Dawn of the Dreamer (Dreamer Trilogy Book 1)

by L. J. Higgins

  Her mum had felt guilty as soon as she realised she, too, had been tricked and lied to by the MMC. She’d been so worried when they advised her that Rose had run away, and she’d been trying desperately to find her ever since. Rose cried again as she explained speaking to Ethan, his happiness and tears, and Sarah and I cuddled her in comfort and told her how happy we were that she would be reunited with her son.

  Unable to drive with her arm still tender, she invited her mother to bring Ethan to the farm to pick her up. She didn’t say it, but she appeared anxious about reuniting with her mother and wanted us there for support. Rose packed her things while she waited excitedly which made my throat ache as I tried to hold back the sadness that grew inside me. I’d always known that Rose would have to leave me eventually to be with her son, but actually watching her pack made it real. We would be friends forever, I knew that. But not having her close by would take some getting used to. Inside the caravan, I sat on the chair across from the bed where she was placing her small collection of things and clothing into a duffle bag.

  Turning around, she held out the long yellow dress I had lent her when she first arrived at Joe and Dawn’s farm. ‘This is yours.’

  ‘Not after seeing it on you! I would never feel good in it again.’

  ‘Thank you.’ She smiled folding it neatly. ‘I will wear these things every time I want to feel close to you all. I’m going to miss everyone like crazy, but especially you, Amelia. You’re the only one who understands everything I’ve been through.’

  Tears welled behind her emerald green eyes. My throat tightened even more. ‘I know. I’m so used to having you around, it just won’t be the same without you. You are an amazing person, Rose. I hope one day I can be half the mother you are to Ethan.’

  ‘You’re amazing yourself, Amelia, and the frustrating part is you don’t even know it. You’re so strong when others need you to be, but open and honest with those you care about and trust.’

  So it wasn’t just Cameron who saw strength in me, Rose saw it too. The things I saw as weaknesses in myself, they saw as strengths. We hugged each other tightly and cried on each other’s shoulders. My beautiful Rose was finally getting her son back, and although I would miss her, I couldn’t wait to finally meet him.

  We tried to busy ourselves on the veranda, but the excited energy Rose exuded had us unsettled. A blue car came up the driveway, kicking up dust behind it, and Rose jumped to her feet enthusiastically. The car pulled up beside the house, and the rest of us stood by the veranda.

  The back door flung open, and a small boy with scruffy chestnut brown hair leapt from it, running to his mother, and she held him tightly with her right arm. They both cried, but their smiles filled their faces giving me goosebumps and bringing on tears of my own.

  She pulled away from him, her right hand on his cheek. ‘I missed you so much.’

  ‘I love you, Mummy.’ It melted my heart, for I knew Rose had desperately wanted to hear those four words again.

  The front door of the car swung open, and sheepishly, an older version of Rose with short grey hair stepped out. Rose stood with her hand on Ethan’s shoulder protectively and looked at her assessing the situation.

  Her mother’s face was filled with guilt, and she looked at Rose’s bandaged shoulder. ‘Oh my goodness, Rosie, are you okay?’

  ‘Yes, Mum, I’m fine. My friends have looked after me.’ Still they stood a few metres apart, unsure what their next move should be.

  ‘Well, can I have a cuddle, or do I have to chase you?’ Rose asked her mother who began to cry as she wrapped her arms around her daughter.

  ‘Mum ... Ethan ... there are some very important people I would like you to meet.’ They turned to face us, and I wiped at the tears that ran over my cheeks.

  ‘This is Sarah, Joe, Cameron, and Mr and Mrs Bailey.’ They hugged and shook hands.

  ‘Who is that, Mum?’ Ethan pointed at me curiously.

  ‘I left her till last because she is a very special friend. That is Amelia. She looked after Mummy while she was away and made sure that I could get back to you.’ I stepped forward as Ethan ran towards me wrapping his arms around my waist.

  ‘Thank you for looking after my mum. I love you, Amelia.’ I understood what it was that Rose loved about hearing those words. They filled up every piece of your heart.

  From Ethan, those three words were pure. When he said it, he meant every word without fear or doubt.

  We sat on the veranda with cups of tea and a piece of cake while Joe and Cameron took Ethan to look at the animals. Once they returned, it was time for Rose to leave.

  She hugged us one at a time.

  ‘Sarah, thank you for lending me you best friend when I needed her the most. And thank you for giving me the chance to be your friend.’ As they hugged, Sarah blushed remembering how jealous she had been when she’d first met Rose.

  ‘Cameron, thank you for fighting when it wasn’t your battle. Now, I can be with my family again. And thank you for looking after my arm.’ Cameron gave her a light kiss on the cheek, scruffing Ethan’s hair and giving him a smile before he stood back.

  ‘Joe, thank you for teaching me to be happy with who I am and listening to me when I needed someone to talk to.’ He hugged her tight and whispered something in her ear. I was thankful that the jealousy I’d carried had slipped away.

  She turned to face me, and my throat clenched tight as tears welled in my eyes.

  ‘Amelia, thank you so much. You arrived when I needed you most, my angel. Please don’t forget how resilient and strong you are, and don’t forget me.’ Again tears began to flow.

  ‘Never.’ It was all I could manage to say before I cuddled her tightly.

  As she hugged me, Ethan wrapped his arms around my waist. It was with a mixture of happiness and sadness, as though a part of me was being taken away, I watched her climb into the car and drive away. Joe, Sarah, Cameron, and I stood together in a line, arms wrapped around each other. Now it was just the four of us.

  Mum cooked us roast pork and vegetables to celebrate Rose’s reunion, and once we were stuffed full, she served each of us a bowl of trifle. On the verge of being sick, I snuck away from the celebrations and onto the front veranda for a moment by myself.

  I’d come so far, but still I hadn’t made some of the biggest decisions I needed to make for myself. My dreams had settled down as Dawn had predicted, and I knew that meant for the moment, my life was up to me.

  The farm would always be a place full of memories, but Sarah and I had made a life in Sandhaven that despite my reclusiveness and terrible job, I’d enjoyed. I loved the beach and being walking distance from most things, and I was sure that finding a good job would be easier with the Wristcuff being recalled.

  ‘Hey, you okay?’ As always, he sat naturally beside me on the bench looking out towards the bright night sky casting shadows across the dusty earth.

  ‘Just clearing my head. It’s been a massive day.’

  I turned to look at him, searching to find the courage to tell him what I had to say. ‘I’ve been thinking about things. About the decisions I need to make now this is all over and one of those decisions is about you. We’ve been through so much together, and I couldn’t imagine not having you in my life ...’

  ‘But ...’ His eyes told me he knew what I wanted to say.

  ‘But I feel as though we have formed a deep friendship. With everything that has happened, that’s all we will ever be.’

  He nodded disappointed but not sad. ‘I’m proud you could make the decision for yourself and not because you felt it would make me happy. You’ve come so far, and I’m just so happy to be a part of your life.’ We hugged tightly as though it would be the last time, and he smiled as he rose and walked back in towards the celebrations. After giving myself a moment, I followed him inside.

  ONE MONTH LATER

  Life had been crazy since the MMC had been shut down and the video was posted online. The media searched for the person wh
o had uploaded the video, but none of us were discovered. It was never released that a group of rebels had shut down the dream simulators, but all the others had been shut down around the country. Sometimes I got the urge to put my hand up and confess, just to look at Dr. Muller in the face and say, ‘Miss Muller, I was the one who brought down your pathetic corporation.’ I also knew that the way the media devoured stories, they would chew me and my friends up without a second thought and then spit us back out.

  Joe had found a buyer for Dawn’s farm. We all loved it, and he would have years of memories that were made on that property. But the pain of losing not only his mother but Dawn as well out there was too great. He decided it was time to move on. Instead, he bought an old house on the beach in Sandhaven big enough for his new little family to move in.

  We heard from Rose every second day, and she and Ethan were excited to holiday for a week during school holidays with us in Sandhaven. We had begged her to move there with us, but Rose felt it was best to try to restore some normality back into their lives. I admired Rose, always putting her son first.

  Cameron had wanted to remain in the city. He would always be a city boy at heart, and he needed to be close to his new medical research job. He promised to visit us most weekends.

  Cameron, Sarah, Joe, and I all sat on Sandhaven beach. The briny breeze was gently blowing my hair back from my face, the rough sand warm under my hands and outstretched legs. The water crashed softly over itself and lapped at the shore, the colours of the sky dancing on top of it orange and pink. As the sun began to set, I looked across at my friends and watched how they appreciated the beauty, as I always had. We’d all found a sense of calm within ourselves, despite the trials we’d encountered together. I knew that we’d always have each other no matter what life threw at us. The mismatched family put together by Dawn. Together we’d brought down one of the biggest corporations in the country. I knew there would always be someone else waiting in the wings, greedy and willing to do anything to have control.

  My thoughts were pulled back when I felt someone move closer to my side, and looking up into his beautiful blue eyes, I smiled contently.

  ‘Perfect,’ Cameron whispered as I leant my head on his chest, and he kissed me lightly on the forehead.

  He was right. I’d finally made my choices, and I was certain they were perfect for me. I’d spent so long being afraid and fighting my dreams, and now, I couldn’t wait to see where they could take me, my friends, and my family. One thing Dawn had said to me would stay forever in my memory, ‘This is your journey, and only you can decide where it will go and how it will end.’

  ******

  Fall

  of the

  Dreamer

  Chapter One

  The rhythmic thud against his ribs roused me from my sleep. I rested my hand on his chest as it rose and fell for a moment, before nuzzling my cheek into his soft bare chest to hear his soothing beat more clearly. Breathing in his masculine scent I opened my eyes. The room was awash with the bright yellow of the early morning sun, and I found myself wishing I could stay in that moment forever.

  Running my hand up his bare chest, my touch ran along his jawline. He stirred and I looked up into his rich brown eyes.

  “Morning, Amelia.” Joe’s crooked smile greeted me.

  “Morning.” I replied.

  I ran my hand back down along his torso, searching. There it was, the scar that ran along his side. Flatter and smoother than the last time I had felt it, but still a reminder of his brush with death, and the loss of his aunty Dawn the year before.

  Beep, beep, beep!

  My alarm tore through the serenity of the dream, and my eyes shot open. It was later in the morning than it had been in my dream. The sun was trying to creep around the gaps in my curtain, and my small room was warm and stuffy. Staring at the ceiling, I shook my head, trying to remove the image of Joe and the blissful feeling I’d had lying with him from my memory.

  What the hell, Amelia? What was that about?

  Throwing back the sheet, I climbed from my bed and wandered towards the bathroom.

  Thump!

  In my half-asleep daze, I slammed into a shirtless Joe, my mind becoming alert I averted my eyes and looked up to his face.

  “Good morning,” Joe’s crooked smile and half-naked body brought the dream to the forefront of my mind. I looked toward my destination, willing the doorway to move closer. “I must say, Amelia, you look terrible this morning.”

  I grunted at him and continued on my journey. His calm demeanor and playful joke had put my mind at ease. At least he hadn’t been in the dream too.

  It had been a long time since Joe and I had shared a dream together. The last one had been when I was in the Psychiatric Ward of the MultiMind Corporation. Although we had destroyed the MMC only months before, it felt as though years had passed. And that had been the first time my subconscious had confused Cameron for Joe. After all of the heartache and trouble I went through deciding who to be with, there was no wonder my subconscious was still confused.

  In the bathroom, I pushed the door closed behind me, peering at myself in the mirror. I still looked the same, as though the previous year hadn’t happened. My hair was a little longer, but still the same chocolate brown, and my dark blue eyes had seen much more in the last year than they had in their first twenty-two. But life had a way of moving on, no matter how bad a situation you had endured. It didn’t have a pause button, although at times I wished it did. It was a continuous story, and it was your choice to either keep up or be left behind in the past. I’d definitely chosen to keep up, but something inside me had shifted. I was no longer the shadow I once was. Following Sarah around, coasting through life. I was now a strong woman who knew she could achieve anything if she put her mind to it, even help bring down a multi-million-dollar corporation like the MultiMind Corporation. After splashing my face and returning to my bedroom to get dressed, I trudged downstairs towards the smells of coffee and burnt toast.

  Sunlight poured through the large glass doors, filling the room with a bright glow, energizing me and waking me up. It reminded me why summer was my favourite season.

  “Morning!” said Sarah.

  Sarah’s cheery attitude usually irritated me in the mornings. I’d never understood people who could wake up in such a happy mood. That morning, however, with the warmth of the sun filling the kitchen and lounge, I could understand just a little.

  “Morning,” I plonked myself onto a stool at the breakfast bar.

  It was just long enough for two to sit at and was a great vantage point to look into the small kitchen where Sarah was preparing breakfast.

  Sarah pushed a plate with toast smothered in butter and vegemite towards me, which I accepted with a grateful, “thanks.”

  “Tea?” She held up my favourite mug.

  “Yes please!”

  By the time my first piece of toast had been demolished, Joe joined me at the breakfast bar, and Sarah slid us both a steaming mug of tea. She leant forward on her elbows, chewing on her toast.

  “So, are you excited?” She took another bite.

  “What for?” I didn’t bother to look up at her.

  “Oh, I don’t know. Cameron… your birthday tomorrow?”

  “You’re kidding? It’s your birthday tomorrow?” Joe teased.

  “Yes, I am excited, I guess. Twenty-three, though! Argh!” I felt older, like I’d aged ten years in just twelve months.

  “Oh no, you are so old, soon you will spend your nights sitting up in your room reading books, drinking cups of tea… Oops too late.” Teased Joe.

  I scowled at him and punched him in the arm before bursting into laughter with both of them.

  I was grateful to be able to spend every day with my two best friends. Unfortunately, Rose and Cameron had chosen to live elsewhere. Rose and her son Ethan had spent Christmas with us at my mum and dad’s property in Monteville. We had an amazing week, eating feasts on the wide deck and watching Ethan
enjoy the country life. Rose insisted Ethan needed to have consistency in his life, so although we enjoyed the time together, they headed back to Stonevale instead of joining the rest of us in Sandhaven.

  Cameron was in the city, just a thirty-minute bus ride away. But the week or two in between visits felt like months. When he was with us in Sandhaven, everything felt as it should, the way it was supposed to be. But he insisted he needed to stay in the city for his job and his family. He was going to arrive in Sandhaven the following day to help celebrate my birthday.

  I hadn’t met his family yet. I’d never grown the courage to ask why, and I was sure he would introduce me when he was ready. To be honest, the thought of meeting them terrified me. Cameron’s father was a well-known doctor, who was proud of his son following somewhat in his footsteps. His mother was a stay-at-home wife, who was a bit snobby from the sound of it, and loved the good things in life. Those were Cameron’s descriptions, and they reminded me once again of how different the worlds we’d come from were.

  Could the guy from a high-class family really be suited to a middle-class country girl like me?

  The question nagged at me when we were apart. As soon as we were reunited, the doubt fell away and I remembered how much he cared about me, and how happy and safe I felt with him.

  “I’m off to work, see you two later.” Sarah picked up her satchel, gave me a quick hug, and headed towards the front door.

  “I’d better head off too.” I picked my backpack up from the floor and swung it over my shoulder.

  “Hey Amelia…” Joe seemed to have something important to say.

  “Yeah?”

  “How have you been sleeping?” he asked.

  I swallowed hard and my body felt numb. Had he experienced the same dream and just not said anything? Was his joke just a test to see if I had been there as well?

  “Good, how come?” My heart raced in my chest.