her. back? Then I can rest easy too.“”
Chapter 27
Shane’s gaze wavered slightly. “Maybe I should-”
Amber interrupted, “I hope Ally won’t be mad at me when she comes back. I was lucky this time, but I know I can’t always count on that.”
Upon hearing this, Shane dropped the thought and gently ruffled her hair. “Forget it. I won’t go get her. Let her stay in Gildford and cool off for a while.”
The next morning, the Schultzes arrived to pick Amber up from the hospital.
I noticed that Dad and Mom looked exhausted as if they hadn’t slept well. They were probably
worried about Amber’s condition.
“Dad, Mom, did you not sleep well?” Amber asked.
Mom rubbed her forehead. “It must be that damn Allison causing so much trouble lately that I keep having nightmares.”
“You dreamed about Allison too?” Dad looked at Mom, surprised.
Even Shane, who was getting ready to go to work, stopped in his tracks.
“Yeah. That brat pretended to be dead, didn’t she? And in my dream, she really was dead.”
If one person had such a dream, it could be a coincidence. But when multiple people had the same dream, it started to seem strange.
Amber suddenly spoke up, “Could Ally really be ”
Shane interrupted her sharply, “No way! How could Allison be dead?”
“Don’t misunderstand me, Shane. I was just wondering why Ally had to go to Gildford of all places, where there are so many cults. I’ve heard some of them practice dark magic. Lately, everyone’s been on edge, and I almost died yesterday. Did Ally…?”
Mom slammed her hand on the table. “No wonder I haven’t been able to sleep at night! Has. that brat cursed us with dark magic?”
Dad quickly tried to calm Mom down. He was easily influenced, and usually, it was Mom who made all the decisions at home. It was rare for him to speak up in my defense.
“We’re family, after all. What good would it do her to harm us? Besides, that’s all superstition.
We shouldn’t believe in that:
As they left with Amber, I heard her voice, tinged with pity, saying, “Mom, I was just saying it casually. Don’t take it seriously.”
“When that brat gets back, I’m going to have a serious talk with her,” Mom muttered.
Chap 27
I followed behind Shane, watching as he walked with a troubled expression. He was distracted all day.
Things weren’t improving. In fact, they were getting worse. Every night, he would wake up drenched in sweat from nightmares.
My phone was still unreachable. Shane had originally planned to fly to Gildford, but either the flights were canceled due to the weather or there were no tickets available.
As Grandma’s birthday drew closer, Shane abandoned the idea of going. Like the Schultzes, he was certain that I would return for Grandma’s birthday. But the truth was, I would never
