Jolting awake, I could still smell the stench of burning flesh and smoke.

I barely made it to the toilet in time. And by the time I was done, my sides and throat were aching. I sat back on the cool tile, trying to catch my breath.

These dreams were getting out of control. It was impossible to tell the truth from fiction anymore. I did not know if these were memories or if they were figments of my imagination. And the not knowing was ripping me apart.

The note left in my gym locker had made it clear someone knew the truth. But I wasn't sure I was ready for whatever that truth would be. Had I truly hurt Samantha and Oliver in the woods? Had I repressed those memories? I shuddered at the thought.

There was a small meow and Loki sat in the doorway to the bathroom, his green eyes watching me.

"I'm okay, buddy."

He meowed again, brushing against the doorframe before turning around and walking out of the bathroom. I stood up and moved to the sink to brush my teeth.

When I emerged from the bathroom, there was a knock on my door.

A quick glance out the peephole showed that it was Naomi. I opened the door, giving her what I hoped was a smile.

"I was about to head to dinner and I thought I'd stop in and check on you. Are you feeling any better?"

I gave a nod of my head, even though it was a lie. "Yeah, a nap helped a lot. Guess I was just really wore out after all those push-ups."

Her green eyes turned sympathetic. "I can still remember my first lesson with Coach Knight. We ran so many laps I couldn't walk without limping for a week."

"She's serious about her workouts, that's for sure."

"Do you wanna come grab dinner with me?"

My stomach roiled at the thought. But I didn't want to stay here either, alone with my thoughts and the lingering emotions of the nightmare.

"I should probably eat a little something," I answered, then turned to grab my key off my dresser.

I followed Naomi out of the building and to the dining hall. On a noticeboard, a flyer announcing the date for Parent's Day hung. I thought about what Alek said about wanting to speak to my mother at Parent's Day and my gut rolled again.

I grabbed something light, just a salad with extra crackers and a sprite, before sitting down at our normal table with Naomi.

We ate in silence for a few moments, though I mostly picked at my food. A shiver slid down my spine, as if someone was watching me. A quick glance around the room showed that Alek was watching, a small grin playing at his lips.

Though I wanted to glance away, I was frozen by his stare. Then he leaned toward Mari, wrapping one of his arms around her shoulders. And I snapped my gaze back to my salad.

"Has she been giving you a hard time again?"

"Mari, no. Alek... yes."

Naomi groaned, stabbing her pasta with more force than necessary. "What did that jerk do?"

Pushing around my lettuce, I frowned. "He stopped me when I was heading back to my dorm earlier, after gym class. He said I was like a stray dog he couldn't get rid of. Then he said he wanted to talk to my mom at Parent's Day."

Naomi snorted. "Your mom? What, does he want to tell on you?"

"I may have said that my mom would be there, but the truth is, I don't think she will be. I'm worried I might have given him more ammunition to humiliate me."

"Why do you think she won't come?"

"We... we didn't exactly part on the best of terms."

Naomi's green eyes were sad. "And you think because of this fight, your mom won't come to Parent's Day? Was it that bad?"

Part of me wanted to tell Naomi everything, but the other part was wary of spilling too much information. After the note in my locker, I wasn't sure who I could trust.

"I'm not sure how much of it was influenced by my step-dad. He's never liked me much. And I don't know if he'd allow her to reconcile with me."

Naomi was silent for a second, playing with the pasta on her plate. "Maybe you should invite her anyway? I know if I was fighting with my mom, I wouldn't be able to feel settled until we weren't fighting anymore. Maybe she isn't as unreasonable as you think."

"Maybe," I said as I speared a piece of lettuce. Would my mother accept an invitation to come see me at Whitethorn? Or would Vincent prevent her from seeing me, even if she really wanted to?

"You could text her? Or call? If you don't have a cellphone, you could borrow mine?"

I chewed the piece of lettuce longer than necessary, before swallowing, my throat tight. "I have a cellphone. My mother just changed her phone number. Or I think she did anyway. I tried to text once I arrived and it told me that the number wasn't in service anymore."

"I'm sorry," Naomi replied. "I can't imagine what that feels like."

Tears stung at my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. "I suppose I'm used to the disappointment."

"You could always try sending a letter, if you really wanted to."

"I'll think about it," I said. "Though I'm not sure I want to set myself up for more disappointment."

"If you change your mind, I'm always here to help."

I gave a small smile. "Thanks. You've been a really good friend to me."

"Why don't I give you my number? If you change your mind about wanting to send a letter or something, I can help. Or if you just want to talk."

"I don't have my phone on me," I admitted. "I'll just give you my number instead."

Naomi grabbed her phone out of her pocket. "Sure, that's fine."

I told her my number and she quickly typed them into her phone. Then she typed out a quick text and sent it to me. "There, now you should have my number."

"I think I'm gonna head back to my dorm now. I'm still not feeling the greatest."

Naomi and I parted ways and I left the dining hall. Outside, the evening air was brisker and I shivered. I'd forgotten my jacket, again.

"Hey, new girl!"

Stopping, I turned and saw Jason, who was hurrying toward me, a grin on his face. He stopped next to me, the grin spreading across his face even further. "What happened to you this afternoon? Mari was spreading some wicked rumors around."

I rolled my eyes. "I got sick after gym class. Not a big deal."

"That's no fun. Are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah. I just needed to lie down and rest. Those workouts were rough."

Jason laughed. "Coach Knight is definitely a hard ass."

"So I've been told." I shivered again as a sharp wind blew through, causing goosebumps to rise across my skin.

"You must be freezing," Jason said as he shrugged out of his jacket.

"Oh, I can't take that," I said, shaking my head.

"You aren't taking it, I'm offering it," Jason said. "Come on, you're shivering. I wouldn't want you to catch cold."

Feeling slightly embarrassed, I allowed him to help me into his jacket. It was loose on me, allowing me to be able to wrap it tightly around myself. The scent of a minty aftershave clung to it.

"I'm sorry your first day didn't end very well."

I shrugged my shoulders. "I've dealt with worse."

The rest of the walk to Gamma Hall was mostly in silence, though I was strangely glad for Jason's company. Much like Naomi, he was a presence I welcomed. He never tried to harass me.

When we reached the steps of my dorm, I moved to shrug out of the jacket, but Jason stopped me. "You can keep it until tomorrow. I'll be fine without it."

"Are you sure?"

He gave a wide smile, then reached out to tuck a lock of my hair behind my ear. My skin burned with heat where his flesh touched mine.

"I'll see you in English?"

"See you in English," I replied, hoping the breathless way I spoke wasn't noticeable to him.

Jason watched as I headed up the stairs and into Gamma Hall. Ms. Rose wasn't at her desk, not that I paid much attention. I still clutched Jason's jacket close to me, inhaling the scent of his aftershave like I was addicted to it.

After shutting myself into my room, I allowed myself to daydream about Jason. He'd given me his jacket. Did that mean he was into me? Or was he just being nice?

Naomi had warned me that Mari was Jason's ex. She'd even said Mari would likely go crawling back to Jason if Alek broke up with her. But would Jason want her back? Or was this a sign he was moving on?

Loki mewed, pulling me out of my thoughts of Jason.

"Hey buddy," I said, stroking his fur. "I should probably take this jacket off. I don't know if Jason would like cat fur."

Moving over to the desk, I shrugged out of the jacket, giving it one last sniff. Then I set it on the desk chair. As I turned back around, a white piece of paper caught my eye. It was nearly under the bed, like I'd kicked it when I'd walked in.

I bent down and picked it up, nerves flooding my system.

Invite your mother for Parent's Day. If you don't, I'll tell the whole world what you do to pretty blondes and stepbrothers in the woods.