A Storm of Nightmares Read online

  A Storm of Nightmares

  Ebony Brewer

  A Storm of Nightmares

  By Ebony Brewer

  Copyright 2021 © All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, places, and events is purely coincidental.

  To Jacob.

  Thank you for believing in me

  and supporting me, always.

  You are my happy ending.

  Contents

  A Storm of Nightmares

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Epilogue

  A Message from the Author

  Prologue

  One second I'm running through the grass in our front yard, a smile so big that my cheeks hurt, and the next second I'm on the ground with the wind knocked out of me. It takes a moment for the shock to dissolve, and suddenly I'm very aware of the sharp pain shooting through my body.

  I barely have time to examine the cuts on my palms, elbows, and knees before Betty drops to my side and checks me out. Her big blue eyes scan my wounds.

  Don't cry, Kat. I have to be strong and brave like my sister. One little fall isn't going to stop me from playing tag. If I act like a wimp, Betty will call it quits and make me go inside. My bottom lip trembles, but I hold back the tears.

  "Aww, the little baby is gonna cry!" Betty and I snap our heads to the side. Billy Kent, our neighbor and the meanest boy I have ever met walks over to me with an ugly smile on his face. He insisted on joining our game of tag today. If mom weren't sitting on the porch earlier, I would have told him no, but I didn't want her to see me be rude.

  It's not that I didn't want him to play. The more people in a game of tag, the better. But Billy is twelve, and he always plays so rough. I try to remind him that I’m only eight so he should be nicer to me, but he doesn’t care.

  I'm right in the middle of thinking of a good comeback when Betty stands with a huff. She narrows her eyes at Billy as she steps toward him, and the smug look on his face falls.

  She points her finger at him, "You shut up! You pushed Kat down on purpose. You're a bully, and you can't play tag, or any game, with us ever again. Go home before I tell your mom about how you treat girls." Betty takes one more step to Billy with her finger still pointed at him, so they're face to face. She flattens her palm against his chest and shoves Billy. Hard.

  He stumbles backward for a second before turning around and sprinting back to his house. Betty looks at me with a triumphant smile.

  "You're going to get in so much trouble, Betty! You pushed him."

  "He deserved it, Kat. Boys think they're so tough and can do whatever they want, but that's not true. We just have to stand up for ourselves."

  I sniffle as I fight back my tears. "What if... Maybe he likes me? Daddy said when boys are means to you, it means they have a crush on you."

  "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Have you ever seen Dad be mean to Mom?"

  "No."

  "When a boy likes you, he should cherish you. Make you feel special. Not shove you to the ground and make you bleed." Betty glances at me with a sad smile. "You just wait, Kat. One day when we're all grown up, we'll both find great guys who treat us like queens. Boys like Billy Kent will never win the heart of a queen."

  Betty reaches her hand out for me, and I take it with awe in my eyes. She's so strong. "Will you always be here to protect me, Betty?"

  She smiles down at me, "Always."

  Chapter 1

  My parents are going out to dinner and a movie, so Betty and I have the house to ourselves for the next few hours. Not that Betty will be much company tonight. Ever since she started seeing this new guy, all she does with her free time is talk to him on the phone. Hell, I wouldn’t even be surprised if she tries to sneak him into the house tonight. It wouldn’t be the first time.

  I won’t let her ruin my night, though. She can be all lovey-dovey with Dan and ignore my existence all she wants. I have my own plans. If you consider reading romance novels alone all-night plans... I do.

  I’ve always loved being able to open a book and escape to new worlds. In my books, I can be a strong, independent woman with gorgeous men pining after me. Or I can be mysterious and sexy. I can travel the world, fall in love with someone in every city, and never get let down.

  The sad truth is that I don’t think I’ll ever live as fully as the characters in my books do. Betty is the fun, carefree sister. I’m the quiet, cautious one. I hide in the shadows while she casts a bright light.

  I wish I could let go and enjoy life the way Betty does, but someone has to make mom and dad proud. Even though Betty is the firstborn, it seems like all the responsibility fell on me somehow. I’m expected to get good grades, get a scholarship for college, and pursue some high-paying, respected career.

  My parents don’t seem to care if Betty gets As or Cs, as long as she graduates. They don’t scold her when she spends more time at the mall with her friends than she does working on school assignments. Granted, she does get decent grades. Straight Bs, usually. But if I so much as get an A-, I get the whole “we just want the very best for you, and bad grades won’t get you there” speech. It’s ingrained in my brain by now.

  I don’t know how Betty got it so easy, but I envy my big sister and her lack of responsibility. Sometimes I think I brought it on myself. I did set a precedent in this house for acing every class. While Betty was signing up for cheerleading, I had my nose in a book and my head in the clouds. I spent every weekend studying while she had sleepovers and broke curfew. Betty just has Mom and Dad wrapped around her finger, I guess. And my parents aren’t the only ones, either.

  Betty has always been popular, but once she got to the 9th grade, it was like her popularity skyrocketed. And why wouldn’t people love her? She has naturally wavy, light blond hair that falls down the length of her back. Her eyes are deep blue, and they match the color of the ocean perfectly. Her tan skin and petite frame are the embodiment of feminine perfection.

  On top of her looks, she’s a genuinely nice person too. Betty always smiles at people in the hall and doesn’t laugh when the jocks make fun of someone. She’s been cheer captain for two years now, but she’s far from the stuck-up stereotype people always think of.

  I, on the other hand, didn’t get blessed with our mom’s gorgeous genes. I look much more like my dad. Not that he’s a bad-looking man, but I wish I inherited different DNA.

  I have straight, dirty blond hair cut to my shoulders, and my green eyes don’t look like the sea or the sky or any lovely thing on this planet. I’m of average height and build, albeit a little curvy. I do look good in a tight pair of jeans. But I don’t compare to my sister at all. And I don’t smile at strangers. I’m too shy and awkward.
r />   Freshman year, I tried to be more like Betty. She’s two years older than me, so she gave me a lot of tips to make sure high school doesn’t totally suck. I followed her advice the best that I could, and I even got the attention of a cute boy in my class.

  We started dating halfway through the school year, and I thought, for the first time in my entire life, that Betty really did have this whole high school thing figured out. But my big sister and all the good advice in the world couldn’t save me from dating a complete asshole. All he wanted was to get in my pants, and he made that very clear when he dumped me because I wouldn’t sleep with him after a month. Apparently, I put out an I’m so innocent that I’ll be easy vibe. I told him right where he could stick it. He called me a bitch. That sums up my first and last time getting dumped.

  After I got a taste of high school boys, I have pretty much steered clear of them. I refuse to put myself through more torture than necessary. I stopped listening to Betty’s tips, and she stopped offering to help after a while. She was good at being bold and brave and finding the right guys. I wasn’t. So, I went back to my books, where I knew the men couldn’t hurt me. That’s where I’ve always been comfortable.

  It’s been a whole year since my first and last attempt at having a boyfriend. Betty is a senior, I’m a sophomore, and I’m terrified at having to face high school all on my own when she leaves for college with her boyfriend in a few months. She’s been sort of shield for me. As long as she’s around, I get left alone. Once she graduates, I’ll be forced to fend off high school scum on my own.

  I’m happy for her, though, don’t get me wrong. She met her boyfriend Dan at the mall two months ago, and they’ve been inseparable ever since. He’s from a few towns over, and he’s a senior too. They got into a few of the same colleges purely by coincidence and dumb luck since they applied to schools before they met.

  They’ve decided to attend UCLA together in the fall. Los Angeles fits Betty. She’ll flourish in the big, busy city. But she’ll also be six hours away from me, so I kind of hate her at the moment. She got into plenty of good colleges in Northern California, and she would have stayed a lot closer to me if Dan wasn’t in the picture. But I can’t be upset with her forever, especially when she promises she’s madly in love with him.

  It’s because of that love, or lust, that I’m ninety percent sure Betty will be sneaking Dan in through her window tonight, even though Mom and Dad won’t be here, and I couldn’t care less if he came in through the front door. Maybe they just like the thrill of sneaking around. Who knows what kind of stuff those two are into?

  I will be happily locked away in my room for the entire night, reading about true love and eating an unhealthy amount of Hershey’s Kisses. I don’t have a body that I have to keep in cheerleading shape.

  Mom and Dad have been gone for thirty minutes now, and Betty must think the chances of them coming back are slim to none. As if on cue, I hear her bedroom window slide open, and a burst of laughter floats down the hallway. And then a loud thud. And then more laughter. I try my best to stifle my own laughter as I picture Dan attempting and failing to climb in the window. My phone buzzes, and I roll my eyes at Betty’s name on the screen.

  Betty: Ok, obviously, there’s no hiding the fact that Dan’s here. Don’t tell Mom and Dad.

  Kat: I am truly offended that you think I would rat you out.

  Betty: Just making sure! Love you, Kat. You’re the best. XOXO

  Kat: Save your hugs and kisses for Dan. Sounds like he needs them after that fall.

  Betty: Ha, Ha. Do not bring that up in front of him! He’s too tall to climb through my window gracefully, but he refuses to come in the front door like a normal person. Ugh, boys.

  Kat: I wouldn’t know. I’m anti-boys right now... Stop texting me, weirdo. I’m literally in the room right next to yours. If you want to talk to me so badly, walk the five feet it takes to come see me. Otherwise, leave me to my books and have fun with your BF.

  Betty doesn’t respond after that, so I put my phone down and pop another Hershey’s Kiss in my mouth. I don’t need a boyfriend. I have chocolate. I’m perfectly happy with the sweet, melt-in-your-mouth delicacy that’s keeping me company tonight.

  I pick up my book and get lost in the Hawaiian Islands chasing waterfalls and zip-lining with a handsome man right by my side. I spend my evenings drinking strawberry daiquiris on the beach and wake up every morning to strong arms wrapped tightly around me. God, what a perfect life.

  I finish my book and stand up from my bed to stretch. That has to be a new record. Checking my phone, I realize three hours have gone by. Nice. A whole book in one evening. I’m a proud bookworm.

  Mom and Dad should be back soon. I go out into the hall and almost open Betty’s door out of habit but stop once I picture finding her and Dan in bed. Yuck. I would never be able to get those images out of my head. I’d have to gouge out my eyeballs and suffer through the rest of my life blind.

  So instead, I lift my right hand and lightly tap on her door. “Betty? Mom and Dad should be back soon. Is Dan still here?” I wait a few seconds and try again, knocking a little harder. “Betty, if you guys fell asleep, wake up. Dad will kill you if he finds Dan in your room.” I wait a few more seconds. Nothing.

  I open her door slowly and keep my eyes closed in fear of seeing my sister’s boyfriend naked. “Hellooooo? I’m coming in, Betty. Please, tell me you guys are both fully clothed.”

  Again, there’s no answer, so I open my right eye to peek. And then I have both eyes open, and I find myself staring at her empty bedroom. Betty’s hot pink bed sheets are messed up, a few of her fuzzy white pillows tossed on the floor. I turn my head to the left and notice her closet doors are wide open, and there are several hangers without clothes on them. I look over at the open window. The white and pink striped curtains are blowing in the night breeze, and the room is cold. I suddenly feel sick.

  I leave Betty’s room in a hurry and run downstairs, hoping to find them in the kitchen. But when I turn the corner at the bottom of the steps and scan the dark room, I don’t see anybody. I flip the lights on just to make sure my eyes aren’t playing tricks on me. They aren’t. She isn’t here.

  “Betty?” I call as I walk through the kitchen and into the living room. No answer. “Betty, this isn’t funny! Mom and Dad will be home any minute, and they’re going to be pissed that you’re trying to scare me!” I continue through the living room, down the hallway, and check the guest bedroom and bathroom. Both are empty and untouched. “Betty! Where are you?”

  Panic is starting to course through me as I make my way to the front door. I swing it open and run out with bare feet to the end of the driveway. Looking in both directions, I frantically search the street for Dan’s car. Since he sneaks in, he usually parks it a few houses down, but I don’t see it anywhere tonight. Did he leave already? Did Betty go with him?

  I turn around, head back into the house, and up the stairs to my bedroom. I grab my phone, click on Betty’s name, and hold the phone to my ear. It rings once. Pick up, Betty. It rings twice. Come on, Betty! It rings three times. Where the hell did you go? It rings a fourth time and I hang up, letting out a frustrated grunt. I quickly type out a text to her.

  Kat: Betty, where are you?

  I sit down on the edge of my bed and wait. Five minutes go by. I start nervously bouncing my knee as I type out another text.

  Kat: Ok, Betty, very funny. Come home. The joke is over.

  My hands are starting to shake. I can’t just sit here and wait. I stand up and pace around my room. Checking my phone for the hundredth time, I see that two more minutes have gone by since my last text and still no answer. I try calling Betty again, and my heart stops dead when my call goes straight to voicemail. What the hell?

  Just as I’m really starting to lose it, I hear the front door open, and I can suddenly breathe again. Betty and Dan must have just gone to get food and come right back. I freaked out for no reason. She always forgets to charge her
phone, so I’m sure it just died before she could text me back.

  I smile to myself and start to walk toward the stairs. “Betty, you are such a jerk. I thought something happened—” I begin to yell on my way, but I stop halfway down the steps when I see my parents. My heart starts to pound in my ears, and my hands are shaking violently again. Betty isn’t back yet, but Mom and Dad are. I am so beyond screwed.

  “Kat, sweetie, did you say something?” My mom asks as she put her black leather purse on the entryway table and starts slipping out of her jean jacket.

  I literally can’t speak. I have so many thoughts swirling around in my head that words are completely lost on me. Is Betty alright? Did she run away? Did Dan do something to her? I like Dan, for the most part. I can’t see him hurting my sister. But where the hell is she?

  My mom must notice my silence because she finally looks up at me expectantly. When our eyes meet, she immediately walks toward the stairs. “Kat? Are you feeling ok, honey? You look so pale.” She places the back of her hand on my forehead to check if I have a fever.

  I stare at her blankly. I don’t know if I should tell them that Betty is missing or if I’m being stupid and Betty will come through that door any second and kill me for telling Mom and Dad she was with Dan. They like him just as much I do, if not more, but obviously, there are rules about having Dan here when they’re gone.

  Apparently, my mom takes my silence as guilt because she narrows her eyes and asks, “Where is Betty?” Fuck. My mom has this unnatural power to read a situation and know exactly what’s going on.

  “Betty? What do you mean? You were right, Mom. I just don’t feel good. Can you make me some tea?” I walk down the rest of the stairs and try to escort my parents to the kitchen to buy Betty more time to sneak her ass back into her bedroom. She is so going to owe me this. I’m risking a heart attack and a grounding for life.

  “How was date night? Mom, I didn’t tell you when you left, but gosh, you look great tonight. You sure are a lucky man, Dad.” I elbow my dad in his ribs and wiggle my eyebrows at him, forcing a smile on my face.