The Nightmare Before

I bought two new hats and oddly enough that made my day better. So much better that I realized how much I did not want to go back to the mansion.

So instead of dragging myself back to William, I decided that I was going to stay at the hat store. I seated myself in the back aisle and sat on the floor, reading one of my new books in one of my awesome new hats.

~|~

Patrick wandered in and out of aisle, with no particular purpose. Every once in a while he would pick up a hat and examine it, but then just set it back down again. He slowly progressed to the back of the store with his head in the clouds.

"Ah, shit..."

He frowned as a quiet voice from the aisle behind him cursed. He heard shuffling and suddenly a form rushed past him.

He did a double take, "No." he forced himself to calm down. It was obvious he was hallucinating. So to prove himself wrong he stepped out of the aisle and watched the girl who had passed him as she hurried out of the store.

"Have a good night!" Phil called to her.

She stopped to smile at him and Patrick could see her as clear as day.

"Cam?" He squeaked, but she was out the door. Instinctively Patrick followed, not believing his own eyes. Once he got out onto the street she had disappeared, "No." he shook his head, "No....that-that wasn't-" he frowned and went back inside, "Phil, you-you just saw that girl, right?"

Phil nodded, "That pretty young lady? Oh yes. Why do you ask? Do you know here? She looks like your type." But Patrick had barely heard the rest because he was out the door, running home.

~|~

I was late. I shouldn't have stayed out that late, I realized that when the first thing I was greeted with when I got to the mansion was, "You are so dead."

"Shut up Mike." I demanded, "Uh...where is he?"

"Having a fit in his room." Brendon snorted.

I winced imagining what was going to happen, "Great." I sighed, dropping my bags on the floor and beginning the walk of doom up the stairs.

"Good luck." Mike snickered. I shot him a dirty look and he stopped. I gave a pathetic knock when I reached our bedroom door and then poked my head inside.

"William?"

"Get in here Cambria." William growled. Without question I stepped inside and gently shut the door behind me.

"Where have you been?!" he boomed.

I physically flinched away from his anger, "I-I'm sorry. I-"

"I wake up and you aren't here?!"

"I just-went out for a walk....I thought I'd be back before you woke up. I didn't mean to-"

"What is wrong with you?! You think you can just leave whenever you feel like it?"

"William I'm sorry. I-I didn't think-"

"Of course you didn't! You never think! You cannot leave this house without my permission!"

I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from flinging all kinds of nasty insults at him. He sighed, "You never would have pulled a stunt like this before."

"Before what?" I asked timidly.

"I don't know! Why don't you tell me?!" He sighed, rubbing his forehead, "I don't know what I'm going to do with you."

~|~

"Where's Pete?!"

"Good lord Patrick, what were you running from?" Andy frowned as Patrick burst through the door with a bright red face and panting heavily.

"Where is Pete?" Patrick gasped again.

"I'm right here." Pete said, emerging from a dark hallway rubbing his eyes. He had obviously been asleep.

"I have to talk to you!" Patrick rushed over to Pete and began pushing him towards the back room.

"Jeez, Pat, what's the rush?" Pete protested groggily.

"In the study. I need to talk to you!"

"Okay! Okay! Relax!" Pete rolled his eyes but let Patrick push him back to the study.

"Alright now what's this about?" Pete asked boredly after Patrick had closed the door.

Patrick leaned in to whisper, "It's Cam...I think she's still alive."

Pete tensed instantly, "What?"

"No! I know what you're thinking..." Patrick said slowly as if to prove to Pete he wasn't crazy, "But I-I saw her! At the hat store!" It was difficult to tell if Patrick was about to start grinning or crying.

"Patrick, no." Pete shook his head. He tried to think of a less blunt way to explain the situation but couldn't, "She's dead, man."

"No! Pete please believe me!" Patrick begged, "I know it was her! I would never mistake her with someone else." Pete put a calming had on his friends shoulder.

"Patrick...it's been a while since you've been out. You've been cooped up in his house for so long...I'm sorry man, but you imagined her."

Patrick's excited mood immediately depleted and Pete could see Patrick was questioning himself. This cause immense guilt on Pete's part.

"Get some sleep." Pete suggested, carefully guiding his friend out of the room as Patrick questioned his own sanity.