Aspen and the Dream Walkers (3 page)

Aspen swallowed a mouthful of her lunch and
nearly choked as Justin walked toward them, Miriam in tow behind
him. He had blond hair that was fashionably tousled, and his
clothes were expensive. Many of the girls at school found him
attractive, but Aspen didn’t. His eyes were too deeply set and his
nose too thin for her liking.

Once he’d stopped at their table, Justin
ignored her completely, focusing his attention on Dylan. “So you’re
the new guy.”

Dylan nodded without getting up from his
seat. He crumpled the muffin’s wrapper into a ball and let it roll
onto the table.

Justin had his usual posse with him. Amber,
Miriam’s best friend, sucked in her stomach and batted her
eyelashes at Dylan, which made Aspen roll her eyes. Doug and Kyle,
two of Justin’s best friends and fellow football players, stood
like bodyguards at his side.

Justin raised his knee and placed his foot on
the chair next to Aspen. He bent down and leaned his elbow on his
knee, speaking directly to Dylan. “Miriam says you want to hang out
with us. Do you play ball?”

Dylan swung his gaze to her stepsister, and
Aspen noticed that her cheeks reddened. “I’m trying out for the new
season, if that’s what you’re asking,” he answered evenly.

“What position?” Justin asked casually.

“Center.”

Justin smirked. “Perfect. I’ll send the girls
to get you next break.” Standing up, he headed for the exit with
his entourage following him.

Aspen’s face must have shown her
disappointment, because Dylan reached over to touch her arm. She
shuddered silently. Heat tingled down her spine and wrapped around
her muscles as he traced a pattern on her skin.

“Don’t worry about them,” he whispered softly
in her ear. “I’m with you now.”

By the time Aspen got home and climbed into
bed later that night, she was exhausted. Thoughts of Dylan consumed
her, and she tossed and turned for a long while before finally
falling into a restless sleep.

Entering Lanta

A cool breeze touched Aspen’s cheek. When she opened
her eyes, the first thing she noted was that the sky was violet.
The location was different, but she knew that she was dreaming
again. With a jolt, someone jerked her backward and pulled her
against a stone wall.

“Are you stupid?” a low voice hissed close to
her ear.

She whirled around in surprise. Dylan stood
behind her, his eyebrows raised and his forehead wrinkled in
disbelief. Glaring at her, he reached out and drew her body
closer.

Too stunned to protest, she stared at him
mutely.

“Come with me now!” he demanded, and dragged
her toward a nearby open barn door.

An electric current simmered in her veins at
his touch. That was just the trigger she needed and she pulled
back, nearly dragging her feet on the ground. “Hey, wait just one
minute.”

“Save it,” he hissed. “We’ve got no time,
they’re almost here. We have to hide.”

She stumbled after Dylan as he pulled her
into a small barn and aimed them toward a pile of hay stacked up to
the roof. Wooden crates of all sizes were scattered around the
floor.

“Get in now!” he ordered.

“Where, why?” Aspen tried to speak but he
shoved her underneath the hay without waiting for her consent.
Dried grass tickled her nose and scratched her skin. He shushed her
as she tried to speak again, and his grip tightened on her arm.

Confusion caused panic to rise in her chest.
Her lungs burned from the short burst of energy while her body
tingled euphorically from his touch. The light under the prickly
hay was enough for her to see into the darkened barn, and she used
the opportunity to study Dylan’s face as he sat next to her.
Breathing rapidly, he peered through the hay into the large
room.

The clean, soapy fragrance that she’d smelled
before filled her senses, and she wondered why she could smell so
clearly while dreaming.

She glanced down at her clothing and grimaced
as she touched the heavy linen skirt draped around her legs. So
uncool.

Nothing happened. While it was nice to sit
next to him, she couldn’t hear a thing and the minutes ticked by.
Even though he’d released his grip on her, she was hot and
uncomfortable from the hay that jabbed her. About to stand up and
argue with him, she stilled when a noise drew her attention to the
open door.

Three men slipped into the barn. Wearing
identical tight black T-shirts tucked into cargo pants and polished
black boots, they looked vaguely military and powerful. Dylan
raised a finger to his lips, motioning for her to keep quiet. The
men peeked into the horse stalls and poked around, lifting crate
lids and kicking at the hay.

Aspen drew a sharp breath and held it as one
of the men came close to where they were hidden. In the dim violet
light, he looked in their direction with eyes that were completely
black. No white was visible around the iris at all. Dark hair, an
aquiline nose, and ghostly-pale skin made him look intimidating,
and he seemed to stare straight at her. She froze instantly.

After lifting a rusty pitchfork from the
wall, he stabbed at the hay in front of them with deep jabs. A
scream worked its way up her throat, but Dylan squeezed her arm and
she kept quiet. The man stopped suddenly as someone called, and he
turned toward the door. With one last look over his shoulder in
their direction, he dropped the pitchfork and strode out of the
barn.

Aspen relaxed her fingers, which had been
clenched into fists throughout the ordeal, and exhaled slowly.
Dylan motioned for her to keep quiet, then released his grip on her
and rose silently from the haystack. Her body quivered from the
shock of what had just happened, and he reached out to help her
stand.

“Don’t worry, they’re gone,” he said softly,
his breath feathering against her cheek. “Calm down. See? The sky
is changing, so they have to leave.”

The darkness had receded and as she looked
up, a soothing yellow light took its place.

What a strange dream.

Dylan brushed pieces of hay from her clothing
as she stepped away from the haystack. She shook her hair and
pulled at stubborn sticks clinging to her braid. Wait, was her hair
braided? No way.

“What were you thinking?” he asked,
interrupting her thoughts. “You can’t use your powers just before
Lavendula. Don’t you know that? It’s dangerous and the Chancellors
will find you.” His eyes were stony as he glared at her.

“Lavendula—my powers—what on earth are you
talking about?” Shrugging her shoulders, she stared back at
him.

“Hmm. I suppose you don’t know about that
yet, do you?” Dylan walked to the door and she hurried to follow
him.

“Come, it’s safe. We’ve got some time before
Lemona ends. I’ll show you where I live.”

“Hold on one second, I need some answers
here.” Following his retreating figure, she called after him and
lifted her long skirt. Great, boots and a long skirt. Couldn’t she
dream up a better wardrobe?

She walked behind him into a wide sandy
street, inhaling deeply when she noticed the pleasant scents of
apple pie and popcorn filling the air. Large crowds of people
walked about normally, and she sighed, relieved that it was safer
outside.

A small child raced down the road, ignoring
his parents who called after him. Aspen smiled at the sight, then
was jolted when Dylan pulled her back to avoid being run over by a
horse-drawn cart. The large beasts stomped their hooves proudly as
they trotted past, their muscles twitching and glistening with
sweat as the cart creaked and groaned behind them. His hand
lingered for a second on her arm, and she shivered at the fire that
spread in her veins from his touch.

“You have horses here?” she asked.

“We don’t use cars in Lanta. We prefer to
live a more rustic lifestyle.”

“No cars, huh?” My dream gets better every
minute, she thought sardonically.

Trailing behind him, she saw busy stores with
shop owners who proudly displayed their wares. Tables of plump,
juicy fruit and sun-ripened vegetables were arranged under colorful
canopies. Candies and chocolates were spread out on other tables,
while pretty trinkets and sparkly jewels adorned cloths covering
the pavement. A cobbler displayed row upon row of boots in front of
his store.

“Boots seem to be in fashion here,” she
remarked.

“Yes. In Lanta, the heavier the soles, the
better.” He pointed to her shoes. “You should get a pair like that
when you get home.”

“No way. I’ll be happy not to see these
again.” Grimacing, she lifted her skirt slightly to stare at the
black boots she’d found on her feet. “So, who were those men in the
barn?”

Dylan glanced back at her. “They’re called
Chancellors.”

“Why were they hunting us? I was so scared.
When that guy picked up the fork, I wanted to scream.”

He stood still and waited for her to catch up
with him. “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t know that you’d be here
so soon. I wasn’t expecting you.” Turning around, he walked away
and she had to hurry to keep up with him.

After leaving the town, they headed toward
rows of cottages nestled along a grassy hill. The dream was
peaceful now and she tried to enjoy the rest of it while it
lasted.

“The houses look really cute.” She smiled and
forgot about her shoes and the evil men with pitchforks.

“Look at the one with the chimney smoke.
That’s mine.” He pointed at a white house with a red roof. A picket
fence surrounded it.

Walking up to the fence, he opened the small
gate and faced her. “Be careful of Goldilocks.”

“Goldilocks? Does she live here? Where are
the bears?” She giggled.

“That’s really funny,” he answered. Even with
a scowl on his face, he looked good.

Aspen jerked back as a loud quack split the
silence around her. She stared in amazement as an overweight white
goose waddled toward her. It had a gold beak and the longest black
eyelashes she’d ever seen on a bird. Wait, did birds have
eyelashes? A bright blue bow was fastened around the bird’s
neck.

“Careful, she likes to nip people,” he
warned.

“She’s so beautiful. What a gorgeous
goose.”

The goose seemed to understand her and stuck
its chest out. If she didn’t know any better, she’d have thought
that the goose smiled.

Kneeling on the ground, Aspen opened her
arms. The goose waddled straight into them and waggled a short
feathery tail like an excited puppy. Soft feathers tickled her face
as she stroked the goose’s long neck soothingly.

“You are the prettiest bird I’ve ever seen,
yes you are.” The tone she used was normally reserved for babies
and small animals, and the goose waggled its tail even harder.

“Huh, you wouldn’t say that if you knew her
better.”

“How long have you had her?”

“Not long, she’s still a baby. My dad is
friends with the Firestones, and they let us have one of their
chicks. Trust me, she’s going to be huge one day!”

Goldilocks pulled back and glared at him.
Without warning she chased him, and her gold beak snapped in the
air.

“Whoa, Gold, I didn’t mean that.” Dylan
laughed and dodged the suddenly aggressive bird. He led her in a
circle and then dashed toward Aspen, pulled her behind the fence,
and shut the gate. The goose was locked outside.

“You can’t leave her there. She’ll get
lost.”

“Goldilocks will never get lost. Just rattle
her pellet bowl and she’ll find her way home,” he teased as the
bird snapped her beak at him and quacked in displeasure.

“It’s okay, Gold, I’m just going to get some
pellets inside the house and then we’ll visit the lake so that you
can eat.”

The big goose seemed to calm down once he’d
spoken but she remained at the gate, wiggling her tail vigorously.
Opening the front door, he allowed Aspen to enter the house.

A small fire glowed in the hearth. Aspen
looked around in admiration at the comfortable sofa and wooden
floors that gleamed. A shaggy rug lay under a wooden coffee table.
It was warm and inviting inside, and so different from her
home.

The dream had lasted for a while now, and she
really didn’t want it to end.

“My parents aren’t here, but our housekeeper
is in the kitchen. I have to let her know that we’re taking Gold
for a walk.” Dylan left her in the living room for a moment and
then reappeared with a short, matronly woman in tow.

Wisps of blond hair stuck out from beneath
the hair net around her head, and her apron was smeared with flour
and dough.

“Aspen, this is Molly, our housekeeper.”

The older woman smiled shyly behind Dylan’s
back. “Welcome, miss, it’s so nice to meet you. We’ve been waiting
to see you for such a long time.” Rubbing her hands clean on the
apron, she bowed slightly.

Aspen looked at Dylan in confusion. Why would
his housekeeper be bowing to her? The woman’s accent was odd as
well. She couldn’t quite place it.

It’s a dream, it’s a dream, she repeated to
herself, then said with a smile, “It’s good to meet you too.”

“We’re taking Gold to the lake, but we won’t
be long. Tell my dad I’ll be back soon.”

“That’ll be good, sir. I’ll be sure to let
him know. Good day, miss.” Molly winked at Aspen and walked back
into the kitchen.

Dylan grabbed a plastic container from a
stand near the door and shook it. Goldilocks quacked
enthusiastically outside.

“Let’s get going. We don’t have much time
left.”

The big bird waggled her tail madly, and
Aspen wondered if she would fall over. Dylan opened the container
and began dropping pellets on the white stone path behind him, much
like a fairy-tale trail of gingerbread crumbs. Goldilocks dipped
her head and gobbled up each one excitedly.

They walked for a short distance until the
murmur of a brook up ahead could be heard. Aspen shuddered when she
thought of the spiders in her dream the night before.