He nodded. "Fair enough, Victor. I didn't trust you, but I do now, and I need you to trust me."
I thought about the distrust that I had felt toward the man. Slowly I nodded. A thought suddenly hit me, and I blurted, "Wait. Can you hear my thoughts?"
He shook his head. "No. It's more like I get a sense of what you are feeling but not the actual words."
I breathed a sigh of relief. Thorn gave me an amused smile. "What?" I asked the irritating man.
"Something you want to tell me?" Thorn asked as he eyed me curiously.
I said firmly, "No. So, when are we going to this alleged cottage?"
"No time like the present," Thorn replied.
Mrs. Durant was considerably less receptive to the idea than Oliver was when Thorn informed his family that we were taking our leave. After much coaxing, Mrs. Durant agreed the cottage was probably better suited to Thorn's condition. She packed up a couple meals’ worth of food for us and helped get it all loaded into Thorn's truck. Oliver helped me get my stuff and anything Thorn might need from upstairs. It seemed odd that a couple weeks ago these people had been strangers to me.
I had to admit I felt infinitely more relaxed when we reached the cottage. After everything had been stored away, we spent a couple hours lounging on a sofa in the cottage's study. We were watching hockey and tossing a spongy ball back and forth. It felt weirdly perfect. I had never spent much time just sharing space with people in an intimate setting other than my immediate family.
Thorn's favorite team was the Colorado Avalanche, and mine was the New Jersey Devils. I found it amusing to talk hockey with the man. He knew a lot about the teams and their histories, so we went back and forth giving each other a hard time about our team choices as we watched random rerun hockey games on TV.
It was probably a sad statement on my life, but the afternoon at Thorn's cottage was one of the happiest that I had experienced up until that point. We did not talk about charms, magic, or anything of the sort. We just existed. When we were tired, we rested, and when we felt like it, we talked.
I think one of the reasons I liked talking with Thorn was that I rarely had the opportunity to do so with others. I had to keep my guard up. I liked Ginger and even Oliver, but around them, I had my guard up somewhat as well.
Thorn, however, put me at ease. We both had our secrets. We understood what the magical life could be like. He worked well under pressure. We both had the same sarcastic sense of humor that seemed to come out the more stress we were put under. We worked together in an oddly nice way.
He was my friend. That was what I called him in my head. Was that even something you called people out loud? Was that just for Hallmark cards? Did you just walk up to people and say that to them out of the blue? I had no idea.
Thorn's phone rang sometimes. Occasionally it was Oliver, but more often it was members of the band or their manager. It reminded me that he had a life outside of all of this. I envied that, but I could feel the layers he put up when he became the Thorn that was the band front man. Thorn pushed himself up to a sitting position and sighed as he hung up from another call from the band manager. "Hungry?" he asked.
I shrugged. "A bit. Want me to go grab some plates and bring the food in here?"
"Sure," Thorn said and winced as he propped his foot up on a pillow. Surprisingly, his cast was holding together pretty well after having been out in the snow. Then again, mine had taken a bit of that snow as well when he tackled me, and it was faring fine.
A short time later, we sat eating some baked chicken and potato salad. We didn’t really speak, but it was a nice silence. The TV was droning on in the background. After we had eaten and gotten things cleared away, Thorn made his way across the hallway from the study into his own bedroom. It was chaotically filled with guitars, a desk, and shelves filled with books. The bed alone was tidy and neat, which seemed out of place.
"I haven't gotten around to cleaning out Gram's room, but it is usable if you want to crash there," Thorn said.
"I can just sleep on the couch."
"With that cast?" Thorn asked in amusement. "Besides, I think it might be better if you slept in here just in case you decide to take another walk."
I laughed. "You aren't going to tie me to the bed, are you? I can see what you'll tell Oliver about that."
Thorn chuckled and shook his finger at me. "That's tempting, if just for the look on Oliver's face, but I don't think it’ll be necessary."
The bed was plenty big enough for the two of us, I had to admit. It looked to be at least a queen size. I turned away from the bed and eyed the dresser. I walked over to it and pulled the top drawer open. Inside laid a necklace, but not the one that I’d seen in my dream.
Thorn came over and peered into the dresser. "It's not in there," he said as he guessed what I was looking for. He unbuttoned the top button of his shirt and pulled the other necklace out. "I took it off after Grams died, but a few months back, I started wearing it again."
I reached out and touched the necklace pendant with my fingertips. "I've seen this symbol before in my grandmother's things," I said softly.
"It's one my family has used for generations to signify our relationship with our power and our duty to it. Family, power, duty," Thorn replied quietly.
I nodded. "It meant something different to my grandmother, but symbols always do." I shrugged and let my arm drop back to my side. "I don't suppose we’re going to get any word on whether they've managed to clear the mine entrances and find Donna's body."
"I doubt they’ve managed to get in yet, but maybe tomorrow." Thorn sat down on the bed, probably to relieve the pressure on his ankle. "Something definitely didn’t want us leaving," he said.
"Or someone," I opined as I sat down beside him. "Do you really think it was intentional?"
He nodded. "The cave-in happened as we were about to step out. It happened again as we got to the second entrance. That's too much of a coincidence. I don't know why anything would want to trap us, though."
"Maybe to force our hand and make us find the river," I offered.
He sighed. "Doesn't make much sense either way. Trapping me does not make me cooperative."
"Me either," I said with a snicker.
Thorn nodded toward the drawer. "Grab that old necklace out of the drawer, would you?"
I did as I was asked, then sat back down and handed him the necklace. It had a singular crescent moon. He put it in his hands and muttered over it, but I couldn’t quite catch the words. "What did you do?" I asked curiously when he finished and lifted the necklace up to look at it.
"This is an old necklace of mine that I had before I got my tri-crescent. I put a ward on it to hopefully keep anyone from compelling you further. You truly should have a protection ward of some kind on you. Doesn't your family do that?" Thorn asked curiously.
"They probably do, but I didn't really stick around, as you know," I said as I reminded him of our talk in the mine tunnels. He nodded and held the necklace out to me. I put the silver chain around my neck, and it felt cold against my skin. "Thanks," I said.
"Part of the job," Thorn said offhandedly. "Let's get some rest." He eased back on the bed and sighed in relief when he was stretched out.
I laughed and climbed over him, then I collapsed onto the free space. "Much better than your mother's couch," I complimented.
"Thanks a lot." Thorn laughed. "Now go to sleep."
I shivered and muttered about how I hated my dreams as I ran through the snow. I knew what was going to happen. The gunshots and the cold came. I fell into the snow and bled out. I sank into the warmth, and it enveloped me. I felt so warm that it was almost uncomfortable. I noticed someone near me. I forced my eyes open in the dream, and Thorn was standing there staring at me. "I'm still asleep, aren't I?" I asked warily.
"Probably," he said as he raised a mug to his lips.
I cursed and looked around. We were in the cottage's kitchen. I peered out the window. It was not snowing. It was sunny;
I saw flowers, and butterflies fluttered by. The air coming in the window was warm. "What season is it?" I asked cautiously.
"Summer," Thorn said simply. "Better get dressed—Ginger and her brood will be by in a bit."
"Brood?" I asked absentmindedly.
Thorn laughed and pulled me away from the window. I stilled as the man leaned over and gave me a kiss. Then I was kissing him back. It might only have been a dream, but I rarely had pleasant dreams, so I could excuse the subject matter. I woke up with a start and blinked in the darkness of the bedroom. Thorn shifted next to me, and I blushed, remembering.
"Can I ask you something?" Thorn's voice came to me calmly in the dark.
I sighed. "No."
"Was that your dream or mine?" Thorn asked warily.
I rubbed my face. "What dream are we talking about?" I was stalling. I could admit that.
"The one where Ginger had kids and I was kissing you," Thorn said.
Rolling over, I eyed the man's form and reached over to click the lamp on beside me. "Wait a minute; were you aware of what was going on but unable to do anything about it, or were you aware and capable of interacting?"
Thorn rolled toward me and eyed me back. "Does this matter?"
"Of course it does." I sighed.
Thorn chuckled. "I was aware but unable to interact until the end of the dream."
“The end of the dream?" I asked hesitantly.
"That moment when the dream starts to shift. I can only seem to do anything during those intervals in dreams where we’re connected," Thorn explained.
"That gets easier with time," I assured him. "Lucid dreaming just takes practice."
He nodded. "It's not a big deal, you know?"
"The dream? I know," I assured him.
I left the lamp on and settled down on the bed again. He asked, "Is this the first time you've had a dream like that—I mean, with me?"
I laughed and confirmed, "Yes, it is."
"Just curious. Sweet dreams," Thorn said as he chuckled.
I rolled my eyes at the irritating blond. I knew psychologically that the dream was probably an extension of the growing feelings of connection I had with him. It was still embarrassing to know that he’d seen it, and it took a long time for me to fall back asleep.
There was a bright sun overhead in the dream that I found myself within. I looked around; Thorn was there. I sighed and walked past him. He fell into step beside me as I glanced around the wooded area. "Where are we headed?" Thorn asked, and I ignored him.
I didn't know if he was actually Thorn or just a dream-Thorn. I was not interested in a repeat embarrassing dream. I’d walked for a long time before I realized that wherever I was, the forest was endless. The dream shifted, and I fought it but eventually succumbed to its pull as the dream faded. When the dream re-solidified, I was in a crowd. There were the sounds of a guitar and cheering. I looked up into the lights that shone on a stage in front of me.
The stage was in a park filled with people. There was a rhythmic song playing, and I tried to move through the crowd. I seemed to be getting nowhere. I caught glimpses of Thorn on stage. The dream melted, and I startled as I found myself in bed again. I could not tell if I was awake or not. "Am I awake?" I asked quietly.
"No," Thorn said groggily.
I looked around, and the room looked tidy. I was probably still asleep. I nudged the blond. "Are you…you-you? Or are you dream-you?" I asked, and he rolled over.
He sighed up at me. "I don't know."
I laughed. "I don't know how to tell the difference."
"How’d you know it was really me in the cave?" Thorn asked.
I thought about it. "I don't know. It felt different."
“How does it feel right now?" he asked curiously.
"It feels like—the dream is shifting." The dream blurred and then reformed. I could tell right away that this wasn’t my dream. I had probably forced a connection into Thorn's dream by trying to sense the man. He was sitting in the grass. It was a peaceful dream. I came over cautiously and sat down next to him. He looked over at me and then up at the clouds.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
Definitely the real Thorn. I chuckled. "I was just in the neighborhood."
"Got tired of kissing me in your dreams?" Thorn asked as he stared up at the clouds.
I agreed, "Yeah, it got old."
"I think there's a way to break the connection," Thorn said softly. "I was dreaming about Grams earlier, and I remembered she told me once that..." He trailed off. "I'm sorry."
"For?" I asked hesitantly.
"We were meant to have a connection, and that's why when we met and touched that first time, you started seeing my name and such everywhere."
"What?" I asked, but I felt myself waking up. I sat up in bed, and Thorn roused up a few seconds later. "Was that a real dream?" I asked him.
"Yes." Thorn rolled out of bed and hobbled over to the dresser. He rummaged around in the drawers for a bit before he brought a leather-bound book over and dropped it on the bed. "This is an old journal of mine from when I was younger—much younger. Grams gave it to me and told me to fill it with whatever came to mind or heart."
I opened it up and thumbed through it, smiling at the childish drawings filling the pages. I leafed through them and stopped on a page that held a drawing of what could’ve been me around age 12. I peered closely at it. Under the drawing was scrawled, "Victor."
"I had forgotten it," Thorn said, as if to explain. He sat down on the bed. "I thought you were imaginary."
I looked through it and stopped on a few more pages that held things that looked familiar or referenced my coming to Carver's Corner. "You knew I was coming here," I mumbled. "What does that mean?"
"It means that we had a connection long before you reached out to me. It does happen. Maybe that's why you answered the dreamer's call that brought you here to begin with. I think our connection put you in this position, and I'm sorry for that," Thorn said honestly.
My eyes met his, and I shook my head. "Don't be. It means a lot just to know I have a connection to someone out here in the universe."
"Grams did mention a way to break soul connections, but I'm not sure how it would work if we had a preexisting connection," Thorn said.
My assurance was swift. "There's nothing to apologize for. We don't have to be friends if you don't want, but I just don't think I could bear to lose the connection. That might seem silly, but it's nice to have someone that for once I can be myself around."
Thorn watched me with sad gray eyes. "I understand that. It isn't like we can run from a soul connection, anyway. You’re stuck with me."
"Damn," I said in mock suffering. "So, about this plan to go to the sheriff's office. Are we doing that today?" I asked hesitantly.
Thorn said, "It isn't really day yet." He nodded toward the window, which showed that it was still dark outside.
"You know what I meant," I said.
He gave me a grin. "Yes, I guess we will. That is, if he’s in."
I felt so cold suddenly. I saw Thorn's expression change, and he grabbed me as my eyes rolled back in my head. I felt myself falling, and then Thorn had me. We landed in a heap on the bed. When the world righted, I blinked up at Thorn's concerned face. "What happened?" I asked in confusion.
"You blacked out," he replied. "Has that happened before?"
“Yeah," I said. "Once. When I first met you. I had this sensation of cold, and then it was like the ground was moving under me. I got the cold sensation another time but didn't pass out."
Thorn eyed me thoughtfully. "Was there a connection between the times?"
“Not that I can think of. Maybe I was tired and hadn't eaten. I’d been up the night before with nightmares." I rubbed my face. Thorn was still leaned over me, and we were lying absurdly close to each other, but I didn’t feel awkward about that.
"Maybe that's it. You were using your powers a lot. It probably takes a lot for you to keep that up for ext
ended periods, just like my powers."
"Maybe. I honestly haven't done much to develop and work with my powers, so being here is pretty much the most I've actively used them," I admitted sheepishly.
He said softly, "With the relationship you have with your powers, I find that reasonable."
"I don't even know how to shut them off so I can sleep without dream-walking," I said in frustration.
His chuckle was near my ear as he leaned his forehead against the pillow. "Well, I usually find that wearing myself out physically tempers the chance of my using my powers without intention."
"Thanks, but I don't really feel like exercising right now," I said dismissively.
I felt his hair brush my face as he shook his head. "Tap into my power," he said coaxingly.
For a moment I hesitated; then I reached out mentally, and after a second there was a presence that I realized was Thorn. I gasped as I felt the sensations wash over me. He rolled over onto his back. The connection sparked and flared with the flow of our emotions. "What the hell am I feeling?" I asked.
"My life," Thorn said in a whisper.
I reached out, and his hand met mine. "I think I can handle the telekinesis better than this," I admitted.
His chuckle was delirious. "Can't have just the fun parts," he admonished.
"I'm not exactly equipped to deal with this power," I reminded him.
We rolled over and faced each other. "I feel that all the time, only I don't usually get the feedback loop like I do through this connection," he said honestly.
"Well, I think I understand you better now. No wonder you’re so grumpy all the time," I said with a laugh.
He chuckled too. "It can get to a person, but that's why I’ve been training most of my life to control it."
"You know, just feeling your powers for a bit wears me out," I replied. "I think I'll take my lot of random dream-walking."
Thorn chuckled as he rolled over onto his back. "Sweet dreams, then."
EIGHT
I dreamed. I knew I was dreaming. My nightmare flashed by me, and then I was running in the forest. Gunshots. I awoke with a start and looked around. I did not know where I was for a moment, then I felt Thorn shift beside me, and I lay back down.
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