by M. Kircher
Gabe grins at me when I tug on the sleeve of his T-shirt for, like, the twentieth time, and a bit of cheese falls out of the corner of his lips. "It's all right, Em," he says around a mouthful of Swiss, and then he swallows. "You can relax. I feel fine now."
I snatch my hand back, embarrassed. "I know," I retort and cross my arms. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mom and Evan smiling at us. The sun is just starting to peek through the trees, and I can't believe school will be starting in just a few hours. How can everything be so normal all of a sudden?
"What I want to know—" proclaims Gabe as he chases his sandwich down with a slow sip of water, "—is how you found us, Ms. Dal Monte? And what were you and Evan doing all that time?"
Evan clears his throat nervously. He's been suspiciously quiet since Mom and I woke him up, but they keep sharing these looks. And I notice his hand has found its way to the small of Mom's back.
"Yeah," I pipe up, giving Mom the evil eye. "What were you guys up to while we were…er…missing?" Mom's awake now, and she promises it's for good, but I still don't totally trust her. It's going to take some time before she and I get back to the way things were. I hope they can, though. I'm so tired of being the adult in this family.
"What a good question, kids," Evan replies.
Ugh. I'm glad he's alive, of course, but the man gets on my last nerve. He talks as though he's such an important know-it-all. I try to plaster a neutral expression on my face and listen to him drone on. And why is he answering instead of Mom? I asked her the question.
"After Lily saw the two of you being sucked away by the wasps and out of the dream, her memory returned, and she was frantic. She had just seen her daughter attacked by a giant swarm of insects, and she had no idea where you'd gone."
"I felt like I was going to lose my mind all over again," Mom chimes in.
"But I remembered what you told me, Emily." Evan pushes his glasses up on his nose. "About how Lily was the only one who could control the dreams because she was the one dreaming them. So, just before the church dissolved completely into wasps…"
I see Mom shudder, and I can't blame her. I'd rather not think about that particular moment either.
"He took me by the shoulders, gave me a good shake, and told me I had to save my daughter," Mom darts a soft glance at him. "He treated me like I was strong, like I could save you all on my own." She sits a bit straighter and beams. "And I did! I thought of the one dream you'd know so well we'd be able to find one another in it; the first book, True North. And it worked!"
I can tell Mom is super pleased with herself, but I'm not quite sure how I feel about this Evan thing. There's obviously something going between the two of them.
Mom takes my hand, and then she takes Evan's as well, and now I feel way more uncomfortable than I did just a moment ago. Gabe is watching this entire exchange with an interested expression on his face as he chows down on sandwich number three.
"Emily," Mom tells me seriously. "Things are going to be different from now on, I promise. You won't have to take care of me anymore. I'm going to stop dreamwalking and be a real mother to you. I want you to be a teenager again. You need some time to be free and maybe just a bit wildly irresponsible. You need to get out more, like perhaps on a date." Mom shoots me a little conspiratorial wink, and I choke on my own saliva.
"Ack, ugh. Um, okay. Sure, I mean we can definitely work on it." I don't know what else to say. I try not to look at Gabe. We haven't had a moment alone since he woke up, and I have no idea where he and I stand.
Mom beams at me and then at Evan. "And of course I'll be writing my own books from now on," she says sweetly. "I told him everything, Emily."
Evan grins back at Mom, and the two of them look completely ridiculous. Old people love is so gross.
"Don't worry, Emily," Evan assures me without taking his eyes off my mother. "I won't tell anyone at the Agency about your and Lily's…arrangement. In fact—" he leans toward me as if we're about to share a secret, "—I might be able to get you a publishing deal of your own. You're a fantastic writer, young lady, and being the daughter of a famous author will definitely help things along."
I squint at him. "So you're not going to rat us out?"
Evan shakes his head and gives Mom's hand a squeeze. "No." He gazes into her blue eyes. "I don't care what kind of genetic code you have, as long as I can take your mother out on a nice, normal date once in a while."
"Done," Mom agrees cheerfully.
I bounce my eyes away in embarrassment. This is getting just a smidge too weird for me. I'm glad Mom seems to finally be over Dad, but does she have to jump right into things with Evan, of all people?
I try to focus on Gabe instead of my mother's love life. And I realize I've been stroking the back of his neck with my fingers during this entire conversation. I hastily pull my hand away and tuck it awkwardly under my thighs.
"And, uh, what about you, Gabe?" I ask nervously. "You going to spill the beans to your folks?"
"No," Gabe answers. "Of course not."
"Speaking of parents," Mom jumps in, "aren't yours going to be worried about you Gabe? Should I give them a call? Tell them you're okay?"
Gabe finishes his sandwich and wipes the crumbs on the legs of his dark jeans. He stands up and grabs a couple of empty glasses off the coffee table. "Don't worry about my parents, Ms. Dal Monte. They're hardly ever home. I'm sure they haven't even noticed I'm gone."
Mom seems uneasy about this. "If you're sure…"
Gabe nods firmly. "I'm sure. It'll be totally fine. But I think I'm going to head on back to my place now, anyways. I know I've been asleep and all, but I'm totally beat. Should I just stick these in the kitchen?" He holds up the empty glasses, and inside I'm starting to panic.
Is he just going to leave without saying goodbye? Are we together? Did he mean what he said to me in the garden, or was it just some sort of near-death verbal vomit? My heart clenches in my chest. I told him I loved him. How could I have been so dumb?
Mom shakes her head. "You don't have to worry about cleaning up. Emily and I will take care of it later. Just go home and get some rest. And thank you for all your bravery and help, young man. I owe you my life."
"It's no problem," Gabe insists, standing up. "Em," he says with a definite glint in his eye. "Want to help?"
Okay, so maybe there's some hope left. Maybe I haven't totally alienated him.
"Yes," I answer quickly and hop off the couch. "You going to be okay, Mom?"
"Of course," she answers, and she gives my arm a pat. "Go ahead and walk Gabe out. Evan and I have things to discuss, like my upcoming book tour."
Gabe nudges my leg with the toe of his shoe and flicks his head in the direction of the kitchen.
"Come on." He shoots me a wicked grin that has my heart melting right into the bottom of my sneakers. I don't care if I'm an idiot to hope he still has feelings for me — I'll follow this guy anywhere.
Chapter Thirty-Five
"So," Gabe begins as he places the empty glasses down in the sink. He faces me and leans on the counter. "You going to take Evan up on his offer?"
I shake my head. "I dunno. Probably not." Is this all we're going to talk about?
"Why not?"
I walk over to the sink and stick the dirty sandwich plates next to the cups. I'm trying to act cool, but inside my heart is sinking. "What would I write about? All the stories before were based off of Mom's dreams. I didn't come up with a single plot or character on my own."
"Yeah, but you're the one who wrote them all down. You figured out the right words to say."
I shrug and stare at the tiles, not sure where Gabe's going with this. "I mean, maybe I will," I tell him. "I guess I'll have to think about it." I shove my hands into my pockets and my fingers hit a square piece of metal — Gabe's music pod. I dig it out and hand it to him. "Here, I totally forgot to give this back to you. You know, with everything that happened."
I hand him the pod and he slips it into the
back pocket of his jeans without a word. Then he fishes around inside his jacket and pulls out my pod. He presses it into my waiting palm and his touch is like fire on my skin.
I glance up and see him smiling at me, as though we've just participated in some kind of secret ritual. My heart hammers inside my chest.
He is so hot, I don't think I can stand much more of this. My stomach is filled with thousands of butterflies, and my palms are sweaty. I can't seem to stop thinking about how good his lips felt against mine when we kissed in the dream. I'm so lost in my tortured thoughts, I don't even realize Gabe's been talking to me until he stoops down and stares straight into my eyes.
"Huh? What?" I ask guiltily, and cross my arms.
"Hey, what's with you?" he asks. When I don't say anything, he just shakes his head. "I said, inking a book deal could get you out of Futures. You'd definitely know what you were going to do after school, and you wouldn't have to go through all those ridiculous meetings."
Seriously? I want to scream at him. I'm dying inside here, wondering about the two of us, and all you can think about is some dumb school thing?
But now that he's brought up school, I realize how naïve I'm being. I'm still a dreamwalker, with some pretty serious secrets to keep. There's no way Gabe and I could ever be together. It would draw too much attention to me — Steph and her posse of popular girls would make sure of that. She'd never forgive me if I showed up at school on Gabe's arm, the only guy who has ever turned her down. Gabe and Evan might know our secret, but that doesn't mean I can trust the rest of the world to be so understanding.
"Yeah, you're right," I agree vaguely as Gabe takes my elbow and steers me out of the kitchen and toward the front door. When we get there I punch in the security code. The deadbolts slide out of place, and the door glides open. A cool fall breeze wafts inside the house, and Gabe and I step out into the soft light of sunrise. The trees surrounding the house make a dappled pattern on the walkway as we stroll down to the stone steps.
This is it then. This is the end of something that never even got the chance to start. I try to figure out how not to burst into tears.
We get to top of the steps, and I'm starting to wonder if he's going to leave me standing here without saying anything at all. Then he angles his body back around so that I have to tilt my head up to look at him. He reaches down and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. I can't help it — my breath hitches when he touches me, and my heart starts pounding.
Say something, say something, my mind screams at him, but my lips are frozen shut. Gabe reaches up, and I watch silently as he unscrews one of the small hoops in his eyebrow.
He takes the hoop and carefully puts it into the tiny hole in my left earlobe. "There. It looks good on you."
I gulp. "What does it mean, what you just did?" I can't quite keep the tremble out of my voice. I've gained a mother today, which is huge. So I'm trying to convince myself nothing else should matter.
"What does it mean?" Gabe asks, his voice going all deep and husky, and my insides instantly become a warm, gooey mess. He moves closer to me and leans down so our noses are almost touching. I feel like I'm going to pass out. "It means—" his voice is barely a whisper now, "—I want to be with you, Emily Dal Monte. And I'm hoping you feel the same way."
"You mean you don't care that I'm a freak?" I try to say the words in a normal voice, but the only thing that comes out of my mouth is this horrible, high-pitched squeak. Gabe rubs the tip of his nose back and forth across my cheek. I can't breathe. I can't think.
Instead of answering my question, Gabe cups his hands around my face and pulls me in. He crushes me against him, and his mouth devours mine. I squeak again, but this time it's a happy squeak, and I'm instantly lost in the incredible taste of Gabriel Sobel.
"But—" I try to protest and break the kiss. I'm still not sure he understands what being with me means. He doesn't know how much he will have to hide.
"Em, just shut up." Gabe sighs and claims my mouth again.
Oh my, his lips are like candy. I decide to stop trying to fight this amazing moment, and instead I twine my fingers into his dark hair. I pull him even closer to me, and we spend the next couple of minutes oblivious to the rest of the world.
When Gabe finally pulls away, there's a huge grin on his face. I have completely ruined his spiky Mohawk, and his lips are red and swollen from where I've managed a nibble or two.
I'm all warm inside despite the brisk fall air. And I'm quite sure my face has never been such a brilliant shade of pink in all my life. Gabe rocks on his heels and shoves his hands inside the pockets of his leather jacket. It's amazing how fond I've grown of the old thing in the past couple of days.
He yawns. "I guess I should be hitting up the next train home." He winks at me. "All this sleeping has made me exhausted."
I grin back at him. "I'm sure it has."
Gabe stoops down and gives me one last soft kiss on the cheek. And then he takes off down the steps and disappears into the trees.
I sigh a happy sigh and do a little 'I've got a hot boyfriend' dance I hope no one will ever see. It's all going to change tomorrow, I think to myself as I head back up toward the house. I have my mom back, a cute guy I'm in love with, and a million things to consider about my future. I have no way of knowing if any of it is going to turn out okay, but I don't care. I'm a dreamwalker, and I can't wait for my new life to start.
The End
About the Author
M. KIRCHER graduated with a B.A. in Fine Arts from Gordon College. She devours YA, science fiction, fantasy, and romance on a regular basis and is immensely happy to pour her time and energy into creating stories for other people to enjoy. Bob Ross and J.R.R. Tolkien tie for her two favorite people of all time.
M. Kircher lives in Connecticut with her husband and two children.
Also from Astraea Press
Chapter One
Neighbors
Bright headlights turning the corner interrupted my study of the constellations. Who would be roaming my neighborhood at three in the morning? I sat up and felt the rough shingles brush against my bare calves. I looked over the edge of the roof and watched the car as it passed. It pulled into the driveway at the house Celia had moved out of last month. Had it sold?
The car’s headlamps turned off, and a man stepped out from the driver’s side. He glanced right, then left, and walked over to the streetlight and placed a hand on the metal post. The bulb flickered before going out completely. The light from further down the street was fine. Had he done something to this one? Impossible. It had to be a fluke.
The passenger door opened, and I realized the car’s interior lights weren’t on. A second man got out. Though I couldn’t see him as clearly as the first, there was enough light to make out a few things. His body appeared big and strong, but something about it gave me the impression of youth. He couldn’t be more than twenty, a thought my seventeen-year-old mind found intriguing. He did a visual sweep of the area and walked toward the two-story house. He pulled keys out and opened the front door, then disappeared inside while the first man moved back to the idling car.
The lights in the house turned on one by one as if the guy inside were entering each room. Soon the stranger exited the house and strode purposefully toward the car. He slowed as he neared it then looked directly at me. Gooseflesh covered my arms, and I held my breath as if that could keep me hidden. It would be impossible for him to see me in the dark, but I didn’t move a muscle just in case. He motioned for the other man to join him then pointed at my roof. The first guy shook his head, and after a moment the younger man turned to the car.
He opened the back door and helped a young woman out of the car. He rushed her to the house, and the two disappeared inside. A second woman got out of the car while the man who’d touched the lamppost opened the trunk. They grabbed luggage and vanished into the house, leaving me once again alone with my stars.
****
“Mom, did you know someone moved
into Celia’s house?” I asked.
“Really? I hadn't heard it sold.” Mom put a plate in the dishwasher. “Grab that cup for me, Holly.”
I handed her the cup, trying to cover a huge yawn. “I saw some people go in there last night.”
“Maybe we should take them a plate of cookies to welcome them to the neighborhood.” Mom pulled ingredients out of the cupboard and set them on the counter. “We’ll make some after work.”
I shook my head. “Mom, we can’t do that.”
Mom looked at me as if I was crazy. “Of course we can. We do that for all the new neighbors.”
“But these people are…” I couldn’t help thinking of the light going out or the way the one guy had seemed to look right at me. “Different.”
“I’m sure they are just like anyone else.” Mom went about her normal morning ritual, and I knew it would be useless to argue about the cookies.
