THREE

I 'm in my room when the clock downstairs bongs 11:00 p.m., but I don't want to go to sleep. I run my fingers over my wrist, noticing how the red mark has morphed into a deep shade of purple, and how the knot

in my stomach gets bigger with each chime.

I've done all my homework, taken my shower, and alphabetized all the books on my shelf, trying my hard- est to stay awake, but after an infomercial on butt-lifting pantyhose, a mini-marathon of Cops, and more than an

hour of QVC jewelry, I feel myself start to doze.

Until I hear a knock on my door.

"Come in," I call, assuming it's my mother. She often

likes to check in on me at night.

But the door doesn't open.

I sit up in bed and click on the bedside lamp.

"Mom . . . is that you?"

No one answers.

I let out a sigh and get up and move toward the door.

I try the knob, but it doesn't budge, like I've been locked inside.

"Mom?" I repeat, still trying to get the knob to turn. I pound on the door, hoping to get my parents' attention down the hall.

But no one comes. And the knob won't turn.

"Brenda," a voice whispers from somewhere behind me. His voice—the one from my dreams.

I turn to look, my heart pumping hard.

"Are you ready to talk?" his voice continues.

I glance around the room, but I don't see him any-where. Meanwhile everything looks different now. My bed is draped in navy blue linens rather than the pinks from just moments ago. And the swimming and field hockey plaques that hung on my walls—the ones I've won over the past five years—have been replaced by Bruins memorabilia: flags, hockey sticks, and posters.

I shake my head, wondering where I am, knowing that this isn't my room.

And that I shouldn't be here.

"We need to talk," his voice whispers. I can feel his breath at the back of my neck.

I whirl around and try to swipe him away, but no one's there. And then the lamp by my bed goes out, leaving me in complete darkness.

A moment later, the moon casts a strip of light

through my window, illuminating a corner of the room where a shadow moves along the wall.

I go for the door again. I pound and kick against it, then yank the knob with all my might.

But nothing works.

"Don't be afraid," he says, stepping into the moon- light, and allowing me to see him—his pale blue eyes and the curl of his mouth. He must be my age, maybe seventeen or eighteen at most, with at least five inches of height over me, and hair the color of cashews.

As he moves closer, a shadow lifts from his brow, revealing a gash in his forehead, like he's been hit with something. The wound is fresh and deep.

"My name is Travis," he says. "And I've waited so long for someone like you."

Dressed all in black, from the T-shirt that hugs his chest to the rubber-soled boots adorning his feet, he stares at me—hard—his eyes refusing to blink.

"Someone like me?" I ask.

He nods and moves a little closer. "Someone who can see and hear me. I've been waiting so long to be heard."

I try to take another step back, but between him and the door I'm completely trapped.

"I'm sorry about your wrist." He reaches out to touch it, but I snatch my hand away before he can. "I didn't mean to hurt you," he continues. "I was only trying to hold on to you, so you wouldn't leave your dream by waking up." He takes another step, only inches from me now. "It's rough for us ghosts. We don't know the power of our own strength, especially when we're trying to make physical contact with those who aren't asleep, or, like you, who are on the verge of waking up. It's all about frequency and energy. Very complicated stuff." He smiles.

I shake my head and struggle to wake up. I think he must sense it, because a moment later, he clenches around my forearm.

"Please," he urges, his face all serious. "Don't leave me tonight."

"No!" I shout, pulling away.

He tries to grab my arm back, but my scream wakes me up.

"Brenda?" my dad asks, throwing open my bedroom door.

I sit up in bed and try to catch my breath, noting how everything in my room looks normal again—my pink bedcovers and plaques on the wall.

"Are you okay?" He checks around the room.

I try my best to nod, even though I feel anything but okay—even though a warm and tingling sensation still lingers in my forearm.