The Dream Deceiver
Page 17
Her heart ached as she focused on her mom, thinking of her name and her face, allowing every feeling attached to come through.
Desperation kicked in as Rhiannon remained suspended, unable to find a stream of consciousness to grab onto.
“Mom! MOM!” she called out, fear bubbling up inside of her.
“Mom, where are you? Please, mom, you have to be alive,” she begged as she tried harder to find a trace of her.
“Rhiannon?” a voice called out.
“Mom? Is that you? MOM!” Rhiannon answered frantically.
Rhiannon felt a faint pulling onto her as she focused harder on finding her mom.
A tunnel appeared before Rhiannon; unlike any she’d seen before. The colors were dulled, and the kaleidoscope-like imagery moved almost in slow motion.
Without hesitation, Rhiannon charged ahead into the tunnel, towards the growing sensation of her mother being near.
When she finally found her way through, Rhiannon found herself back in front of her childhood home. The door before her opened, and out walked her mom, looking slightly older than she remembered, and exhausted.
“Mom…” she said, her voice coming out barely above a whisper.
“Rhiannon? Is that you?” her mom asked, voice weak.
“Mom!” Rhiannon exclaimed as she ran towards her, arms outstretched.
“Oh Rhiannon, it is you. My baby, Rhiannon,” her mom said as she embraced her, “how is this happening? How are you here? Please, God, don’t let this be a trick.”
“It’s really me mommy, it’s me, Rhiannon! I can’t believe it. You’re alive,” Rhiannon said, sobbing uncontrollably into her mother’s neck.
“I’ve prayed for this day for so long, I wanted to come to you, but they have me on these drugs that inhibit my powers,” her mom said, also crying.
Rhiannon pulled back and swallowed her tears at her mother’s admission.
“Who has you? I’m here to find that out so I can get you back,” Rhiannon asked.
“Adira and Arion,” she said as if the names left a bad taste in her mouth, “but sweetie, I don’t want you putting yourself into danger. What are you planning?”
“Don’t worry mom, I’m not alone. I have friends…no a family…they’re helping me, and I will get you back. Do you know where they’re keeping you?” Rhiannon answered.
“The last place I remember them taking me was to their house, but not the main house. They have a shed in the back, but it leads to an underground area,” she replied.
“Okay, that’s perfect. Hang in there, okay. I’m going to get you back,” Rhiannon said, hugging her mom tightly.
“Just be careful, sweetie. And before you go, can you stay a bit and just tell me how your life has been? How long have I been away from you, I’ve lost all track of time,” her mom said as she held Rhiannon.
“Oh mommy…it’s been eight years,” Rhiannon said, feeling angry for the lost time.
“Eight years! That means you’re an adult now…I’ve missed everything…” she said sadly.
“Not everything, there’s going to be so much more, and we are going to go through it together. My life has been blessed in spite of everything. Lilyette has been my ride-or-die through everything, and now I have a boyfriend that I love,” Rhiannon said.
“Oberon!?” her mom asked concerned.
“No, his name is Kalen, I’ll introduce you to him once I get you back. He’s great, mom. He’s got to be the most understanding person I’ve ever met,” Rhiannon replied, “there’s so much to catch you up on. But right now, I have to hurry back. There’s a lot happening right now, and I promise I’ll explain it all.”
“Okay sweetie,” her mom said, pulling her in for another tight hug.
“I’ll come back, mommy. I don’t know how quickly we will be able to get you out of there, but I will come back and see you tomorrow night either way,” Rhiannon said, not wanting to let her go.
“I love you so much, and I am so amazed at what a beautiful and clearly strong young woman you have grown into.”
“I love you too, mommy.”
“Be safe, my baby, okay? No matter what happens, just be safe, and don’t take any unnecessary risks.”
“I promise mommy, and you be safe too. I didn’t come this far to find you, just to lose you all over again.”
“Pinky promise?” her mom said, holding up her pinky like they used to do when Rhiannon was a small girl.
“Pinky promise!” Rhiannon said as she wrapped her pinky around her mom’s and smiled lovingly at her.
“Alright, good. Now you go, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow!” Rhiannon said as she squeezed her mom tight once more before forcing herself awake.
Rhiannon woke up and immediately hugged Kalen and began crying.
“Shh…shh…it’s okay,” Kalen said softly as he held her close and petted her hair.
“She’s alive, I can’t believe it, I just saw my mom,” Rhiannon cried, feeling sadness and happiness all at once.
“I know, and we are going to get her back,” Kalen reassured.
Lilyette crawled into the bed behind Rhiannon, tears of her own streaming down her face, and hugged her from the other side becoming the big spoon.
“This is the best news,” Lilyette said between tears.
“Police or not, we have to get her back,” Rhiannon said, turning to hug Lilyette.
“We will, no matter what,” Lilyette said.
Thank you, God, thank you, Rhiannon prayed to herself as she left the emotions from the past few days wash out of her as she was held by Kalen and Lilyette.
“My mom is alive,” she muttered happily, “My mommy is alive.”
End of The Dream Thief: Book 2 of The Dream Weaver Series
Keep an eye out for Book 3 – the electrifying conclusion!
Learn more about Chantae Oliver and get updates on future projects by going to:
www.ChantaeOliver.com
There, you can check out the interactive Hada Academy site, get series updates, and connect with the author.
Acknowledgments
While writing book one, I was so stressed out for years as I considered putting my passion out to the world and worrying about the reception I’d get.
So many people stepped up and supported me, and it’s been so unexpected and such a blessing.
I hope each one of you knows how much your love and support has helped with my confidence and pushed me forward towards this journey.
God has brought so many amazing people in my life! Thank you all!
Special thanks go out to my lovely beta readers; the talented Logan Keys who continues to produce insane covers for my books; my patient and amazingly supportive husband Kyle; and my boys who inspire me every day to be better and work harder.
About the Author
Chantae Oliver has lived a life seeing the world with constant travel and interactions with different people and cultures. She has both a strong sense of wanderlust and a passion for writing stories and poems that readers around the world can relate to.
As someone who is mixed race, Chantae grew up a book worm who unfortunately often felt underrepresented. As the literary world expands its’ representation, Chantae hopes to join in by including people of different backgrounds, mentalities, abilities, and physical presences.
In addition to working on her book series, she writes poetry, paints, plays Dungeons and Dragons, reads, does daily devotionals and raises her two precious boys.