I swallowed hard and fought back the wave of nausea that swept over me. “We have to save Trevor,” I said. “He can’t be lost forever to this. It isn’t fair.” Alex placed his hand on my knee and I welcomed his touch. Even though I wanted to continue to hide my dreams from him, I knew Alex would want to know the truth. He deserved to know the truth. I just wasn’t sure how to bring it up.
“We’ll save him,” Alex said. He gently squeezed my knee. The sensation was reminiscent of when he touched me in my dreams. Right now, he was only trying to comfort me, but the pleasure made me feel guilty.
I hoped Alex was right, but I knew the Dolum in Trevor could go from killing animals to humans at any moment. I really didn’t understand why it hadn’t already started killing humans, but I was thankful for Trevor’s sake. There was still hope for him.
The SUV came to a stop deep within the woods of the Jordan Lake State Park. Alex got out and disappeared into the woods. I unzipped the black duffle bag and noticed the Talon nestled on top of my t-shirt. I stared at it and realized how real all of this was. I had to be able to protect myself. There were Dolums, cerberi, and I didn’t even know what else lay in wait on the other side. I pulled off my sweater and grabbed the black breakaway chain. I slipped the Talon over my head and it fell between my breasts, almost weightless, on my sports bra. Now I wore two protective items: my butterfly necklace to shield me and my Talon to defend me. I shimmied out of my jeans and pulled on my shorts and t-shirt, thankful that the chilly weather didn’t affect me anymore. I grabbed the water bottle from the duffle bag and shut the SUV door with a thud.
From all our trips to the other side, a dirt path had worn into the ground. As I traveled down the path, Alex came out of the woods. “You wearing the Talon?” he asked.
“Of course.” My thumb caught the breakaway chain and I lifted it up for him to see.
We walked into the clearing and headed towards the portal. “Kate, when you’re strong enough, you won’t need the portal to cross over. You’ll be able to cross over at will.”
“Really? The portal isn’t necessary?”
“Not for powerful Asteri. It’s similar to the way you are developing your telekinesis skills. It takes incredible power and concentration, but you will be able to teleport yourself to the other dimension. Most Asteri don’t hone their skills to the necessary level. Portals just make it easier. It’s like the difference between riding a bicycle versus a unicycle. Most people are satisfied with the bicycle and never bother learning how to ride the unicycle.”
“But it’s so cool over there. Why not be able to cross over whenever you want?”
Alex stopped at the portal’s edge and dug the toe of his shoe into the ground. “That’s a great question. The truth is… it can be dangerous. Not just for us, but for the people of this world. When we cross over, we can accidentally bring something back with us. Something may piggy-back on us. Look what happened to Trevor.”
I chewed the inside of my cheek. Trevor was paying for my ignorance. I hadn’t realized the Dolum was piggy-backing on me when we crossed back into our dimension. Hopefully no one else would suffer from my mistake.
“Zoe said you can cross over on your own now,” Alex said.
I smiled. “Watch.” I focused on the shimmery vertical lines and felt their warmth as I stepped into the other dimension.
Alex stepped up beside me. “Very good. You’re a quick learner,” he said with a crooked smile.
“I have excellent teachers.”
“Let’s run and work on telekinesis. Zoe said that’s what you were working on last time.”
I took a swig of water. “Try to keep up.”
“I hear you’re pretty fast. Zoe couldn’t keep up with you.”
“Really?” I set my water bottle on the rock near the lake.
“Yeah, it had to be Nick or me. Nick wanted to look for Trevor.”
“Hmm.” I bit my bottom lip. So that’s the excuse Nick gave. I guess it sounded better than he didn’t want to be with me. “Let’s go.” I gave Alex a cocky grin and took off running. But it seemed that no matter how fast I ran that I couldn’t escape the pain of Nick ending our relationship or the fear of confronting Alex with the truth about my dreams.
As I ran further into the forest, a twig blocked our path. I held out my hand and it flew into my palm. I tossed it into a nearby tree, and it splintered on impact.
“Good,” Alex yelled from behind.
Why was Nick angry at me? This wasn’t my fault. He should have given me my own necklace not a hand-me-down. Of course a magical necklace was going to come with baggage. He clearly hadn’t thought this through.
A large pile of colorful leaves blocked the path. I swiped my hand through the air and they fluttered aside as if they danced on the wind. Tiny twigs cracked under my footsteps. I checked over my shoulder to see if Alex was still there. He ran effortlessly behind me.
I sped up, trying to distance myself from Alex. I didn’t want to have the dream conversation. I didn’t want to talk to him about his past with Sarah. My stomach twisted as I thought about the impending dialogue between us. How would he react? I spied a bigger branch in the path and willed it into my hand. As it flew through the air, I lost control of it. The branch rotated and knocked me in the head. “Ouch!” I yelled. My hands flew to my face as the branch fell to the ground.
In seconds, Alex was at my side. “Let me look at it.” His hands cradled my face. His fingers pressed into my cheek and along my eyebrow. “You’re bleeding.” He held his blood stained index finger up for me to see.
I moved my hand towards my forehead.
“Stop.” Alex blocked my hand. “I’ll fix it.” He brushed his fingers over my wound. Pleasant tingles shot through my head, similar to the sensation I felt when Nick caressed my face after the sledding accident in Asheville. “There. All better.” Alex wiped my head with the bottom of his shirt. Tiny blood splatters marred the hem.
“What did you do?” I reached up and felt for a cut. No blood stained my fingers.
“I healed you.”
“Thanks. I guess you’re a man of many talents.” Nick had done that, healed himself after he fought Ramel and the cerberi.
“You’ll learn that trick. It’s good to know.” Alex’s eyebrows pulled down slightly. Then his face relaxed. “Let’s cut through here. We can get to the lake and swim out to a little island.” Alex jogged down the path. I followed behind. It seemed all I did lately was follow. Follow Nick. Follow Zoe. Follow Alex. When would I lead? Not even lead… when could I make decisions for myself? When could I choose for myself what I wanted? Had I lost my independence when my Asteri heritage kicked in?
The dirt turned to sand and Alex stopped at the edge of the lake. He pulled his shirt over his head and kicked off his shoes. His Rod of Asclepius dangled from the leather cord around his neck. In Greek mythology, the god Asclepius was famous for healing and medicine. In my dream, Alex healed Sarah’s body of horrific wounds. Alex even behaved as if he could save her. If her heart had remained in her body, could he have resurrected her? He seemed to think so. Is that why she sacrificed herself? Did she think he’d save her? Had that been part of her plan? Did it all go horribly wrong?
“Why are you staring at me?” he asked with a smirk.
“Sorry,” I mumbled and yanked off my shoes. “I was just looking at your amulet.” I pulled off my socks. The coarse grains of sand dug into my toes as my feet sank deeper into the moist bank.
“Everyone’s amulet is significant for them. It reveals a little something about their past, their personality.”
Everyone but me. “I’m a butterfly?” I said wryly.
“You’re in transition,” Alex replied softly. “A beautiful creation that is metamorphosing into your true self.”
I nodded, painfully aware that Alex had high hopes for me. What did he hope I would turn into? Or even worse, who did he hope I would turn into? “So that’s the island?” I pointed to a tiny, irregula
r-shaped piece of land jutting out of the water. Wild grasses grew along the shore and taller trees jutted toward the sky in the distance.
“That’s it.” Alex waded into the water. He looked over his shoulder at me. “Come on.” He dove in.
I stepped into the lake. Tiny fish scurried around my toes as my steps disturbed the sand. I dragged my fingers along the water’s surface and watched Alex as he swam towards the island. He’d seen such horrors over his lifetime. How did he survive? How did he move on? My stomach clenched as I thought about telling him what I knew. Why did Nick insist I tell him? What good could possibly come from it? Wouldn’t it be kinder to let someone have their moments… their privacy? Why should I flaunt that I knew his most intimate pain? “No,” I whispered to myself. Nick was wrong. I wasn’t going to tell Alex. I wouldn’t want someone intruding in my life like that.
I dove in. The water saturated my hair and licked my skin. Bright, beautiful fish swam past me. One of the gorgeous manta rays slowly swam below me as I made my way towards the island. These fish were free. Asteri are not free.
As I walked onto the island’s sandy shore, Alex lay on the grassy bank. His arms were tucked under his head. His legs were stretched out in front of him and crossed at the ankles. He looked so relaxed and comfortable.
I sat down and leaned against a tree. I pulled my knees up and clasped my hands around my ankles. Tiny beads of water dripped out of my hair, down my chest, and onto my legs.
He opened one eye and looked at me. “Nice of you to join me.”
“Yeah.” I pulled a long blade of wild grass from the ground and wove it between my fingers.
Alex rolled onto his side. “What’s up with you today? You’re so quiet and morose?”
I tried to move my fingers, but the grass held them tight. “It’s Nick.” I unwove the grass and freed myself. “He’s mad at me.”
“Why?”
“It’s stupid. He’s mad because of the necklace.” I lifted the butterfly and let it fall against my chest.
Alex sat up and crossed his legs. “Really? The necklace is making him mad?” His voice was light and curious.
“Yeah,” I scoffed. I stretched the piece grass between my two hands. “He says we can’t be together anymore. It’s like… over between us. Really over.” My heart wanted to explode. Frustration, anger, and confusion built up inside of me. “Nick said he loved me. That he hadn’t used me, but how can he walk away so easily?” My hands dropped into my lap. The grass tore in two.
Alex squeezed his hands together and let out a loud sigh. “I told Nick to be careful. But I don’t understand what the necklace has to do with it. Why is he angry?”
Alex’s green eyes stared at me. Those eyes that wept over Sarah’s body now burned with curiosity as he waited for my reply, but how could I answer him without saying something that would hurt him? Would Nick really tell Alex the truth if I didn’t? Of course Nick would. “I need a new necklace,” I said softly. “This one is broken.”
Alex smiled and shook his head. “Kate, it works just fine. I can’t see your scintillating glow.”
“That’s not what I mean. It’s confused. It’s showing me things.”
Alex leaned closer. “What do you mean it’s showing you things?”
I breathed deeply and tried to think about the best way to explain this to Alex without giving away the fact that I was inadvertently intruding in his life. “It’s ironic, really. You know how Nick spied on me to protect me. Well… now… in a way, I’ve been spying on Nick. I guess he’s angry because he thinks he’s the only one who can disrespect people’s privacy.” I bit my lip and thought about what I should say. What if Alex abandoned me just like Nick. My heart rate rose as my fear increased.
Alex placed his hand on my shoulder. His thumb stroked lightly across my skin and calmed me. “How could you possibly use the necklace to spy on him? They just don’t work that way.”
Alex wasn’t going to let it go. I had to tell him. Would he still be my friend once he knew? As I played the dreams over in my mind, the emotions became too much. The grief and suffering I witnessed were too much to bear. “I’m so sorry about Sarah. I know you loved her.” Tears flowed down my cheeks. The relief of telling him was tremendous, but the fear of his reaction was terrifying.
Alex’s hand dropped from my arm. He sat straight and tall, his face was an unreadable mask. “Did Nick tell you about Sarah?” he asked in a flat, hushed voice.
I shook my head. “No,” I squeaked out. “It’s this necklace. I saw her die for you.” I leaned forward and touched his leg. “She truly loved you,” I whispered.
Alex’s mouth dropped open and his breath caught in his throat. “You saw her die,” he whispered. Then he stood up and paced. “What else did you see?”
My heart pounded as I debated how much to tell him. “I saw Nick rescue Hayden.” Do I mention Sarah’s burning? No, that’s too much, too painful.
Alex knelt beside me and took my face into his hands. “What else did you see?” He stroked my cheek as his eyes stared into mine. Once again he was searching, attempting to hunt for something deep within me.
His peace flooded my body, and I couldn’t help myself. “I saw Netra try to bring Sarah back to life. She failed,” I whispered. He blinked and wiped at the tears that moistened his eyes. “You wrapped her in white linen and burned her body.”
Alex ran his finger along my lips. Goose bumps broke out on my skin. “So it’s true,” Alex whispered. “After all this time.”
“Yes. I saw all of this.” I pulled away, intimidated by all the emotions that swirled within me. “I need a new necklace.”
“No… No.” Alex shook his head and the faintest smile formed on his lips. “The necklace is perfect. Don’t worry about the dreams. They aren’t harmful. Embrace them.”
What? “The dreams are hurting me!” I jabbed my finger into my chest. “I don’t want to see this stuff. I don’t want to know this stuff. These dreams are ruining my life.”
“How?”
“Nick broke up with me because of these dreams.” I already said that. Pay attention.
“Hmm… Nick.” Alex slowly nodded his head. “I thought you and Nick had already slowed things down.”
Just around you. “Sort of.”
“That was only for my benefit?”
I let out a deep breath, but the stress remained tight between my shoulders.
“I see,” Alex said. “Well, I’m truly sorry that your heart is broken, but perhaps it’s for the best.”
“I wasn’t sure how you’d react.” I shook my head, numb at his response. “I thought you’d be angry, but it feels like you’re happy. Like you’re happy that Nick is mad at me and that I’m having twisted dreams about your past. Why does this make you happy?”
“I have hope.”
“Hope for what?” Confusion mixed with anger swirled inside me. How could he be happy when this whole situation was so messed up?
After a long pause and a very intense stare Alex said, “Hope that Sarah won’t be forgotten. Tell me, in these dreams, do you see things through her point of view or are you only an observer?”
This conversation’s nothing like I expected. “A little of both. I usually see things as an observer.”
“So sometimes you actually see her in the scene?”
I shrugged. “I guess. I’m not really sure. Sometimes she’s there, and sometimes she’s not. I don’t know the answer to that question. Why does it matter?”
One side of Alex’s mouth curved as his eyes roamed over my body. “Have all the dreams been… bad?” he said softly.
I felt the heat rush into my face as I blushed at the implication of that question. “Have all the dreams been bad? No. They haven’t all focused on death.”
“That’s not what I meant.” He chuckled.
“I know what you meant.”
“Good. The next time you have one of those dreams, allow yourself to experience all of it. Try not to w
ake up.”
Ew! “Are you out of your mind?” I gasped. “That’s a little creepy.” Was he going to start asking me about my dreams on a daily basis now? I should’ve listened to my gut. I shouldn’t have told him.
He laughed. “Don’t freak out. I just want you to know what the dreams are trying to tell you. The necklace is trying to communicate with you. Listen to it.”
“Well, I’m not so sure I want to hear what the necklace has to say,” I replied. I braced my hands on my hips. Dreams filled with a little kissing were one thing, but when the dreams turned into a Norman Bates freak show, that’s crossing the line. Then add bloodshed and death to the mix and the dreams were way out of bounds. “But I’ll take your advice under consideration.” I’ll be shutting down those dreams as quickly as possible.
“Good, that would be wise. You’d learn a lot, and it would quicken your transition,” Alex said. His smile lit up his face and he started walking towards the water. “We should go. I have to get you home before dinner.”
We swam back and crossed over. I wanted to leave my problems in the other dimension, but life wasn’t like that. You take your issues with you wherever you go. I couldn’t escape my problems, not even by going to another dimension.
I changed into dry clothes in the SUV. We didn’t talk on the way home, but Alex hummed along to the music and couldn’t stop smiling. He seemed joyful, like someone had just given him the best news ever. In contrast, I drummed my fingers along the car door and looked at him in wonder. What was he so freakin’ happy about?
Alex dropped me off at home. As I walked into the house, the smell of meat sauce, cheese, and garlic made my mouth water. Like a starved puppy, I headed right to the kitchen. “There you are,” Mom said as she pulled a tray of lasagna from the oven. “Grab the plates.”
“You got it.” I pulled open the cupboard and my fingers landed on the plates. “This smells wonderful.” My stomach growled as I headed towards the table. “You did make garlic bread, right?” I looked over my shoulder and saw the butter melting into the Italian bread under the broiler.
Symbiosis (Scintillate Series Book 2) Page 17