Darkness of Slumber

By Veronica J. Kennedy

Alana Harris can’t escape from a dark secret that has cursed her for over eight years. She’s tried to avoid the problem for most of her life, but it’s catching up with her -- fast. Ever since she was ten years old, Alana has had to endure terrifying nightmares that foretold the deaths of complete strangers. She’s never had any control over this ability, so her only means of dealing with the nightmares is to ignore them.

As she starts her first year of college, she finds that her visions are starting to spin out of control. All the while, she finds love with Noah, a handsome young photographer. However, their relationship is threatened when Alana envisions Noah’s death. In order to save him, she must somehow find a way to embrace her “gift”.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Veronica J. Kennedy
• Release date: Jul 5, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476469225

Veronica J. Kennedy

Veronica J. Kennedy is a freelance writer and poet. Her passion for writing started in high school after being encouraged to write by a wonderful teacher. She is an avid reader, with tastes ranging from the classics to modern day graphic novels. Her eclectic tastes in literature often lead to various influences in her writing.Veronica is longtime resident of northern New Jersey with her supportive husband, two wonderful children, and the family dog, Prince. Outside of writing, Veronica enjoys cooking, going to the movies, and baseball. Go Yankees!

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Published by Veronica J. Kennedy at Smashwords

Copyright 2012 Veronica J. Kennedy

Visit: http://veronicakennedy.webs.com for updates from the author.

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To my dear family:

Thank you for all your patience as I

typed away through all hours of the night.

To Selena: Enjoy! I know it was a long wait...

Prologue

Abandoned.

The streets of Hoboken were normally swirling with the hustle and bustle of everyday life, but not today. I stepped out of the brick apartment building and slowly looked around. Nothing -- the streets were devoid of the sights and sounds I had grown accustomed to while living in the urban shadows of New York City. There were no sirens blaring in the background, no dogs yanking their owners in tow.

I stood alone on the empty sidewalk and heard only the nervous pounding of my own heart. I swallowed hard and walked hurriedly toward my destination. It was a street I had walked a countless number of times, yet it all seemed strangely unfamiliar. I couldn’t shake the eerie feeling that lingered in the air as I trekked to the little corner store that was only a few blocks away. I marched onward, slowly reciting the short list of staples on my mother’s list.

As I arrived at the deli, I reached for my pocket, checking to make sure if I had remembered to bring some money. I maneuvered effortlessly through the narrow aisles of the tiny store, grabbing only the items on my list. I looked around for the clerk, hoping that the sight of another person would help ease the knot in my stomach that was tightening with every passing minute.

I watched my hands slightly tremble as I placed the milk and eggs carefully on the counter. In my haste to pay for the items, I dropped some of the change that sat loosely in my pocket. A slight flicker of light that gleamed off one of the quarters caught my eye. I watched as it landed and rolled to the other side of the counter. I followed its path to retrieve it.

As I walked around, the sight before me caused an involuntary loss of control in the muscles of my arms and legs. I dropped to my knees, my breathing becoming erratic.

Awakened.

I jolted upward, the sound of the alarm clock intensifying in the background. I pulled the warm quilt over my head, trying to forget what would be the first of many dreadful nightmares.

Chapter 1: Arrival

I shuffled through the songs on my iPod as I looked out the car window. We were halfway through our nearly two-hour drive from Hoboken, New Jersey to the suburbs of southeastern Pennsylvania. As I watched the seemingly endless wall of trees that lined the Pennsylvania Turnpike, I wondered if anyone had ever had the patience to count them all. I chuckled to myself, knowing that it would be a much less painful task than what I was about to endure.

Are you listening to me at all? hollered the nasally voice beside me, who also happened to be my aunt.

I closed my eyelids and tried to pretend that I didn’t hear her question, but after years of dealing with my avoidance issues, she had become attuned to my subtle tactics.

Alana Harris, you know I hate it when you ignore me. Busted. I grimaced at the sound of my full name.

Sorry, Aunt Jackie, I said as calmly as possible, I must’ve been playing my music too loudly. This was another one of my avoidance ploys. I peeked out the corner of my eye and watched as Aunt Jackie pursed her lips together. I pulled off the earphones and raised my hands to signal my surrender. You have my undivided attention.

I suppose it’s too late now, her eyebrows narrowed as she continued, but I really wish you didn’t choose to go to college so far away. I’m really going to miss you Alana. Her voice trailed off as she placed her attention back on the road.

A sense of guilt washed over me; she had a way of doing that.

It really isn’t that far, you know. It’s a two-hour drive to Horsham... less time than it takes for you to get ready for work in the morning. She rolled her eyes at the last comment, mostly because she knew it was a fact. Plus, I’ll always be a phone call away. I plastered on a big smile, hoping to lighten her mood. She gave a slight nod and appeared to have temporarily calmed her nerves. We continued the rest our drive with minimal conversation.

Even though I usually gave my Aunt Jackie a hard time, we had an unspoken understanding that I loved her with all my heart. She had helped to fill a void left in my life after my mother died five years ago. Aside from my mother, she was the only other person I had ever shared my secret with, a secret that had haunted many of my nights over the last eight years. For most people, sleep is a welcomed part of the daily routine. It signals a period of rest, a time to recharge before the dawn of another day. I’m not that fortunate.

I sighed heavily as the gentle rocking of the car lulled me into an unwanted sleep. I fought it off as much as I could, but the weight of my eyelids prevailed. As much as I tried, I could never avoid it, never escape the inevitable. I was a prisoner to the darkness of my slumber.

I was startled by the sudden jolt caused by Aunt Jackie’s poor driving skills. I blinked a few times before I realized that we had arrived at our destination. I stepped out of my aunt’s silver Infinity M35, which was currently half-parked on the curb. I took a deep breath and mustered up the strength to tackle the day I had both welcomed and dreaded all summer long: Freshman Move-In Day at Southeastern Pennsylvania University. I rolled my eyes at the sight of the large arc of maroon and white balloons that draped across the main walkway leading to the campus.

Be nice, Alana, Aunt Jackie commented, remember you’re the one that chose to go here. I would’ve rather you attended NYU or Columbia! Now come on, let’s get you signed in.

My aunt’s main reason for disliking my choice in college was strictly the distance factor. But, she fully understood why I felt so compelled to enroll here. It was the alma mater of Michelle Lynn Harris, her sister, my mother. I felt a sense of responsibility to attend SPU, a way of honoring the woman that had meant so much to me. Her college days at SPU had been some of the happiest moments of her life. She often described the serene campus; one of her favorite spots was under an old oak tree located on the small lawn just outside the student center.

SPU was also where she had met my father. I never knew who he was; mom rarely spoke of him and I always had the feeling that she hoped I would never ask. I never did. My mom filled both parental shoes perfectly.

The registration and sign-in process progressed more smoothly than I imagined. As we walked toward the dorm building, I took notice of some of the other families sending off their sons and daughters. Most of the emotions were pretty typical. Moms and dads were teary eyed at the thought of their babies being alone in the world, while their children stirred in anxious embarrassment, counting down the minutes to freedom. One family in particular caught my attention. It was a boy, the same age as me, who appeared to be afraid to leave the nest. His parents stood beside him, checking their watches, desperately waiting to cut the figurative cord. I smiled at the sight and knew that it was time for my own farewell.

Well, this is it. I turned to my aunt, referring to the quaint dorm building that stood before us. Thanks again for driving me all the way down.

A blur of white angora encompassed me. I would have thought I was being attacked by a herd of rabbits, but I knew better. The tears on my Aunt Jackie’s face rolled down her perfectly rouge-colored cheeks, as her arms clung around my neck. This separation was definitely going to be hard for her.

Alana, honey, promise me you’ll keep me up to date. I mean it. If you need someone to talk to at three in the morning, don’t even think twice about calling. I’ll make sure to have my phone by my side every minute of the day. I tried my hardest to pull away, but there was no escape. I would just have to wait until she was ready to let go on her own. I double checked the bank account I set up for you, and you should have enough in there to last you the month. But don’t hesitate to call if you need me to deposit more money. I needed to stop her now, or I would never get to my room.

I’m sure I won’t need that much while I’m here, I replied.

I knew that money really wasn’t an issue for Aunt Jackie. She had worked hard and clawed her way up the ranks in one of the city’s top law firms, so she enjoyed her hard earned cash freely. On the other hand, I never liked to spend money unnecessarily. I suppose that came from a life of living solely on my mom’s teaching salary. Although I lived right across the river from New York City, most of my wardrobe consisted of pieces bought at the local Target. This was at the dislike of my aunt, whose newest pair of Manolo Blahniks cost more than the contents of my four suitcases combined. She had tried to drag me along on one of her shopping sprees one time, but it was fairly obvious from my aloof expression that it really wasn’t my idea of fun.

I realized that her hands were now cupping my face. She was looking deep into my eyes. You know, you look so much like your mother, so beautiful. She had the same green eyes. She was right on one count; my mother was beautiful. But, Aunt Jackie was way off if she actually thought that I looked anything like my mother. I’m really, really going to miss having you around the condo, kiddo.

I’m going to miss you too, Aunt Jackie. I grabbed her hands from my face and held them in my own. I’ll give you a call later as soon as I’m all settled in. And... I said with a faint smile, Thanksgiving break is just around the corner. I can already smell the pumpkin pie in the oven. Maybe I can even bring a friend or two over for dinner! But... I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to tease her just one last time.

What is it? What’s the matter? You aren’t coming home for the holiday break, are you? I couldn’t help but laugh. It was all too easy to get her going. What’s so funny? she pouted.

Well, I’ll never have an opportunity to invite anyone because we’ll be standing outside this building the entire semester. I flashed a teasing smile.

Okay, okay. I get it. No need to start getting sarcastic, she said, and gave me one last hug. Promise to call the minute you’re settled in.

I swear. Bye.

Bye, honey. And with that, she turned on her narrow heels and walked back down the pathway leading to the parking lot.

I waited until she was out of sight before I gathered up my long auburn hair and tied it into a ponytail. I grabbed my tattered bags and dragged them into the dorm building. I squeezed through the narrow hallway, trying desperately to find room B-3. I trudged on, bumping into a fair share of my newest neighbors. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks, after one of my victims, a tall slender blonde, rolled her eyes at me in disgust.

Watch it, she said condescendingly. You almost stepped on my shoes.

Not really wanting to get into any sort of confrontation on my first day, I ignored her comment and continued down the hall until I arrived at the maroon door labeled B-3. I used the key that was given to me during the sign-in process and quickly entered the room, shutting the door behind me. The room was furnished identically on either side. Each inhabitant was to have a bed, a desk, a lamp, and a closet. The only difference was that one of the beds had already been dressed with colors that had become all too familiar in my short time on campus, SPU’s maroon and white. I threw my luggage into a pile on the unclaimed bed and began to unpack my clothes. I prayed that the owner of the maroon and white sheets was not going to be one of those up-tight roommates from hell. There were two that I feared the most: the ones that needed to control every aspect of our living quarter and the ones that had no respect for anything, inviting random strangers for sleepovers.

I had put away most of my belongings when I heard the doorknob turn. An Asian girl walked into the room and greeted me immediately with a smile. She was dressed casually in a pair of blue jeans and as SPU sweatshirt. I envied her pin-straight jet-black hair. My hair was naturally wavy, and more often that not, tangled at the ends. She was thin and very pretty. She looked almost like a fragile porcelain doll.

Hey! I’m Katrina Reyes, your roommate. Everyone just calls me Kat though. And you are? She introduced herself as she walked over to shake my hand. I guessed that her height was just an inch or two around five feet. I based this on the fact that the top of her head came just up to my