Destined for Dreams: Book One (11 page)

I push Hunter’s image from my mind. “Is my father going to be okay? I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to him because of me,” I say.

She bumps my shoulder. “He’ll be back by morning. We were really lucky he was in the city.”

I blink tears from my eyes. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve seen my father and having him rescue me in a back alley was not ideal. He’s going to be furious. My hands tremble. “I was so stupid for getting out of the car.”

She touches the cut on her arm. “You were scared.” She tilts her face to the darkening sky.

I purse my lips. “Still an idiot though.”

“Just a little,” she says.

We both laugh and it calms my nerves. It feels so normal and makes today feel like it never happened and was something I saw in someone else’s head.

We reach the steps to the dormitory and Alyssa turns to me. “I’m going to go to the dining hall. I’m starving. Join me?”

I cross my arms. “Rain check? I’ve had enough excitement for one day.”

Alyssa laughs and touches my shoulder one more time before breaking away and heading toward the dining hall.

The lobby is silent, the television off, and I glide down the hallway toward my room.

The fight with the agent completely drained me. I haven’t been this scared since I was a little girl. Memories of my mother flood my mind and I envision the way her daisy yellow hair smelled like coconut and how she had small crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes from how much smiling she did. She never stopped smiling, even at the very end. It’ll haunt me forever.

Hunger suddenly burns in my stomach and I touch my feet to the floor and bend over, clutching my knees. The feeling hits me hard and fast, and sweat breaks out on my forehead as I sense someone sleeping in the room next to Alyssa’s. It’s always been empty and I’m thrown off guard by its new inhabitant.

I know it’s Jacqueline without having to open the door. Mr. Soto must’ve assigned her this room when we left her with him, and she moved in while Alyssa and I were walking around. I knock and wait a second to see if it disturbs her. She’s too tired to wake completely. Her dream beckons me and before I can stop myself, I’m opening the door.

Her dark, curly hair sticks out from under her green comforter and she’s in such a deep sleep, I doubt anything could wake her. Today wore her out just as much as it did me. Her exhaustion makes going into her dream easy. It was only a matter of time before I caught her sleeping again. My mouth waters in anticipation.

I shut the door behind me, glide across the room, and hover over her. I roll her onto her back and press my cool fingers to her temples. I close my eyes and my stomach flips as the world shifts. When I open my eyes, I’m in her dream.

HUNTER

I sit on the tailgate of an old truck parked in the empty lot of a gas station. In front of me is an endless desert about to be hit by a thunderstorm. Dark clouds churn over the infinite stretch of dry ground and a bright streak of lightning sparks in the distance. I feel Nadia before she shimmers into view.

She’s wearing a pale gray dress that’s cinched at her waist, hugging the curves of her hips. Her long, white hair hangs loosely down her back and her bare feet don’t touch the pavement as she glides closer like a hauntingly beautiful spirit.

I pat the spot next to me, but she doesn’t sit down. She stares at me for a moment and then looks up at the storm brewing in the sky. Thunder claps and lighting strikes a power line, creating a shower of sparkles.

And then it starts raining.

Nadia stares at the water dripping off her hands. Her eyebrows furrow and her lips are puckered in a pout. Melancholy grips her tightly and the rain streaming down her cheeks could be tears. She looks so lost and helpless, a victim of grief.

“I was so frustrated I couldn’t help you today,” I say after a minute. “I don’t know what I’d have done if something happened to you.”

She tilts her head back and lets rain pelt her face. “I almost got Jacqueline killed.”

“Why did you save her?”

Her eyes meet mine and she presses her lips together. “I don’t know. All I could think about was you.”

She pushes her wet hair from her face. She saved Jacqueline because of me. I don’t know what to say. She’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met. Jacqueline and I are strangers to her and she faced one of her own personal fears head on so that we could live. I’m grateful, but guilty. What would she say if she found out the truth about me? She’ll hate me.

I cup my hands and let them fill with rainwater. “Are you doing this?” I ask. I need to change the subject.

She shrugs. “Does it bother you?”

I just shake my head. I don’t want to risk saying the wrong thing. I’ll let her lead the conversation now and just be here and let her get to know me on her own terms. It may be the only way she’ll forgive me for my association to the HPA. At least I hope she will. After a moment I finally say, “I miss the rain.”

Her eyes drop to the wet ground. She looks beautiful even when she’s sad and I sit quietly and watch as the rain pelts her face and drips off her chin. It’s strange how real the dream feels and looks. I can almost forget that it’s all just within Jacqueline’s imagination. But maybe this is my new reality. I’m not sure I’ll be free again.

I push the morbid feelings away.

Right now, Jacqueline doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is that Nadia’s here and she hasn’t forgotten about me.

NADIA

Hunter reaches out and touches my hand. I look at him and stare at the earnestness in his hazel eyes. His dark hair slicks against his forehead and water streams down his face. His cheeks and neck are shadowed in day old stubble and his green T-shirt sticks to his stomach, showing off the ridges of his abs. He hasn’t changed much since the last time I saw him and it helps me believe that he is who he says he is and he’s not manipulating his true self.

The memories of seeing my mother’s memorial stone replay in my mind and I can’t help but wonder if Hunter has one, too. The body can only live so long without a life force. I’m afraid to tell him what I suspect. I don’t think I can handle watching him grieve when I’m reliving the grief of my mother all over again.

I cup his chin. “I can make it stop if it’s too painful thinking about what you’re missing.”

He tips his head toward the sky. “I like pretending I’m whole again.”

“Can you be?” It’s easier to tiptoe around what I really want to ask.

He shrugs. “If Jacqueline would just take me home.”

“So you have a body?”

He nods. “Looks just like this.” He waves his hand from his chest to his feet. “I’m sure someone is taking care of it for me.”

I puff a breath of air through my lips. “Who?”

Sirens ring out in the distance and I turn to face the two-lane road separating the gas station from the barren desert. Jacqueline’s nightmare is kicking into motion regardless of whether or not I do anything. My presence alone is enough to mess with her head. The rainstorm probably didn’t help either.

“You’re leaving me, aren’t you?” Hunter asks.

I meet his gaze and nod. “I don’t have a choice. I can’t stay here forever.”

Jacqueline’s presence draws near and within a few seconds an old Camaro barrels into the empty parking lot. I smile seeing the fear in Jacqueline’s eyes when she sees me and I wonder who she’s imagining me to be.

I turn to touch Hunter’s shoulder once more, but he’s already gone. I turn back and face my dreamer. A white van pulls up behind the Camaro and blocks Jacqueline in. She can’t do anything and she can’t run.

The taste of sweet chocolate floods my mouth when I touch the hood of the car and it explodes into flames. The sky above begins to crack and I can’t help smiling as I destroy the rest of Jacqueline’s dream.

11
. UNLOCKING SECRETS

HUNTER

The moment Nadia left, emptiness settled into my soul. I wasted time letting her control everything. What if she thinks this is just a game? Like escaping to the dream world to hang out with me is for entertainment purposes only. What if she gets bored and doesn’t come back? What if she tells someone about me? I might go crazy thinking about all my questions.

I push my worries away. She saved Jacqueline because of me. This isn’t a game. I’m just as real to her as she is to me.

I’m still depressed though.

The Nadia I know in the dream isn’t like the Nadia I’ve been watching through Jacqueline. She’s more powerful, confident...darker. She’s right at home watching the dream world unravel and her satisfaction in being a part of it is obvious. The side I know of her still leaves me fearful. It’s hard to shake. But, it doesn’t change that I still want her to visit me.

I wish there were something I could do to make her see that it’s more than just Jacqueline she has an effect on. If I want to get my body back, I have to take control of the situation. She needs to know where I come from. I’m keeping secrets like Jacqueline, and I see how Nadia feels about that. I’m going to have to take a huge leap of faith and hope for the best. I have nothing more to lose anyway. I wish I could bring her back right now. I want to meet the real Nadia, not her dream version. But I can’t.

I doubt I ever will.

NADIA

I sit on the wet grass as the moon sets. The sky gradually lightens into a light purple and I hug my knees. I’m confused and angry and unsure about everything.

Thoughts of Hunter cross my mind and I push them away. I don’t even know if I want to get involved, but he seems so real. I feel bad for him. But what really has me down is that my father hasn’t returned from the city. So many things could’ve gone wrong.

“Care for some company?”

I turn my head and my mouth dries when I meet Jacqueline’s lavender eyes. It’s been a few hours since I invaded her dream to be with Hunter, but it doesn’t make seeing her again any less awkward. I study her eyes for a second and pat the grass next to me. If she figured out that I was messing with her dreams, I doubt she’d be asking to sit with me.

“Sure, but I have to warn you, it’s highly possible that my father will be arriving any minute and he’s scary as hell when he’s mad.”

Her lips twist to the side. “It takes a lot to scare me.” Her eyes shift to hazel and back to lavender in a split second. Hunter is shining through.

I rest my chin on my knees. “I wanted to apologize for everything that happened today. Facing an HPA agent isn’t my idea of fun. You were so brave.”

“It wasn’t my first run in,” she says, looking at me.

I hold her gaze to watch her eyes. “Is that why you’re here?”

She blinks. “What do you mean?” Her face is expressionless. It’s a strange reaction to a simple question.

I tilt my head to the side. “Are you okay? I just meant that you came here because you’re afraid of the HPA.”

Her eyes flash from lavender to hazel. “Oh, yeah, sorry.” She shakes her head. “I must still be tired. I came here because they took everything from me.”

“How were you so calm facing the agent? I was terrified.” I fiddle with the laces on my boots.

Tears rim her eyes and her fingers tremble when she reaches out to touch my arm. “I was too, but it was nothing compared to being caught. If you think agents are scary, you should see the board.”

“How did you escape? My father said it was a death sentence for creatures caught.” I study Jacqueline’s face and she sucks in her bottom lip. I wish I could hear what she is thinking, see what she’s imagining. Her eyes flicker and I know the memory of her previous run-in is clear and still very much real in her mind.

She straightens her back.  “I got lucky, I guess.” Her eyes shift to hazel and stay there until she blinks a few times. She wipes the back of her hand on her forehead and stares up at the sky. “As long as you don’t try to fight back, they don’t kill you immediately.”

I shake my head. “Oh, I’m pretty sure that isn’t always true. That man would’ve killed us no matter what today.” I touch the gauze on my neck where the knife nicked me. “I guess you really did get lucky.”

HUNTER

I’m screwed.

Nadia and Jacqueline are bonding over their fear of the HPA. I should’ve told Nadia about me sooner. She’s going to take Jacqueline’s side and I’ll be stuck here forever. My hope is quickly slipping away and I can’t stop it. I need Nadia to understand the circumstances. She has to know that I’m not like my mom. I’ll convince her that I want nothing to do with the HPA anymore. I’ll beg her to believe me.

“But, really, how did you escape?” Nadia asks, extending her long legs and leaning back on the palms of her hands.

“Right place, right time,” Jacqueline says.

I laugh out of nervousness. Maybe I’m not hopeless. Friendships built on lies are weak. Jacqueline still won’t tell Nadia the truth.
“Why don’t you tell her the truth? She’s going to get suspicious.”

“Shut up, Hunter. You’re distracting me,” Jacqueline thinks.

I’m testing Jacqueline. I can use her lies against her when I tell Nadia the truth about who I am. Nadia won’t trust Jacqueline then, and it’ll work out better for me. It’ll give me time to convince Nadia that I’m not the one she should be afraid of and that Jacqueline isn’t some weak and frightened person. She’s strong, intelligent, and cunning. When Nadia knows the truth, Jacqueline’s perfect, safe existence will shatter. Her vulnerability and weakness will come to light and I can use it against her. It’s the only way to get her to take me back to my body.  She won’t just return me to my body out of the goodness of her heart. She needs to be manipulated.