For Nevermore Season 1

thing I knew after that, Officer Crispin was waking me up.”
    “And you have no idea how the guy got French fried to a crisp?”
    “No idea,” Noella shook her head.
    Randy stared at Noella instead of the road, as if trying to separate fact from fiction, truth from lie. He had good instincts for when people were lying to him. He could sense the truth she was hiding. He finally returned his eyes to the road, shaking his head. “That’s some weird stuff. More than weird, it’s downright bizarre. Lucky thing you weren’t hurt.”
    Noella wasn’t sure what Randy was getting at, but the cold weight in her chest and the warm lump in her throat made her wonder if he were trying to draw a link between what happened at the coffee shop and the nightmare from two years ago.
    No, I can’t tell him the truth.
    I can’t tell Randy about the man from my dreams.
    Noella didn’t know what was happening, but she knew enough to realize she was falling into something beyond her comprehension, something she could never let anybody know about.

    **

    midnight...

    Noella opened her eyes to the dream that wasn’t really a dream.
    In many ways, this dream felt more real than reality.
    There were the regular dreams, like the ones everyone had, a jumble of sound and images, flashing memories and random thought.
    But these dreams were different, and Noella had been able to feel the difference since forever. Maybe everyone had both types of dreams, Noella had no way of knowing. She figured they probably did, but they couldn’t recognize them. But then again, maybe she was crazy. It was certainly possible. Dr. Foster may not have said it on his clipboard, but he said with his eyes more times than she could count.
    Except crazy people didn’t think they were crazy, and half the time Noella thought she was as looney as a toon. At least that’s how she felt in the daylight. Dreams were different.
    Dreams were like liquid forever, where she could walk through walls of eternity, staring at all that ever happened and everything that ever would. Where she could step into memories like a body through water, moments rippling in every direction. The Forever in her dreams felt like home, though it wasn’t. Just like the father in her dream felt like home, but wasn’t. Not really. Nor was Dante.
    Tonight’s liquid forever had led her into a pitch black room. On the other side of the wall, she heard the muffled cries of a girl. They weren’t cries of sadness, though. They were cries of torment and fear.
    She pushed through the darkness and found a doorway which led to a room beyond hers, a seedy hotel room dimly lit by an old TV, tuned to static.
    Then she saw the source of the crying strapped to a chair, her hands and legs tied with rope, mouth gagged, eyes blindfolded by black fabric.
    Though the girl looked like she’d been through hell, and was blindfolded, Noella recognized her almost instantly. It was Katie Blanchard, a cheerleader who hung at the fringes of the EnvyUs. Katie had gone out of her way to be cruel to Noella on several occasions. However, Noella couldn’t help but wince when she saw the raw lashes running across Katie’s wrists and forearms, from the rope binding her to the chair.
    Noella looked around the rundown motel room, searching for whoever had done this. Katie was alone, tied up in a powder blue prom dress maybe 20 years out of style.
    Katie’s cries intensified as if she’d sensed Noella.
    She began to shake in her chair, struggling with the ropes, and cried, sounding like she was begging to be set free.
    “Shh,” Noella whispered, not wanting Katie’s cries to bring whoever had done this to her. Noella looked around the room, both the front door and bathroom door were closed, but she could see a light on in the bathroom. Shadows played across the floor.
    Whoever did this is in there!
    Noella moved quickly, to untie Katie before the bathroom door opened. She was too late.
    The door opened, and light spilled into the room, the man appeared in the doorway. His features were a blur, cloaked in shadows which traveled with him as he moved toward them.
    Oh, God! He sees me!
    Noella turned to run out the door, but couldn’t move.
    The man moved closer, but ignored Noella. Either he couldn’t see her, or didn’t care if she watched.
    The shadows swirled, giving way to limbs, one of them holding a knife, as he stepped forward. He ran the blade from the nape of Katie’s neck, along the side of her face, then