Chapter 1
I’d always hated dreaming. I hated that what happened in the dream did not happen in real life. Like my father was alive in one dream, hugging me as if he would never let go. But when I wake, I realized that he was dead, not coming back. That my mom remarried to Daniel and that I’ve got a stepbrother and a half-sister.
I’ve always hated fairgrounds; it was the last time before he got ill that dad took me. It was the first place where Daniel took us, me and my ’new’ stepbrother (it was around two years before they gave us the surprise of our half-sister). We both barely wanted to do anything and guess who got told off. Not the stepbrother but me. Mom told me off too, when we’d got home,
“Crystal Brittany Burch why are you being so ungrateful to your stepfather? He’s just being nice.”
It was a year before they married. And a few days before they married, Mom asked if I wanted to hyphenate my own name with Daniel’s. There was no way I was going to do that. I still wanted to keep my own dad’s name alive. It was the only thing of his that I had, and I wasn’t going to give it up without a fight. Hyphenating it won’t be the same.
Mom didn’t even bother fighting me about this.
I’ve dreamt that I was at a fairground. One where there were no people. I could hear the squeaking of the rust squealing into my ears. It was covered in vines and ivy that was taking over this once joyous place. The lights were flickering, and it was nearly daytime.
I could see someone in the shadows. They didn’t look quite human, they were too tall, too thin, with nails that were too long for existence. They didn’t say anything, but I could tell that they were looking at me. Staring at me like I was a prize.
“Who are you?” I shouted.
They used their nails covered in grime to scratch the metal railings. They didn’t say a word. I don’t think I’d even heard breathing.
“It’s just a dream,” I muttered
“Just a dream.”
“Wake up Crystal.” I could hear a small voice in the distance, “Momma’s shouting at you!”
The thing then disappeared, and everything went dark before my eyes opened and I saw the bright baby-blue eyes of my half-sister, jumping on my bed.
“Tabitha Nikki Carson, please get off my bed.”
I swear some days I just want to strangle the living daylights out of her. I mean, she’s only two but she’s more of a nightmare than the monster under the bed. I dislike having to share a room with her, Roberto is lucky to have his own room. If she had been a brother, then it would have been a whole different story.
She kept on jumping on my bed, squealing with joy. She delights in getting me and Roberto into trouble though I’m an easier victim than him. Because we’re only halves and she’s the whole. Little brat.
“I’m getting up, please get off my bed.”
