Destined for Dreams: Book One

by Ginna Moran

  Someone clears their throat and I turn my head in the direction of the traffic. A tall, well-built man with his dark brown hair pulled back into a small bun stands on the sidewalk facing me. “Let the girl go and I won’t kill you,” he says, glaring, crinkling his dull brown eyes.

  I shake my head. “This is a misunderstanding.” I glide a foot back and immediately regret the action. I was careless for not being more aware of my footing. From the way his eyebrows arch, I know he noticed my fluid, unnatural motion.

  “Keep your hands down and walk to me slowly. I’m not gonna hurt you.” His accent is subtle, but noticeable, and creepier with the way he reaches into his long jacket.

  I see the glint of a knife before he even shows it. I can’t catch my breath and my world closes around me, making it hard to focus on anything but the sparkle of the blade. This man isn’t just some Good Samaritan. He’s an HPA agent. I recognize his knife. It’s like the one that killed my mother and it’s going to be the one that kills me, too.

  10. CAN'T STAY FOREVER

  HUNTER

  “Oh, my god.” Jacqueline’s words ring out through the car and she unbuckles her seatbelt.

  Nadia pushes Alyssa against the wall and a man in an all black uniform slides from in between cars and walks past us without a second glance. He stands in the mouth of the alley, blocking Nadia and Alyssa in, and he reaches for the knife attached to the weaponry belt hidden under his long jacket.

  “Don’t just sit here. Do something!”

  “Like what? He has a knife. He’ll kill us all,” Jacqueline thinks.

  “No, he’ll kill your friends if you don’t do something.”

  Jacqueline opens her door, but doesn’t get out. “He’ll kill me if I do.”

  NADIA

  I brace myself as the agent struts closer. He smiles and wags his eyebrows as he pulls his concealed knife from under his jacket and twirls it between his hands. He’s trying to intimidate me. I’m not going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry.

  “Don’t hurt her!” Alyssa rushes the agent with a broken brick. She throws it and hits his chest.

  He laughs and grabs her arm. “Do you even know who you’re dealing with? I’m trying to help you.”

  A scream rips from my throat, echoing off the walls, and I find myself flying forward. I crash into the man’s back and he stumbles, losing his balance, and we both fall to the ground. The man jerks his elbow behind him and hits me in the ribs and I cry out. The wind is knocked from me and I can’t breathe. I roll to my side and press my back against the brick wall of the building. Loose gravel embeds in my cheek and all I can do is watch as the man jumps to his feet and goes after Alyssa because she keeps throwing whatever she finds at him.

  Alyssa dodges the knife with such grace and agility that she could easily run to safety if she wanted to. She manages to slide past him and deeper into the alley. If she’d just turn and run, she could escape, but instead, her eyes shift to mine.

  “Go,” I mouth. I’m useless until I can get back to my feet.

  In that split second, the man launches at Alyssa and grazes the knife along her arm. She jumps backwards and hits her back on the opposite wall. I watch in horror as the man jabs at her again, almost stabbing her shoulder, but she drops to her knees and rams into the man’s legs, knocking him down.

  It takes everything in me to find my footing and get up. The man should have less of an advantage facing two people, but he does have a weapon. I search the alley as Alyssa dances out of the reach of the agent and I spot an empty bottle a few feet away.

  I pick it up and smash the bottle over the man’s head. He huffs and swivels, grabbing my arm. I scream and stab the broken bottleneck into his shoulder and he tightens his grip, yanking me onto him.

  “I don’t really want to hurt you, girl,” he says to Alyssa.

  Alyssa clutches her arm. “Yet you won’t stop waving your knife around.”

  The man’s fingers dig into my arm. “Seriously, if you just walk away, no one gets hurt.”

  Alyssa stares past the man to me and she holds my eyes while she says, “Okay.” I blink to keep my tears from spilling. It’s what I want her to do, but it doesn’t hurt any less. I’d rather die knowing that my best friend is alive and safe than die knowing that she died with me.

  The man relaxes and pulls me up with him, aiming the knife at Alyssa before training it against my neck. The blade is cold on my bare skin and he walks backwards with me against him toward the opening of the alley.

  “I’m sorry, Lys,” I say. I close my eyes. I can’t bear the thought of her watching me die.

  “Let her go!”

  HUNTER

  The agent spins while holding Nadia, and keeps his knife trained on her neck. With a single jerk of his arm, he could kill her.

  The agent grins. “Now why would I do that?”

  Jacqueline meanders forward, with her arms raised in a non-threatening manner. “Because she’s not the one you should be afraid of.”

  Alyssa jumps on the agent’s back and throws him off balance and he releases Nadia. Nadia falls to her knees and Alyssa runs to her friend.

  Jacqueline rushes the agent and grips his arm and digs her nails into his skin. The agent freezes and stares into Jacqueline’s eyes. She glares and tugs him closer to her until they’re only a foot apart.

  “I have a deal with Dr. Sullivan,” Jacqueline whispers. “The board will be furious if you mess up their plan.”

  The man scowls. “You lying monster.”

  “I don’t think he knows, Jacqueline,” I say.

  Jacqueline ignores me. “Are you willing to find out?”

  The man pushes Jacqueline and she stumbles back and hits the wall. He jerks his arm up, his knife aimed at Jacqueline’s chest, and when he steps forward, Nadia screams. The world shifts as Jacqueline turns and Nadia throws herself at the agent. She’s inhumanely fast, her feet not touching the ground, but the agent manages to grab her hair. He thrusts her head back, presses his knife to her alabaster skin, and then Jacqueline turns away.

  NADIA

  My neck stings as the agent’s blade nicks my skin. I should’ve run. Alyssa and I could’ve made it back to the car, but I couldn’t leave Jacqueline. It wouldn’t have been right. If Jacqueline dies, Hunter would die too.

  I close my eyes.

  “Nadi, no!” I swear it’s my father’s voice.

  The man’s chest hits my back and we fall forward and collide with the ground. His heavy weight is yanked off me and I gasp for air. The man moans and I blink a dozen times to regain my vision. The world spins as someone pulls me to my feet.

  Alyssa’s green eyes are wide, startled, and stare past me and into the alley. My mouth falls open and my heart nearly explodes at the sight of my father wrestling the man to the ground. My father’s arms are so fast, they almost blur as he fights the man into submission.

  Without looking up, he yells, “Run! Get out of here!”

  “I don’t want to leave you!” I cry.

  He glances at me, his eyebrows pointed in anger. “Alyssa, get her out of here. This isn’t the only agent.”

  Jacqueline runs ahead of us and Alyssa drags me from the alley and back to the car. She pushes me onto the backseat next to Jacqueline and then rushes to the driver’s side and hops in. She starts the engine and merges into traffic and even though I can’t see what’s happening in the alley, I stare at the entrance, hoping to see my father come out. By the time we pass through the construction zone, no one has come out of the alley, and Alyssa turns left, leaving my father behind with an agent trained to kill him.

  HUNTER

  “I think your mother lied about our deal,” Jacqueline thinks. She twists her fingers together. “She was never going to give me my freedom.”

  “You don’t know that. The board isn’t always so open with their plans.”

  “At least I don’t have to worry about them now.”

  I want to yell. “Must be nice t
o not have to worry about what happens next.”

  Jacqueline ignores me. She shifts in her seat and looks at Nadia. “You saved my life,” she says to her.

  Alyssa looks at us in the rearview mirror. “I think we kind of all saved each other.”

  Nadia doesn’t say a word. She leans her head back and stares at the roof of the car. Her hands shake on her lap and she doesn’t move. Jacqueline reaches over and touches Nadia’s knee and Nadia glances over at us in her peripheral vision and then looks back at the roof.

  Not only did an HPA agent murder her mother, the fight with the agent today rattled Nadia so much that I’m sure she’ll never agree to help me if she finds out that my mom is a board member. She’ll take Jacqueline’s side and I’ll be living out the rest of my life as a body-less soul with the worst luck.

  I hate the HPA.

  I hate my mom.

  I hate my life.

  NADIA

  We make it back to the compound in time to find Mr. Soto heading toward the guest apartment. Jacqueline stays with him and I stroll next to Alyssa as we walk around the perimeter of the compound.

  I can’t stop thinking about how I almost died today. I would’ve died if my father wouldn’t have showed up to save us. I’m confused about Jacqueline, too. She put her own life in danger so I’d have a fighting chance. She didn’t have to do that. Now my head and my heart are at constant battle over whether or not I should visit Hunter again. You promised him...

  I push Hunter’s image from my mind. “Is my father going to be okay? I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to him because of me,” I say.

  She bumps my shoulder. “He’ll be back by morning. We were really lucky he was in the city.”

  I blink tears from my eyes. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve seen my father and having him rescue me in a back alley was not ideal. He’s going to be furious. My hands tremble. “I was so stupid for getting out of the car.”

  She touches the cut on her arm. “You were scared.” She tilts her face to the darkening sky.

  I purse my lips. “Still an idiot though.”

  “Just a little,” she says.

  We both laugh and it calms my nerves. It feels so normal and makes today feel like it never happened and was something I saw in someone else’s head.

  We reach the steps to the dormitory and Alyssa turns to me. “I’m going to go to the dining hall. I’m starving. Join me?”

  I cross my arms. “Rain check? I’ve had enough excitement for one day.”

  Alyssa laughs and touches my shoulder one more time before breaking away and heading toward the dining hall.

  The lobby is silent, the television off, and I glide down the hallway toward my room.

  The fight with the agent completely drained me. I haven’t been this scared since I was a little girl. Memories of my mother flood my mind and I envision the way her daisy yellow hair smelled like coconut and how she had small crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes from how much smiling she did. She never stopped smiling, even at the very end. It’ll haunt me forever.

  Hunger suddenly burns in my stomach and I touch my feet to the floor and bend over, clutching my knees. The feeling hits me hard and fast, and sweat breaks out on my forehead as I sense someone sleeping in the room next to Alyssa’s. It’s always been empty and I’m thrown off guard by its new inhabitant.

  I know it’s Jacqueline without having to open the door. Mr. Soto must’ve assigned her this room when we left her with him, and she moved in while Alyssa and I were walking around. I knock and wait a second to see if it disturbs her. She’s too tired to wake completely. Her dream beckons me and before I can stop myself, I’m opening the door.

  Her dark, curly hair sticks out from under her green comforter and she’s in such a deep sleep, I doubt anything could wake her. Today wore her out just as much as it did me. Her exhaustion makes going into her dream easy. It was only a matter of time before I caught her sleeping again. My mouth waters in anticipation.

  I shut the door behind me, glide across the room, and hover over her. I roll her onto her back and press my cool fingers to her temples. I close my eyes and my stomach flips as the world shifts. When I open my eyes, I’m in her dream.

  HUNTER

  I sit on the tailgate of an old truck parked in the empty lot of a gas station. In front of me is an endless desert about to be hit by a thunderstorm. Dark clouds churn over the infinite stretch of dry ground and a bright streak of lightning sparks in the distance. I feel Nadia before she shimmers into view.

  She’s wearing a pale gray dress that’s cinched at her waist, hugging the curves of her hips. Her long, white hair hangs loosely down her back and her bare feet don’t touch the pavement as she glides closer like a hauntingly beautiful spirit.

  I pat the spot next to me, but she doesn’t sit down. She stares at me for a moment and then looks up at the storm brewing in the sky. Thunder claps and lighting strikes a power line, creating a shower of sparkles.

  And then it starts raining.

  Nadia stares at the water dripping off her hands. Her eyebrows furrow and her lips are puckered in a pout. Melancholy grips her tightly and the rain streaming down her cheeks could be tears. She looks so lost and helpless, a victim of grief.

  “I was so frustrated I couldn’t help you today,” I say after a minute. “I don’t know what I’d have done if something happened to you.”

  She tilts her head back and lets rain pelt her face. “I almost got Jacqueline killed.”

  “Why did you save her?”

  Her eyes meet mine and she presses her lips together. “I don’t know. All I could think about was you.”

  She pushes her wet hair from her face. She saved Jacqueline because of me. I don’t know what to say. She’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met. Jacqueline and I are strangers to her and she faced one of her own personal fears head on so that we could live. I’m grateful, but guilty. What would she say if she found out the truth about me? She’ll hate me.

  I cup my hands and let them fill with rainwater. “Are you doing this?” I ask. I need to change the subject.

  She shrugs. “Does it bother you?”

  I just shake my head. I don’t want to risk saying the wrong thing. I’ll let her lead the conversation now and just be here and let her get to know me on her own terms. It may be the only way she’ll forgive me for my association to the HPA. At least I hope she will. After a moment I finally say, “I miss the rain.”

  Her eyes drop to the wet ground. She looks beautiful even when she’s sad and I sit quietly and watch as the rain pelts her face and drips off her chin. It’s strange how real the dream feels and looks. I can almost forget that it’s all just within Jacqueline’s imagination. But maybe this is my new reality. I’m not sure I’ll be free again.

  I push the morbid feelings away.

  Right now, Jacqueline doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is that Nadia’s here and she hasn’t forgotten about me.

  NADIA

  Hunter reaches out and touches my hand. I look at him and stare at the earnestness in his hazel eyes. His dark hair slicks against his forehead and water streams down his face. His cheeks and neck are shadowed in day old stubble and his green T-shirt sticks to his stomach, showing off the ridges of his abs. He hasn’t changed much since the last time I saw him and it helps me believe that he is who he says he is and he’s not manipulating his true self.

  The memories of seeing my mother’s memorial stone replay in my mind and I can’t help but wonder if Hunter has one, too. The body can only live so long without a life force. I’m afraid to tell him what I suspect. I don’t think I can handle watching him grieve when I’m reliving the grief of my mother all over again.

  I cup his chin. “I can make it stop if it’s too painful thinking about what you’re missing.”

  He tips his head toward the sky. “I like pretending I’m whole again.”

  “Can you be?” It’s easier to tiptoe around what I really want
to ask.

  He shrugs. “If Jacqueline would just take me home.”

  “So you have a body?”

  He nods. “Looks just like this.” He waves his hand from his chest to his feet. “I’m sure someone is taking care of it for me.”

  I puff a breath of air through my lips. “Who?”

  Sirens ring out in the distance and I turn to face the two-lane road separating the gas station from the barren desert. Jacqueline’s nightmare is kicking into motion regardless of whether or not I do anything. My presence alone is enough to mess with her head. The rainstorm probably didn’t help either.

  “You’re leaving me, aren’t you?” Hunter asks.

  I meet his gaze and nod. “I don’t have a choice. I can’t stay here forever.”

  Jacqueline’s presence draws near and within a few seconds an old Camaro barrels into the empty parking lot. I smile seeing the fear in Jacqueline’s eyes when she sees me and I wonder who she’s imagining me to be.

  I turn to touch Hunter’s shoulder once more, but he’s already gone. I turn back and face my dreamer. A white van pulls up behind the Camaro and blocks Jacqueline in. She can’t do anything and she can’t run.

  The taste of sweet chocolate floods my mouth when I touch the hood of the car and it explodes into flames. The sky above begins to crack and I can’t help smiling as I destroy the rest of Jacqueline’s dream.

  11. UNLOCKING SECRETS

  HUNTER

  The moment Nadia left, emptiness settled into my soul. I wasted time letting her control everything. What if she thinks this is just a game? Like escaping to the dream world to hang out with me is for entertainment purposes only. What if she gets bored and doesn’t come back? What if she tells someone about me? I might go crazy thinking about all my questions.