That night, the nightmare didn’t return. She felt so refreshed when she awoke Friday morning. She got up, put on her terry cloth robe, and went to the kitchen. She made herself some oatmeal and decided that the benches in the courtyard needed a visit. She took a new book she had bought the previous Saturday on her shopping excursion, her bowl of cereal, and a cup of tea out to the courtyard. She sat and listened to the birds for a bit, and then ate her cereal. She opened her book and began to read. The sun warmed her as it rose in the sky. "This is nice," she thought lost in another life. A few chapters later, she closed the book and went inside.

She turned on the TV, something she rarely had time for, and turned to the local station to check the weather. The newscaster caught her attention.

"A rash of animal killing has been reported in the Clarkstown area. Local farmers and ranchers report up to two dozen cows, horses, and pigs have been attacked and killed, apparently by a wild animal. Locals report seeing a pack of stray dogs in the area recently. All townsfolk are cautioned on approaching any unfamiliar dog and advised to keep your pets indoors until the strays are captured."

"Wow," Dani thought, "What a strange coincidence." She shivered a little at the thought of it, seeing in her mind again, the dead carcasses from her dreams.

"…Unseasonably warm temperatures will blanket the Metro area tonight. Clear skies are expected so we should get a good view of the lunar eclipse."

"Great," Dani thought, shaking from her mind the horrid images, "I’ll be able to wear my new dress."

She lounged around her apartment until noon when she finally got up and changed out of her pajamas. She put on some sweat pants and a T-shirt, tied up her jogging shoes, and pulled her red hair into a ponytail. She grabbed her keys and headed out the front door for a run. Five miles later, as she approached her apartment again, she felt wonderful. Life seemed to fill her veins now, pumping its energy through her body. She unlocked her door, grabbed the mail, went inside and drank a large glass of cool water. Once she downed that, she refilled her glass and opened the refrigerator to seek out a late lunch. She choose a pasta salad left over from the night before and sat down to read her mail.

The day seemed endless as she was so looking forward to the party, so she threw herself into a through cleaning of her apartment. The shelves were relieved of their dishes and scrubbed down. The closets were reorganized. The toilet received a good dose of Clorox and the shower was scrubbed from floor to ceiling.

Four hours later she lay on her bed, spent of all energy. She closed her eyes for a quick nap.

"I know you can feel me. Don’t deny it. My presence is with you as it has always been. Soon, we shall meet face to face, as it was always meant to be."

Dani sat straight up in bed, heart racing. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized she was only dreaming again. Why was this happening to her? Was she losing her mind? The voice was so real as if someone had whispered it in her ear right here in the room. But, she was alone as usual.

She glanced at the clock. 7PM. She had to hurry. Only one and half-hours until Julia was picking her up. And knowing Julia, she’d be early.

Dani jumped in the shower and turned on the water. She let it heat to a steam before she stepped under its stream. She quickly washed her hair and then put her conditioner in. She let that sit while she scrubbed her body in a flowery scented perfume. She grabbed her razor and quickly shaved the stubble off her legs, armpits and bikini line. "You never know," she thought. She rinsed her hair and turned off the water.

As she lathered her body in lotion, she hummed to herself, thinking about the coming night. She was excited, which was a change for her. She rarely went out anymore, and when she did it was short with little socialization. How strange to be looking forward to a very social situation like this. She just chalked it up to real life deprivation and went to the closet.

She slipped into her dress, letting the air catch it on the way over her body. It felt great against her clean skin and brushing on her smooth legs. She grabbed a pair of white heels, and then opted for her sandals. She wanted to be as comfortable as possible so she could dance.

Dani went back into the bathroom and plugged in her hot rollers. She blew her hair dry and without combing it out, put it up in the curlers. She put on her makeup using special care to accent her green eyes and full lips and then took her hair down. Flipping her head upside down, she separated the curls and sprayed them into place. Upon turning right side up again, she admired herself in the mirror. It really had been a long time since she took such care in getting ready. She looked great.

The doorbell rang and there was Julia, looking spectacular in her hipster pants and tight baby doll shirt. She whistled at Dani as she opened the door.

"Damn girl, you look hot!"

"Not looking too shabby yourself."

"Are you ready?"

"Ready and willing, just let me grab my bag." Dani ran to the kitchen, grabbed her bag and keys and met Julia back at the front door.

"Girlfriend, you’ve got to get out more! You are just too excited about this."

"Oh, shut up, I know it! Let’s go!"

The two headed to Julia’s car and took off for the party.