by Lauren Eason
“Sounds like a smart man. I bet he would’ve liked all the changes around the city, especially with the youth outreach program. Did he get to see it when it was first created?” I asked, wondering if she would tell me the truth.
“Sadly, no. They were breaking ground right before he passed. It was a heart attack,” Susan answered. “Will you pass me that pink ribbon beside you?”
I grabbed the ribbon and handed it to her as she tied a bow around the vase. Instead of speaking about the situation any further, she took the vase of flowers off to her desk in the office to finish up. I thought it odd she didn’t divulge any information about her husband being a founder of the program. It seemed like something she would be proud to admit.
Watching the clock on the wall, I counted down the minutes until my shift was over. As the last customer was leaving, I saw Raven through the shop window. The bell rang above the door as she opened it, skipping towards my counter.
“Did you get permission to be off to join the program?” she asked eagerly.
I peeked around the corner to see if Susan was in earshot of the conversation. She was deep in the back room, shuffling material around.
“It’s a go,” I replied. “Has Jess learned anything new?”
“I dropped her off at your house. She’s at Steven’s currently gathering more information,” Raven stated, sniffing some flowers nearby.
“Wait? She went to Steven’s house? Alone?”
“Well, yeah. He is her piano instructor, after all,” Raven commented. “If she stops going altogether, it’ll look suspicious. He’s still a suspect.”
“I know that!” I hissed, grabbing my belongings and clocking out. I headed for the door, not worrying if Raven was following me or not.
“How could you leave her alone with him?” I shouted as I turned to face her on the sidewalk. “He could be the one kidnapping all these kids! There’s a reason he hasn’t stopped his tutoring sessions.”
“Or maybe, he’s like everyone else and has bills to pay. I thought people were innocent until proven guilty?” Raven remarked.
“Not when it comes to my sister.” I hopped into my car, slamming the door behind me.
“Fine,” Raven said as she jumped into the passenger seat. “We’ll go over there together. It’s just down the street.”
“We won’t. You’re going to go up to my room and start working your mojo on my computer while I go over and check on Jess,” I instructed, whipping the car into my garage. “I’ll be back in a little while.”
“Got it, boss,” Raven grumbled as she got out of the car. I walked out through the garage and around the fence to Steven’s house.
Stomping up the stone steps, I knocked on his front door and waited for an answer. Steven came to the door with a smile.
“Aislin! This is a surprise. We were practicing for your sister’s recital. Are you here to listen?” he inquired.
With a nod, he allowed me entry into his home. I tried to calm my breathing as I entered so he wouldn’t notice how flustered I was. What made me even more uncomfortable was how content Jess was with her actions.
He guided me into his dining room, where a black grand piano sat in place of a table and chairs. Jess was seated on the bench. She gave me an apologetic smile as the expression upon my face gave me away at how worried I was. As much as I wanted to be angry with her, I knew she was only doing all this to find her friend and student.
“Jess has been improving greatly with each lesson. She told me she had invited you to come watch her play but didn’t know when you’d be able to come over. I’m glad you’re here to support her now,” he said, taking a seat in a nearby chair in the corner.
“You can sit beside me,” Jess said, patting the bench. I took a seat and watched her as she placed her fingers on the keys, taking a deep breath.
“Keeping rhythm with your breath is a part of the process,” Steven commented from the corner.
Jess started to play, her fingers gliding over the keys with ease. It was as if they were floating, a technique that left me in awe of her talent and skill. I could see why she wanted me to watch her. She wanted to share something with me, a personal song to bring us closer as a family.
I closed my eyes as I listened to every note she stroked, the melody settling my nerves, leaving goosebumps in its wake. My face flushed as waves of emotions passed through me, rippling to touch every part of my soul. It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard.
Jess finished the song, only then glancing at my face. “Ais...what’s wrong?”
“I’ll leave you two alone,” Steven said, standing from his chair and exiting the room. A tear slipped down my cheek as I wiped it away.
“I must look like a total mess,” I chuckled, trying to regain my composure. “I had no idea you played so well.”
Jess pulled me into a tight hug. “I love you.”
“I love you too. You have no idea how scared I was when Raven told me you were here alone,” I whispered. “If anything ever happened to you...”
“Nothing’s going to happen to me,” Jess reassured. “I promise, I’ll let you know where I am next time. Let me get my bag, and we can get out of here.”
I nodded as Jess walked into the foyer to retrieve her things. Standing up from the bench, I followed behind her as she waved goodbye to Steven. Once outside, we strode over to our home next door and found our way safe and sound inside our abode. Raven raced down the stairs to greet us.
“You two have to come up here, now!” she exclaimed, flying back up the stairs with us on her heels.
We rushed into my room, as she slammed the door shut behind us and took a seat at my desk. Her hands flew across the keyboard as she pulled up the latest news article on the case. Pulling her chair away, she let Jess and I crowd around the computer to read the headline.
“Are you kidding me?” I asked, turning to Raven as she shook her head forlornly.
“These were reported months ago but were buried under other articles because no one cares about homeless teenagers,” Raven pointed out. “The safe houses reported at least a dozen missing, and all of them were from the same area. I think we’re dealing with a trafficking ring around here.”
“How did these get overlooked?” Jess questioned, clicking on each article.
“Because Raven’s right. They’re easy targets. No friends or family who care enough to know they’re missing. And look at this.” I pointed to the screen. “Some of them had been recently released from the Rehabilitation Center, the same one Raven and I went to.”
“That could’ve been us...” Raven mumbled as she scooted closer to the screen. “There’s a lot of them out there, Ais. You think we could find them all?”
“No...” I replied sadly, “but I’m going to try to get as many home as I can.”
“I did find this article,” Raven declared, pulling up an article on dreams from an occult website. “I know it looks a little sketch, but hear me out. It talks about dream telepathy and shows some techniques you can try to hone your skill.”
“Raven, this site also talks about how to see and befriend fairies. Are you sure this is reputable?” I asked, rolling my eyes.
“Reputable? No. Although, I wouldn’t mind meeting a fairy—”
“Focus,” I stated. “What’s useful?”
“It mentions a technique that incorporates meditation before sleeping. I think if we use the connection you had with Gabrielle, we could trick your mind into attaching itself to hers. I printed off this picture of her from her missing poster because she has the same clothes and hairstyle from the night she disappeared. First, you’re going to look at the photo and memorize her physical features. Jess is going to fill in her personality traits—whatever she knows about her. Last, you’re going to go into a trancelike state with this information in your mind’s eye right before you fall asleep,” Raven instructed. “I think we should make this tea recipe for you—”
“Tea? I’m supposed to drink tea w
ith all of that? What’s that going to do for me?” I questioned, my hands on my hips. As ridiculous as it all sounded, I was willing to do whatever at this point.
“It says it’s to help you relax and force you into your REM state quickly. That’s the part of the sleep cycle where you dream the most,” Jess stated, having read the rest of the article. “Also, it may allow you to have more control over the dreams you see. It says that with advanced stages, you can sift through dreams until you find the right one without waking.”
“That is an awful lot of wishful thinking, but I guess it’s worth a shot. Do we have all that stuff for the tea?” I asked, squinting at the computer screen at the ingredients list.
“I doubt your spice cabinet has all of that, but I know a place we can go. If we leave now, we can make it in time,” Raven replied, already grabbing her backpack from the back of the chair and heading for the door.
Jess and I shrugged at each other as we followed behind her. I grabbed my car keys out of the bowl on the hallway table by the garage door as it opened. My mother stepped through, surprised to see us all heading out.
“Where do you three think you’re going?” she asked, setting her purse down and taking off her jacket.
“We’re going to this cool shop Raven told us about,” I answered, grabbing the knob. My mother pushed the door closed with her hand, blocking us in.
“We still need to talk about what happened the other night, Aislin,” my mother said firmly. “Don’t think I’m going to let that attitude go.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I retorted, reaching for the door again, as she darted in front of it.
“I think it was a mistake allowing you off of your medication. Dr. Clayborn may want me to show more trust in you, but how can I with you flying off at me every chance you get?”
“Mom, can we do this later? We’re trying to make it to the shop before it closes,” I stated, trying to remain composed.
“What are you keeping from me? And now, you’re dragging your sister into your mess?” she growled, anger rising with each word.
“Mom. Ais isn’t making me do anything—”
“You two. Up to your rooms, now!” she commanded, pointing towards the stairs.
“No!” Jess shouted back. I tensed hearing my little sister yell for the first time at our mother. “Aislin has done everything you and Dad asked her to do! She goes to school, gets good grades, got a part-time job, and joined the youth outreach program. She’s gone above and beyond for both of you, and you still insist on treating her like a criminal in her own home. If anyone should be trying to better themselves, it’s you!”
Our mother’s cheeks turned red as she slapped Jess across the face, the sound reverberating around the room. Raven and I stood there in shock as I gasped, not sure what to say or do. Jess didn’t fight back as she choked back a sob trying to remain strong. My mother leaned against the door with one hand over her heart and the other covering her mouth, ashamed of what she’d done.
As Jess stared her down, my mother moved away from the door, allowing us by without saying a word. Tears welled in her eyes as we slipped out into the garage. We hopped into my car as I pulled out of the driveway along the darkening road.
“Jess...” I started as she stared somberly out the window. “Thanks for standing up for me back there.”
“I’m tired of our parents blaming all their problems on you. You’re not a scapegoat,” Jess replied, keeping her eyes trained outside the window.
“I know it’s hard keeping my secret from them—”
“It’s not even about that,” she sighed. “You make one mistake, and you’re condemned for it for the rest of your life. What if I make a mistake? It’s only a matter of time when Mom and Dad start blaming me for everything too. The cycle has to stop.”
“I agree,” I replied. “We have to stop making excuses for them.”
“You would’ve done the same for me,” Jess stated.
“I would’ve done that for both of you,” Raven commented in the back seat, leaning forward to put her hands on each of our shoulders. “Jess, you’re a badass. Max would’ve been impressed if he were here.”
Jess blushed, turning to face us. “You think so? He asked me to homecoming.”
Raven squealed, the noise right beside my ear. “What did you say?”
Jess shrugged. “I told him I’d think about it.”
“Look at you, you little player.” I grinned as I turned onto the main road. “Raven, you’re not being a very good co-pilot right now. Where am I going?”
“Oh! Head towards the strip mall by the movie theater. The shop is in there,” she directed from the back seat.
I guided the car along the road, passing by the families of golf carts and screaming children. Unfortunately, the strip mall Raven was referring to was packed this evening since it also contained some of the best entertainment venues in town. Pulling into a parking space before anyone could take it, we got out of the car and followed Raven to our final destination.
The shop was small, sandwiched in between a nail salon and a vape shop. As we headed inside, a doorbell alerted the one worker in the back as she came to the store's front counter. She was wearing a long sweater over a plain T-shirt and jeans, nothing at all like I had pictured, considering we were in a metaphysical store.
Her long dangling earrings swung around her cheeks as she came to greet us. “Hello, my name is Lorraine, and welcome to my store. I hope you find everything you need. Are you looking for anything in particular?”
“Actually, yes!” Raven took the lead on this one as Jess, and I lingered behind her. “We’re looking for certain ingredients for a tea to help someone increase their chances of dreams, particularly dream telepathy.”
Lorraine glanced over the list Raven had printed off the website for her. “This is very advanced magick. Are you sure you want to try this? I have some beginner books if you like—”
“Oh, trust me,” Raven began, hooking her arm around my shoulder and pulling me towards her for a hug, “we’re not beginners here.”
“Ah,” she said unconvinced. “There’s an herbal wall over there. We sell them in bulk here. You’ll take a baggie, put your herbs in separate ones, and label them. Then come to me. I’ll weigh them, and that’s how we’ll get your total for today. If you need any assistance, please let me know.”
She handed the paper back to Raven as she looked us up and down. Before I had a chance to say anything, Raven headed for the far wall with shelves of clear jars filled with all different sorts of plants, seeds, flowers, and leaves.
Leaning into Raven’s ear, I whispered, “Did she seem a little judgmental to you?”
“I felt the same way!” Jess insisted from behind us.
“Oh, come on, guys. Don’t take it so personally. We are a little new to this,” Raven explained. “I’m sure she gets a lot of people in here trying to do all kinds of things she personally doesn’t agree with.”
“I thought you had been here before?” Jess asked as Raven, and I started scooping herbs into small plastic baggies.
“Me? Never. I only know of it because of some of the girls at school. They’re always talking about love spells,” Raven replied, rolling her eyes.
“You mean, witchcraft isn’t your thing?” I asked, surprised.
“There you go with stereotyping me again,” Raven teased. “I may be a heathen, but I’m not a witch.”
Jess and I shrugged at each other as we grabbed the herbs. We had five of them in total as we headed for the front counter, where Lorraine put her book down about candle magick. She sifted through our herbs and weighed them one at a time.
“Do you kids have a tea ball at home?” she asked, finishing up the total.
“Um, what’s that?” I asked, feeling like an idiot in her presence. I didn’t know what it was about her aura, but she was quite intimidating.
“It’s generally a metal mesh ball where you place your loose herbs in to steep the tea
. I have some here. You’re going to need it with all these herbs here,” Lorraine explained, pulling a box off the shelf behind her. “Why are you all so interested in dream telepathy? Most people who come here want a remedy to help with sleep or want to experience lucid dreaming. I haven’t met many people interested in seeing the dreams of others.”
“It’s for a project on Sigmund Freud. For school,” Raven was quick to say. “We’re doing it for research and trying several different techniques.”
“Well, I don’t normally do this for my customers, but there’s something about all of you that has my higher power telling me I should do something to help you,” Lorraine commented. “Tell you what, take this book too. It’s a little more reputable than whatever website you dragged this tea concoction off of. I’m not saying the tea won’t help, but this book is more scientific when it comes to understanding the sleep process and dreams. It also talks about Freud and his theories.”
“Uh, thanks,” I said, taking the book from here and placing it in the bag. I took out my wallet and paid her for everything as we left the shop. As we stepped outside into the cool air, I shivered. It wasn’t from the cold, but from the weird feeling I had inside that store.
It was dark now, the streetlights illuminating the parking lot as we headed for our car. We jumped in and sat for a moment before turning on the engine. Jess and I were thinking the same thing. Now, we had to go home and face our mother. I pulled out of the parking lot to make the trek back home as Raven sorted through our haul of goods.
“That was really nice of her about the book,” she remarked.
“I still had to pay for it,” I pointed out. “She could’ve been trying to upsell us. I feel like a sucker.”
“But she wasn’t wrong about it,” Raven replied, flipping through the pages. “It does seem like there’s a lot of valuable information in here. I think you should read it.”
“Sure, I’ll get right on that. Somewhere in between being murdered by my parents and saving kidnapped kids,” I mocked.
“Ais, you’re being pessimistic about this,” Jess said from the back seat, reaching for the book as Raven passed it back to her. “This may help you figure out how to control your ability and not just for what we’re trying to do now. Wouldn’t you want to be able to sleep without being in another person’s dream for once? You might be able to create your own dreams.”