What happened to Jace?


    Why was he covered in blood?


    Was he hurt?


    Dreams like this usually mean something. The night before my parents‘ car ident, I had a terrible


    nightmare–I dreamt my two front teeth fell out, blood pouring everywhere. I woke up crying


    hysterically.


    The next day, my parents were gone forever.


    A wave of panic hit me so hard I barely noticed Hayden watching me.


    It wasn’t until he reached out and gently wiped the cold sweat from my forehead that I snapp Did


    you have a nightmare?”


    out of it.”


    Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    His words pulled me back to reality, making me realize he’d heard me calling Jace’s name in my


    sleep.


    I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea, so I said, “I dreamt Jace was standing by the bed, covered


    in blood. I kept asking what happened, but he wouldn’t answer.”


    “It’s okay. Dreams are usually the opposite of reality. If you’re worried, you can call him now,”


    Hayden said, surprising me.


    Shouldn’t he be upset right now?


    If it were Jace, he’d definitely be jealous.


    I nced outside, the sky just starting to lighten. I snuggled closer into Hayden’s arms, closing my


    eyes. I’m tired. I just want to go back to sleep.”


    “Go ahead,” he murmured, gently stroking my hair.


    He was as calm and caring as ever, no sign of anger or jealousy.


    I was too exhausted to think straight, and before I knew it, I’d drifted off again.


    Half–asleep, I felt Hayden kiss my forehead and whisper, “You’re still worried about him.”


    I wanted to say something, but it was like my mouth was glued shut.


    When I finally woke up, it was already nine a.m.–way toote for work.


    Hayden was gone, and as I tried to move, my whole body felt like I’d been run over by a truck. So,


    turns out those books were right about the aftermath.


    I justy there, letting shes ofst night with Hayden the nightmare, and his whispered words


    swirl around in my head.


    I squeezed my eyes shut. Of course, the first real night with Hayden, and Jace has to show up in


    my dreams, bloody and haunting


    The image of him like that was still freaking me out. Even though Jace and I weren’t a thing


    anymore, he’d been in my life for, like, ten years. It was more like family than anything


    L


    I grabbed my phone and dialed a number, but not Jace’s. I called Wayne instead.


    Ever since Wayne confessed his feelings and I gently turned him down, he’d kept his distance,


    giving me space. He was so thoughtful that I felt guilty even calling him now.


    But I needed to know if Jace was okay.


    “Rea,” Wayne’s gentle voice came through the line.


    “Wayne,” I said softly, “How’ve you been?”


    “Good. What’s up?” His tone was light and cheerful, which made me rx a little. If something had


    happened to Jace, he wouldn’t sound like that.


    “Not much. Just wanted to see if there’s any update on when the amusement park is opening?” I


    asked, grasping at the first excuse I could think of.


    Wayne was smart enough to know I was just making small talk. If I really wanted to know about the


    amusement park, I could’ve just asked Demi.


    “Jace hasn’t given a final date yet,” Wayne answered honestly.


    I frowned. Before the whole lighting issue, the opening date was set in stone. That’s why I’d been so


    frantic to fix it. Now that it was sorted, they should’ve been back on schedule.


    The park was supposed to open in a week.


    But from what Wayne was saying, it didn’t sound like anything was moving forward.


    There was still so much to do before opening day, like promotions and ads, but I hadn’t seen a


    single one.


    “Is there a problem?” I asked, feeling a knot of concern twist in my stomach.


    “There’s no problem,” Wayne said firmly, like the guy in charge.