About

Abigail woke with a gasp. The circus was fading again. Bright colors smeared into darkness. Distant laughter echoed through endless halls. Somewhere, Caine was talking too fast. Somewhere, Jax was grinning like he always did. And just like every other night, she was trapped there until— *Ding-dong.* Her eyes snapped open. Sunlight spilled through her bedroom window. The dream dissolved, leaving behind only the familiar ache in her chest. “The circus again,” she muttered. The doorbell rang a second time. Abigail sat upright. “Oh!” The package. She had been tracking it for almost a week. “Coming!” she shouted. Throwing aside her blanket, she hurried downstairs, nearly slipping on the last step. The doorbell rang a third time as she reached the front door. “Okay, okay, I’m here.” She pulled it open. A young man stood on her porch holding a medium-sized cardboard box. He looked about her age. Messy dark hair. Hoodie. Tired eyes that suggested he’d been awake far too long. For a moment they simply stared at one another. Then he spoke. “Package for Abigail Brooks?” Something about his voice made her freeze. Not because she recognized him. She didn’t. But there was something strangely familiar about it. The guy seemed equally confused. “Uh…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “You okay?” “Yeah.” Abigail blinked. “Sorry. Your voice just…” She trailed off. The stranger frowned. “Funny. I was about to say the same thing.” An awkward silence followed. The young man handed over the box. “Need a signature.” “Oh. Right.” Abigail signed the digital pad. The stranger took it back but didn’t immediately leave. Instead, he looked at her with the same puzzled expression she was giving him.