Dream Walker (32 page)

”That’s fine. But have you seen Blake before?”

Aislen’s mind raced trying to figure out how she should answer him. Should she lie, yet again, in front of her mom and in front of Troy, who knew the truth and hadn’t taken well to any of her deceptions? Or should she just confess the truth, as bizarre as it was, and get it over with?

Sergeant Mathis, Troy and her mother were all watching her pensively, waiting for her to answer. The white-hot energy racing through her built itself up a flashpoint. Her vision narrowed and head began to spin.

Just as Aislen felt like she would suffer a complete meltdown, there was a soft tap at the window and a cool draft dusted through the room. Though it was too quiet for anyone else to hear, Aislen heard it loud and clear. The crisp breeze wafted around her, dousing out the fire on her skin instantly. She could practically hear it sizzle. Though she felt faint, there was a substance within the nothingness of the air, propping her up and keeping her on her feet.

She knew what this meant now. Somehow her distress had called out to him and he had come to help her.

Her father was here and she knew what she had to do.

∞

Outside the controlled environs of The Womb, under a twilight sky and within the white noise of Rush Hour, Raze was surprised at how easy it was to conjure up a clear signal line for Aislen. The aperture manifested with very little effort. Raze stepped through it and directly into a raging fire.

Aislen was standing in front of him, but he could barely see her for the white-hot vapors around her. She was standing in the middle of the room looking at a group of people who were all looking back at her. Mr. T was there, standing next to a woman that could only be Aislen’s mother, and she was sitting at a table next to Sergeant Mathis.

From the looks of it, Raze had walked into an interrogation. All eyes were on Aislen and her field was responding accordingly. Her energy blazed the room, crackling and erratic. It was the most powerful energy Raze had felt in her presence.

Raze carefully moved closer to her, mindful that her field at half this power had knocked him out of the viewing space before. But in spite of the fact that her Ohms were on a rampage, he was actually able to move right up against her. As soon as his field came into contact with hers, rather than amping her up, her flaming incandescence extinguished, switching off like a light.

Raze was surprised by the reaction and looked at her. Her field mellowed into a gentle lull, completely unlike anything he had seen from her before. She took a deep breath and looked directly at Sergeant Mathis.

“I have never seen that boy before yesterday afternoon,” she said to him. She could only be talking about Blake and Raze knew she was lying. She had seen him all right, but no one would know it from the calm, straight-forward way she said it.

Aislen glanced sideways toward Troy, but Troy looked down at his feet, his face expressionless. Aislen looked disappointed. Raze wondered what she was thinking. He moved around her, synced up his receptors, and tuned in to her mental and emotional transmissions.

Her field shifted, but rather than powering up her defenses, she let them down even more, practically inviting him into her space.

It’s all going to be okay,
she was telling herself.
Whether Troy is disappointed or angry with me for lying, it doesn’t matter. I am doing this for everybody’s own good. If he doesn’t understand, so be it.

So she had confided in Troy, Raze thought, making mental note of yet another problem that would need remedied at some point.

“Hmm,” Mathis grunted from the table. “That’s really strange.”

“What’s so strange about that?” Aislen said. Raze was impressed by how collected her energy remained. The little mouse had developed some fortitude, right quick.

“Well...you see, something about that game has been bothering me,” Mathis said. “Ever since the boy mentioned it, it’s bugged me. I couldn’t help but wonder if there was something about it that could mess with a kid’s head—enough that he would off his own dad.” Mathis sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “I know. It sounds dumb. But I couldn’t shake it...and well, I happened to come across a copy of it...and a console...and I started playing.”

Raze couldn’t believe it! Mathis was practically confessing his crime. The sergeant slouched even more and started rubbing his forehead. “I just wanted to see if there was anything hinky about it.”

Troy looked up him. Mathis had his full attention now. “So what did you think? Did you find anything?”

“Well, I’m definitely not an expert,” Mathis said. “But it seemed like a regular video game to me. A little twisted in some parts and I could see how some people could get addicted to it. But there was nothing that struck me out of the ordinary...until later on...”

Mathis turned his attention back to Aislen. “You wouldn’t happen to know anyone that goes by the name of Ichiban, would you?”

∞

The cool balm on Aislen’s skin suddenly prickled with ice. “No. What kind of name is that?”

“It’s a gaming name, a moniker for a player I met. While I was trying to figure out how to play, this character, Ichiban, befriended me. He was beyond weird, but he let me tag along with him and kinda showed me around the place. I wouldn’t have been able to get very far without him.

“But after a couple of hours—completely out of the blue—he asked about you.” All three of them looked at Aislen again.

The icy hand dug its nails deep into her flesh, reinvigorating her with fear. People
were
already looking for her, like her father had warned.

“He started talking about some kind of secret level where all the real action happens, and he demanded to know about you before he would take me there.

“I found it more than a coincidence,” Mathis continued. “Two people associated with the game have mentioned you and both of them are very
determined
about it.”

Mathis and her mom were watching Aislen expectantly. Troy was staring incredulously at Mathis. Aislen didn’t know what to say. Part of her—the very scared part—wanted to confess everything to them right then and there.

The presence at her back moved even closer to her. It felt insistent. She could feel it trying to press itself into her head. Was her dad trying to tell her something? She closed her eyes and tried to relax so she could hear what he had to say.

∞

The mention of Ichiban and The Stratum made Raze’s blood boil. He didn’t know what Mathis was up to. Had he decided to come here hunting for Aislen, after all? Maybe Raze had him all wrong. Maybe he was all about himself. Maybe he was planning on giving her up to Grant.

Raze needed to figure out why Aislen was so important before that happened. He extended his mind toward Aislen’s and pressed himself, forcefully, into her head.

“Who are you?”
he asked her silently, reaching through her skull and scouring her consciousness for the answers. Rather than resisting him, he felt her give in.

“What? What are you trying to say? I can’t hear you?
she asked.

Raze yanked himself back out of her head. She was talking to him! How did she know to do that? The girl he met two nights ago was a lost and confused soul, and now she not only knew he was there, she was trying to communicate with him. He pressed himself back into her head and she immediately addressed him again.

“You were right. I believe you now. And I know you are the only one that can help me.”

What was she talking about? Raze was definitely not here to help her. He was here for himself—and for some answers, damn it.

“I’m totally lost,”
she continued.
“I don’t know what to do or what to say. I need help out of this. Please, Dad, tell me what to do.”

Raze shot back out of her head again.
Dad? Is that who she thought he was—her dad? Who the hell is her dad?
Raze’s chest, throat and gut all gripped up tight, telling him he was so very close to the truth. He needed more information and he wanted it now.

Raze stepped up close behind her and place his etheric lips up against her ear.

“Get. Rid. Of. Them.”

∞

Aislen heard him as clear as if he was really standing right beside her, whispering in her ear. But he didn’t sound like the kind, patient man from her visions. Her dad sounded angry—outright demanding. The situation must be far worse than she thought.

She finally looked at Mathis. “I have no idea why anyone in that game would ask about me,” she said, trying to sound as impatient and bored with the questioning as she could. All she cared about now was getting everyone out like her father had said. “I don’t play video games, I don’t know that kid and I definitely don’t know anyone that calls himself Ichiban.”

Mathis sighed again, obviously, not happy with her answer, but defeated nonetheless.

“Well, none of it adds up, but if you say you don’t know any of these people, then alright. I have to tell you, though—this whole thing makes me feel very uncomfortable. I think, given the circumstances, until I can figure out what this Ichiban is up to, you two should be extra careful.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. “If anything unusual happens, here is my cell phone number. Please don’t hesitate to call me.”

He handed the card to her mother. “Promise me?”

“Absolutely,” her mom promised.

“Okay then, I should get going,” Mathis said as he stood up from the table. “Sabine, Aislen, thank you for your time. And I mean it—you need to call if anything comes up.”

“You know, I should probably go, too,” Troy said. The tone of his voice was abrupt and Aislen could tell he was upset. “It was nice to meet you ma’am,” he said to her mother, curtly, before shooting a glance at Aislen. The glare sliced through her like a razor. “I’ll catch you later, Aislen,” he said. It sounded more like a threat than a date proposal. Before Aislen could think of a response, Troy followed Mathis out the door and into the night.

Aislen’s heart sank. After the warmth and closeness she and Troy had shared at the shrine, she felt rejected and hurt. But, oddly enough, as soon as the door closed behind them, the foreboding oppression that had been suffocating her all afternoon let her go and she was remarkably relieved.

It really was for the best that he keep his distance. He’d be safer that way and it was one less person she had to worry about.

The breezy presence of her father circled her again, pacing around her in an agitated whirlwind.

Her mother came over and put her arms around her. “Is there something you need to talk to me about, honey?”

She held on to her mom tight, wishing she could just sit down and tell her everything and have her reassurance that everything was going to be fine. But her mom had spent her whole life protecting and caring for Aislen. It was time for Aislen to return the favor.

“No, Mom. I really don’t know what’s going on or what these people are talking about.” It was no lie. She really didn’t understand any of it. But she could. She just needed to talk to her dad
now
to find out. His presence whipped in close behind her, practically pushing her to move.

“I’m really beat, Mom. I’m just going to head upstairs and go to bed.”

“Okay, hon. But know that I’m here if you need to talk about anything?”

“Yes, Mom. I will. I love you.” Aislen gave her an extra squeeze.

“I love you, too,” her mom said, kissing her on the forehead. “Sweet dreams.”

Fat chance
, Aislen thought to herself as she turned to head up the stairs—the cold breeze following hot on her heels.

CHAPTER 35

Raze followed Aislen up the stairs, drifting on the tantalizing tendrils of her wavelengths. When she reached the top she turned and walked into a bedroom, pausing a moment at the threshold to allow him inside. As if
that
made a difference. She shut the door behind them and whipped around to face him.

“Holy shit, Dad! This is crazy!” She began pacing quickly back and forth across the floor. “I didn’t really believe what you told me last night, but it’s all true!

“People
are
looking for me. That Blake kid remembers me from the dream, and now this person in some video game is asking about me and getting the police involved. None of it makes sense and I don’t know what to do.”

She stopped pacing and looked around the room. “Dad, are you still here?”

Raze did a quick scan of the room for any other signatures, but there was no one else there. Just him and Aislen, alone for the first time.

“I need you,” she pleaded. “I need you to help me understand—tell me what I should do.”

Raze realized that if he was going to do anything, now was his moment. Aislen was at her most vulnerable, every guard was down. She was allowing him practically unlimited access to her mind and space, and it was no wonder, she thought he was her dad. She
thought
she was safe. She was open and completely his for the taking.