1 Karen Woods woke with a scream. Bolting upright in bed, she pressed her hand over her chest as she breathed deep and hard. Her pajamas were drenched with sweat, and her heart was pounding so fast that it felt as if it were about to race straight through her. "Karen, Karen, what is it?” Grandma Shields flipped on the light and hurried into the guest bedroom. The twelve year old sobbed once and held out her arms, needing comfort. It was a dream she’d had before. Lots of times. Her grandmother sat on the edge of the mattress, gathered Karen in her arms, and held her close. Karen knew she was too old to be cuddled this way, but just then she needed someone’s arms around her. "What is it, child?” Beverly Shields asked her softly, smoothing the damp hair away from Karen’s brow. "You’re trembling something terrible.” "I had a bad dream,” Karen managed to say. "The same bad dream you had the last time you stayed overnight?” Karen nodded. "Do you want to tell your grandma about this dream that frightens you so much?” Karen shook her head. The nightmare was bad enough without having to tell anyone else about it. Some parts of it she didn’t even remember, and one main