I was certain it was driving me right to the brink of insanity, when a sudden burst of light distracted me, threatening to blind me. It took a couple of seconds for my eyes to adjust to the light. That’s when I saw him. Derek. He was staring at me, face pale and eyes listless. He fell to the ground, piercing blue eyes open and completely blank. I realized what caused his demise when I saw the gaping hole where his heart used to be.

I realized that the echoing heartbeat was coming from behind me … coming closer and closer… then came the sound of a chuckle and the feel of a cold, menacing air breathing down my neck. It was followed by a whisper – no, a hiss – barely audible. Yet fear began to envelop me and panic ran through my veins, because I heard the snake’s words loud and clear.

“You’re next.”

Then came the sound of crashing waves.

It was the high tide that woke me up and rescued me from the deafening sound of Derek’s heartbeat and the foul sound of the words that came out of the snake’s mouth. My pulse was double its normal rate and I could barely breathe. At first, I thought my face was wet only due to the warm wave of salt water that had just washed over me. I was mistaken, because I quickly realized that tears were streaming down my face.

One name was echoing through my mind: Derek.

I’d been so used to waking up in his bed that I found my surroundings alarming. I blinked several times before I realized that the sun was just about to rise over the horizon.

The sun.

It was enough to jolt me into the reality that I was no longer at The Shade, because back at the island, the sun never rose. It was an endless night. Had it not been for my nightmare, I would’ve adored that sunrise. However, my anxiety about Derek stole all the joy away from my reunion with the sun.

Although the sun failed to ease my nerves, it did succeed in deadening my initial confusion and bringing me back to my senses. It returned to my usual state of being: excruciatingly aware.

Back at The Shade, Corrine, the witch maintaining the island’s protective spell, began to take a special interest in me after Lucas first attacked me and killed Gwen. Having been a psychology major before the vampires whisked her to The Shade, she diagnosed me with low latent inhibition, or LLI. I was unable to filter out most external stimuli. It meant that I could sense everything, feel everything. I wondered if that was the reason my mother went insane and was taken away from me – apparently, only people with a certain level of IQ could handle LLI without going mad. I was used to my condition now. It wasn’t as overwhelming as it used to be when I was younger.

The sight of the sun’s oranges and yellows slowly rising over the ocean’s blues and greens; the sound of seagulls cawing and the waves crashing against the shore; the salty aftertaste of sea water mixed with tears; the feel of the soft sand beneath my feet and the cool breeze blowing against my skin; the scent of the ocean mixing with the fresh morning air; I was aware of it all.

I was aware that someone was approaching me from behind.

Ben, I’m sure.

Sensation after sensation assaulted me, and yet my mind was still predominantly fixed on the way Derek had looked in my dream – pale, distant… heartless. Trembling, I pulled my knees against my chest, gathering the beach sand beneath my heels.

“Derek, please be alright. Stay alright…” I whispered, hoping the morning breeze would carry the message back to The Shade and let him know I was still thinking of him.

“Why all the whispering?”

Ben looked at ease and relaxed for the first time since we discovered each other back at The Shade. Still, even with the lighter tone, every word he spoke came with a heaviness I couldn’t completely shake. He plopped himself down next to me.

“Where do you think we are?” he asked.

“We’re in Cancun.” I had no doubt about it. “It makes sense for them to return us where they found us.”

Le Meridien. That was the resort we were staying at when we got abducted by the vampires. The Hudsons were able to afford the long-awaited vacation because of the substantial sum of money my father sent to support me. The last time I saw him was when he left me under the care of his best friend – Ben’s father, Lyle Hudson. That was eight years ago. The only clue I had that he was still alive somewhere was the quarterly check he sent the Hudsons to continue caring for me. The check wasn’t even sent in my name, almost like a taunt – a painful reminder that my own father had willfully forgotten my name.

Memories of our vacation spent on the sugary Mediterranean beaches of Mexico felt like they happened a lifetime ago – to a different version of myself. The jealousy I felt over Ben dating the gorgeous blonde, Tanya Wilson, seemed frivolous and shallow. Even my bitterness toward my parents seemed to matter less in light of what I’d been through.

I looked at Ben, remembering a time when I practically worshipped the ground he walked on. My hot and popular quarterback best friend, with his charming smile and sun-kissed skin … The young man sitting next to me was nothing like that.

“What do we do now?” I asked.

We were so bent on escaping The Shade, we never actually thought about what we would do once we got out. It took at least half a minute before Ben eventually responded with a shrug.

“For now, I don’t think there’s anything left to do other than go home.”

“Right,” I nodded, wondering to myself exactly where home was. The idea of going back to suburban California, back to the Hudsons’ family home, made me sick to my stomach. That place never felt like home to me. “But I don’t think I’m ready to go back just yet, Ben.”