The bed felt soft and Miley enjoyed the sinking feeling as she lay on her side, falling further and further into the mattress, and into the next phase of the most lucid dream she’d ever had. Was she at Stacey’s house? She hoped so. Stacey’s bed was lovely and she could never resist lying on it whenever they sat in her bedroom. Any minute now, she expected Stacey’s dog, Jitterbug, to come and lick her face.

She giggled as she chose the next dream scenario. She and Stacey had skipped history, as it was so boring and they both hated Mondays. Mr Simpkin never failed to send them all to sleep with his droning voice and his talks of old stuff that would never be relevant to her life. She vaguely remembered something about some battle of roses. Something to do with Lancashire. He’d shown the class pictures of stuffy old kings dressed in silly clothes, similar to the clothes they’d used in their last pantomime at school. But instead of being there, being bored to tears, she was hiding out with Stacey in Stacey’s bedroom, while her parents were at work.

Later that afternoon they had a careers talk to get through at school. Jobs and future career expectations, those subjects always started a row at home. Her mother had quizzed her about jobs and the future. The main thing she knew was, after the last exam, she was never going back to school. She didn’t know what she wanted to do but she liked looking after animals. Her mum was no help though, wouldn’t even let her have a cat. That was it, her dream had been realised. She wanted to care for animals. Biology was her subject and she was set to get a B. She’d try and scrape a C in maths and English too. That might just help her get an apprenticeship with a local veterinary surgery or pet shop.

She struggled with the sheet as she turned onto her side, dragging the material with her. The pillow was so soft and she badly wanted to enter a deep sleep phase, but her mind was racing. Giggling, she ran her fingers over the material, untangling the soft blankets. ‘Stacey,’ she called. They had to get back to class before English. If the school rang home, her mum would freak. Even worse than that, her mum’s boyfriend would go on and on until she stormed out. The arguments only got uglier. Insults would be hurled back and forth, but she’d give as good as she got. Who was he to dictate anything? He was not her father and he’d moved into her mother’s house – her house – coming between them and then always going on at her. Nothing she ever did was good enough for him and he made her know that. Her house felt like a strange place in which she did not belong. ‘Can I stay at yours tonight, Stacey? Stacey, don’t ignore me.’ She laughed again. No doubt Stacey was standing above her pulling a ridiculous face. As soon as she opened her eyes, she’d see.

‘Don’t you stare at me, Stacey. I can feel your presence. I’m opening my eyes after three. One, two, three.’

She opened her eyes and there was no one around. It had felt like she was at Stacey’s house. Her muscles tingled, so relaxed she couldn’t move. It was almost as if she was ascending from the bed, so high and floaty, like she was going to fly out of the window and reach for the skies. The room was tinged with a fuzziness, almost making it look pretty as the morning light shone through the window. Golden rays blending with coppery shades caught her eye and bathed the back wall with their colour. She must have overslept. Stacey was nowhere to be seen. She must be at home. Maybe they hadn’t bunked off history.

She rubbed her eyes, trying to shift the cloudiness. ‘Mum.’ Why hadn’t her mum woken her up? She normally did. Maybe she was late for school, or was it Saturday? Who cares? She laughed as she turned on her pillow and laid her cheek on what felt like a wet patch. She’d been dribbling in bed again. That dream of skiving off school and hanging out with Stacey was just that, a dream.

Slowly, the power of small movement returned to her body, starting with a tingle in her wrists, reaching her arms and legs. Then the knowledge of where she was dawned on her. She had duties to fulfil. She rolled off the bed and fell to the floor. ‘Take it slowly, Miley.’ It would take a while for her muscles to work and her memory to defog. That dream had been the best ever and she wanted more. She missed Stacey but life goes on. One day she would go home, savings in hand, ready to rent a place of her own.

As she sat up, her head sunk and it felt like the room was gently rotating. Maybe she wouldn’t get much work done yet. Flopping back down on the creaky bedframe, she stared at the brown patch on the ceiling and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. The beauty in the coppery tones she saw only a few minutes ago was long gone. There was no use crying. She was now a grown-up in a grown-up world and she wouldn’t go home until she’d proven herself.

She remembered back to the last time she saw her mother. The expression on her face had been furious when Miley had told her she was being a cow for not letting her go to Stacey’s party. With her mother’s boyfriend beside her drunken mother – the united front they called it – they blocked her entry to the door, trapping her at the bottom of the stairs. She didn’t like him but everything she’d done to try and make him leave had backfired. He’d had words with her, words he had no right to have. It was her house and he’d pushed her out. It wasn’t like when she had her mum all to herself. With her mum, she’d always got what she wanted and that had ended when he came on the scene. That was the moment she promised herself, they were never taking her freedom. A tear slipped down her cheek as she yearned for the mother she once had and a relationship she grieved over. Her mother had stresses, maybe Miley should’ve been a bit more understanding. Her stomach began to turn as she rolled off the bed. Work beckoned.

Her heartbeat sped as she heard the boss enter the next room. She placed her ear against the wall and listened to his murmurings. She normally heard him coming up the stairs but this time, he must have crept up. ‘I can’t believe she’s left you like this. I am so sorry. Will you ever forgive me? Please hold me, like this, like you used to hold me.’ The room went silent and a few seconds passed. The man let out a pained scream as he slammed the door and roared. As he passed Miley’s bedroom, he banged loudly. She crawled along the floor and placed her back against the wall in the corner of the room, hoping she’d sink into it and wake up in Stacey’s bedroom finding that this was all a dream. ‘I hate you, I hate you so much!’ He slammed into her door. She held her breath and placed her hands over her ears, hoping that he’d leave her alone.

‘Please don’t hurt me,’ she whispered as tears began to slide down her face. ‘I’m doing my best, it’s just… it’s not easy. I’ll try harder.’ Soon she’d be out. Just a little while longer. Get the money and leave. Save enough to put a deposit on a room, that’s all she needed.