Aspen and the Dream Walkers (11 page)

Aspen frowned. “But I’ve been here in jeans
before. How did that happen?”

“We don’t know. Sometimes we appear in our
earthly clothing, but most of the time we end up in clothing from
Lanta. That’s why it’s best to get outfits that you’re comfortable
wearing. If you can get something fashionable, then more power to
you.” Ginny’s eyes changed to silver as she smiled.

Feeling better, Aspen walked up to the
counter. Outside, the sky had darkened. Mona moved to the front
door and closed it just as the air began to cool. She turned a key
in the lock and made sure the door was sealed tightly.

Sandy walked up to the large shop windows and
gazed outside. “Hmm, we’d better stay in the store. It’s Lavendula
and the Chancellors will be roaming about outside. I don’t think
you want to mess up your new clothes before you’ve had a chance to
show them off.”

Joining her, Aspen looked out into the
street. Chancellors oozed out like sticky black tar from crevices
between buildings. She shivered involuntarily as their numbers
grew.

“These don’t create the nightmares,” Ginny
said in a low voice, gripping the hanger in her hands tightly as
she spoke.

“Really, why not?”

“They’re here to make sure that we don’t
attack the ones who do make them. The actual nightmare creators are
outside the village. They can cast a nightmare from the hills or
the trees, and even the rivers. These here will do anything to stop
us from attacking their casters.”

Sandy peeled a poster away from the window so
they could see the Chancellors better. They had pale skin and their
eyes were completely black. They wore their familiar black T-shirts
with cargo pants, and heavy boots on their feet.

Suddenly one of the Chancellors spied them
through the window and walked toward the shop. The girls held their
spot behind the window, but shrank back slightly from the creature
as he approached them. He was tall with dark hair cut close to his
skull. A sickly sweet odor permeated through the front door as he
approached them.

Aspen held her breath as he faced them
directly, and started when she realized that the thin sheet of
glass was the only thing separating them. She trembled and glanced
at the stern features of her friends. Ginny stuck her chin out and
smiled menacingly.

The Chancellor curled his lips upward in a
grim parody of a smile, but his mouth had no teeth. A large Adam’s
apple bobbed up and down his long throat. He raised a bony finger
and slowly dragged it in a circle on the glass.

Aspen watched his movements as he traced the
symbol on the smooth surface. After he’d completed the circle, his
eyes widened and he mouthed the word, “Boo.” She jumped as he
tapped the window.

Sandy and Ginny didn’t stir, so she squared
her shoulders and glared at him. He laughed silently but kept his
gaze on her. Even though she was a quivering mass of nerves, she
didn’t look away. She stared back and refused to show fear.

When the Chancellor marched away abruptly,
Aspen breathed a sigh of relief and sagged against Sandy’s back.
“Whew! What was that all about?”

“Just a friendly game of chicken,” Ginny
answered. Her pulse flickered at the base of her neck, and Aspen
realized that the encounter had rattled her just as much. They
watched him until he turned into an alley and was out of sight.

“Well, now that you’ve seen one up close and
personal, would you like a chocolate milk to calm your nerves?”
Sandy smiled.

“Yes, thanks, that would be great.” Aspen let
out a long exhale. The noxious odor had disappeared as soon as he’d
left, and she desperately needed a sugar fix to soothe the
tension.

Mona collected the clothes draped over
Aspen’s arm. “I’ll wrap these up and send them to Leeman’s house.
He told me I could send whatever you wanted there.”

“Thank you so much.”

“I’ve left some flavored milks on the table
in the kitchen at the back. Help yourselves.”

“Mona, you’re the best. I was just going to
ask if you had any left.” Sandy gave her a quick hug.

They left the retail area and entered a small
room at the back of the shop. Three glasses of chocolate milk sat
temptingly on a wooden table, and the girls wasted no time and
claimed one each. They scooted their chairs around the table.

“How will we know if the Chancellors are
making a nightmare or if they’re just defending their kind?” Aspen
asked as she sipped at her drink.

“The Chancellors go into a dream state,”
Sandy explained as she played with her straw, “and we can actually
see the nightmare as it happens in front of them. That same
nightmare gets sent out to thousands of children at the same time.
If we can stop the Chancellor, the nightmare fades and the kids get
a good night’s sleep.” She took a long pull on her straw and then
pushed her empty glass closer to the middle of the table. “If we
don’t get to them, they multiply because of the children’s fears.
It seems to feed them and gives them strength to reproduce
themselves as brand new, fully grown Chancellors.”

Ginny grimaced. “The Chancellors casting the
nightmares are the dangerous ones. They can send the nightmare
straight at you. You’ve got to be careful of them, they are the
worst.”

“Yup,” Sandy said with a nod, “the nightmare
starts in a bubble, but once it becomes big enough, it leaves the
bubble and attacks you. We’ve tried to destroy the protective
shield that surrounds the nightmare but we can’t, so we’ve got to
wait until it’s fully formed and can get out. Your dad was the only
one who could break the shield.” She kept her eyes down and played
with the rim of the empty glass. “The nightmare can go back into
the bubble if it needs protection. I’m talking about lions, tigers,
spiders . . . anything.”

“Ugh.” Aspen shivered. “I know about the
spider nightmare. That’s just terrible.”

The sky lightened and moments later, the room
was bathed in yellow light again.

“Time for action, girls,” Sandy
exclaimed.

They washed their empty glasses in the sink
and thanked Mona for the milkshakes before leaving.

As they walked away from the village, Aspen
tried to aim at stationary targets. A tiny shrub exploded instantly
as it was struck by a well-placed bolt.

“Hey, watch it.” Ginny smiled. “You’re going
to set the place on fire.”

“Sorry.”

“Let her practice, it’s okay. She has to
learn how much juice she’s got before she can control it.”

“Well, in that case, how about that tree?”
Ginny pointed to the side.

Aspen focused on a gnarled oak tree with a
wide trunk and heavy branches. Tendrils of electricity zinged up
and down the skin on her arms, and the hair on her head rose.

“Burn that sucker!” she snarled.

“Whoa!” Sandy shouted in amazement as the
entire tree exploded instantly.

Jumping back in fright, Aspen dropped her
hands in a hurry. Blue flames shimmered on her arms before they
died out.

“Seriously, what was that?” Sandy stared at
her in amazement and Ginny sat down on the grass in awe.

“What, was that not normal?” Aspen asked.

Pieces of leaves and small twigs floated
around them in the air, and a huge hole was left in the earth where
the tree used to be. The smell of charred wood floated around
them.

“Not normal, not normal? That was absolutely
mind-blowing!” Sandy cried and hugged Aspen.

Ginny glanced over her shoulder and announced
calmly, “Don’t look now, but I think your blast got someone’s
attention. We’ve got company.”

Practice Makes Perfect

Aspen whipped around with fists clenched, ready for
trouble.

The two sisters studied a stand of trees
behind them and smiled at the sound of horses trampling through the
undergrowth. Their hooves struck small rocks and stones while their
bodies broke twigs and branches, and they whinnied in excitement as
they got closer. A moment later three snow-white geldings trotted
proudly into view.

Dylan sat upright on the first horse, and
leaned over to speak to Aspen. “Hey there, did we miss
anything?”

She held her breath. He looked so good on
horseback. Dark wool trousers, a white shirt, and a black leather
vest fit his body snugly, and his leather bracelet looked so cool
on his tanned arm. His dream catcher charm glinted from around his
neck.

“Hey,” she said softly.

The second horse nudged against his and a
strikingly beautiful girl peered down at her. Aspen gasped. This
was the pretty redhead from her birthday party. The one who’d
wrapped herself around Dylan.

The girl’s hair tumbled past her waist in the
brightest flame-red waves. It was thick and luxurious, and nestled
on the saddle like spun silk. Her small athletic body was wrapped
in tight emerald-green cotton, and a white sheepskin coat hugged
her shoulders. Knee-high white leather boots covered her calves.
She hugged the horse as though molded to it, and glared at Aspen
through clover-green eyes.

“Is this the Halfling?” she asked
haughtily.

Dylan straightened up and spoke to her.
“Ruby, this is my friend Aspen. Aspen, this is Ruby from the Fire
clan, and this is her brother,”—he swiveled around and pointed to
the third rider behind him—“Ray.”

Ray was the complete opposite of his sister.
He smiled broadly at Aspen and slid from his horse in a fluid move.
While he held the reins in one hand, he clasped Aspen’s hand with
the other. His grip was warm and comfortable, but not half as
thrilling as Dylan’s.

“Well, hello there, darlin’,” he said with a
broad smile.

Ruby’s brother was about five foot nine
inches tall and extremely handsome, with dark auburn hair that
curled slightly over the collar of his black shirt. When he focused
his emerald-green eyes on her that practically twinkled with
delight, she had the feeling that they would become good
friends.

“Welcome to Lanta, little lady. It’s real
nice to meet ya.”

She smiled shyly. Movement behind him caused
her to step back warily. A crowd of boys walked into the clearing,
and Ginny and Sandy shouted greetings to them. Ray held her hand in
his and tugged her almost protectively toward him.

Ray bent toward her. “It’s okay, little
darlin’. They’re with us,” he whispered reassuringly into her
ear.

Dylan slid off his horse and wrapped the
reins around a nearby branch. He walked over to Aspen and took her
other hand. With a small tug, he drew her away from Ray and slipped
his arm over her shoulder. Warmth spread from the area where
Dylan’s skin touched hers, and she closed her eyes for a second to
enjoy the feeling. Ray stepped back and his mouth tightened, the
atmosphere suddenly very tense.

Ginny jumped to her feet and began to speak.
“Aspen, let me introduce you to this motley gang. There are way too
many of them and they’re not important enough, so I’m going to be
quick.” She grinned and the group of teenage boys laughed and
whooped around her.

“This is Caden, Troy, Ryder, Ethan, Ashley,
and Cole.” Each boy bobbed his head in greeting as Ginny pointed
them out. Two of the boys had shoulder-length blond hair and
turquoise eyes; the rest had auburn hair and green eyes.

“Caden and Troy are from the Water clan, and
the rest are from the Fire clan,” Sandy said from behind them.

Caden moved forward and lifted his fingers to
his forehead in a mocking salute. His gaze roamed from her head to
her toes and he smiled widely, flashing deep dimples. He really
looked good with his thick blond hair and pale blue T-shirt.

The rest of the boys were dressed in T-shirts
and jeans, and Aspen could feel their speculative stares.

“Don’t mind their rudeness. Honestly, haven’t
you ever seen a Dream Walker from the Power clan before, boys?”
Ginny scolded.

“She’s only half a Dream Walker. Maybe that’s
their fascination.” Ruby slipped delicately from her horse with
eyes glittering at Caden. She stalked around Aspen in a circle. “We
don’t get many Halflings around these parts.”

Aspen clenched her hands and the fine hairs
on her arms rose. Was this girl trying to insult her? She felt
Dylan’s grip tighten on her shoulder and she glared at Ruby openly.
The Fire Walker tossed her tresses over her shoulder and turned
away from her as though she were nothing.

Sandy stepped forward. “I’ll have you know
that Aspen’s father was Roman Walker. She’s a princess in our clan,
and her powers are greater than the best Walker around.”

Ruby ignored her and leaped upon her horse.
With a flick of the reins, she urged the horse forward. Her hair
tumbled in waves of red behind her back as the animal cantered
away.

“Did she just try and insult me?” Aspen asked
Sandy.

Sandy frowned. “Ignore her. Ruby doesn’t like
competition.”

The group of boys chuckled nervously amongst
themselves and walked in the direction that Ruby had taken.

Ray’s green eyes trained on her. “Don’t mind
my sister. She doesn’t know you yet.”

“It’s okay,” she said and smiled sweetly at
him. “I’m not worried about it.”

Ray hesitated for a second before mounting
his horse and following his sister.

The air was still warm and the light was pale
yellow. Aspen took a deep breath to calm herself. Her muscles
fluttered beneath Dylan’s grip, and she didn’t want to move.

“Come on, girls,” Ginny said, interrupting
Aspen’s thoughts. “We might as well follow and have some fun.
They’re on the hunt and it’s good to go out in numbers.”

“Aspen, you can ride with me.” Dylan turned
her to face the huge white horse that he’d arrived on.

She jerked in his arms. “No way. I haven’t
been on one of those before.”

He pushed her forward gently. “Don’t worry,
I’ll show you what to do. Show no fear and Milky will love
you.”