Her hands are tucked under her pillow, folded together. A soft smile makes her face seem devine, beautiful and touchable. Her mouth hanging slightly open while her breath is labored, battling the allergies that clogged her nose and throat, that made her feel horrible. Her eyes beneath her painted glitter eyelids were red and puffy, as well as the skin around them. The was a dull ache in the front of her face, from the base of her nose to her forehead.

She was dreaming.

She was dreaming of the first day of school, her junior year.

Of the friends that waited to greet her, and the awkward people who use to be so close, but never called once the summer began. That never picked up when she called them.

Good riddence, she wouldn't have to waste herself on them.

The first day held no nightmares, the AP teachers didn't seem that horrible as before described. But the food was gruel, sticky without substance, brown ooze that didn't want to come off of the tray.

There was a faint light from the hallway that entered her room, that framed her face slightly.

The windows open provided ample fresh air, but the fan circulated it, and a nice temperature was set.

It was a good thing the boyfriend couldn't sleep without a fan the night before, or else it would still be in the kitchen, and her sleep would have been disturbed by the stuffyness.

She was dreaming of him now, of his sometimes green eyes that laughed joyously when she was around. Of his arms around her, hugging her tightly, and bringing chaste kisses to her body. Then her thoughts went to the brother who looked at her friends the wrong way, sending chills down her back and discust churning around in her stomach.

She could hear a cricket in her room. How had it gotten upstairs?

She was dreaming of a graveyard, where the sunken graves were all that was left. An old family plot that held broken headstones, or no stones at all.
The old family and the slaves that served them. Crickets sounded in the distance with all the stillness. It was peaceful, and as her eyes took in all the lost souls, she heard twigs crack under the weight of a boot. She turned around, her eyes wide. A knife, gleaming steel from the full moon, met her.

In her room, the cricket had jumped onto the bed. The cat, eyed it, her fluffy tail swishing back and forth. The cricket slowly made it's way towards the girl. She sighed in her sleep.

The cricket jumped into her open mouth.

She felt something prick against her tongue, and she coughed,but she still felt the prickle. Then she felt it move, and she moved her tongue around.
Her eyes open and she sat up, screaming. The cricket tried to get to the back of her throat, but she opened her mouth wide and coughed it out, feelinglike she was going to throw up. It landed on the blanket and stared up at her.

She coughed again, wished that this was a dream.

"Wicked, eat the blasted thing!" She ordered the cat.

She would never sleep with her mouth open again.