hand out as I walked behind the counter, feeling safer there was an object between us.

"P-Please, don't do this, okay? I'll give whatever you want, okay? Please, put the knife down." I said calmly as we moved around the counter.

I could hear a voice from the phone and I quickly shouted my address when she jumped over the counter and landed on top of me. The phone slid from my grasp and went under the table.

I grabbed her wrists as she pushed with all her force. "Get...off of me!" I shouted.

"I want everything!" She screamed again and her wide eyes locked with mine. "I want everything..."

Her features softened and her eyes dropped to my lips. "I want... everything."

I breathed hard and managed to wedge my leg between me and her. I kicked her off and she rolled away. I got up and ran towards the back door. I opened it with shaking hands and slammed it shut just as the knife cut through the screen door and flew past my cheek.

I yelped and she pressed her face against the screen door, her head tilted to the side. She started smiling and I backed away as far as I could since I was holding the door from opening.

"What is wrong with you?!" I screamed at her, feeling her smile bring me a sense of déjà vu.

"I want everything. "She whispered even though her lips hadn't moved.

I swallowed hard and I heard the hinges creak. I breathed heavily through my nose and let go of the door. I ran towards the front of the house when I heard a voice coming from a radio.

"Help!" I screamed and as I turned the corner, I saw two police officers already here.

They pulled out their guns and I ran towards them. A young male police officer lowered his arms and pulled me behind him as the other officer shouted.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" He asked, his blue eyes roaming over my face.

I could only muster a nod as I panted.

He nodded back and raised his arms again. "Put your hands where I can see them!" He shouted.

I peeked over his shoulder and saw the girl standing there, her smile still attached on her lips and her hand still gripping the knife hard enough to make her knuckles white.

"Put your hands up and drop it!" The other officer repeated.

She shook her head and slowly her smile disappeared from her lips. Her features softened again. "I want everything." She said softly and looked down at the knife, twirling it around.

"Put it down, ma'am." The young officer said. "We don't want anyone to get hurt."

My eyes widen when she suddenly held the knife to her own neck. Her eyes locked with mine and in one swift movement, her neck was open and the dead leaves were stained with blood.

My body and mind went numb as two other police cars and an ambulance pulled up, but it was too late. It seemed like everything was in slow motion and I couldn't hear a thing the paramedics were asking me.

I couldn't force my legs or my lips to move. The paramedics pulled me away from the scene and into the ambulance.

They checked me over and tried to get me to talk, but I only managed to move my head. My tongue couldn't force the words out and my lips felt like they were glued together.

The young officer talked briefly with the paramedics and he took me to the back of his car. He drove me to the police station where I finally was able to answer all their questions and explain what had happened.

When everything was laid out on the table, the young officer went to get coffee for me and left me alone with my thoughts. I stood up and walked around to distract myself, but my mind kept going back to the girl.

Her smile, that crazed look in her eye, brought back memories of the shadow that had attacked me a while ago. I shivered and rubbed my neck. I sat back down and focused on my phone. I dialed Javon's number again and clicked my tongue when he didn't answer me again.

"Can you please call me? This is an emergency." I said and hung up the phone. I ran my hand through my hair when the officer came back and handed me a cup.

"Thank you." I said, taking a small sip to not burn my tongue.

The young officer sat down and leaned forward. "How're you holding up?" He asked.

I held the warm cup of coffee with both hands and shrugged. I kept my eyes glued to the coffee and swallowed. "I... I never had seen anyone die... like that."

The officer sighed again. "It's gruesome, huh?"

I scoffed. "That's an understatement. W-Who was she anyway?"

"We're not sure yet, but we're looking." He replied and paused. "Are you sure you never seen her before?"

I shook my head. "No, never. I've only lived here for a few months and I don't really talk to anyone."

The officer nodded, drumming his fingers against his cup. "And your husband? Where is he now?"

"He's working. He works late and he's not picking up his phone." I said, looking at my phone.

The officer shifted in his seat. "I'll try his number again. Wait here."

I watched as he left the area. I left dozens of messages and at least three voicemails. At this point, I was tempted to send him an email. I sighed and took a sip of my coffee. I leaned back in my seat when two officers walked in. I sat up and saw the top of Drakon's head.

I stood up and the two officers lead Drakon to me. Drakon smiled and ran to my open arms.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're okay." I whispered in his hair.

Drakon's arms tightened and he pulled his face away from my stomach. "What's going on, mom? Are you in trouble?"

I forced a chuckle. "No. It's nothing. We can talk about it at home after some pizza and TV, okay?"

Drakon lifted an eyebrow. "What about homework?"

"We can do that later." I said, leaning down to kiss his forehead.

The young officer came back and he cleared his throat. "We're only getting his voicemail, but I've been informed we could take you to a nearby motel for now."

"How long would we have to stay there?" I asked.

"It'll be just for tonight then we'll escort you back to your home."

I nodded and we followed the young officer outside. The motel was really close so we walked in silence. It was already afternoon and all the parents were on their way home with their kids. The clouds grew darker and in the distant, I heard a thunderclap.

We got to the motel and the officer talked to an old woman behind the checking desk and handed him a pair of keys. He smiled and handed them to me.

"Here you go. If there's anything wrong, just give us a call, alright?"

I nodded and thanked the officer. We went to our room and Drakon sighed when he turned on the light. It was a small room with a queen size bed, a TV, dresser and a table with two chairs.

"Why can't we go home?" Drakon asked.

I closed the door and sat down on the bed. "This morning, someone tried to rob us. It's nothing serious." I added when Drakon's jaw dropped. "I'm okay. Nothing happened. The police officers are just making sure everything is safe for when we return."

"Is there going to be a trial, like in Law and Order?" He asked, sitting next to me after he kicked off his shoes and book-bag.

I shook my head. "No. She, uh... confessed, so there's no need." I lied, getting up and going to the phone.

Drakon frowned. "Is daddy on his way here?"

I stiffened and looked over my shoulder. "No, but he said he's glad to know we're okay. Do you, uh, want a regular pizza or with pepperoni?"