“Mom wants you, Run,” my big brother Michael says ominously, sneering. He’s not my real brother. His mom fosters me. “She said to come now.”

“Don’t call me that,” I say firmly. “My name is not Run!”

“Whatever, Run. Mom wants you.”

“MICHAEL!” Miss Payton yells, startling the both of us. I can tell that Michael wants to run and hide, too.

“He’s coming, he’s coming!” he replies.

“Yes, Miss Payton! I’m coming!” I go in the opposite direction of where I wish I could, which is the front door, and when I find Michael’s mom, I wish I had listened to myself.

“Did you use a towel to dry the guest bathroom floor?” Miss Payton asks firmly, staring hard into my eyes before taking a drag of her cigarette.

“Uh… Y-yes, ma’am…” I reply. “I… I didn’t want anyone to slip…”

Did I do something wrong?

“That was my towel, you ninny,” she says, her eyes squinted and her face red. Scared, I start to slowly back away. “What is it going to take for you to not act like you don’t know anything? You’ve been in this house for two months for heaven’s sake, and I’m still dealing with this!”

“I’m sorry, Miss Payton… I… I didn’t want anyone to get hurt…”

“Yeah, well, you’re the one who’s going to get hurt!” she shouts firmly. My left arm suddenly experiences a fiery tight squeeze that’s sure to leave a mark and I’m spun around to face the wall. “One for every year you’ve brought the underworld to this earth!”

I’m confused for just a second until my shirt is lifted and I feel a small burning sensation on my back. As it gets hotter and more painful, I try to get away, but am unable. Michael’s mother holds me too tightly.

Then I start to scream.

The excruciating burning of the cigarette becomes unbearable, and by the fifth one… the second to last one, I’m sure I won’t survive this. Tears stream down my face as I continue to fight her. This only makes her angrier and she threatens to give me one more for “good luck”.

Why is she doing this to me?

“Please stop!” Each one makes me scream. Every time the tip of the cigarette touches my back I scream even louder. I call, “Michael!” but he never comes.

“Michael, close the door and stand by it!” his mom orders.

“Miss Payton! Please!”

I scream again when hands touch my shoulders and I’m violently shaken.

“Abby! Abigail! Wake up!”

Screaming myself awake, I then sit up straight in my bed, breathing heavily. I run my fingers through my hair as I repeat, “It was just a dream. It was just a dream. A horrible, horrible dream.”

“You were talking – er, screaming – in your sleep…” Mandy says, startling me. I forgot she was here… My head is stuck in my nightmare. “Who is Michael?” She seems very concerned, so I quickly explain that my mind made the person up.

I can’t help thinking of how the dreams are becoming increasingly disturbing… and they feel so real!

The door suddenly swings open and my mother appears in the doorway with a very concerned look on her face. She asks, “Are you girls okay?!”

“Yes, Mom, it was just a nightmare.”

She rushes over to me, saying, “This is the second time I’ve heard you screaming. Did something happen? Do you want to talk about it?”

“Mom, I’ve been having recurrent nightmares that I’m a little boy and I’m being abused…” I explain quietly. I feel uncomfortable sharing this in front of Mandy. “I know it sounds strange, but it gets worst each time.”

“What do you think it means?” my mother asks me.

“I have no idea, but I know it means something. I’m just concerned because it’s getting more and more intense… I’m afraid to fall asleep at night.”

“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry… Let’s pray about it.”

Mandy, my mom and I join hands, standing in the middle of the room. She begins by thanking God for my new friend Mandy, and asking for a blessing for her family. Then she prays for the nightmares to stop and for the Lord to reveal the meaning of these dreams. She prays for wisdom and protection for us, especially while we sleep. My mom ends the prayer by giving me a gentle but firm hug. Then she hugs Mandy, who seems stunned and delighted.

“Thanks, Mom.”

“Anytime, sweetheart. That’s what I’m here for.”

A phone starts ringing, then Trust in Me Now by Anthony Evans plays, accompanied by the sound of buzzing.

“It’s my mom,” Mandy says, reading the screen. “Gosh, I wonder why she would call this early…”

I look at the clock and see that it is 4:35.

“I’m sorry for waking you both up,” I say quietly.

Mandy shakes her head, replying, “It’s fine,” then answers the phone. “Hey, Mom.”

“I’m just glad you’re all right, Abigail,” my mother says. I can tell she’s still trying to calm down. She then turns to Mandy when the phone is hung up. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, Mrs. Coulson. She just wanted to check on me since I forgot to call last night. She said that I can, if it’s okay with your family, stay over for longer than planned.”

♥ • ❤ • ♥

“Abigail, what do you say we get your favorite sandwich from the deli?” Mom asks. The fact that that cheers me up is evident in my voice. “We can introduce Mandy to it.”

“Yes please!”

The three of us walk to the other end of Publix.

“That seemed to change your sour mood!” Mom says, giggling. “Hey, what had you seeming so unwilling to come earlier?”

“I… I wasn’t feeling all that well…” I answer. It’s completely true. The dream I had and the fact that Chase works here and I could bump into him at any moment makes me feel ill. “But anyway, Mandy, you’re gonna love it!”

“I can’t wait to try it!”

The line is so long at the deli that we have to take a number and wait to be helped. We don’t have to wait too long, though, before we move up to the counter. Mandy and I look at the meat through the glass while Mom orders what she would like.

I lick my lips, then say, “Boar’s Head is delicious.”

Mandy straightens up and looks at me, excitement in her eyes. I suddenly notice how one eye is a lighter shade of green than the other. Whoa. I’d tell her how interesting and pretty that is, but I don’t want her to think she’s being teased.

“I’ve always wanted to try the Maple Glazed Honey Coat Turkey Breast.” She giggles after saying this. “That’s a long name.”

 “Yeah,” I reply with a smile. “I’ve never had that, but I bet it’s good. My favorite in the sandwich is the Mesquite Wood Smoked Roasted Turkey Breast!”

“Let’s ask for samples!” Mandy suggests, and I express my agreement.

By the time Mom has placed her order, Mandy and I have thought of six different meats we would like to try, but of course we instead go with two each.

The deli clerk is really nice and insists we try two more of her favorites. After sampling four different meats and her favorite cheese, I’m full, and a bit thirsty. After we order, Mom allows us to get a drink from the deli section and, since my favorite is lemonade, I get a large. I decide to surprise Mandy with her favorite Publix drink: raspberry iced tea.

As I walk it over to her, I’m super careful not to spill it, fearing that I’d need assistance from the beast of the castle, like I did the last time I was here. I hate appearing that clumsy, even to him.

Ugh. Why am I even thinking about him? Why should I care what he thinks?

Mom asks for two pounds of turkey, which is unanimously chosen as our favorite, even by the lady behind the counter. We then continue our shopping trip and, once it has come to an end, we find that the ’10 ITEMS OR FEWER’ express lane is not for us; we’re way over the limit!

“Oh, look, Abigail!” Mom says, getting me excited, but what she continues with puts a serious damper on my mood. “There’s your friend! Let’s go say hi!”

I’m quick to reply, “Let’s not!”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous. I wonder if he remembers us.”

Biting her lip, Mandy looks from me to my mother as if she doesn’t know what to say.

As we near the first checkout lane, I hear Chase and a man with a baby engaged in what sounds like a deep conversation. I can’t help listening intently, curious as to what has Chase so riled up.

“You never visited me,” the man says. “Not even when I was sick with cancer. You were never there for me.”

“I was returning the favor,” Chase replies icily. He asks the man harshly, “Does she know? Does Macie know?”

“I’m different now,” is the man’s simple answer. “I’ve changed. Our children will never see my mother or anything linking–”

“Is she still in jail?” Chase questions.

“Mike,” says a gentle voice. A young lady with a sweet appearance puts her hand on the man’s shoulder, then reaches for the baby. “Let me take Samuel. He’s probably hungry.”

“All right, Macie. I’ll be right out.”

“I have customers to take care of,” Chase says firmly when Mike’s wife appears to be out of earshot. He nods in our direction as he says this. His face is red and his tone is chilling.

“Oh, of course. I’m sorry for wasting your time. Goodbye, Chase.”

Chase does not respond, but eyes Mike with a glare as he walks away and out the automatic doors.

Mom returns from getting one last item from the back of the store. She missed everything. “Chase! You’ve grown so much!” she exclaims. “How old are you now? It’s been so long! How are you and how is your family?”

“Hi, Mrs. Coulson,” is all he says in response.

My mother is delighted when he says her name, to the point she seems to miss his attitude. “Oh, you remember me!”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Mom, looking at me sternly, says, “Abigail, be polite and say hello.”

I replace a ‘hello’ with a simple, “Chase.”

“Abigail,” he replies with a nod, then turns to Mandy. “Mandy.”

“Abigail is sixteen now, so you must be seventeen?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replies. “And to answer your question, my family is… Well, Abigail didn’t tell you?”

“No…” Mom says, looking at me curiously.

Chase explains, “My dad was recently in an accident that almost claimed his life, and he’s in the hospital still. My mom passed away two months ago while giving birth to my youngest sister… It’s kinda tough for me since I’m the oldest of eleven, so Abigail, Mandy, and some of the other kids from their church have volunteered to come weekly and help around the house.”

“How come you haven’t told me this?” Mom asks me in a very serious tone. In response I shrug, not caring enough to hide my attitude. Embarrassing me greatly, she says, “What is up with you right now? This is no way to act with someone.”

Chase shrugs and smiles softly as he rings up our items. “It’s all right Mrs. Coulson. She’s not usually like this; she’s usually well-mannered, very pleasant and a joy to be around.”

“Yes, I know, so I don’t understand why she’s behaving like this right now,” my mother says, shaking her head. I take a glance at Mandy, who keeps quiet and busies herself by looking at the candy on the racks.

“Don’t worry about it,” Chase says pleasantly. “She makes up for it on Thursdays. You know, she never seems truly happy until she’s helping others.” At the sound of these words, my mom looks at me with a small smile and pulls me close. Chase then says, “Your total is $107.13. Do you have any coupons?”

“Yes, I do.” She hands him a wad of coupons and both he and Mandy look surprised.

Chase enters them in and exclaims, “Wow! That takes off $77! Your total is now $30.13.”

Mom digs around in her majorly cluttered bag, saying, “I also have a gift card that I got for my birthday this past Sunday… Gr, where is it?”

“Happy belated birthday!”

“You’re such a sweetheart,” my mom says, a hand over her heart. “I think I’m going to kidnap you!” Chase laughs a little, then shoots me a look that slips under her radar. She suddenly pulls the card from out of her bag and holds it up victoriously. “Ah, here it is!” Mom hands it to him and it brings our total down to zero.

“You have $169.87 left on the card, ma’am. Would you like someone to assist you with loading up your car?”

“No, thank you, I think we’ve got it.”

“Okay. It was a pleasure seeing you all!”

“You too, Chase,” Mom replies. “We’ve got to catch up some more sometime soon. I’m sorry to hear about your parents… That’s terrible! Whatever happens, just remember that God is with you always and He will help you through this.”

Clearly uncomfortable, Chase purses his lips and nods curtly. He then surprises me by saying a quiet, “Thanks. Have a nice day.”

“You too, dear. Tell your family I said hi!”

“I will.”

An instant headache comes to me as soon as I step outside. The sun is almost blinding.

After we finish putting the many bags into the car, the three of us hop in and, on the way home, my phone buzzes in my pocket, but doesn’t make any other sound. I completely forgot I left it on silent since church!

I assume it’s Sierra as I slip it out, but it is not. My heart racing, I stare in disbelief at the phone in my left palm as I read the text.

I hated having to lie to your mother. I had to put forth a great effort to make you look good, and I’ll admit that it was tougher than it should have been, but… You’re welcome, ABC. J

My mind goes back to last Saturday in the bookstore when I gave him my phone number. I had a feeling he would…!

♥ • ❤ • ♥

I still can’t believe he had the nerve to text me! I realize that I can’t ignore the text forever, but I’m still having trouble finding the words to express my displeasure. I’m so glad I don’t have to see him again until Thursday. I keep watching the clock, counting down until the dreaded time that I have to be at his house again. I wish I had the courage to call in sick.

I toy briefly with the idea of reporting him to his manager at Books-A-Million, but the faces of his sweet siblings – especially Elijah, my favorite – come to mind.

Chase probably thinks he has me all figured out, and that I really wouldn’t report him. For that reason alone, I’m going to Books-A-Million first thing tomorrow morning.