Andra awoke with a start a scream locked in her throat. Throwing an arm out, she scrambled wildly for her bedside table and the lamp that sat on it. Her heart was pounding in her ears and her skin was coated in a thin sheen of sweat as her fingers brushed up against the base of the lamp. She worked her way up until she felt the knob just underneath the bulb. Switching on the light the room was flooded with its warm glow and Andra felt her heart rate finally starting to slow.

Sitting beside the lamp, was a bottled water she had brought up with her before bed. Picking it up and twisting the cap off, she gulped down half the contents before leaning her head against her knees and letting out a ragged sob. Her bedside clock read 5:00 a.m. There would be no more sleep this morning.

She took several deep breaths trying to steady herself before getting out of bed and heading toward her dresser. The tank top and shorts she was wearing were clinging uncomfortably to her skin. Quickly stripping them off and throwing them in the hamper, she pulled a clean shirt and sweats on before grabbing a scrunchie and her laptop from her desk. She desperately wanted a shower but it was still dark outside and she hadn't quite worked up the courage to step outside her bedroom door yet. 

Andra very seldom ever remembered her dreams but this one had been vivid. She mentally chided herself more than a little frustrated that she had let Cameron's story disturb her the way it had. She was going to have to work on that because they had barely gotten started.  Recurring nightmares weren't exactly one of the memories she was hoping to make this summer.

Going back to her bed, she sat down cross-legged and pulled the covers up over her lap before twisting her hair up into a messy bun. She fired up her laptop and then opened the drawer on her nightstand, fishing out the notebook and pen she kept stowed there, while she waited for the home screen to load.

After her conversation with Cameron yesterday, they had decided that the best way to proceed with this would be to change the names and the locations of everyone and everything involved. Cameron felt that bringing too much attention to this case could cause some backlash for them later.  He wasn't wrong when he said they would have to live here when this was over. She had decided to start by going through all the newspaper clippings she could find online and then work her way out from there. Cameron would be by later today to help with whatever needed to be done. And she was due to put her first video up today. 

They had also briefly discussed using a countdown clock. They couldn't very well announce on social media that they had any intention of going into the house.  If anyone caught onto what they were doing they would stop them before they could start.  The countdown clock would enable them to keep her followers in the dark until they started the live stream. Hopefully, by that time, they would already be inside. There was always the possibility that they could be stopped once the live stream started if someone caught on, but Andra wasn't overly concerned about that. As long as they got into the house, either scenario made for a ton of views.

The home screen finished loading and with an open notebook at her knee and her favorite pen tucked behind her ear, Andra began hurriedly typing in the web addresses of several popular newspaper sites she had found the night before. Before they started talking to people, she wanted to know the facts of the case and not just the local gossip.

After several minutes of searching through various sites and old newspaper clippings, she found what she had been looking for, and the truth to what Cameron had been saying all along.  Several media outlets had covered the tragedy at Pinewood Drive, but none of them had been local. After reading through the articles that had been written she could see that what they had included were merely facts about the case. They hadn't interviewed a single resident.  Here in Inglewood Savannah's death hadn't even made the front page which, considering the size of the town, was odd. The mysterious death of a teenage girl should have been a huge news story in her hometown. 

She began printing everything she had found about the incident.  Almost every paper in the surrounding counties had mentioned it, but there just wasn't a lot of information. 

As the last of, almost a dozen pages was printing a door slammed somewhere in the house. The unexpected noise caused Andra to jump and sent her heart racing once again. She stood completely still, afraid to move until she smelled the scent of fresh coffee wafting up the stairs. She glanced nervously out the window and realized she could see the first rays of light shooting across the early morning sky. 

Working up her courage, she walked slowly to her bedroom door. It was so much easier to be brave as the sun was starting to break outside the window. It made her nightmare seem far away and ridiculous. Easing the door open, she was immediately relieved to see that everything was as it should be. Her bathroom door was standing ajar, and she could see the familiar glow of the nightlight her mother had left in the outlet just after they had moved in. Stepping cautiously into the hallway, she stood listening but heard nothing unfamiliar.

Her mother was singing to herself in the kitchen. The radio that sat on the counter played the intro for the morning show her mother listened to religiously. Deciding all was well, Andra headed toward her bathroom without a second thought. A hot shower and a cup of coffee were just what she needed to get her head together. 

She stepped into the shower, turning the hot water on full blast letting it ease her tense muscles. Standing there, under the spray, she began to feel a little more like herself. Once she was clean, she threw on her favorite fluffy bathrobe, and after towel drying her hair, she started back into her room. Dressing quickly in a tank top and her favorite jeans, she slipped quietly downstairs on bare feet. 

The smell of coffee, bacon, and cinnamon hung heavy in the air, and Andra's stomach growled with approval. She hadn't realized it until now, but she was starving. 

Her mother was standing in front of the stove, humming to herself, as she scooped eggs out of a pan and onto two separate plates. Her blonde hair was pulled up in a ponytail and she wore her favorite grey Mets shirt with a pair of faded blue jeans. Andra was always struck by how young her mother looked. She was forty-five but she could easily pass for ten years younger than that. 

"Something smells amazing," Andra said as she pulled her favorite big coffee mug from the cabinet and filled it. "Thanks." Her mom said cheerfully. "I didn't have to go to work this morning and I woke up feeling ambitious." She said, smiling, as she put the plates on the table. "We have eggs, bacon, and homemade cinnamon rolls. Come eat before it gets cold." Andra sat down across from her mom, tucking a leg under herself, she picked up her cinnamon roll, and tearing off a small piece, she popped it into her mouth and chased it with a sip of hot coffee.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Her mom asked. "Not a lot," Andra said licking icing off her fingers. "Cameron's coming by later but that's about it."
"You guys have been spending a lot of time together." her mom replied. Andra shrugged as she popped another piece of cinnamon roll into her mouth. "I guess so." 

"He seems like a nice kid." Her mom said, taking a bite of her eggs. "Momma, I love you, but you're about as subtle as a herd of buffalo. What is it exactly that you're getting at?" 
Her mother laughed and scrunched up her nose, making a face at Andra. "I resent that. I'm very subtle, you wouldn't believe the things I've gotten away with without your knowledge." Andra rolled her eyes as she laughed. "No, I'm pretty sure I would believe it. That still doesn't answer my question though."

"I worry about you baby," her mother said, taking her hand across the table, "And I just wonder where this is going with you two. I like Cameron. I just don't want you jumping into anything too quickly. We've only just moved here and you don't know many people. I just don't want you to feel pressured into a relationship."

"Then you will be happy to know that my relationship status remains very much single, at the moment. Cameron isn't my boyfriend I'm not sure what he is. So, you have nothing to worry about. We are stumbling around this slowly like the two very awkward teenagers we are." Andra said, fanning herself and adopting a southern accent on the last sentence that would have made Dolly Parton proud.

"Well, I guess that makes me feel a little better. It would help if you weren't so sarcastic about it though."
Andra smiled mischievously "Like mother like daughter." She said getting up from the table and dodging a small piece of cinnamon roll her mother threw at her.

Dumping her plate in the sink, she refilled her coffee cup. "Thanks for breakfast. I have stuff I need to get done, so I'm going to head up to my room for a little while." 
"That's fine." Her mother replied. "Don't mind me. I'll just be down here, cleaning the house...alone." 
Andra rolled her eyes as she started up the stairs. 

Back in her room, she immediately settled back into work mode. Setting her coffee down on the desk beside her, she began pulling pages out of the printer. Grabbing her highlighter and her notebook, she started marking pages and writing down names and times. Flipping to the last page, Andra realized it was the obituary she had printed out for Savannah. 

She read through the article, noting the few school accomplishments that they had listed, and the date and time Savannah's memorial service was to be held. At the bottom of the page, there was a picture of Savannah. Andra stared at the photo in disbelief before dropping the paper and scrambling backward, knocking over her chair and her coffee as she did. Her cup landed on the plush white carpet. The dark liquid spread slowly, leaving a large stain behind, as it soaked into the thick fibers. Andra stood with her back against the wall, now breathing heavily, watching the coffee spill reach the edges of the paper she had been holding. It had landed face up, so she could see the smiling picture of the girl in the photo. 

It looked to be Savannah's school picture. It was printed in black and white but Andra could see that she was wearing a light-colored button-up shirt. Her smiling face was turned toward the camera and her dark hair hung in long flowing waves down her back. Fear and disbelief washed over Andra as she stared at the image of that beautiful smiling face. She didn't need to print it in color to know that Savannah's eyes would be blue.  She had seen those eyes watching her from the top of a staircase. Savannah Miles was the girl from her nightmare.