Before the Dawn Read Online Free PDF Page A

cheerful and energized. "Well, we've certainly
gabbed enough. I'm gonna go back to fixing my hair and you start
getting ready for the night. Call me when the limo has picked you
up and you guys are on your way to my house. Bye. See you."
    "Yeah. Bye." Aline hung up, still thoughtful,
but she couldn't ignore her injured foot any longer. She still had
the silver leaf in her hand and, suddenly scared of the mystery it
presented, she locked it away in her nightstand drawer and went to
search for some antiseptic and bandages. She had no idea what was
going on regarding the dream and the strange way a part of it had
crept into reality. That leaf should have been just a figment of
her subconscious or something, but she had held it. It had cut her
skin. It was real . Which didn't make any kind of sense at
all.
    She was still tending to her wound when her
dad passed by the open door of her room. He abruptly halted when he
noticed what Aline was doing and he rapped on the doorframe to get
her attention, something he always did whenever he wanted to come
into her "personal space" as he called it. His expression was a
mixture of curiosity and concern.
    "What happened to your foot?" he asked. "Are
you all right?"
    "I just stepped on something," she shrugged.
"It was an accident."
    "Need any help bandaging that up?" he
offered.
    She shook her head and gave him a little
smile. "No. It's nothing. I got it."
    He nodded. "Okay then, if you're sure. Let me
know when you're ready to go to that dance so I can take a picture
of you all dressed up."
    "Oh, please, no," she begged. "You seriously
don't have to do that."
    He chuckled. "Come on. It's traditional or
something. These are your last few hours as a fifteen year old. At
midnight, you'll turn sixteen and you'll think that you know
everything and become more insufferable than ever. So I need a
picture of you to remember the time when you were still relatively
young and innocent." His tone was teasing, but she could tell by
the affectionate look on his face that he was being sentimental, in
his own manly way of course.
    "Fine," she said, rolling her eyes. "Whatever
you want. We'll observe tradition just this once and you can take
as many pictures as you like."
    "All right." He grinned. "Hey, I'm heading to
the grocery store for a last minute Halloween candy shopping
adventure. Do you still have time to join me or are you gonna be
getting ready for the dance?"
    "Dad!" She was exasperated. "I can't believe
you didn't get candy yet! I always remind you to do that about a
week in advance. I even write it down in your planner."
    "Sorry. I completely forgot all about it
until today." He didn't sound sorry at all. "So, are you coming
with me to the store or not?"
    "I definitely should," she said gloomily, "or
you'll get the bad candy and all the little kids are gonna tell
everyone we're the house that gives away the worst treats." She
finished cleaning and bandaging up the cut on her foot, and then
she took a few minutes to make herself presentable for a public
appearance. However, she still looked like someone who had just
rolled out of bed when they got in the car and drove to the nearest
store, so Aline hoped really hard that no one she knew would see
her while she was out and about with her father.
    Though she hadn't gone trick or treating in a
few years, she always loved it whenever Halloween came around. Of
course, a lot of her affection for the holiday was due to the fact
it was her birthday. When she was younger, she remembered that her
mom and dad always made quite a fuss about her being born just
after the stroke of midnight as October 30 became October 31. It
was a distinction that she used to lord over the other kids in
school, and she always insisted that everyone give her a share of
the candy they collected as a present. So as she and her father
headed for the store, Aline smiled with real pleasure when she saw
how everyone in town was getting ready for the big night tomorrow.
But, unlike