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(Trailer on the side).
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PROLOGUE
“Master Josh, we need to go home, it’s almost eleven thirty now!” I cried in horror, glancing back up from the white leather watch around my wrist.
He shrugged without a care, grabbing my hand and leading me down the dim game arcade. “It’s not that late.”
I gripped his hand, insisting he paused in his steps. “Master Tony and Maria will yell at you,” I argued hopelessly over the loud noise coming from a game machine nearby.
He heaved a sigh. “Avery, you don’t need to be so scared of my parents. We’ll just take a few quick photos and then we’ll head home, okay?”
I opened my mouth in protest. Before I even had a chance to disapprove, he dragged me over to a photo sticker machine by the corner. Once we were both inside the cramped area, Master Josh closed the curtains, working on the buttons of the machine.
About a minute later, he got it all ready. “Okay, say 'cheese',” he sang, revealing his teeth after the last word.
I lifted the corner of my lips into an awkward smile, a split second too late for the photo shoot.
Master Josh laughed, clutching his stomach. “Look at your face!”
I flushed a dark shade of pink, facing away immediately to hide it. “I wasn’t ready…” I muttered, looking back up at the screen.
He chuckled. “Let’s try again.”
During our second attempt, he decided not to be silly. Wrapping an arm around my shoulder, he pulled me closer to his body. He adjusted his lips into a smile that always caused my heart to race uncontrollably in my chest. I smiled too, and this time, I was almost certain the photo turned out well.
We took about another ten or so – half of them with us making funny faces. In the last shot, I turned around at the last minute and gave him a small peck on the cheek.
“All done, let’s come out and see the photos,” Master Josh said, smiling as he took my hand.
I followed him outside, eager to see the pictures. Master skimmed through them first, then after a short while, he eyed me with a look of dismay.
Concern swirled low in my stomach. “What’s wrong? Do I look really bad or something?” I whispered, half joking.
“Avery…” he started quietly, his hands becoming loose around the photos.
Without another word, I grabbed them from him. Somehow, my fingers lost grip - probably from how they were shaking - and all the photos fell from my hands. I bent down to retrieve them, the images becoming clearer as I did so.
I gasped, a loud scream followed, and I dropped to the ground.
The photos weren’t of Master Josh and me; they were of my deceased mother.
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I jerked awake, my breathing coming out in rapid gasps as I sat up. Staring across the long room, I saw that the sky was still dark outside, meaning that I’ve only slept for several hours. Glad that I hadn’t woken Jess, I lied back down, trying to doze off again.
It wasn’t fair. After twelve long years, my mother’s death still managed to find me, haunting me in my dreams. Why couldn’t it be in another dream? Why did it have to be in one where I dreamed of my long-time crush?
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