“How am I supposed to know who she is?”
“Uh, well the town is pretty small so maybe you’ll see her around.” He points at his widow’s peak. “She has this kind of hairline too, and we have a lot of the same features I guess. Plus, she has burn scars on her thighs. She doesn’t try to hide them, so you’d probably notice them easily.”
“Are you sure she’s in Bluewater though?” I say.
“Yes, she is,” Valeria says. “I’ve seen her many times during the scouting missions.”
“Like I said, if you can’t do it or you forget or something, it’s fine,” Remington says. “I don’t want you to put yourself in danger to get it to her, but if you see an opportunity to…”
I rest the envelope on my lap. “Sure, I’ll see what I can do.”
He nods with a smile and then leaves the room with Ana Maria pressed into his side.
“Valeria,” I say, “why were being like that to Ana Maria?”
“I just,” she touches her eyes lightly, “was afraid. I was afraid she’d heal me. I figured I had to be harsh if I wanted to get the message across.”
I sigh. “Well I think she got the message now.”
“Good.”
“But why did you do this to yourself so suddenly?”
Valeria hugs herself loosely. “I had a dream.”
“What kind of dream?”
“It was the best dream I’ve ever had. I was with my parents and my brothers, and we were living happily together and my mind was quiet and my shoulders were so light. I was normal. And then…” Her voice breaks. “Suddenly I wasn’t normal anymore. My gift just came into me, and I saw everything, so I blabbed and blabbed like I did when I was young. And I watched my parents and brothers die gruesome deaths. And the noise pounded in my head. My head felt like it was going to explode.”
She breathes in sharply. “But then, two knives materialized in my hands. ‘End it,’ I heard. It was like a voice all around me. And right before I plunged the knives into my eyes, I saw…”
She sits up quickly, hands gripping the bed. “Chrys, I woke up like this.”
I furrow my brows. “What do you mean?”
“When I woke up, I was laying in my bed and my eyes were bleeding. I started screaming because of the pain and woke everyone else in the cabin up, I think. I managed to climb down the ladder—I could do that in my sleep—but the pain became too much so I just stayed there until you guys came. But the thing is, when Shikoba looked at my eyes earlier, he said they were pierced with something sharp. How could I have done that in my bed? I don’t have anything sharp up there. Even my fingernails are bitten down.”
She turns her head to me. “Chrys, if you die in a dream, do you think you’d die in real life?”
I shake my head slowly. “No, that’s—”
“Impossible.”
My throat feels dry. What she’s saying doesn’t really make sense to me, but I know one thing. If something doesn’t make sense—if it seems impossible—then it must be related to a gift.
“Dreams,” Valeria says. “It’s dreams. Last night, right before I did this,” she points at her eyes briefly, “I saw a man standing right before me. He looked like maybe Li’s age, and he was blond, and he said, ‘Help me.’ But that man—I’ve seen him before, in Bluewater. And I saw him in Adrien’s dream too, right before he died. That man pushed Adrien off a cliff and Adrien died in that dream. When I first saw it, I didn’t think anything of it—I mean, dreams are usually nonsense. But Adrien never woke up from that dream.”
“If that man is responsible, why would he ask you to help him?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t know. All I know is I’ve had plenty of dreams where I’ve been hurt and I’ve never woken up to find it’s really happened to me.”
“That must be his gift. He can make things that happen in dreams real.”
“Exactly.” Valeria exhales deeply. “Look, I don’t think you need to go into town anymore, Chrys. I think we’ve figured it out.”
“But we still don’t know who exactly this guy is and why he’s targeting us.”
“Your second task was to find out how Adrien died, and you know now. The rest isn’t up to you to figure out.”
I take the envelope from my lap and stand up. “Fine. I’ll talk to Li about it. But you never know, the third task might be to go into town anyway.”
“No, that’s not the third task. That would never be the third task. It’s always the same.”
“What is it then?”
She sighs. “Something impossible to do. That’s all I can say.” She bows her head and fidgets with the blanket covering her legs. “Chrys, I thought this was what I wanted but I see it now. That man can influence dreams. I was manipulated. That dream was perfectly concocted to make me do—make me do this. And now, I kind of… I kind of want to see again.”
“I can get Ana Maria.”
She nods once, slowly.
I go out to the lounge. Remington and Ana Maria are sitting on one of the couches silently. Ana Maria’s head is buried in Remington’s side and he has an arm around her, idly patting her back as he stares off into the distance.
“Ana Maria,” I say.
She moves away from Remington. She isn’t crying anymore but her eyes are red.
“I know Valeria was mean to you earlier but—” I start.
“She wants me to heal her now,” Ana Maria finishes in a flat tone.
“Yes.”
She gets to her feet and goes to the infirmary without another word.
“How is she?” Remington says, pointing at his head.
“Better. I think she’ll be alright.”
He looks relieved and gets up. “I’ll stay with Ana Maria until she heals. I don’t want her to be alone.”
I nod. “She’d like that.”
He goes into the infirmary.
I look at the envelope in my hands, at the calligraphy name on it. His sister. If he knows where she is, why does he stay here? Why not go to her and be with his family? If I had a family to go to, I’d run to them in a heartbeat.
I turn the letter over, looking at the sealed flap, and turn it back to the front. Sure, I’d run to my family if I could, but would they want to be with me, knowing everything I’ve done?
Probably not.
And Ron, who is like my sister—if I told her about my gift, would she want to be with me still?
I shake my head quickly, trying to get the thought out.
Don’t think about that. Don’t think about that.
Putting the envelope down at my side, I go into the computer room and turn one on. When it boots up, I log into my email, excited and nervous to see a new one from Ron.
I read it. It makes my stomach feel heavy.
The man kept hostage and that man in Valeria’s dream asking for help. They have to be the same person. And a scanner that knows if you’re gifted or not? If Hunter and I walk into town too carelessly, we may get discovered.
This is getting to be overwhelming.
I press compose.
Ron,
Thanks for the update. Things are kind of crazy here.
That man you found—he’s definitely gifted and we think he’s the cause of that boy dying. He can manipulate dreams and make things that happen in dreams happen in real life too.
He’s dangerous and his brother seems dangerous too so DO NOT GO BACK THERE.
I’ll tell the people in charge here about it and they’ll decide what to do.
Also, I’ll probably be coming into town today. I’m not entirely sure but even if it’s not really necessary, I still want to go so we can see each other again.
Oh also, you wouldn’t happen to have seen a woman named Giselle around town? Dark hair, widow’s peak, burn scars on her legs. Her brother i
s in my cabin and he asked me to put a letter in her mailbox or something, so if you know where she lives, that’d be helpful.
Looking forward to seeing you soon, maybe.
Chrys
I send it and shut down the computer. I go out to the hall and knock on both Li’s office door and the sitting room next to it but no response. Not sure where else she could be, I slowly open the unmarked door across from her office.
It leads to a spiral staircase going straight up. I go up the stairs, heart pounding, like I’m going somewhere I shouldn’t be. But Li didn’t say I’m not allowed up there when she told me about the second floor yesterday, and there’s no sign or anything saying not to enter, so I don’t know why I’m feeling so anxious about it.
I step out into a carpeted hallway. This one seems to go the full length of the Main House. I walk down it, looking both ways at every door.
Halfway down the hall, there’s a rectangular slip of paper taped to one of the doors. It says “Shikoba & June” in calligraphy. I continue down the hall, checking the other doors. None of them are marked. I go back to the door with the paper on it and knock.
After a moment, the door opens, Shikoba standing in the doorway. His long hair, which is usually back in a ponytail, is loose and messy around his face, and he’s wearing a thin red robe that reveals his bare legs, thick with dark hair.
“Chrys, how may I help you?” he says.
“I’m looking for Li,” I say. “I have an update.”
He nods and points down the hall, away from the staircase. “She’s probably in her room down there. Last one on the left.”
“Thanks.” I turn to leave but then I turn back. “Who’s June?”
“My wife. She maintains this pocket universe. Haven’t you heard about her?”
I think back to when I first walked through the forest to come here. “Oh, yeah. I think Valeria mentioned her. How does she do it? It must take a lot of concentration to maintain.”
“Yes, that’s why she stays asleep.”
“Like all the time?”
“Yes.”
“Does she dream?”
He shrugs. “I’m going to go back to bed now.”
Before I can say anything more, he closes the door softly.
Adrien, and now Valeria. How is that man choosing his targets? If he targets June next, what would happen to the pocket universe?
I hurry down the hall to the last door on the left and knock.
Li opens the door. She’s wearing a white tank top and light blue jeans, like she was just about to head out.
“Just who I wanted to see,” she says with a smile. “Come in.”
She walks into her room. I follow and close the door. Her room is a small square with just a queen-sized bed, a dark wooden dresser and a vanity table. She sits on the edge of her bed, which is neatly made, gesturing for me to sit on the small stool at the vanity table.
“Any news?” she asks.
“Yes.” I sit down on the stool. “My friend emailed me back. She says that man is being held hostage there by his brother Carl, who has him hooked up to a laptop and also claims he has a scanner that can detect the gifted. She wasn’t able to find out if he’s gifted or not. But Valeria and I are pretty sure he is, and we’re pretty sure he’s the cause of Adrien’s death and what happened to Valeria.”
Li’s brows furrow. “Not to be frank but Valeria did that to herself.”
“Sort of. She says she did it in a dream and she woke up to find it really happened. And she said she remembers in Adrien’s last dream, he was killed. Pushed by that man off a cliff and never woke up from it.”
Li’s eyes open wide. “The gift of dreams. I’ve heard of it before. I don’t know who the current owner is, but I’ve read about a woman who used to have it. She was a psychologist who tried to treat her patients through their dreams.”
I’ve never come across that in my research and I want to hear more about it, but I put that aside in my mind. “Well, this guy isn’t trying to help us with his gift. He’s trying to hurt us. We’re lucky he didn’t kill Valeria too.”
“I don’t think anyone else will die. Based on what happened with Valeria, my guess is they’re trying to neutralize us. Killing us doesn’t kill the gift—it just transfers it. But if you can find a way to block the gift…”
“What about people like me? You think they’ll get us to cut our hands off?”
She sighs. “It’s possible. Maybe we should try to keep everyone up tonight.”
“What about June?”
“She—”
Li gasps and clutches her head. She cries out in pain and falls to the floor, curling up in a ball, holding her head.
I rush over to her, letting go of Remington’s envelope so it falls to the floor. “Li, what’s wrong?”
She cries out again and squirms on the floor. She takes loud, shallow breaths.
I grab her shoulders, trying to make her stay still. “Li, what’s happening? Should I-should I get you some medicine or something?”
“A gift,” she gasps between breaths, “it’s been removed.”
“What are you talking about?”
She stops squirming suddenly and her breathing deepens a bit, but she’s still clutching her head with eyes closed and her voice is strained. “From circulation—it’s been removed.”
“What gift? How?”
“I don’t know, but it-it shouldn’t be possible. I’m the only one who can do that.”
She opens her eyes, meeting my gaze, and takes a shaky breath.
“Chrys,” she says shakily, “you’re touching me.”
I jerk my hands away from her shoulders. My stomach sinks as I realize I had been touching her bare skin with my bare hands. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m—”
“Don’t apologize.” She sits up slowly and rubs her temples. “Can’t you see you’re in control? Stop being afraid.”
I clasp my hands together tightly in my lap.
She stops rubbing her temples. “I’m taking you off the investigation. Your second task is done.”
“But what about going into town?”
“You don’t have to anymore.”
“But I kind of wanted to go.”
“Wouldn’t you rather do your third task first?”
“What is it? Do I have to do it now?”
“It’s a confrontation of your past. And no, you don’t have to do it now. You don’t ever have to do it. But when you’re ready, go to Shikoba and he’ll explain what you have to do.”
“And what happens if I can’t do the task?”
She shrugs. “Then you’re not ready to have your gift removed. You can keep trying though, until you succeed.”
My heart is pounding. A confrontation of my past? That sounds like the last thing I want to do. Valeria said the task would be something impossible, and it certainly sounds so.
However, I’m going to do that task. I have to. I promised Hunter—and myself—that I would. But right now?
“I think I’ll go into town first,” I say. “I, uh, already told my friend I’m coming.”
Li nods. “You’re free to do whatever you want. You’re not trapped here, you know.”
I get up and take the envelope from the floor. I exit Li’s room and walk to the staircase.
I’m not trapped here, I know. But why does it feel like I am?
Chapter 24
Ron, Iris and Giselle enter the small diner next door because Iris insisted on having breakfast there this morning. Slow classical music is playing softly from the speakers on the ceiling.
The diner has four booths lining the windows with red leather upholstery and white tables. Across from the booths is a bar with red-topped stools. An old lady with short silver curls and circular glasses is sitting at the bar reading a newspape
r. Behind the bar, a sweaty cook is visible in the kitchen due to a pass-through window.
Besides them, the diner is empty.
A newspaper rack with today’s Normal News papers stands by the entrance. Iris takes one but Giselle snatches it from her and puts it back.
“Don’t read that during our meal,” Giselle says.
“I’m not gonna read it now,” Iris whines.
“Then you can get one on the way out.”
Iris huffs as Giselle leads the way to the closest booth. She scoots into it so she’s by the window. Iris sits next to Giselle, slumping. Ron sits across from them.
The lady at the bar comes over with a menu and places it on the table. She’s chewing gum.
“Hey ladies, nice to see ya,” she says.
“Always a pleasure, Agnes,” Iris says with a smile, already over the fit she was throwing over the newspaper.
The server smiles back. “Ready to order?”
Iris and Giselle look at Ron.
“Oh, I’ll just be a moment,” Ron says. She hasn’t had a chance to look at the menu yet.
“No worries, hun. I’ll be back in a jiffy.”
Ron nods and she leaves.
Ron looks at the menu, grimy with fingerprints. It’s a laminated page with just text and no images. There are just a few items, namely different types of pancakes, omelets, and pies. Iris and Giselle don’t bother to look at it.
After a couple minutes, the server comes back.
“Ready now?” the server says.
Ron nods. “I’ll have the mushroom and cheese omelet, thanks.”
“Ya want potatoes with that?” the server asks.
Ron scans the menu listing again. She doesn’t see anything about it coming with potatoes and she isn’t sure if it’ll cost extra so she shakes her head. “No, thank you.”
“You should get the potatoes, Ron,” Giselle says. “If you don’t want them, I’ll eat them.”
“Oh, okay. I’ll get the potatoes then.”
The server nods. “And you ladies?”
“Two chocolate chip pancake specials,” Iris says. “Eggs over easy.”
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