The skin-memory of the rhythmic touch that cusped the outer blades of her feet never ceased. She awoke with a jolt, ripping her blankets off from her and examining her legs.
Clean.
Of course it was a dream, but she had never had a dream so physically real.
People always say, "How do you know it wasn't a dream?" in cases like this, but her dreams were unambiguous. If they were coherent, they were always mired in a confused haze where her mind knew there was a world outside of this and that everything she knew in this limited state was wrong somehow, though she could never solve it until the moment she woke up. Her perception was always warped, fluidly switching perspectives and scenes. No dream had such clarity.
No, it couldn't simply be a dream. It was real in some way. She was fully awake in her bed, watching a living dream play out in front of her. At least, her mind was awake. Her body had been asleep. Doesn't your brain paralyze your body at night to keep you from acting out your dreams? But then again, it wouldn't paralyze the lungs. And doesn't dreaming take place during REM? There was nothing rapid whatsoever. She couldn't move her eyes at all. No, there was something really strange about this half-dream.
She didn't feel like reading about the dream-state on her phone. Those threads were always full of schizophrenics and amateur therapists.
Was it real?
The thought froze her in the middle of her shower.
What if there had been an intruder while she was in REM, and she woke up before the sleep paralysis wore off? What if?
She tore out of the shower, leaving a trail of water from window to window, combing the perimeter. Even the deadbolt was in place, and her keys were tidily hanging on their hook. Her kitchen, her bathroom, her walls, her floors, everything was in its place without signs of tampering. No, even someone with a key to the room couldn't have entered.
She sighed with relief that she could absolutely rule out maintenance. The guy they send out was always uncomfortably flirty with her for someone who had unlimited access to her room. He seemed nice, so she didn't want to suspect him.
If there was a real intruder, he was a master trespasser, and no master trespasser would waste his time with a random room in a dilapidated apartment with a shifting foundation.
Finally, she returned to her bedroom and examined her bed with unease. It was in a panicked disarray, with every sheet and blanket thrown on the ground, but it was otherwise clean. Wasn't sex bloody or messy or something? Or was it not? She didn't feel any different, apart from the tortured numbness when anything brushed against the blades of her feet. She really didn't know what to look for here, and she really didn't want to look up anything at all about sex on her phone.
There was no sign of escape either.
She turned off the shower-head, returned to her bedroom, held her breath, and listened to the apartment. The usual hustle and bustle and random thuds were clearly coming from neighboring units. She couldn't let herself be confused. The man in the night had been huge. She didn't own any furniture. If he wasn't in any of the closets or other rooms, where could he possibly hide? But he had been so smooth and otherworldly. If he was still hiding here, he was capable of perfect silence.
An alarm rang out.
"School...I just have to go."
She caught her eye in the mirror by the bed. She was still soaked in soapy water, her hair a lathered mess, and she was still undressed. She studied herself a moment longer, struck by how normal she looked. Nothing could have happened. It was just a bad dream, nothing more.
Then she performed the world's quickest shower rinse, threw on the same clothes from yesterday that were still hanging over a chair, didn't bother with any combs or makeup, and rushed down the street with her backpack. She didn't realize her notebook was missing, so she had to fat-finger all her notes on a phone app. All the seats were taken but a few in the very front and center, so she was in the direct blast of the instructor's every snide comment about students abusing the technology in the classroom policy to play games instead of learn.
Of course.