Free Bad Dreams by R.L. Stine Page B

was turned away as always.
    Then the dark shadow swept over the bed.
    Maggie whirled. Just in time to see the glint of the knife blade in the dim light.
    â€œNo!” Maggie screamed.
    The scream must have been loud enough to wake her up.
    She found herself wide awake, sitting up in bed.
    Her eyes darted around the dark bedroom.
    I don’t want to wake up now! she told herself.
    I want to finish the dream. I want to see more.
    I
need
to see more!
    She settled back against the pillow, determined to go back to sleep and finish the dream.
    But lying in the dark, staring up at the canopy fluttering in the gentle breeze from the open window, Maggie suddenly knew she wasn’t alone.
    It’s not a dream, she knew.
    It’s real. Not a dream. And someone else is in my bedroom.
    The figure stood in the dark corner of the room, just where the attacker always hid in her dream.
    With a shudder of terror, Maggie pulled herself up—and saw who it was.
    Andrea!
    â€œAndrea? Andrea? It’s you?”
    Andrea crossed the room quickly to Maggie’s bed.
    And as Andrea moved toward her, Maggie saw something gleam in her sister’s hand. She recognized the silver glint of the knife.

chapter

13
    â€œA ndrea—what do you want? What are you doing in here?” Maggie whispered.
    â€œI couldn’t sleep,” came the whispered reply. “I was trying out some new hairstyles. I just came in to borrow your curling iron.”
    She held it up. The glint of light, Maggie now realized, was the silvery rod of the curling iron.
    â€œSorry I woke you,” Andrea whispered. She tiptoed out of the room. “Do you want the door open?”
    Maggie was breathing too hard to answer.
    â€œI’ll shut it partway,” Andrea said.
    After Andrea left, Maggie remained still, staring at the doorway, waiting for her breathing to return to normal.
    Andrea crossing the room in the dark. The metallic shimmer of the knife. That was from my dream, she thought.
    But how could that be?
    Am I really cracking up?
    She didn’t have long to think about it.
    Suddenly the door to her room creaked open.
    She heard the thud of soft footsteps. But she couldn’t see anyone!
    Without warning, Gus’s head popped up on the side of the bed, his dark, sad eyes staring at her in the dark. Maggie was so glad to see him, she flung her arms around his neck and kissed him on the nose.
    Gus licked her ear. Then he trotted back out the door again. She heard him thump-thumping down the front steps.
    â€œBe sure to get lots of rest.” Maggie suddenly remembered the coach’s instructions. She closed her eyes.
    I’ve got to sleep. Got to sleep …
    She lay still. It seemed like an eternity—probably only about five minutes. She opened her eyes. This was pointless. She had never been so wide awake in her life.
    Okay, Dad, she said to herself. Time to take your advice. Her father had always said that if you couldn’t sleep, get out of bed and read until you were sleepy.
    She swung her legs out of the bed. The floor felt refreshingly cool. She crossed to her bookshelf and searched for something boring to read.
Moby Dick.
That ought to do the trick. Dad always said it was the most boring great book ever written.
    She remembered another piece of advice from her dad on insomnia. He said it helped to leave the bedroom until you felt sleepy.
    Mr. Travers had been a real expert on insomnia because he suffered from it. Many late nights, when Maggie would wander downstairs, she’d find him sitting in the kitchen, drinking his favorite remedy—a tall mug of hot cocoa—and reading.
    Moby Dick
weighed a ton. Carrying the heavy hardback under one arm, she padded out into the hall. Through the crack under Andrea’s door she could see her sister’s light still on. She didn’t move toward it, but headed through the hall and down the front stairs.
    Gus was sleeping by the footstool in the living room,