Aspen and the Dream Walkers (20 page)

Aspen laughed. Maybe her mood wouldn’t be
ruined after all. Ray could charm the birds out of the trees if he
set his mind to it.

She pretended to struggle out of his arms,
but he kept her off the ground against his chest. Dylan stiffened
next to her, and Ruby climbed the stairs to join them.

“Put me down, you big oaf,” she said with a
chuckle. “What are you doing here?”

His eyes twinkled as he squeezed her, and
then he set her down on the landing. He reached into his jeans and
whipped a piece of paper from the pocket. “Our ma needed some
things from the store, and I’m not upset that I had to come and get
them anymore. As far as I can tell, this shopping trip just got a
whole lot better.”

Aspen glanced over his shoulder to see
Dylan’s eyes darken.

Ruby walked up to Dylan and before Aspen
could step away from Ray, she’d hooked her arm around his waist and
had slipped right up against him.

“Walk me in?” She smiled.

Dylan’s nostrils flared as he glared at Ray.
He looked down at Ruby and hugged her tightly against his chest.
“It’s so nice to see you again.”

A shiver snaked down Aspen’s back as she
watched the two of them. Why would he look at Ruby like that and
not her? She hadn’t asked Ray to be so friendly. Dylan had held her
hand a few moments ago, for heaven’s sake. It was still warm from
his touch.

They swept past her and she was sure that
Ruby was putting on a show. Surely she didn’t think that Aspen was
jealous? Hah! She wound her arm around a surprised Ray and walked
into the store. He didn’t waste any time and pressed her to his
side. A lump formed in her throat and she hoped that she hadn’t
encouraged him by mistake.

As they walked along the aisles, she peeked
over his shoulder at Dylan and Ruby. Everything that Dylan said
seemed to make her laugh, and her face was beaming with
pleasure.

The sound of her laughter made Aspen’s jaw
clench, and she tightened her grip on Ray’s waist. His arm remained
on her shoulder.

After a long while, Dylan hoisted a can of
paint onto the counter along with a mop and a container of polish.
He asked the shop keeper to have it delivered to her dad’s
house.

Once Ray had found the flour that his mother
wanted, he grabbed it and raised the package in the air. He hugged
her spontaneously, and Aspen allowed him to wrap his arm around her
shoulder again. She looked up to see Dylan staring at her darkly
before he pulled Ruby against his body.

“It’s going to be Lavendula soon. Do you want
to hunt with me?” He spoke against Ruby’s hair while leveling his
gaze on Aspen.

“I’d like nothing better.”

Aspen couldn’t bear to watch the two of them
any longer, and released herself from Ray’s hold to stride out of
the store.

Caden had dismounted and held the reins of
Ruby’s horse. He didn’t look happy when she exited the store with
Dylan, but Aspen was too upset to wonder why. The familiar thrum of
energy sizzled down her arms. She had to stop being so emotional or
she would lose control of the power inside her.

Ray walked out and placed the flour and a few
other items in a saddlebag that hung from the side of his black
horse. “Are you going to hunt with me?” he asked Aspen. Walking
over to her, he winced as he tried to touch her.

“Ouch, I thought your wristband stopped you
from shocking people?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Dylan, you can ride with me.” Ruby tried to
pull him toward her horse, but he wouldn’t budge. He stared at
Aspen.

“I’ll have to use Ray’s horse. Aspen won’t be
able to sit behind Ray on the saddle. She hasn’t learned to shut
off her power, and he’ll be shocked until she can control it.”

Aspen’s cheeks burned with embarrassment as
he spoke.

“You can’t be serious?” Ruby rolled her
eyes.

“Ruby will ride with me,” Caden offered. “You
can use her horse.”

Aspen turned to look at him. He was a tall
Water Walker with sun-streaked blond hair and pale eyes, and he
walked confidently toward Dylan as he spoke.

“Absolutely not!” Ruby exclaimed
furiously.

Caden ignored her and handed her horse’s
reins to Dylan. He marched over to Ruby, and his lean fingers
wrapped around her wrist as he pulled her toward his dappled
horse.

Dylan didn’t hesitate after he’d grabbed the
reins and mounted Ruby’s horse quickly. He held out his arms to
Aspen. “Let me help you up.”

The tension in the air was noticeable, and it
took a lot for her to move forward. Once she was next to him, Dylan
reached down and swung her onto the saddle behind him. Her hands
trembled in anger, and rather than wrap them around his stomach,
she kept them on her thighs while he nudged the huge animal away
from the store.

She was upset because of the attention he’d
given Ruby. How could he have said that she couldn’t control her
power? The small hairs on her arms rose, and her fists throbbed
with electricity as her anger grew.

Ray mounted his horse in silence, and the
band of riders trotted out of the small village.

After a while, Dylan spoke up. “Relax.” His
voice had the opposite effect and made her jump.

“What did you say?” she croaked.

“Relax, you’re wound up like a spring.” He
turned in his seat and looked at her. “Touch me.”

“What?” She gasped.

“Touch my skin. It will help you to release
your energy. Ray really worked you up, because your eyes turned
silver when you spoke to him. Your hair is standing on end.” He
pointed to strands that had escaped her ponytail.

Why wouldn’t he stop insulting her? Now he
was saying that her hair looked bad. Aspen was so furious that she
couldn’t speak. Before she could stop herself, she’d lifted Dylan’s
shirt away from his waist and placed her whole hand on his bare
skin. She wanted to shock him and make it hurt as badly as he’d
hurt her.

Her body trembled as her fingers came into
contact with his smooth skin. Electricity danced through her
fingertips, and Dylan inhaled suddenly, as though she’d touched him
with an ice block. Instead of hurting him, her blood sang, and all
the pent-up electricity was absorbed like water in a sponge into
his hard body. The current was sucked right out of her veins and
then returned in a wave of warmth that glowed through her limbs. It
left her winded. All the anger she’d felt was soaked up and given
back in a calming charge of power. It was so good that she relaxed
her chest weakly against his back.

Dylan released a deep breath. “Does that feel
better?”

“What did you do to me?” Aspen’s cheek
touched his T-shirt as she spoke against his back.

“We can discharge power this way instead of
hurting others. Power Walkers use this to calm down. I can absorb
your overload and give it back safely, so you don’t lose the power.
You’ll be able to do the same with a bit of practice.”

Aspen dragged her chest away from his back
and gazed around. They’d reached the river and Ruby sat ramrod
straight in front of Caden. It looked as though they were
arguing.

The two were clearly in a heated discussion,
and she swung a dainty foot over the saddle and slid down onto the
ground. Caden mouthed something at her and then turned his horse
away from the group. He dug his heels into the animal’s side and
galloped off angrily. Ruby was visibly upset and her shoulders
shook as Ray jumped off his horse to speak to her. As he consoled
his sister, the sky darkened and changed to lavender. The sticky
sweet smell that Aspen hated permeated the air.

Four Chancellors appeared from behind the
tree trunks, but Dylan had his back to them and couldn’t see them.
Aspen tugged at his shirt and pointed them out. They were tall and
skinny, their skin as pale as their blond hair.

Without warning, Dylan pulled her from the
horse and aimed a bolt of energy at the Chancellors, but they had
an invisible force field protecting them. It was dome-shaped and
the current struck it and ran like blue liquid down the sides.

The Chancellors turned to face the Dream
Walkers and raised their hands as they chanted. Aspen shouted as
the gentle brook reared up into a giant wave next to them. Five
slippery fingers of water took shape before them, and a huge watery
hand sloped downward and plucked Ruby from the group.

Ruby screamed and tried to strike the wet
hand with fire, but water splashed over her and killed the flames.
Within seconds, her long red hair had been plastered to her face
and body, and she spluttered as water backed up in her throat. If
someone didn’t help her, Ruby would drown. The eerie hand held her
in a firm grip and then submerged her under gallons of water.

Aspen knew that the only way to stop the
nightmare would be to stop the Chancellors. If Caden had been with
them, he would have controlled the water, but the Fire and Power
Walkers were the only ones who could attack the Chancellors now.
Ashley and Cole sprayed the force field with fire, and Dylan shot
bolts of current as fast as he could. He tried his best to wear the
bubble down.

“Help me, Aspen!” he cried.

There was no time to think. The smell of
smoke hung in the air, and water misted against her skin.
Shuddering as energy curled through her body, she lifted her arms
and aimed for the bubble. Dylan did the same, and together they
blasted the invisible shield.

It creaked and groaned, then exploded like a
giant mirror that had cracked. The four Chancellors looked around
in complete shock. Aiming her outstretched hands, she disintegrated
them in a blast of electricity. The ground erupted, leaving a
crater where they’d been a moment before.

Just as suddenly, the watery hand evaporated
and Ruby was dropped into the river. Stunned, she flailed in the
water and gasped for air. Dylan jumped in and dragged her out onto
the riverbank. Almost tenderly, he pushed strands of hair from her
face. She looked so frail in his arms.

Caden’s horse thundered into the clearing. He
jumped from the saddle before the animal had time to stop and
pulled Ruby from Dylan’s arms, pressing her against his chest.

As everyone huddled around the soaked girl,
Aspen decided it was time to leave. She grabbed her dream catcher
and sent a small zap of power through it.

Seconds later, she found herself back in
Leeman’s house.

• • •

The smell of meat stew hung appetizingly in the air
as Aspen wandered into the kitchen. Her mother was busy at the
stove, and she replaced a lid on a steaming pot and turned to face
Aspen.

“Hey, honey, I’m so glad you’re back. You’re
just in time.”

Aspen pushed the vegetables and meat around
on her plate once they were seated, but couldn’t finish anything.
Her appetite wasn’t as good as it could be. After dinner, they
gathered the plates and washed the dishes before she went upstairs
to soak in the bath. Dressing in her fluffy slippers and pajamas,
she joined her mother in the living room to watch television.
Leeman had already left for Lanta.

“This is the first time that I’ve been
allowed to watch TV in the living room,” she commented as her mom
flicked through the channels.

“I know. I’m so sorry, honey. I know that
things were rough before, but they’re changing now.”

“It’s okay. I’m just happy that things are
different.”

“You don’t look very happy,” her mother
remarked. “What happened today? Do you want to talk about it?”

Aspen sighed and sank back into the couch.
She couldn’t put her feet on the sofa yet; it was too soon and she
didn’t feel comfortable enough to do that in her uncle’s house,
even though she knew he wouldn’t mind.

“Does this have something to do with Dylan?”
Norma prompted.

She sighed again. “Yes.”

“He seems like a nice kid.”

After rolling her eyes, she looked at her
mother. “He’s not a kid, Mom.”

Norma’s lips tilted into a half smile. “What
did he do?”

“Nothing, everything, argh! I don’t know. I
don’t know what I want from him, Mom. He makes me happy and then he
makes me angry. One minute I like him, and then I hate him in the
next. I don’t know what it is.”

She stood up and paced around the sofa.
“There’s this girl and she’s so pretty. When she’s around, it’s
like I don’t exist. I can’t stand her. She’s always hanging on to
him.”

“Does he fix up her dad’s house and go to
visit her like he does with you?” Norma asked softly.

“No, I don’t know. Maybe he does, I don’t
know. She’s got this brother who likes me but I don’t like him, and
I’m flirting with him just to make Dylan mad so he’ll notice me,
but it’s always about her.”

“I’m sure he notices you too, Aspen. It
certainly looked like he wanted to be with you when he came here
today.”

Aspen turned to face her mother thoughtfully.
“He did, didn’t he? Argh! I’m going to pull all my hair out. I’m so
frustrated.”

Norma chuckled and got up. “I’ll go and make
some hot chocolate for the both of us. That should calm you down.
Why don’t you skip your visit to Lanta tonight and stay at home?
Maybe he’ll miss you more.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Aspen mused.

After the TV program had ended, her mother
tucked her into bed and kissed her good night. Aspen lay in bed and
listened to the street noises. The house was big, but it was in a
well-populated area and close to the school, so she could hear cars
as they passed by outside. She willed herself not to travel to
Lanta in her sleep, and concentrated hard to not cross over. It
didn’t help, because as soon as she’d drifted off, she woke up in
her father’s house.

Darn. I didn’t want to be here.

Voices in the living room made Aspen turn
around quickly, and she tiptoed to the door.

Clean House

“Helloooo?”