• I threw off my covers and slid out of the bed. I creaked open the door and peered down the stairs. Mama was still up, watching TV. I tiptoed down the stairs, into the living room. “Mama?”
    Mama turned to look at me. “Celtse? Baby, it’s so late. What are you doing up?”
    I rubbed my eyes sleepily and sneezed. “I had a nightmare.”
    Mama turned down the TV. “Oh, really? What was it about, Celts?”
    I looked down at my baggy Nevershoutnever t-shirt. How was I going to explain this to her? It was such a weird dream. I usually always have the best dreams. “There was a boy with black hair. He was about my age, but I don’t think I knew him. His name was Jack. He was an orphan, and he was adopted by a really mean family---”
    “Celtse, you know it wasn’t real. Come on, let’s get you back in bed. It’s your first day of middle school tomorrow, and you don’t want to be late, now do you?”
    I crossed my arms and huffed. She didn’t understand how genuinely terrifying it was to see what happened to Jack. I didn’t think that she ever would. It felt so undeniably real. I ran a hand through my blonde ponytail, wanting to sit her down and tell her the whole story, but I resisted the urge. “All right,” I said reluctantly. “Fine. I doubt I’ll sleep, though. . .Not after that.”
    ----------
    “Jack.” someone said, shaking my shoulder. I rolled over and groaned. “Bite me.” I laid there, on my stomach for a minute, thinking that whoever it was gave up and left. Suddenly, I felt someone ream me in the head with a pillow. “Wake up, Jack!”
    I sat up and chucked the pillow back. My buddy Alex stood there, his usual sarcastic smirk plastered to his face. “Man,” I grumbled. “Why couldn’t you just let me sleep? I was having a good dream---Weird, but good.”
    “What happened in it?” asked Alex, tossing his pillow back on hid bed. “Did you get outta this crappy orphanage?”
    “No. I don’t think I was even in it. It has this preppy blonde chick on her first day of middle school. All this. . .really good stuff happened to her. Dude, I’ve never had a dream like that before in my life. I usually have nightmares.”
    “Hmm,” Alex said, stroking a non-existent beard. “Emo boy dreams of preppy blonde girl on her first day of school. I’ve got it! It's that chick you saw on TV, the hot one. You had a dream about her. Ha!”
    I jumped up and round house kicked him in the chest. I had him in a head lock when Mr. Beddor, the man in charge of the boys’ dorms at the orphanage, opened the door and said, “Jack? Get dressed. A family is here that is interested in adopting you.”