In Your Dreams

Prologue

A blur of color filled my vision as I looked out the window at the changing trees. The sun was setting, illuminating its orange light onto them, making the autumn leaves even more vibrant. I lightly exhaled hot air onto the car window and drew a heart in the fog. It began to fade away like the sun behind the mountain, replacing the orange beams with moonlight. Suddenly, familiar, aqua-colored eyes flashed in my head, captivating me with their unique color.

A sudden touch on my shoulder made me jump, and I yanked out one of my headphones.  Warm, brown eyes met mine with amusement.

"Did you hear me?" My brother asked.

"What?"

My brother and parents laughed in unison while my eyes flicked back and forth between them, trying to figure out what was so funny.

"Your mind is always somewhere else," he replied. "I asked you what your spoiled-self wanted on your pizza since you practically threw a tantrum about getting some tonight."

"Just because I have a food preference doesn't make me spoiled," I huffed and crossed my arms, ignoring his question about which pizza I wanted.

I stubbornly whipped my head towards the window, staring out into the darkness. My dark, brown hair covered my eyes so I couldn't see my brother's face.

"Okay," he said,sarcastically. "Whatever you say. So, what did you want? Mom is calling it in right now so it's ready when we get there."

I simply shrugged, dragging on my stubborn state, which seemed to bother Ethan like I hoped because he let out an agitated sigh. I felt a petite, warm hand on my shoulder, and I looked up at the source through a curly lock of my hair. My mom's brown eyes locked with mine, spreading warmth and comfort through me. She turned around to look at me through the car door and seat.

"Honey, I'm going to call in our order right now. I don't know about you, but I have been craving a barbeque pizza for the longest time." She gave me one of her perfect smiles and winked.

I couldn't help but smile back. Even when I felt like my world was crashing around me, my mom made me smile and feel like everything was going to be okay.

I nodded as my stomach grumbled at the thought of barbeque pizza. My mom caressed my pale cheek and gave me an approving, playful grin. My eyes slightly drifted passed her head to the front of the car, where two bright lights caught my sight.

It was like everything was in slow motion. When my mom heard my brother and dad scream, her face began to fill with worry, and she turned towards the front of the car. I watched the smile I loved slowly fade away. Before she could see what my dad and Aiden were yelling about, the light engulfed us, and a large bang rattled my body.

Our small sedan launched into the air before rolling, causing us all to be shaken around like rag dolls in our seats. Everything was suddenly black as I felt the impact of our car hit the pavement. It was as if all my senses were gone, and I was floating in a black abyss. The only thing that seemed to work was my hearing, which picked up on a feminine voice.

Claire...

I heard my name being called by an unknown entity repeatedly, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't find where it was coming from. Instead, I floated in the nothingness, wondering what had just happened. One minute my mom spoke to me and the next, pain seared through my body as the car rolled.

I couldn't tell how much time had passed or what was happening. Still, after what felt like minutes, the sound of my name began to fade, and everything around me grew brighter until my eyes shot open. Slowly, my senses returned to me. All I felt was panic and pain as I realized I was dangling upside down in the car. Frantically, I looked around to make sure my family was okay. However, it was dark, so I could only make out their still silhouettes.