"When's the last time you slept?"

She drew in a shaky breath and shifted uneasily in the chair, it groaned slightly under her light weight. She bit her slip and looked out the window; seeing a crow fly from the bare October tree, into the gray sky.

"Four days ago." Her voice was small and nervous.

"Is that because, of this man you see in your dreams?"

"….yes."

"What's his name?"

A moment pause, nothing but silence, "….. I don't know."

"What does he look like?" The therapist tapped the end of his pen on his clip board, and she looked down at her hands that rested in her lap.

She didn't have an answer, so she stayed quiet.

"When did you first see him?"

She didn't want to say anymore, "Look." She said sternly, though her voice was shaking, "I'm not crazy."

He wrote something down on his paper and she felt her stomach churn. The only reason she agreed to be here was because her parents were worried about her.

"Of course you aren't Macy, no one thinks you are." He spoke in a calm voice that irritated Macy right threw to her core.

But instead of arguing, she looked back out the window.

"About a year ago…" She finally confessed, a year ago was when her life was changed. It was when she first meet the Lucas brothers, and when the nightmares started.

She never recalled the night mares being as regular and vivid as this one.

"How did you get those scratches and cuts on your arms?"

Absentmindedly, she tugged her sleeve down and wrapped it around her thumb. She couldn't find her voice to answer at first, "… He did them."

He began writing again. The sound of his pen scratching against the paper made her grimace. She didn't want all this attention, she knew they would think she was insane. If she were them, she would probably think the same thing too.

The man pulled out a folder, and in the folder were photographs that he laid orderly in front of Macy on his desk. She couldn't keep her eyes off of them as she aborted the images before her. They were of her body, where the marks had been. The ones along her arms, and on her thighs and down her legs. On her shoulder blades, and back.

The therapist leaned forward a little bit, and Macy leaned back; tears in her eyes for her loss of words. She knew all the marks were there, but they were unexplainable. All the scratches came together and made random letters.

"What did you use Macy?" He asked, his question darted threw the air sharply.

Macy looked up, her face twisted with confusion, "What?" She shot back.

"What did you use to make these marks?"

She was bewildered, "You think I did them?" She couldn't believe it, did everyone think that? Her mouth kept trying to form words, but failed. He didn't answer, but instead waited patiently for her to give him an answer. She stood up, and stormed out of the office. As she slammed the door the tears finally left her eyes, and she wiped them away quickly.

They thought she was crazy…

"Shut up." She whispered to herself, she couldn't let herself think so heavily about what other people thought of her.

Right now she just needed to focus on her walk home. She walked straight out of the old building into the October air. Her eyes narrowed at all the Halloween decorations, she never liked Halloween, it always put her on the edge and made her jumpy.

She entered her house, and tossed her backpack on the floor, "I'm home." She called, and received no reply. "You guys sure care don't you?" She asked the absence of her parents, "I went to the stupid therapist and you guys aren't even here." She grabbed the milk from the fridge, and poured herself a glass. She looked at the bottom of her empty glass, that feeling of being alone washing over her.

When she finished the glass of milk, she watched the droplets of milk form into a circle, then the face of the shadow man. She screamed and dropped the glass.

"Macy!" Stella gasped, and Macy snapped her head up, finding Stella in the kitchen door way.

No matter how hard Macy had been trying to keep her friends out of this sudden mess of her emotions, and mental state.

Stella dropped her bag and rushed over to the trembling Macy; Macy knew she had been caught, she was barely able to hide the terror she'd been feeling. The stylist placed her hands firmly on Macy's shoulder and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Macy, calm down sweetie." She commanded calmly, and the warmth of her brown eyes made Macy's breath start coming in at a lower and more normal pace; being Macy best friend since fourth grade, she had dealt with her panic attacks, and she had noted they were getting worse and worse lately.

The athlete took in a few deep breaths, and Stella helped her slowly sit down on the tilted floor, trying to remain calm. She pulled her knees to her chest, and rested her forehead on them.

After a few moments of needed silence, Stella finally spoke up, "Mace…" She rubbed her should, "You need to tell me what's going on with you lately…" It was a plea more than anything.

Macy's hand gather into fists as she debated weather or not, what the right thing was. Would it be right to drag Stella into her freshly messed up world, or was it better to keep her in the dark?

The silence was making Stella grow more tense, "Macy?"

Macy slowly took in a deep breath and finally looked up, and looked into the eyes of a slightly relieves pair of Stella's eyes.

"I'll be fine." The lie would have been convincible, if it weren't for the betrayal of her own voice; it sounded weakened somehow, something only Stella was able to hear, even if said to a large group.

"Macy, stop keeping me in the dark. I know something's going on." Stella tried again, and Macy looked away, "Don't you trust me anymore?… we're best friend."

The silence from Macy was breaking Stella's heart.

".. I know we are Stella. But this…" Macy finally made eye contact, and the impact was more powerful than Stella expected, "This is something I have to face on my own."

Though she didn't want to, Stella knew she had to accept it. She had no other choice to trust and believe in Macy. She nodded, "All right…" Then she moved over to hug Macy.

Stella stayed with Macy for a while longer, until she felt she was okay to be left alone.

There was a crash of a plate in the kitchen, starling Stella from her sleep with a jolt. Her heart was pounded as she tried to figure out where the noise cam from in her tired state. The stove light shone from the kitchen into the den, and then she eyes went to Macy, who was fast asleep on the other side of the couch. She rubbed her eyes, to try and wake herself up. She had no idea when she fell asleep, but the TV was on, but on mute. She glanced at the clock was she stretched and slipped the blanket off of her, then gasping at the fact it was 3 am.

"Macy." She said groggily, shaking Macy's foot that was on the couch, "Macy I have to head home."

Macy barely muttered something inaudible as she readjusted herself, obviously still asleep.

"Ma-" Stella stopped in mid sentence, when out of the corner of her eye he could have swore she saw a shadow dart by the doorway to the kitchen. She looked that way, praying to God to was just imagining things.

She scooted off the couch, and slowly, cautiously stood up. She eyed Macy again, and she was fast asleep. Stella faced the entrée way of the kitchen, her heart still pounding, and she jumped when she shadow went past again.

"H-hello? Ms. Misa?" Stella called out, uncertain.

The shadow stopped, and Stella forced herself to take a step forward.

"It's me, Stella." She walked towards the kitchen, eyes glued to the shadow, slightly leaning to and fro.

She held her breath as she finally came to the door, and the shadow scurried suddenly, making Stella jumped back, and the sound of more plates crashed to the ground. The fear was running threw her veins as she finally mustered the courage to peak around the corner, expecting to see a stranger, feeling suddenly protective of Macy. Except, the kitchen was empty, only a few plates broken on the floor by the sink. Then she felt something grab her shoulder and she shrieked.

"Stella!" Macy gasped, irritable due to her tired state, but also frightened because she fell asleep and leaving Stella alone in her house, awake.

"M-m-macy. There's something in your house. I saw.. I saw their's shadow." Stella stammered, then grabbed Macy's wrist, "We need to get out."

"No." Macy yanked her hand from Stella's grip and took a step back, "Stella, I think you should go home now." There was no eye contact as Macy stared at the floor, the tone was not like Macy at all.

"Macy?" Stella was hurt by it, "Macy, I can't leave you in this house." She gained her authority protection again, "There's someone he-"

"No there isn't." Macy cut her off sharply, disarming Stella's guard. "Stella, leave my house."

Stella's eye soften immediately, "But Macy.. I saw."

"We have a cat. That's what you saw." Macy answered, again no eye contact.

None of it made sense to Stella, and she just stood there, silently waiting for Macy to snap out of it. "M-"

"Leave Stella Malone." Macy looked back up, her eyes hard and cold.

Instead of asking questions, Stella went for the front door, "Something's gotten into you Macy." Stella spoke over her shoulder as she put on her jacket, "And you better straighten yourself out. Everyone's getting pretty sick of this…. Whatever you've become." Then the door slammed shut, and Macy flinched.

She was now alone in the house with.. It. She couldn't take it anymore, she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists as the tears finally spilled. She wouldn't give it what it wanted, and it wanted to see her break, it wanted her to communicate with it…. But then after all, what more could it take from her? She was forced to push her friend away, it stole her appetite, took her sleep and dreams away, it was taking her life away.

"Are you happy?" She tried to keep her voice calm, though it was shaking with rage, "Everyone think I'm nuts."

There was no reply, half of what she expected. The cuts on her shoulders started to sting slightly, like something dipped their finger in salt and was just barely grazing over the torn flesh. She grimaced and tried to move away, only to be tripped on what appeared to be air. Her chin hit the floor, a jagged piece of wood.

She wouldn't cry, or even make a sound because she thought that's what it wanted…