Fearless Dreamer

by Linda Marr

  “Troy!” I held out my arms to him. “You’re walking,” I said, amazed. “It took me weeks.”

  “He’s a miracle glitch,” Kavan said, smiling.

  This time the word didn’t bother me at all. I was stunned - Troy was such a frail little kid in the donor world. And here he was in his new life already standing. He looked stronger, taller. And Troy’s hair. The bowl cut was gone. He looked like any other regular kid.

  “I wanted to see you right away, but Kavan said you needed to rest,” Troy told me as he climbed up on my bed. “I wasn’t too scared when Charles carried me to the car. It was just like you told me it would be.”

  “Did the light hurt your eyes?” I asked Troy, remembering.

  “Just for a little. But it’s okay. This place is nice, too. It looks pretty much like home.”

  I hugged him again. Home. I had to tell him about our parents. But when? I didn’t have a chance to figure that out because Troy asked the question I was dreading.

  “When are mom and dad coming?”

  My smile faded, and my heart began thumping wildly.

  “Troy. I have to talk to you about them -”

  My mouth went dry, how could I possibly tell him they were gone. I couldn’t speak.

  Kavan stepped in. “They didn’t want to wake up, Troy. We’re both so sad that they’re not here. But they wanted you and Elle to be happy.”

  Troy looked from Kavan to me, his eyes wide and solemn. “So they’re not ever coming?”

  I shook my head. “I’m sorry they can’t. They’re gone.”

  Tears welled up in Troy’s eyes. “What about Jayne?”

  I hesitated. “She’s with mom and dad,” I said.

  Troy thought for a moment. “I’ll miss them so much, but we’ll be okay, won’t we Elle?” Troy swiped the tears off his face.

  I nodded. “You’re just like your name,” I told him softly. “You really are a trooper, Troy.” I took him in my arms.

  I knew he’d be all right here. I know I would be, too. We’d both be strong and happy, for ourselves, and for our parents. They gave us our donor lives. And now we’d taken real ones.

  ***

  After I tucked Troy into bed that night, Kavan and I went to Kavan’s room supposedly to play cards like we always did. But what we wanted was just to be alone together.

  I looked at Kavan in the dim light of his room. I wanted to kiss him again. I wanted him to know I cared as much as he did.

  He was so close to me. I could feel the heat of his body, and that was all I could think about. His face so close to mine. His soft lips.

  “Everything’s okay,” he whispered.

  “More than okay,” I whispered back.

  And he kissed me, long and deep. It was what I’d been waiting for tonight. To feel his lips so sweet against my own again. I moved into his embrace.

  “Elle,” he whispered, “I don’t want to rush you. You’ve been through so much.”

  “And you think not kissing me will somehow make it easier?” I could hear the beat of his heart in the stillness of his room. All I wanted was for him to kiss me again.

  “I think it would make things less complicated,” he said.

  “I don’t want it to be less complicated,” and I meant it with all my heart.

  And he kissed me again.

  This time our lips held, and I felt as connected to him as I did when we were dream walking. For the moment, we were one.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Jeff told me he didn’t want me to dream walk for a while.

  “I won’t go near my old life,” I tried to reassure him, “My parents are gone and there’s no reason to return.”

  “I believe you, Elle.” Jeff continued, “but we can’t take the chance that you won’t wake up. I wasn’t sure you could this last time.”

  “That was different!” I protested. “I stayed too long, and I would never do that again.”

  Jeff put his hand on my shoulder to silence me. “Besides, Elle, a few things have changed.”

  “Like what?”

  Jeff paused. “We have another dream walker.”

  My eyes widened. I thought dream walkers were extremely rare. Now they had another?

  “Two dream walkers is more than enough for our needs. And we want to keep you safe.”

  “I will be safe,” my voice sounded as anxious as I felt. “Why can’t this new dream walker go help another rescue group?” The solution seemed simple.

  “No. This dream walker is going to be the best we’ve ever had. And he belongs right here.”

  A cold feeling spread through my body. I stared at Jeff, “Are you sending me away?” Everything I trusted, everything I’d come to love was going to be taken away from me, again?

  “No, Elle, of course not,” Jeff said hastily. “Your home is here with us. You just won’t dream walk.”

  Not dream walk? I bit my lips. That was who I was. If they didn’t want me to dream walk then they didn’t want me. I felt the old anger rising.

  I would have liked to tell Jeff it didn’t matter, that I’d be fine with another rescue group, that I was ready to pack my bags and leave. But I’d done that once. And I just couldn’t do it again. Troy was here. And I could never leave Kavan.

  Jeff was still talking, but I couldn’t really understand what he was saying. “Besides being concerned for your safety, we don’t want you burning the candle at both ends.”

  “What?” I forced myself to focus.

  “We need you fresh during the day. If you agree, we want you to start training in the surveillance room.”

  The surveillance room? Had I heard him right?

  “I know you’re still young. But that means we have years to train you, an advantage I wish I’d had when I took over the farmhouse. You’ll have time to get to know everything about this place before you’re in charge.”

  “Me? In charge?” I asked incredulously.

  “When you’re older,” Jeff said, “of course.”

  “You want me to be in charge of the farmhouse?”

  “I can’t run things forever. And yes, you’re my choice.”

  “How can you know I’d be any good at it?”

  Wasn’t I the opposite of someone who should be in charge? I was the one who forced Kavan to take me to my donor parents when he wasn’t supposed to. I deserted the farmhouse by running away, and I refused to be pulled back when I was with my mom dream walking. I wasn’t exactly the model type to ever take over for Jeff. I wasn’t very good at following the rules. But he obviously thought differently.

  “You have all the qualities, Elle. You’re able to bounce back from tremendous losses and you’re usually pretty level headed.”

  “Seriously?”

  He grinned. “You have the true qualities of a leader. I saw it in your determination to walk again. To bring your family here. To rescue them. No matter what hard choices you had to make.”

  “But I ran away -”

  “Even when you didn’t listen to me and you left. I saw a leader.”

  “And you want me to start my training now?”

  “I wouldn’t have brought it up so soon, but I didn’t expect to have another dream walker here. I knew giving it up would be a sacrifice, and I want you to understand the reasons why I’m asking you.”

  I nodded again. I felt I should be saying something but it was hard to find my voice. “Thank you. For believing in me and for-for everything. But giving up dream walking - I don’t know if I can.”

  “Elle. From what I’ve seen, you can do pretty much anything you put your mind to.”

  But did I want to put my mind to this? To giving up this gift, even if it was to take over the farm house one day?

  “We love you, Elle. You must know that,” Jeff said.

  No, I wasn’t sure that I did, until now.

  And while I still wasn’t sure I could give up dream walking, just hearing Jeff’s words, I knew I’d try.All the same I had a question -

>   “So who is the new dream walker?”

  Jeff smiled. “It’s someone you know quite well. Troy.”

  “My brother?” He was so young. I couldn’t believe it.

  But before Jeff could reply, there was the sound of sirens from outside. We both froze.

  The kitchen door slammed open and Kavan burst in. “Police cars coming up the driveway.”

  Kavan grabbed my hand. We raced into the hall, as the adult donors crowded over to the surveillance room elevator. Charles and a few others carried the newer donors who couldn’t walk yet.

  Kavan dashed to the front window and peered out. “It’s that detective from before. There’s more men with him this time.”

  I looked around frantically. “Where’s Troy?” I asked. “We have to hide him! If it’s the same detective, he’ll never believe Troy’s visiting. He’ll want to know where he lives.”

  “He must be still upstairs,” Kavan said.

  I didn’t lose a second. I flew up the stairs, and into Troy’s room. He was looking out the window. Looking like a normal seven year old boy, not like the talented new dream walker I knew he was.

  “What are the police doing here?” he asked curiously.

  “Shh. Don’t say anything. We can’t let them know you’re here.”

  I picked him up and flew back down the stairs. I was heading for the elevator, but the doors were already closed.

  Kavan was still looking out the window “The detective’s coming up the sidewalk. He’s almost to the front door.”

  I pulled Troy into the elevator closet and desperately pressed the button to recall it.

  Someone knocked on the front door. I pressed the button over and over, but it still wasn’t coming.

  “Elle,” Jeff stepped up behind me and whispered, “leave Troy in there and come out. They already locked the elevator off.”

  The knocking was louder.

  Kavan moved away from the window. “We have to let him in.”

  Troy looked up at me, his eyes wide. I leaned down and whispered, “You’ll be okay. Just stay here and don’t make a sound.”

  My heart was pounding as I hurried out of the closet. I said a silent prayer that Troy would be safe.

  “Elle.”

  I turned to look at Kavan. “In case this is it,” he said.

  Jeff was opening the front door.

  “Don’t say that,” I said.

  But he leaned in and gave me another kiss. Short, sweet, and incredibly tender. There was no way this was going to be our last kiss. I wouldn’t let it be.

  “Just so you remember,” he said. “I always want you to remember.”

  Detective Chapin stepped inside. As he gazed back and forth between us, I glanced down, not wanting to meet his eyes.

  When I looked away from Kavan, I saw - the door to the elevator closet was open a crack. How had that happened? And then I noticed, to my horror, Troy’s shirt was caught in the gap. I stepped closer to the door to block anyone’s view of him.

  “Sorry to bother you again,” said the detective not looking sorry at all. His suit was rumpled and the shadows under his green eyes were dark. “But I’m not going to play around. We have evidence this is a rescue operation, and that you have a donor living here.”

  “Donor? Last time you said you were looking for illegal aliens,” Jeff replied. “What’s a donor?”

  Detective Chapin snorted. “Very believable.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope. Inside was a crumpled flower. “A Sunrise Dream rose. Exclusive to your greenhouses. This was found at the scene of a bombing at a donor center.”

  I tried not to gasp. Charles was at the donor center rescuing Troy. The flower must’ve fallen out of his pocket.

  Jeff’s face was blank. “Anybody could have bought that. That flower may be exclusively grown here, but we do sell them.”

  “Maybe. But this…” Detective Chapin put the envelope away, “this is enough to get a court order to tear your farmhouse apart.” He pointed toward the living room. “Now, if you’ll kindly step in there, we won’t be leaving until we find what we’re looking for.”

  But I couldn’t move, I’d positioned myself so Troy wouldn’t be seen. They’d find him if I moved. And the elevator, and the others. I couldn’t let that happen and I could only think of one way to stop it.

  “You don’t need to search,” I said.

  Kavan let out a sharp, low whistle.

  “I was at that center, the one that blew up.”

  “What are you talking about?” Jeff’s voice was hard.

  I didn’t pay attention to either of them. My eyes were focused on Detective Chapin.

  “You? What were you doing there?” The detective’s green eyes bore into mine.

  I pressed my lips tight before I finally replied.

  “I can’t tell you in front of them.” I nodded toward the others. “They don’t know what’s going on. I haven’t been able to tell them.”

  “Elle. What are you talking about?” Jeff’s voice was louder.

  Detective Chapin looked at him. “Both of you. Go in the living room now or I’ll have my men escort you.”

  “You can’t question my daughter, alone.” Jeff stepped closer. “I won’t let you.”

  “Please…” I looked up at Jeff, “please… dad…” That was the first time I’d called him that. It felt right, it felt like the only thing left to say that wasn’t a lie. “I need to tell the detective what I did.”

  Jeff looked stunned.

  Kavan moved to his side, his face white with shock. Their reactions were perfect. It would make what I had to say easier to believe.

  Detective Chapin said more softly, “Go into the living room. Your daughter and I won’t do anything except talk.”

  I waited until they left then I looked up at the detective.

  “What were you doing at the center?” Chapin pulled out his computer notepad.

  “I thought I’d be able to rescue my parents.”

  “Your parents?” The detective’s green eyes were blank.

  I wanted to tell him I was a donor. But of course I couldn’t say the word out loud, and I couldn’t show him. But I could tell him to find out for himself.

  “Look for yourself,” I said. I looked down at the edge of my tee shirt. “You have to lift it. I can’t.”

  “I’m not going to touch your tee shirt, young lady,” he said severely.

  “I’m not just a young lady. I’m something else, and I think you know exactly what I am.”

  He hesitated, his eyes dark. But after a long moment, he leaned forward, and carefully raised the edge of my shirt.

  I could see the strain on his face. He didn’t want to do this, it made him uncomfortable. But he was someone who wanted to know the truth.

  And there it was. My stomach. Flat and smooth. No navel. He stared for a second, his brow furrowed. Then slowly he dropped my tee shirt and backed away.

  I nodded towards the living room. “I think I was rescued a long time ago. I was really little and I don’t remember much. I was dumped out somewhere, like in a field. My dad found me and adopted me. Nobody really ever knew what was wrong with me, why my stomach was like this.”

  “What were you doing at the donor center?”

  “Some men came here to the farmhouse looking for work, and asked to stay for a while. One day they saw me playing soccer, and my shirt bunched up, I guess.” I indicated my stomach, “They started to tell me all kinds of things. About who I was and what they were going to do for people like me.”

  I went on to describe Hector and Gideon, and their bombs. The whole time, Detective Chapin kept typing in his notebook.

  “I could barely believe what they told me, but if what they said was true, I knew I had to try to find my parents before…” I stopped. Tears rolled down my face as I thought about my parent’s deaths. I wasn’t acting now.

  “Why didn’t you ask your adopted father for help?”

  “I couldn�
�t tell him for some reason. I couldn’t tell anyone. Anytime I tried I just… couldn’t… get the words out. Like I can’t right now.”

  Detective Chapin nodded. He must’ve known that part of my story was true. “The center’s in the city. How’d you get there?”

  “I got that bike. For my birthday.”

  Detective Chapin’s face was unreadable. I wished that if he was going to arrest me he’d hurry up and do it. I was worried about how long Troy could stand in the closet without moving.

  Jeff once told me the authorities kill donors. Well, I was prepared to die if it meant saving my brother and protecting the people at the farmhouse who loved me. And who I loved. Like Kavan.

  Finally, Detective Chapin slid his computer into his pocket. He looked shaken.

  “I won’t take in a child,” his voice was unusually gruff.

  I drew myself up. “I’m not a child.”

  His voice softened. “Yes you are,” he said gently. “I’ve seen what the authorities do. I don’t care what they say. I only bring adults in. They can’t tell me that kids are a threat to us.”

  I held my breath. Was I safe?

  “I know the men you’re describing,” he went on. “We’ll find them. And if they try to contact you, you call me.” He handed me a card. “Don’t speak to anyone else at the station, only me. You understand?”

  I nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  Detective Chapin stared at me intently. “And if they don’t contact you…” He seemed at a loss for words. “You try to forget what you showed me. You try to enjoy being a kid. And growing up. Having a life. And how lucky you are to have people at this farmhouse who love you.”

  With that, Detective Chapin turned on his heel and left.

  I couldn’t move for a moment. Finally, I walked to the front window and looked out.

  The detective was already waving his men back into their cars. And then they were driving away, red tail lights fading into the night.

  I stood there, stunned. I carefully slipped Detective Chapin’s card in my pocket and opened the door to the elevator. Troy was still standing exactly where I’d left him.

  “I was scared for you, Elle,” Troy said.

  “It’s all right now. Let’s go.”

  I took his hand and led him into the living room, where Jeff and Kavan were waiting.