Arlene's POV
The moment I reach my study, my hands are already moving across the paper, scribbling down every name that burned itself into my memory during that nightmare. My fingers tremble slightly as I write, the vivid images from the shared dream still pulsing behind my eyelids like a film I can't stop replaying.
Derek's name flashes across my phone screen before I even consider reaching out to him. For a heartbeat, I stare at the caller ID, my thumb hovering over the decline button. The phone goes dark, then immediately lights up again with his persistent call. This time, I force myself to answer.
"Arlene?" His voice carries the same shaken quality that's coursing through my own veins.
"Yeah." The single word comes out heavier than I intended, loaded with everything neither of us knows how to process yet.
"That's never happened to me before. You were there. Did you see it too?"
