“What happened last night?”
Jaden sighed. I knew she was feeling conflicted about betraying Shaylee’s trust, but I needed to know what happened and I carefully conveyed to her the urgency I felt. As quietly as she could, she told me everything she knew about Shaylee’s dream.
“You should have heard her scream,” Jaden said, finishing the story. “It was the worst sound I’ve ever heard. She’d never admit it, but she was truly terrified.”
“And it was a dream within a dream?”
“Yeah. That’s how she described it,” Jaden verified.
I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall above the door. I had over an hour before my next class with Shaylee. I contemplated discussing things with Andrew then, but I knew that would never work. Shaylee would be suspicious, not to mention the other students. I couldn’t risk it.
“I’m going to disappear for a while. I have to talk to Drew about this. If I don’t make it back by lunch, tell Shaylee I got detention or something,” I whispered.
I knew detention as a weak excuse, but it was the first thing I could think of and I wasn’t about to sit around thinking up something better.
“Detention?” Jaden scoffed.
“It’s all I can come up with right now.”
I went to stand, but Jaden grabbed my arm.
“Aaron, I can’t save her from the dreams, but I’ll protect her while you’re gone.”
I nodded, overwhelmed by the emotion with which she spoke and the emotions I was feeling. I left the classroom and went down the hallway towards Andrew’s classroom, making a brief stop in the detention room. It was an understatement to say that Ms. Archer was surprised to see me.
The bell rang just as I reached Andrew’s door. I listened to him take the attendance of his freshman class, something he never did with the seniors. Once the class filed out, I went in. Andrew looked up from the papers on his desk when he noticed me.
“We need to talk,” I told him. “In private.”
“What’s wrong?” he asked, instantly concerned.
“In private,” I insisted.
He nodded. He left instructions on the board for his next class. I hated knowing that Shaylee would be on her own when she arrived.
“If anyone asks,” I told him. “You caught me skipping class and gave me detention. I refused to go back to class so you took me to detention yourself and stayed because Ms. Archer was missing. She will corroborate your story.”
“If you’re going to so much trouble to hide that we’re having a private meeting, I’m not sure I want to know what this is about,” Andrew said, looking even more concerned.
I kept my thoughts to myself until we got to his apartment. It wasn’t until we were behind the locked door and Andrew was sitting in his recliner that I felt secure enough for our conversation.
“What is all of this about?” he asked, once I’d taken a seat.
I stood up again, having only been seated for a few seconds. I began pacing back and forth. I ran a hand through my hair, trying to find some kind of outlet for my nervous energy.
“Shaylee had a dream last night,” I said.
“Yes. We’ve already discussed that she’s been having dreams.”
“No, you don’t understand. This wasn’t a typical dream. It started as one, but then it morphed into something else. Jaden had to shake her awake as she was screaming.”
“Screaming?” he asked, leaning forward in his chair.
“Jaden said she was terrified,” I replied.
I stopped pacing to watch his reaction. He looked even more worried than I felt. He could sense just as I did that there was something sinister going on.
“Please, tell me everything,” he said.
I told him everything I’d learned from Jaden. I also told him about what had happened at dinner. As I spoke, I watched, as the color drained from Andrew’s face. When I finished, he got up and crossed the room to his bookshelf. I sat down, unwilling to nervously fidget any more than I already had. It took Andrew several minutes to find the book he wanted, eroding what little patience I had.
“In the dream, you’re sure he touched her?” he asked, carrying the book back to his chair. He sat back down in his chair and opened the book, flipping through the pages.
“Yes. Shaylee said it burned her skin when he grabbed her.”
I began tapping my foot in anticipation as Andrew read and I became increasingly agitated as the seconds passed. When he finally looked up at me, I saw that he was paler than ever and sweat had developed on his brow.
“The Council knows she’s here,” he said.
“What do you mean?” I asked, feeling sick.
“It was a Dream Spell.”
“It can’t be. You have to be wrong. That’s old magic. It was banished long ago.”
“That may be, but the I am certain it was a Dream Spell.” Looking back at his book, he continued, “The spell was outlawed for everyone but a member of the Council or someone of higher rank. Since we know it wasn’t you…”
“I should go,” I said, jumping to my feet and moving towards the door. “If I leave, they’ll have no reason to suspect anything. I can convince them that she’s just a human and not worth the effort.”
“No, Aaron,” Andrew said, blocking my way. “It’s far too late for that. Whoever it is has already made the connection. The Warrior that was here must have seen to much and the Council assigned someone to track her. That’s what the spell does. You enter someone’s dreams and create a connection to them that is nearly impossible to sever. Then you can track them anywhere. If you make physical contact in the dream it burns the victim’s skin.” He paused for a moment, allowing me to contemplate this information. “If you leave now it will only make her more vulnerable. Not to mention what it would actually do to Shaylee if you left now.”
I knew Andrew was right. Leaving would only make things worse. Shaylee needed me
