I watch as he walks into the light. My dad. The only male relative I ever knew. And I wake with a start. "Red shirt! Hello? Red shirt!" "Huh what?" The whole class cracks up and i sink down in my chair with a tomato face. "Um, my name is Bailey..." "Well then, I don't care if your name is Bailey, or Susan, or Mrs. Potato Head, to me you're red shirt. So, you are going to show the class how to do number 14, hm?" "Um, yes ma'am." But the truth was, I haven't been paying attention for the last 30 minutes, therefore I have no idea what number 14 is, or what page we're on. I hesitantly rise from my seat, feeling hot from all the eyes on me, and make my way towards the board only hearing the clack of my "first time to be used" shoes. When I reach the front I lean in and whisper in Mrs. Longburg's ear, "What exactly is number 14?" "Just go sit down, red shirt." The rest of the day was a complete drag, as well. I fell asleep in math and history class. The sub in history didn't know my name also, and ended up calling me "Snoozy." Then my mother told me I had to walk home because there was a "situation". My guess is she can't put her book down, again. The other problem is that my house is an hour walk, and it's a nice fall like tempurature of 95 degrees but that's what you get for living in Florida, huh? After what seems like 5 days, I reach my front door. My hands were so sweaty I couldn't even work the handle, so I knocked. Instead of letting me in, my mother came from around back and immediately shoved me toward my neighbors' house. She has definitely put her book down. "Momma what's going on?" I could see her face clearly now that it was out of the shadow. She had straight tears streaming down her face through the dirty mess from what seems like gardening. She's always up to something. "Sh. Shhhh. SHUT UP BAILEY!!" She aggressively grabs the collar of my old red t-shirt and shakes me back and forth, rattling my brain. "MOM! MOM STOP! MOM STOP IT! WHAT HAPPENED?! MOM CALM DOWN!" My mom stops with a jerk and immediately turns and sprint-walks with her head down. "Keep walking. Go. Quickly. You'll be next." I start walking slowly towards the glass door next to ours. My mom jerks me back by my collar again after a small 2 steps. "Baby, be careful" She looks back at the ground. "Be CAREFUL." Mom places both of her hands on my shoulders. "BE CAREFUL! RUN!" She shoves be backwards towards the door and I turn around and run as she holds the scream. Right before I make contact with the hard glass, I turn around to see my mom in a head lock with a dark clothed arm also wearing a black glove holding a gun."No." I murmur to myself. "NO! MOM!" I scream, not leaving my place on the porch. "LET GO OF-" But by then I knew it was too late. I couldn't save her. She was gone. I crumble down and stare straight out into nothingness. Before I knew it, I had driften off and was in what appeared to be a slighlty familiar dream. I was in a closed in room filled with dust and trash that had left behind. My room. Abandoned. The lights were off, but somehow it was extremely bright but I didn't squint. We were holding hands, but only for a second before she smiled, shed a tear and started backing up gently. Soon, there were more tears. They were starting to drip onto her angelic white silk floor-length dress. Then there was blood. On her face. On her dress. On her hands. On her also angelic white silk heels. It was everywhere. An ugly monster was destroying something so beautiful. She started to scream and turned around and started to wak into the light, fists clenched. No, Mom, no. I couldn't speak. I couldn't move. I couldn't save her from her pain. Or would pulling her back just put her in more? I jerk my head up, panting. My neighbor, Alicia Brown, stands bent over at my side. Her perfectly straightened blonde hair makes me feel worse. Why does she deserve a perfect life? "Bailey? Bailey are you ok?" I come back to my senses. "I heard you screaming. What's going on? Please tell me." The gentle words flowing out of her mouth drift into my ear but I pretend like I don't hear her. I can feel her take her hands and place them under my arms in attempt to pull me up and I follow her gesture without taking a moment to blink and look at her. I continue to stare, stare into my thoughts. Finally, it clicks. "My dad. My mom. They're-no." I speak no higher than a whisper. "I'm sorry?" She furrows her perfect eyebrows. "I had dreams. They're gone." "Sweetie, they're just next door. I'll give them a call." She leaves my side and makes her way into the house and toward her phone beside the couch in the living room. I get up and stop her with a hand on her shoulder. "They won't answer." Tears well up in my eyes. "I think they're gone." She turns around and places both hands on my shoulders, staring deeply into my eyes. "Where did they go? Bailey, what happened out there?" "Can I lay down?" I shed a tear. Then two. Two turns into three, three turns into hundreds. "Of course. Come with me." She leads me to the couch and gets me settled down with backets nd pillows pillows and snacks, etc. I start feeling dizzy, and when I lay down, it gets worse, so I stand rght back up again. Alicia has already taken my boots off so I'm left with fuzzy socks on slick hard wood floor. Adn I slip. The fall is in slow motion, my head spinning from the dizziness, my neck throbbing from a whack by the coffee table's sharp edge. There's a thud, a crack, and darkness all over again. I can see my parents togther this time. They stand a rough hundred feet away from me. I can feel the muscles in my face form a smile. I want to scream, scream for them to come to me. To come back. But I don't make any noise. Even less move my lips. Come here. I love you, come here. Thoughts race through my mind but I can't do anything. Tears build up and roll down my statue like face. I need you. Come here. I can't live on my own. Not now. Come back. My world slowly fades away. I blink slowly until I can see straight again. Bright lights from the ceiling and machines around me sting my eyes. Once I can focus again, I look down at the white sheets and gown covering me. Before I know it, Alicia is standing a my side, brushing her fingers through my hair. My first instinct is to scream as it all rushes back to me, but as soon as a make the slightest squeal, my head feels like it's being stab