bed, flipping on her bedside lamp.
“I . . . uh. I don’t know,” Ava stammered, curling up on the sofa. Lucy jumped up from her bed and moved to sit next to her. “This is going to sound crazy,” Ava said, shoving damp hair away from her face.
“Ava, you’re scaring me.”
“It’s like a horror movie where your nightmare comes to life, you know?” Ava choked out.
“What are you talking about?”
“This!” Ava shouted, pulling her hair back to show the marks on her neck.
Lucy squinted, examining the area. “Are those . . . bruises?” she asked, mouth dropping open in shock.
Ava gulped, fighting back panicked tears. “Yeah. I think so . . . yeah.”
“But how did you get them?”
Ava sprang to her feet and began to pace. “I don’t know! That’s the thing. I have these marks on my neck like someone tried to strangle me. And a scar that’s never been there before. But that’s impossible, right?” Lucy stared at her, unsure what to say. “And they look like they’ve been there for a long time. So, why didn’t I notice them yesterday or the day before? And if they are new, how can they be healed?” She collapsed back onto the couch. “Luce, I feel like I’m going crazy.”
Lucy grabbed her hands, squeezing them tightly. “You’re not crazy.”
Ava took a deep breath. “I think . . . something happened to me tonight.”
“What?”
“I think maybe . . . somebody tried to hurt me. I just don’t understand why I can’t remember.” She pressed her palms against her temples. “I keep seeing the man from my nightmares, Luce. But he’s real, and he’s trying to hurt me. And then I fall and . . . hit my head.” Her hand drifted to the scar at the back of her head. “It’s like it happened. But it couldn’t have, right?” She looked at her friend helplessly, tears pricking her eyes.
“Oh, my God,” Lucy murmured, rubbing a thumb over Ava’s hand. “Av, maybe you need to call the police.”
“And tell them what, exactly?” she huffed. “That a guy I’ve been dreaming about for months—the guy I’ve been hallucinating— attacked me, but I can’t really remember it because I hit my head, but there’s no wound because it’s miraculously healed?”
Lucy exhaled heavily. “So what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.” Ava flopped back, throwing her hands up. “I wish I could remember what happened.”
“Well, try and retrace your steps. What’s the last thing you remember?”
“I was . . . walking home from work.” She stood and crossed to the window, looking down on the path she took every day. “And I felt like someone was there.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know. No . . . wait,” she said, heart pounding. “I saw him before that. Outside the restaurant.”
“He was outside?”
“I think so, talking to this woman. But then they were gone.”
Lucy joined her at the window, her gaze steady, encouraging. “Then what?”
“I . . . I . . . someone was following me.” Her hand flew to her neck. “I think he grabbed me. And I fell?” Ava tried to concentrate, willing the blurry images to focus, but nothing happened. “I don’t know,” Ava admitted. “I guess I passed out and . . . I’m not sure what happened.” She struggled to remember, but the thoughts floated out of her grasp, like a word on the tip of the tongue. “Someone . . . brought me here, I think.”
“You think?”
“I don’t remember. I blacked out, and I woke up here.” She reached up absently to touch the back of her head, wincing at the new scar.
Lucy already had her phone out. “You need to tell the police what happened,” she said, dialing 911.
“No, wait.” Ava grabbed the phone and hung up. Suddenly, she was exhausted.
“Ava, you need to file a report.”
“I can’t, Luce. I’m not even sure what happened. I’m not even sure anything happened,” she replied. “I’m just . . . I’m really wiped out. I have
“I . . . uh. I don’t know,” Ava stammered, curling up on the sofa. Lucy jumped up from her bed and moved to sit next to her. “This is going to sound crazy,” Ava said, shoving damp hair away from her face.
“Ava, you’re scaring me.”
“It’s like a horror movie where your nightmare comes to life, you know?” Ava choked out.
“What are you talking about?”
“This!” Ava shouted, pulling her hair back to show the marks on her neck.
Lucy squinted, examining the area. “Are those . . . bruises?” she asked, mouth dropping open in shock.
Ava gulped, fighting back panicked tears. “Yeah. I think so . . . yeah.”
“But how did you get them?”
Ava sprang to her feet and began to pace. “I don’t know! That’s the thing. I have these marks on my neck like someone tried to strangle me. And a scar that’s never been there before. But that’s impossible, right?” Lucy stared at her, unsure what to say. “And they look like they’ve been there for a long time. So, why didn’t I notice them yesterday or the day before? And if they are new, how can they be healed?” She collapsed back onto the couch. “Luce, I feel like I’m going crazy.”
Lucy grabbed her hands, squeezing them tightly. “You’re not crazy.”
Ava took a deep breath. “I think . . . something happened to me tonight.”
“What?”
“I think maybe . . . somebody tried to hurt me. I just don’t understand why I can’t remember.” She pressed her palms against her temples. “I keep seeing the man from my nightmares, Luce. But he’s real, and he’s trying to hurt me. And then I fall and . . . hit my head.” Her hand drifted to the scar at the back of her head. “It’s like it happened. But it couldn’t have, right?” She looked at her friend helplessly, tears pricking her eyes.
“Oh, my God,” Lucy murmured, rubbing a thumb over Ava’s hand. “Av, maybe you need to call the police.”
“And tell them what, exactly?” she huffed. “That a guy I’ve been dreaming about for months—the guy I’ve been hallucinating— attacked me, but I can’t really remember it because I hit my head, but there’s no wound because it’s miraculously healed?”
Lucy exhaled heavily. “So what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.” Ava flopped back, throwing her hands up. “I wish I could remember what happened.”
“Well, try and retrace your steps. What’s the last thing you remember?”
“I was . . . walking home from work.” She stood and crossed to the window, looking down on the path she took every day. “And I felt like someone was there.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know. No . . . wait,” she said, heart pounding. “I saw him before that. Outside the restaurant.”
“He was outside?”
“I think so, talking to this woman. But then they were gone.”
Lucy joined her at the window, her gaze steady, encouraging. “Then what?”
“I . . . I . . . someone was following me.” Her hand flew to her neck. “I think he grabbed me. And I fell?” Ava tried to concentrate, willing the blurry images to focus, but nothing happened. “I don’t know,” Ava admitted. “I guess I passed out and . . . I’m not sure what happened.” She struggled to remember, but the thoughts floated out of her grasp, like a word on the tip of the tongue. “Someone . . . brought me here, I think.”
“You think?”
“I don’t remember. I blacked out, and I woke up here.” She reached up absently to touch the back of her head, wincing at the new scar.
Lucy already had her phone out. “You need to tell the police what happened,” she said, dialing 911.
“No, wait.” Ava grabbed the phone and hung up. Suddenly, she was exhausted.
“Ava, you need to file a report.”
“I can’t, Luce. I’m not even sure what happened. I’m not even sure anything happened,” she replied. “I’m just . . . I’m really wiped out. I have
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