Dreamwalker
(A Persephone’s League of Immortals Book)
Copyright 2012
Andrea Heltsley
Andreaheltsley.blogspot.com
ISBN: 978-0-9853224-1-0
Cover Illustration by
Phatpuppy Art
Copyright 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission from the author except quoted passages for review purposes.
Chapter 1: The Breakup and Confessions
Chapter 2: Technicolor Dreams
Chapter 3: August and Everything After
Chapter 4: The Reality of Dreaming
Chapter 5: Serious Magic
Chapter 6: Dream for Two
Chapter 7: The mysterious and the missing
Chapter 8: Topsy Turvy
Chapter 9: Answers and Trust
Chapter 10: Appearances
Chapter 11: Amnesia no more
Chapter 12: 1998
Chapter 13: Jared Townsend
Chapter 14: Skeptics
Chapter 15: The Plan
Chapter 16: Rescue Me
Chapter 17: The Resistance
Chapter 18: Persephone’s League of Immortals
Chapter 19: The Underworld
Chapter 20: Elysium
Chapter 21: The Choice
Chapter 22: Daring Dreams
Chapter 23: Marked
Chapter 24: Resolve
Dreamwalker
(A Persephone’s League of Immortals Book)
One Life, two loves.
Chapter 1: Breakup and Confessions
It was a crisp fall day and I was in a good mood. I threw on my jeans, faded in all the right spots and long enough to cover the laces of my Nike’s. After I slid on a blue lacey kami and a worn white zip-up hoodie, I grabbed my camel colored Kate Spade purse before heading for the door. I locked it, then carefully slid my wad of keys into my purse and clasped it.
By the time I made it down the stairs and out the front doors of my apartment, Brad was parked on the curb leaning against his slick black Mercedes trying to text on his phone. He was wearing jeans and a button up long sleeved shirt with brown and gold stripes that brought out the gold in his short messy hair.
When he saw me, he smiled. “Hey beautiful, I was just sending you a text. You ready?”
My green eyes met his brown ones and I moved towards him to give him a kiss. “I am, and I’m absolutely starving. Where do you want to go for lunch?”
Brad opened the car door and shut it behind me before taking his seat in the driver’s side. “Well, I have a business meeting this afternoon about my book so let’s keep this short and sweet. How about going to the Italian restaurant down the street?”
“Um, sure I guess that would be fine,” I said uncertainly. I could feel a tension in the air that wasn’t normally there. I began to fill with apprehension.
Without hesitation, Brad started the Mercedes with a low rumble and was already headed towards the restaurant just a few blocks away from my apartment.
We sat in silence the entire three minutes it took to make it to the restaurant. It seemed like three hours. I was fidgeting and nervous. Something was definitely wrong. I stared out the window and began to panic. Brad was acting cool and detached. What had happened since yesterday?
Without a single word, Brad parked the car and led me into the restaurant. Once we were seated, a perky blond waitress greeted us.
“Welcome, my name is Amy. What can I get you two to drink?”
“Just water for now, thanks” Brad quickly said, dismissing the waitress.
Nervousness fluttered through my stomach at the tone in Brad’s voice. He was so unruffled and discerning. Then his eyes met mine. There was not a speck of emotion in them.
It felt like this was a business meeting and nothing more. I had gone from longtime girlfriend to client overnight. Tears began to fill my eyes before I even heard him speak.
“Look, Noel…” he started as the waitress sat our waters down and he quickly shooed her away. “I am leaving for New York to finish publishing my book and start the book tour in a few weeks. I know you don’t want to hear this. We were going to work things out, but I think you deserve the truth.”
My face was streaming with tears now, my green eyes glassy and bright emerald. I had no clue how this had happened. I thought we were happy. Obviously I was a fool, because he clearly didn’t feel the same.
Brad went on, not even missing a beat. “Things were great, but you are not the one for me. I know it sounds cliché, but it is not you, it’s me.”
I was absolutely mortified. He was such a pompous ass. How could he even say something like that? Three years and that was what he had to say? At first I thought I was the delusional one, but clearly it was him. I didn’t even get a chance to choke out a response before he continued.
“I need to grow as an individual. There is so much more in this world. I need a little more spice, more adventure.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. I was upset and angry now. My ears were tinged pink and I wiped at my eyes. I had heard enough. I was not even going to dignify this break up with any more cruel banter. Mortified, I turned and ran out of the restaurant and into the cool afternoon.
Ironically, I realized that I was only a few blocks from my apartment. He probably planned it that way so he wouldn’t have to come after me. I knew he wouldn’t.
I zipped up the white hoodie and clutched my purse tight as I hastily walked back to my apartment. I barely even slowed down enough to breathe or even think. I ignored the colorful fall leaves and the cool breeze rustling them.
I quickly fumbled for my keys and made it inside before collapsing on the other side of the door. I was stunned, angry and upset all at once. It seemed like forever that I sat there sobbing, using my hoodie as a Kleenex.
Once the crying slowed, I wiped my swollen eyes and splotchy face and looked at my white hoodie. It now had a barrage of multi-colored smears on the sleeves from my once expertly done makeup. This only made me cry more. At some point during the grief-stricken haze, I managed to make it to the couch and pulled my red fuzzy blanket over myself.
Sometime later amidst the crying and drifting haze, I awoke to the taste of cotton in my mouth. I was so thirsty. My eyes were crusted shut from all the crying and leftover makeup.
I sluggishly peeled the blanket off and stumbled into the kitchen. I filled my glass from the tap and took a few greedy sips to quench my thirst.
Then I headed to the bathroom. After using the restroom I began to brush my teeth before actually looking in the mirror.
When I did, I dropped the toothbrush in shock. My hair was unkempt and crusty?? Yuck, was all I could think. My eyes were red with mascara smeared around them. A raccoon on crack probably looked better. Even the small humorous thought didn’t bring a smile. There was something resembling snot crusted on my nose and cheeks.
I didn’t even recognize myself. That thought just brought back those cruel comments Brad made earlier. Tears began to flow again instantly. Still a sobbing mess, I attempted a hot shower. The calming steam and heat didn’t seem to be washing away my pain and sorrow.
I just sat there with my arms wrapped around my knees at the bottom of the shower as the water cascaded over me. The water was sluicing down my face until it blended in a steady stream of teary water.
Once the water shifted to icy droplets, I reluctantly shut the shower off and sluggishly slid on my dirty camisole. I also slid my dirty pajama pants on off the floor, never mind the fact that I just didn’t care enough to even bother with underwear. Refusing to think of Brad, I tried to drown my thoughts out with ice cream and a movie.
Hours
later and there I was still balling like a baby. Oh, and self-inflicting pain by way of sappy romance movies. I was in the middle of one of my favorites for like the seven-hundredth time when the phone rang. I slowed my sniffling and looked at the cell phone resting on its charger across the room like it was the creature from the black lagoon.
I had completely blocked out the fact that there was even a world outside my apartment. Nothing outside of my Noel bubble even seemed to register. I swiftly held down the power button and didn’t let out a breath of relief until the logo appeared and the screen went black.
The thought that life was going on while I was crumbling from within, made me grimace. Then it made me angry. I should be one of those people moving about their life. I didn’t even know what day it was. It was probably my work. Shit, I couldn’t go to work. I was still wrecked and was not in any condition to turn things around anytime soon.
I returned to my spot on the couch and resumed the movie, trying not to think of the outside world. I drifted in and out of sleep between movies and boxes of Kleenex. I was utterly miserable. How could Brad have dumped me? I was so clueless and naïve, I thought to myself.
As I turned the channel, I found that I was just in time for another sappy romance. I had already seen this movie but it was so good, even if he did die in the end.
A bang on the door made me wake with a jolt. Then I realized it was my door and I slid the blanket up over my face and murmured loudly, “Go away!”
There was a series of rapid knocks but I didn’t even make an attempt to see who it was. I just grabbed the remote and started channel surfing for another movie.
From the other side of the door, I heard someone yelling through the door. It was Autumn. Great, I was definitely in no mood to tell my best friend what an idiot I was.
“Noel, I know you can hear me. Open your door! Jeez, what is the matter with you?” she said as she banged her fists against the door.
I was humiliated and had no intention of letting Autumn in so I just turned up the television after randomly stopping on a rerun episode of The Vampire Diaries, one of my favorite shows. The voices of Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley filled the room and I had temporarily forgotten Autumn outside the door.
Suddenly, my door burst open and my eyes met Autumn’s. Autumn was waving a key, looking like a smart-ass as she shut the door behind her and then stopped suddenly. She stared at me with a shocked look on her face as she observed what must have looked like a drunk, homeless person I realized quickly. Tears of shame started to roll then.
With a look of concern, Autumn rushed over to hold out a tissue, not sure where to sit in the midst of my tissue mountain. She daintily brushed off a corner of the couch and sunk into the cool leather.
“Nells, honey, what is going on with you? I have been calling for days. I leave for five days and you are a wreck!” she said in a worried tone.
“Brad dumped me! He is such a jerk! I feel like such a loser, Autumn. He used every damn cliché in the book.”
Reaching over to console me, Autumn dropped her purse and wrapped her arms around me. “Oh Nells, I am so sorry. Brad most resembles the rear end of a donkey. I never liked him. Maybe I can put a hex or a curse on him,” she said hoping to get a reaction.
When she got nothing, she continued. “Men are pigs. I have told you this a million times. Do you want to key his stupid car? We could spray paint asshole across it in neon colors if you like.”
I just buried my face in Autumn’s arms and cried harder. Her idea just sounded like a bad revenge song and I could never be that girl.
“Okay, so no to defacing his car. How about sneaking into his apartment and putting purple hair dye in his shampoo? Oh I know! We could put a skunk in his closet or post those naked pictures of him on all the blog sites.”
Finally, Autumn got a reaction. I just replied flatly, “That would probably help his book sales.”
Encouraged, she continued. “Not if we use photo shop on it first.”
I let out a little hiccup-snort. “That would make me feel a little better. While we are over there, we should also give Jingles some laxatives too. He hates cleaning up dog crap.”
The tears were dissipating now and my eyes were starting to clear. All though the threats were empty, the idea of them still made me feel better. I even managed a slow half smile.
Autumn always was the best. She had been like a sister ever since my family died in a tragic accident and she took me in. She now lived two apartments up from me and was somehow always there when I needed her most. Autumn owned a supernatural store in Old Town St. Charles called The Green Vixen and was a big draw with the tourists.
In fifth grade, I asked Autumn for help with a class project about the environment. Being three years older than me, I was sure she could help. Ms. Fisk was even offering extra credit for those who went above and beyond the original assignment.
Autumn did help me and she became fascinated by all the things on earth that we can reuse. Subsequently, she was absolutely horrified upon watching a video of today’s landfills and all the waste the average consumer produces in their lifetime.
Ever since that project, Autumn had been a strong community advocate of sustainable living and recycling. She was always trying to educate me on ways to reduce my carbon footprint. She kept a compost pile on her balcony and recycled anything she could get her hands on. We even had to take those damn cloth bags to the grocery store.
An hour later, Autumn put me in the shower and began to clean up. She had called a locksmith for fear of Brad returning, even though I doubt he would care enough to bother. As we waited for the locksmith, she continued to clean my horrid mess.
She filled three bags of tissues and was just about ready to take them out when I finally came out of the bathroom. My hair was long and wavy, pulled over to one side and my green puffy eyes were free of debris. I had on black jogging pants and a black tank top.
“Nells, you look like a cat burglar,” Autumn said as she left the trash by the door and went to fold up the red blanket on the couch.
“Hey, beggars can’t be choosers. You’re lucky I didn’t put my pajama pants back on. The ones with the sexy girl in a martini glass all over them are my favorite.”
“Honey, you’re lucky I don’t burn those at this point. I don’t even think the trash man will take them. They were past the point of dirty days ago. You smelled like my compost pile. No offense, you know I love you, but a biohazard suit would have come in handy tonight,” Autumn said lightly.
A swift series of knocks on the door turned Autumn’s attention. I had no intention of chumming it up with the locksmith in this state. I silently handed Autumn the money and headed for my bedroom instead.
I had officially passed the point of sad into angry. Looking at my sore puffy eyes, I sighed. How on earth had I let him do this to me? I was pretty and I knew it, I thought to myself unconvincingly. Maybe Brad wasn’t the one for me, but that just meant someone else was. My reasoning skills had recovered finally.
Brad Daniels was selfish, and arrogant. It was a wonder I didn’t see it sooner. Thinking back, maybe I did see it. He was always great to me, so I never looked further. Now, looking at him in this new light just made him more unattractive to me. It was as if I put on glasses and could suddenly see things clearer and more defined. Alas, it was a subtle comfort even knowing that I wasted three years with him.
I pushed my wet hair into a ponytail and slid on my shoes. I didn’t have the energy for any more than that. Something caught the corner of my eye as I turned to leave the room. It was a picture tucked into the corner of my mirror. I stared at the picture of Brad and me together. We looked so happy at the winery for my birthday last year in wine country. A tear leaked from my eye and I wiped it away as quickly as it had come.
Disgusted, I shred the picture into a satisfying mess and dumped it into the trash. A small sigh of relief escaped me and a smile settled on my face over the tiniest of battles I had won for myself.
Once I heard the locksmith use the restroom and finally leave, I decided to head back into the living room.
Autumn placed a set of shiny new keys in the palm of my hands. “Man that has to have been the hottest locksmith I have ever seen. Mm, he looked like some kind of movie star. He was some serious eye candy and you weren’t even here to ogle with me!”
I was so tired that I didn’t even bother to enable Autumn’s boy crazy ranting. Instead, I plopped back down on the couch and switched on the television. This time, after I began surfing the channels, Autumn joined me and took the remote with a knowing look on her face.
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