Read Marked (The Pack) for Free Online Page B

for a stick but couldn’t seem to make my hands grab it. The trees and underbrush blurred before my eyes. I started walking in the direction of the house, then behind me a shadow leapt onto the path and I started to run. The thick, wet air clogged my nostrils and stuck to my skin. The backs of my legs tingled with a hot, slimy wetness. Whatever was here in these woods was right behind me, but I was too scared to turn around and look. I forced myself to go faster.
    At the very core of my brain, I knew this was another nightmare. I never could wake myself when I realized I was dreaming. It didn’t matter. The house was ahead. I was going to make it. In an upstairs window a curtain moved. Great, now I was even getting busted by Aunt Louise in my dreams.
    Inside, I ran water in the bathroom sink, though I didn’t remember how I got there. I’d probably slept through that part. Wiping off sweat and grime, I laughed and tossed the washcloth in the dirty clothes basket. Bathing in my dream, that was new. The smile left my face. It was happening here, just like it did at home, and it was getting worse. I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t figure out how to wake up when things got scary, no matter how much I wanted to.
     

Chapter Six
     
     
     
    The pillow vibrated beneath my ear in an even pattern, matching Aunt Louise’s steps as she walked along the hall from her bedroom to where I slept. I scrunched my eyelids together. If I pretended to be deeply asleep when she came to wake me, maybe she’d let me sleep in today. The door rattled and clicked then swished open.
    “Time to get ready, Alexis.”
    I made a snoring sound into the pillow.
    “I know you’re awake, stop pretending.”
    Flipping onto my back, I stared at the ceiling. “I might still be sick. I could have the flu.”
    “You’re not sick. And don’t leave the window open all night again. It’s too hot for it and you let all the air conditioning go right out.
    I hadn’t touched the window and I sat up to say so, but my heart sank. The window was wide open. “I must have done it while I was sleepwalking.”
    Louise snorted. “Do that a lot do you?”
    “You said my mom told you I had problems with sleepwalking.”
    “I meant do you go around opening the windows in your sleep.”
    How much had my mom told her about my sleepwalking problem? I was hoping it would miraculously disappear while I was here. If opening a window was all I had done, Louise should be grateful, but I didn’t tell her so.
    She banged the window closed and rotated the lock. “Let’s get going. We leave in thirty minutes.”
    “But what if I’m sick?”
    Louise stopped and crossed her arms. “Are you sick?”
    I considered. If I acted sick I might miss working, but today I was supposed to go to Channing’s house and I sure wouldn’t get to do that if I said felt bad.
    “Nah, I’m feeling better.”
    Aunt Louise nodded. When she passed through the door she grabbed an ancient key from the lock.
    “Wait, you locked me in my room?”
    “You do have that sleep walking problem. I didn’t want you wandering around and falling down the steps, or maybe even getting outside.”
    I opened my mouth to argue but I could see by the look on her face it wouldn’t matter. Scuffing to the bathroom I took a quick shower. After drying off, I opened the top of the wicker hamper to toss in my towel. A pink rag with little flowers on it lay on top. For a brief moment I could see myself in front of the mirror last night wiping sweat and dirt from my body with that same little rag. But, that had been a dream, hadn’t it? I glanced at the sink, shaking my head. Sleepwalking. I’d been having a nightmare and came in here while I was asleep. With the window open, the room had gotten hot. That’s what had led me to sleepwalk into the bathroom and wipe with the rag.
    I left the bathroom and rubbed my finger over the lock on the bedroom door, then smiled. The stupid thing didn’t even work. I’d