Too Bad!

Devin sits down on the bed exhausted from the day's work. Cleaning this house has been harder than she expected.

She gets up and goes and changes into her pajamas, noticing that there appears to be smudges on the mirror of her dresser. Upon further inspection, she sees that it looks like writing, but she cannot make it out.

"That's odd," she says aloud to herself. Devin breathes hot air onto the mirror over the smudges to read the writing.

Coming. It's almost time.

She chokes as she reads this message. Taking a deep breath, Devin steps back and sits down on the bed. She takes out her laptop and makes a note of everything that has happened, including the new message.

She isn't really scared, just startled by the message. Devin knows this time that things are different from her other missions.

She places her laptop back where she has it hidden, and lies down for the night.

Devin finds herself sitting in the living room of the house, although she doesn't know how she got there. She looks around and finds the whole family there laughing and playing a board game.

'What the hell...' she thinks to herself.

Looking around, Sarah and Cameron are laughing and play fighting over a board game piece, while Melanie, sips tea and smiles. Mike is reading a newspaper, reclined on the couch with his ankle propped on his knee.

Devin realizes that she is dreaming, but cannot wake up.

She looks around and notices a guy she has not seen before in the room with them.

Wait.

That's Sarah's twin brother Evan from her other dream!

Evan is smiling at his sister's antics, and swiftly snatches the piece from the both of them, "I am going to be blue this time! That settles it!"

The girls both pout, "No fair!" at the same time.

He laughs, and then waves his hand, "Let's start the game before it gets too late!"

Taking a good look at Evan, Devin notices that he only slightly looks like his father, but nothing like his twin sister Sarah. He is her opposite, having black well-kept hair, brown eyes, tan skin, and seems tall even while sitting down, for his age. Devin decides that he must look a lot like their mother.

Watching them play the game, Sarah turns to Devin and asks, "Hey, why don't you join us for this round?"

Devin, knowing she can't wake up, replies, "Why not! Sure!" What could go wrong?

Devin joins the next round, and is given the orange pieces. She realizes the game is Too Bad!, where you try to double-cross each other by sending the other gamer's pieces back to home. She plays the round, and has a great time.

Melanie asks after a bit, "Hey you guys, would anyone like a cup of milk? It is getting close to bed time, and it will help you sleep."

As soon as Devin hears the word milk, her head turns in Melanie's direction. She responds, "No, thank you! I'm good." Devin is now on alert in her dream, but hides it.

Sarah responds, "Yes, of course I would like a cup of milk! It is my favorite drink before bed." She smiles at Melanie.

Cameron, in her little voice says, "I'm allergic, remember? I can't have any!"

Evan shakes his head, "No, I'll have water, thanks."

During this, Mike continues to read his newspaper, ignoring everything going on at the time.

Melanie steps into the kitchen for a moment. She returns with a tray carrying two waters, a glass of milk, and a coke for Devin, which she doesn't even remember asking for. "Here, Devin, this is for you. I know you don't like milk, and you are not a big water drinker." She hands you the coke.

"Thanks," Devin says.

Devin continues playing Too Bad! with the kids, and they have a great time. After some time, Melanie chimes in, "Hey guys, it's time for bed! I need you guys to get into bed now. You have school tomorrow."

Cameron gripes, "Mom, please no!"

"Yes, you have to go to school tomorrow Cameron, so let's get you in bed. No go brush your teeth, and get in bed. That goes for all of you." she states.

The kids all mumble a "Yes ma'am," and sulkily get up, then walk off down the hallway to brush their teeth and go to bed.

Sarah comes out of her bathroom, and tells Melanie, "Hey Mom, I'm not feeling to well. Can I take a shower in the morning?"

Melanie smiles, "Of course, dear. Now off to bed with you!"

Devin notices at this point that Sarah had finished her milk earlier, and she is pale now. She also notices a green tint to the residue in the glass from the milk, but of course doesn't say anything.

Evan comes out of the hall bathroom, giving Cameron some room to brush her teeth now. He sees his sister walk by him pale-faced, and looks at Devin with determination in his eyes, seeming to want to make sure that Devin notices how Sarah looks. He side-glances hard with is eyes, pointing at the glass, wanting to make sure she has seen it as well. He seems to sniff the air, but instantly smiles at Melanie when he sees her looking his way. "Goodnight Mom. I am going to study a bit for my test tomorrow before I head off to bed. Can you make sure Sarah is okay? She looks pale."

Melanie smiles at him, "Of course. I will go help her get to bed."

Devin makes a mental note to check the glass further if she has a chance. She watches Melanie head off to Sarah's area of the house, and closes the door behind her. Devin listen's and can hear the two talking, then the voices trail off.

Meanwhile, Evan has grabbed a book and sat down back in the living room on the couch opposite of Mike. Mike folds up his newspaper, and tells you and Mike, "Goodnight you two. Don't stay up too late studying."

Devin realizes she is now alone with him and sitting beside him. He looks at Devin urgently and says, "I know you don't belong here. You know that I am dead. I am trying to tell you right now, that it is not her fault. My sister has nothing to do with what is happening to her."

Devin nods, "I know. I remember from the other dream what you told me. I am trying to find out more."

He grabs Devin's hands, and she can feel the warmth in them. "You have to save my dad, my sister Sarah, and my half sister Cameron. Please!" He releases her hands and sighs. "Pay attention to the smells and noises coming from the house. Smell the milk now."

He gives Sarah the glass, and she smells it. She gags, as it smells like putrid flesh and death.

He looks at Devin now, and says "I'll see you again some time." He leans in, cups Devin's face in his hand, and kisses her on the lips. Pulling away, he looks her in the eyes, "Oh, and one more thing...Sarah didn't kill me."

~~~~~

Devin shoots out of the bed, covered in sweat. Her pajamas are stuck to her skin like she has been walking in the rain. She is shaking a bit as the confusion recedes. She was dreaming this whole time. She feels like her nose is super stuffed up and is having to breathe through her mouth. She goes to blow it using a tissue, but feels nothing but a smooth patch of skin where her nose should be.

'Not again!' she thinks to herself, shooting out of the bed and running to the mirror to take a look. Her nose is gone! There is no evidence she ever had one!

Devin claws at her face, but nothing changes.

She spins around and reaches for her suitcase to get her phone to call her boss, when she slips and hits her head on the foot board of the bed, and everything goes dark.

~~~~~

When Devin regains consciousness, she finds herself in a different room, with a sterile smell that reminds her of hospitals. As she tries to sit up, a sharp pain shoots through her head, making her wince. She touches the back of her head and feels a bump.

Suddenly, a woman in a white coat bursts into the room, holding a clipboard. "Oh good, you're awake," she says briskly, "I'm Dr. Lee. You had a nasty fall and we had to bring you to the emergency room. You were unconscious for a few hours."

Devin tries to speak, but her throat feels dry and scratchy. Dr. Lee hands her a cup of water and she drinks it gratefully. "Can you tell me your name and what happened?" Dr. Lee asks, making notes on her clipboard.

"I'm Devin. I fell and hit my head on the foot board of my bed. But...but my nose is gone," Devin says, her voice barely above a whisper. Dr. Lee looks at her quizzically, "Your nose is gone? What do you mean?" Devin touches her face again and feels the smooth patch of skin where her nose should be. "It's just...gone," she says, her voice trembling, eyes frantically searching Dr. Lee's for help.

Dr. Lee furrows her brow and gently touches Devin's face, examining it closely. "I don't see what you are talking about. Your nose is right there on your face," she says after a moment. "Here, take a look for yourself." Dr. Lee hands Devin a small makeup mirror from her pocket. "But, if you still feel this way, we can run some tests and scans to see what's going on to make you feel like your nose is gone."

Devin nods, feeling a sense of fear and confusion niggling at her. Maybe it was just a hallucination or a strange dream after all.

As Dr. Lee begins to gather some equipment, Devin's mind starts to wander back to the strange dream she had before waking up in this hospital room. She couldn't shake the feeling that it was more than just a dream, that something was really off about it.

But, before she can delve deeper into her thoughts, Dr. Lee returns with a small machine and starts to run some tests on her. Devin closes her eyes and tries to relax, feeling grateful for the competent doctor taking care of her. But in the back of her mind, a nagging feeling persists, telling her that there's something she's forgetting, something important.

~~~~~

Mike sat anxiously in the waiting room of the emergency department; his mind consumed with worry about Devin. He had always been a bit of a worrywart, especially when it came to the safety of those around him. He couldn't help but wonder what made Devin get so worked up that she fell.

As he paced back and forth, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his name being called. He rushed to the front desk, where he was told that Devin was ready to be discharged.

Relieved, Mike followed the nurse to Devin's room. She was sitting up in bed, looking a bit shaken but otherwise okay. "Are you okay, Devin?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

Devin nodded, offering a weak smile. "I'm fine, just a little sore," she replied.

Mike breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness," he said. "I was so worried about you."

Devin eyed him curiously. "What happened?"

Mike was pulling at his finger nervously. " I heard a loud thump from Melanie's and my room, and found you unconscious on the floor. I was worried that..." he looked her in the eye, " that something had happened again, and you were gone…" He shook his head and looked away. "Not all of our previous 'helpers' have lived to leave, " he trailed off quietly.

Sighing, he turned to leave the room, "Let's get you home. Go ahead and change back into your clothes. I will be waiting outside the door." He stepped through the door, but turned to her before closing it, "They didn't find anything wrong in the tests they ran by the way. They said you are perfectly healthy, other than the bruises from the fall." He stepped through the door and left.