Dream On

by Renita Pizzitola

  “No, I just slipped into it. Very unusual.” I pushed up and touched the back of my–thankfully uninjured–head, once again grateful that injuries didn’t travel back with my spirit.

  Clare rushed over and eased onto the bed. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault.”

  “Whoa, slow down. Nothing’s your fault. I’m fine. Everything’s taken care of.”

  “It was my daughter. You had it under control. I’m sorry I brought her into the dream.”

  “Don’t blame yourself. You can’t control where your subconscious takes you.” I placed my hand over hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I had no idea, though, that it had gone on for so long.”

  “That dream was the first night he ever hit me.” She stared at her hand.

  “Well, that makes more sense.”

  She glanced up. “How’s that?”

  “Somewhere deep inside, you know if someone had stopped him the first time, it never would’ve happened again. It would’ve changed your entire life.”

  “I guess that’s true.” She stared off into some other time or place. A few tears escaped. “I should have stopped it back then.”

  “Hey, life’s not about what-ifs. It’s over. He’s gone from your life, and from your dreams. It’s time to move on. Are you ready to move on?”

  She smiled, looked me in the eye. “Yeah.”

  “I have an idea. How about a few free Muay Thai lessons? My gift to you, for your new life.”

  “Really?” Her expression brightened.

  “Yes. It would be my honor. I’d love to teach you some basic self-defense, plus it’s a great stress reliever.”

  She threw her arms around me and repeated, “Thank you,” over and over. Pulling back, she wiped her cheeks dry. “I can’t thank you enough for what you did for me.” She stood. “Oh and I meant to ask, who was that man?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  Johnathan frowned. “What man?”

  “The one who saved Emory,” Clare answered.

  Crap.

  “Saved?” With a heavy sigh, he shook his head and scowled. “How bad did it get in there?”

  “Tell you over drinks sometime?” I smiled, trying to brush the whole thing off but Johnathan didn’t lose the scowl.

  He crossed his arms. “I think we need to talk now.”

  Chapter 5

  A fitful night of sleep left me exhausted. The Muay Thai and self-defense classes I taught on Tuesdays sapped what little energy I had left. After a failed attempt to nap, I cuddled on the couch with my favorite blanket and a book. I’d stared at the same page for the last ten minutes. My eyes saw the words but my brain frolicked in La La Land, enchanted by a pair of golden eyes. Was this guy for real? The possibility of a dreamwalker seeking me out in this way had my mind reeling.

  Most people didn’t even know about dreamwalking, and those who did often confused it with astral projection. Dreamwalking took a lot less effort and the dream realm resided much closer to earth. The only thing astral projection and dreamwalking had in common was the life cord binding our traveling spirit to our physical body.

  For a person to end up trapped in the dream realm was unheard of, at least to me. It would take someone who not only understood dreamwalking, but had the ability and desire to hunt down the temporarily spiritless body and steal it.

  Other than my mom, who’d taught me about dreamwalking, I’d met one other person like me back in college, and I’m not sure he realized the full potential of his abilities. Even with all my experience, I’d never imagined the possibility of losing my body.

  What if someone invaded my body, lived my life, kept my spirit trapped in dreams? I shivered. I needed to help this guy.

  But, how in the heck did I lure out a body squatter? This would be one big nightmare. Tossing my book aside, I hopped off the couch. I had less than an hour to get dressed and head to my office for my afternoon appointment.

  * * * *

  With about five minutes to spare, I settled in at my desk with a cup of coffee and flipped through my calendar for a quick reminder.

  Nina–Having dream, thinks I can help.

  So much for my note taking. Maybe Johnathan had some hidden secretarial skills to tap into. I enjoyed the rest of my coffee as my thoughts drifted back to the dream guy. I chastised myself for letting my mind wander back to him. All this thinking about him would, no doubt, cause me to dream about him. Then how would I know if he’s real? A knock at my door forced me back to reality.

  “Hi, Nina. Come on in.”

  The petite blonde entered my office. She looked around my age, maybe a little younger. First guess, boyfriend troubles. We sat at my desk and I grabbed my notepad.

  “Okay, best place to start, tell me what recurring dream you’re having and what outcome you would like to see me provide. We’ll decide if it’s doable and discuss our options from there.”

  “Oh, okay. Hmm, this is awkward. I’ve never done anything like this.”

  I smiled, but cringed on the inside. It seemed pointless to call me up, invite me into their personal dreams then act bashful about the whole thing.

  “Well, most people haven’t. Trust me. You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

  “Oh, I’m not embarrassed.” She raised her hand and pressed it into her chest.

  “You’re not?” I laid my notepad on my desk.

  “No.” She shook her head in a matter-of-fact way.

  “Okay, how can I help you?” I leaned back in my chair.

  “I’m a psychic.”

  I forced my eyes not to roll. Even as a dreamwalker, I maintained certain opinions of so-called psychics. If I ever met a legitimate one I might see things differently, but anyone could walk downtown after a night of drinking and, for about ten bucks, get a reading from one of twenty “psychics.” They littered every corner, nothing more than a street act preying on tourists and drunks.

  “You’re having psychic nightmares?”

  “Psychic nightmares, no, but dreams, yes. A man visited several of my dreams.”

  As much as it shouldn’t, my interest piqued.

  “He wanted me to find you, which proved surprisingly easy to do. He tried to locate you, but found it tricky. People don’t normally run around town searching for someone they heard about in a dream.”

  “But you aren’t normal.” The words had just tumbled out. I kicked myself. “You have a gift.” I corrected, applauding my quick thinking.

  Nina, on the other hand, wasn’t so impressed and my blunder had etched a scowl into her face.

  “Yes.” She exhaled, crossed her legs and spoke through a tight smile. “He knew I’d be open to what he said.”

  “What did he have to say?” I tried to keep my voice level.

  “He’s a dreamwalker, like you, and he’s stuck in the dream realm.”

  I bit my lip. Was this the meeting dream guy told me about?

  “How did he get stuck?” I leaned forward.

  “He didn’t give me details. All I know is he needs your help.” She glanced at her nails then folded her hands in her lap.

  “Are you comfortable with me entering your dreams to speak with him?” I tried to play it cool, but held my breath awaiting her answer, eager to talk to this guy on safe terms instead of some crazy dream-gone-wrong.

  She smiled and leaned forward as if filling me in on a secret. “I might not be normal, but I’m still a woman and once you get a look at this guy you’ll see he’s welcome in my dreams any day.”

  My mouth fell open. “Um, okay.”

  I didn’t bother telling her I’d already met the guy, and I definitely didn’t care to mention the twinge of jealousy that flared through me at this attractive girl’s comment about my mysterious dream guy.

  “So when can we do this? Are you free now?” Nina asked.

  Figuring I would need time to rest after last night’s job, I’d taken the night off. I never took on a new job without a solid night of sleep after a mentally and physically
exhausting job. But, this would be just a meeting. Mental preparation wasn’t necessary and, now more than ever, I needed to speak to this man. Temptation won out.

  “I guess so. I don’t have anything booked, but I need to call my assistant and see if he’s free to sit in.”

  She remained quiet.

  “It’s for safety and liability. You’re welcome to have a friend sit with you as well.”

  She smiled sweetly, if not a tad patronizing. “I’m psychic. I already know what’s going to happen.” Flicking her blond hair over her shoulder, she leaned back in the chair with an easiness that bordered on smug.

  “So, no friend?”

  She shook her head and brushed invisible lint from her pants.

  I refused to let my curiosity get the best of me even though a huge part of me wanted to ask her about tonight.

  Her gaze snapped up and she smirked. “I can’t tell what will happen in the dream though. It’s another plane of existence. Technically, it’s not real, so I can’t see dreams. They have an unpredictable nature. Sometimes I don’t even think the dreamer knows where it will take them.”

  “Ain’t that the truth?”

  I grabbed my phone and shot a text to Johnathan. He answered quicker than anticipated saying he was free. A pang of regret filled me. I hoped he wasn’t doing me any favors out of some misguided feelings.

  “Do you mind if I use your bathroom?”

  She had already reached for her purse, stood and headed in the right direction.

  “Uh, no. Go ahead.” Not that my answer mattered, as Nina had already disappeared into the bathroom.

  A moment later Nina emerged, if possible, looking even cuter. Did she prep for hot dream guy? Ridiculous, considering as the dreamer she would appear however she wanted. Unless she lacked imagination and only dreamt in the exact manner she saw herself. I convinced myself it wasn’t jealousy, but instead professionalism causing this surge of emotion.

  “Your friend’s here.”

  Her offhanded remark snapped me out of my reverie. The casual delivery left me unsure of what to think. I walked over to the door and opened it. Johnathan stood with one hand raised, prepared to knock.

  “Hey.” He dropped his hand.

  “Hey.” I frowned. Maybe she truly was psychic. As much as it shouldn’t, it gave me hope for tonight’s dream, which I would never admit, but I was excited about it–and a tiny bit nervous.

  * * * *

  “Hey, Nina. Where are we?” It looked chaotic with people everywhere. Why I expected the psychic to take me somewhere calm was beyond me.

  “It’s an outdoor shopping mall. He asked that I take you guys somewhere busy. I don’t know. I just did what the guy said, it wasn’t easy–creating a dream from suggestions, you know. I don’t know how people force a dream into certain directions. But, I guess with enough concentration you can do just about anything.” She shrugged.

  She’d made a fair point. It wasn’t an easy task to force a dream where one wanted it to go, and it took a lot of meditation. With all the people around me, I hadn’t the slightest idea what to do next.

  “How do I find him?”

  Nina squinted past me and pointed. Her smile beamed and her eyes brightened. “He’s there.”

  Jealousy tickled my stomach again. I peered through the crowd until my gaze settled on a tall man–just as gorgeous as I remembered–leaning against a building.

  “Go ahead. I’ll be around. Maybe I can do some shopping.” She urged me along. “Really, go ahead. He wanted to speak with you alone.”

  I fought my way through the crowd to the man.

  “Hi, Emory. Glad you came. I know I already introduced myself but in case you don’t remember I’m Grayson.”

  I neither confirmed nor denied remembering him, but seriously, who would forget this guy?

  “Let’s head over here to talk.” He directed me to a bench.

  “Why did you pick such a busy place?” I sat, watching the passersby.

  “I didn’t want Nina to hear our conversation. When you’re stuck in a situation like mine, you can trust very few people. She served as my last resort in getting to you. I didn’t realize how hard it would be to have an actual conversation with you.”

  “Well, here I am.” I didn’t fight the escaping skepticism. This whole situation seemed unreal. In all my years as a dreamwalker, no one had ever sought me out, nor had I thought such a casual conversation between two spirits in the dream realm would happen.

  “Yes, you are.” His gaze brushed over me and went back to my face. It should have felt invasive but instead it just increased my heart rate.

  “You aren’t trying to trick me here to steal my body, are you?”

  He chuckled. “As nice of a body as it is, I prefer to take residency in the male anatomy.”

  “Oh. I guess that makes sense.” My cheeks warmed. Straightening, I crossed my arms over my chest, hoping to come across in business mode to avoid appearing like an easy target for some scam. “Okay, I’m here. Now talk.”

  He glanced around. “As I’ve told you I’m a dreamwalker. A few months ago, I’d crossed into the dream realm when I had this unusual feeling. I felt disconnected. Something was off in the link to my body. You know how normally it feels like a magnet?”

  Finding his description extremely accurate, I nodded.

  “Imagine if someone flipped one of those magnets and, when you went to join the two, you felt resistance. I tried to re-enter my body and bounced back. It’s like my body changed polarities. A new spirit had entered my body, and it rejected mine.”

  “How awful.” I shook my head and tried to imagine what it would feel like if that happened to me. “Who is it?”

  “I don’t know. He won’t come out. I don’t even know if he’s a dreamwalker or just a roaming spirit. All I do know is that’s my body and I want it back.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Track him down and lure him out,” he said in a matter-of-fact way.

  “How? I wouldn’t even begin to know how to do either one of those things.”

  “I know and I’ve thought about it. I think the best plan of attack is for you to just go in and get to know the guy first. Maybe if we knew more about him we’d figure a way to do it.”

  “Whoa, you want me to befriend a body snatching stranger and figure a way to lure him out?” I started to question this guy’s sanity.

  He dropped his head into his palms, his tone exasperated. “I know it’s too much to ask. I’m sorry but I had to try. I never thought you’d say yes, but I gave it a shot.”

  His defeated expression tugged at me. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t do it.”

  His gaze flew to me. “Really?”

  “I’ll try, but if things get crazy, I’m out.”

  “Thank you.” He blinked and shook his head. “I can’t thank you enough.”

  “Look you saved my life. Twice. I’ll see what I can do and we’ll call it even, okay?”

  “Yes, of course. Although please don’t think you have to do this.”

  He was sincere, but so was I. He’d saved my life. I looked into his eyes and smiled. “I know I don’t have to, but if this ever happened to me I would hope someone would at least try to help me out. So how do I find this guy?”

  “That’s the easy part. I never travel far from him, just in case he ever does leave, which means I happen to know where to find him. It’s what led me to you. He lives in the same building you work in.”

  “How long have you watched me?” I didn’t mean for the question to come out the way it did and he looked embarrassed.

  “For a while,” he shifted his gaze and rubbed his neck. “It took some time to build the courage to show myself though. But when you almost got attacked by that mangy mutt, I decided it was a good time to make an appearance.”

  “You and me both.”

  He raised an eyebrow, reminding me of my rude behavior that day. My cheeks grew warm.

  “U
m, I’ve never encountered another dreamwalker like that.” A poor excuse, but true. Had I known he was real, I never would’ve treated him in that manner.

  “I understand, and I’m sorry if I stole your thunder, so to speak.” He fought back a grin. “I think our time’s running short. Let me give you the information on where to find him and then, if it’s okay with you, can I meet you again? In your own dream?”

  “That’s fine, I guess. Why haven’t you just visited my dreams before?”

  “Like I said, I never stray too far from my body, and you never sleep in your office. Just last night after getting hurt when you drifted off into a dream.”

  That made sense. “Okay, I’ll find this guy and get a little info.”

  “He lives on the fourth floor in a studio apartment. That’s all I know, but on a good note, you know what he looks like. So, my body-snatcher shouldn’t be too hard to find.” He grinned.

  “True.” Grayson’s physical body would be identical to his spirit form. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “I’ll let Nina know we’re done here then.”

  “I’m sure she’ll like that.” I mumbled.

  He gave me a quizzical look.

  “She’s probably happy to have us out of her dream.” I smiled in an attempt to appear sweet and not bitterly jealous.

  “Oh, I guess. Again, thanks Emory. I’ll see you soon.”

  “Grayson, one quick question. That day with the dog, where did you get the pistol?”

  “I found it next to a big steel cage,” he said with a shrug.

  “Of course you did.” I shook my head in disbelief, found the familiar tingle of my body and felt its pull. “Goodbye, Grayson, see you soon.”

  Chapter 6

  Dressed in a sweater and jeans, I shifted and tugged at my skin-tight knitted top, which only led to the neckline plunging farther south. I adjusted it one last time before forcing my hands to my sides. My best approach to find this guy was to bring him to me, and in such situations, I knew one thing that brought guys to me. Well, make it two. I checked my V-neck assuring its proper position. Classy and sexy would be my approach.