The Key (Heartfire)

by Celeste Davis

  He stood up and chased after her.

  Pushing his way through the crowd, Dylan lifted his arm and touched her shoulder just as she stepped out of the building. She turned and her eyes widened. She stepped away from him, almost stumbling down the stairs. He reached out for her and steadied her.

  The next thing he knew she had darted out into the crowd of milling students on the quad. She was pretty fast for such a little thing. Dylan followed her, unwilling to give up so easily. He still held his jacket in front of him, trying to hide the trouser tent he was sporting.

  "Wait- I just need to talk to you-"

  She ignored him, weaving through the crowd of students until she stopped short, blocked by a game of catch football. Dylan grabbed her shoulder and turned her to face him.

  "I know you."

  Her big eyes blinked up at him. He knew she was about to lie to him. Even before she opened that beautiful mouth of hers.

  "I don't know what you're talking about. I've never seen you before in my life."

  "Yes, you have."

  He smiled at her, shaking his head.

  "It's okay. I'm scared too. This whole thing- it's crazy."

  She stared at the ground as if willing him to go away. Then she shook her head, as if she was trying to clear it.

  "Yeah. I guess you're right."

  His heart was clanging in his chest as she took a deep breath and looked up at him. Her beautiful golden eyes were rueful as she seemed to relax suddenly.

  "It is crazy. I think I'm going crazy."

  Dylan smiled at her.

  "Maybe we both are."

  Kaylia

  ☽

  Kalia's heart was beating so fast, it felt like it was a horse that might gallop away from her. He was here. And he was demanding that she talk to him, that she admit what was happening.

  God help her, she wanted to talk to him too.

  She wanted everything in the dreams to be real. The long walks. The handholding. The kiss.

  Especially the kiss.

  Everything inside her warned that there would be consequences if she gave into that desire. That this was not a free gift. She didn't know if it was just nerves, or a lifetime of being the odd girl out, but her internal warning bell was clanging and it was loud.

  She let herself look at him, silencing the voice inside her that told her to run. She just... looked. Her eyes drank him in like the tall, cool drink of water that he was.

  Lord have mercy the boy was fine.

  His eyes were the same as she remembered, his shoulders just as broad. His hair was shorter, cut for the upcoming football season most likely. She missed the tousled curls he'd worn the last time she saw him. It softened him somehow. Now he looked... hard.

  Determined.

  He was staring at her, begging her with those deep blue eyes to say the words that would make this all real.

  Too real.

  Once she said them out loud though, she wouldn't be able to take them back. It was a line in the sand and she realized with a sense of inevitability that nothing would stop her from crossing it. Maybe this was fate. Maybe it was magic. Real magic, not the kind you read about in fairy tales. Either way, she couldn't fight it any longer.

  She sighed, unable to resist the entreating look in his beautiful eyes.

  "Your hair is shorter."

  He smiled at her with such relief that it almost made it worth it when they both ended up in the loony bin.

  Almost.

  "Yours too."

  She ran her hand through her new haircut distractedly.

  "Yeah, well my Gran cut it. She wanted to make the cut last until I went home again for Thanksgiving break."

  He was just standing there, staring at her like a kid on Christmas morning. Then he held out his hand expectantly. She looked at it as if it were a snake that might bite her.

  "I'm Dylan."

  Dylan. The name suited him. It was unusual. Pretty almost. But strong.

  She sighed, ignoring his hand.

  "Look, this isn't a good idea. We should just act like none of this ever happened. Otherwise we are basically admitting that we are insane."

  "Like I said, maybe we are. I'm okay with that."

  He was still grinning when he said it. She sighed again, feeling like she was speaking to a slow-witted child. Except he wasn't, was he? He was a big, beautiful looking young man. An Adonis really. How could he be here talking to her when she'd conjured him up out of loneliness all those years ago?

  He was supposed to just be her imaginary friend dammit.

  "Come on, just tell me your name. What's the big deal?"

  "The big deal-"

  She lowered her voice, whispering at him as she started walking around the outskirts of the game again.

  "The big deal is that stuff like this isn't supposed to happen."

  "Yeah, it's weird. But it's good weird, you know?"

  She stopped and stared at him. He was so handsome. So big. So actually there in the flesh that she had to resist the urge to reach out and poke him.

  "I guess."

  "So, what's your name? Otherwise I'm going to have to call you dream girl."

  She sighed again and stared at the hand he was once again holding out. Patiently waiting for her to accept it. She reached out and slid her small dark hand into his.

  "Kaylia. I'm Kaylia."

  He smiled at her and clasped her hand. A jolt shot through her. He jerked as if he felt it too. It was like an electrical current that seared her, straight to the soles of her feet. She let go abruptly, reaching up to touch the top of her head.

  Her hair was sticking straight up.

  Dylan's was too.

  He smiled sheepishly as if that were a totally normal reaction to a handshake.

  "So... Can I buy you a cup of coffee Kaylia?"

  Chapter Five

  Dylan

  ☿

  Dylan was trying to hide his grin. He stared stupidly at the ridiculously adorable girl sitting across the cafe table from him. The ridiculously adorable girl who shouldn't even exist. But she did exist. And God damn if he wasn't thrilled about it.

  He felt like he'd just won the jackpot.

  Kaylia, on the other hand, looked nervous. Conflicted. Miserable, even. As if she'd rather be anywhere but here.

  He didn't care at the moment though. He'd find a way to convince her that it was a good idea to get to know him. A very good idea. He could do it too. He would turn on the charm, be the perfect suitor. He'd done it a thousand times with teachers and parents. He could certainly convince this shy little girl that he was boyfriend material. Just as long as she didn't run off again.

  Boyfriend.

  Damn if he didn't want to be just that. He'd never chased a girl in his life but this was different. Kaylia was different. He knew he'd do just about anything to make this girl his. At least now he had a name to go with the beautiful face. That was a huge step in the right direction.

  Something occurred to him and he blurted out the words 'you don't have a boyfriend do you?' without even thinking. He was flooded with relief when she shook her head 'no.'

  "Where are you from? I never get to see your... house."

  He smirked at the blush that lit up her cheeks at the reminder of how intimate her nocturnal visits were. She visited him in his bedroom often, but it was never the other way around. He'd give anything to see the inside of her bedroom right about now.

  "Louisiana."

  "I'm from New Hampshire."

  "Yeah, I know."

  "How do you know?"

  She shrugged, her dainty shoulders rising apologetically.

  "I sort of can tell which way I'm going. Even if it's not deliberate."

  "Oh, so you don't come looking for me on purpose?"

  She blushed deeper and shook her head.

  "No- I just - find myself there."

  He grinned wider and she turned ev
en redder if that was possible. And then she stood up. He was on his feet in a half a second, ready to follow her wherever she went.

  Even if it was just to the damn ladies' room.

  "Look, I should get back. Lots of homework and stuff."

  That was bullshit. She was just trying to get out of the date. He raised an eyebrow and called her on it.

  "It's the first week of school. There isn't a lot of homework."

  She looked away. He still had a stupid smile on his face. Even though she was trying to get away from him. He knew he was a fool but he didn't care.

  "Yeah, but I have to work tomorrow so I need to do my homework tonight."

  "Okay. Let me walk you."

  She gave him a wary glance that said 'I am onto you.'

  He hid his smile. She was right. He did want to know where she lived. Anyway, it worked.

  He followed her doggedly, keeping up a steady stream of chatter. She answered him cautiously, as if she was afraid to reveal too much of herself. Instead of annoying him, he found it adorable, and mysterious. Just like she was.

  It was unfortunately only a short walk to one of the large dorms that lined the edges of campus. He stared up at Tanner Hall and smiled. Now he knew where to find her.

  Bingo.

  "Can I see you again soon?"

  "Sure."

  Relief flooded his system. That had been easy.

  "How about tomorrow?"

  She shrugged.

  "I work at the dining hall, remember? I'll be there tomorrow. You can lay eyes on me."

  He grinned at her. She was being deliberately obtuse but he didn't mind. She was so damned cute!

  "No, I mean like this. On a date."

  Her pretty lips popped open. He'd shocked her. Again.

  "This was a date?"

  He smiled wider and leaned toward her. He wanted to kiss those pretty lips. Hell, he wanted to do more than that.

  Much much more.

  She turned her head at the last possible moment, leaving him to kiss her cheek. That was okay though. He was close enough to whisper in her ear, "Yes, it was."

  Kaylia

  ☿

  Kaylia stood up and then sat down again, jumping back up immediately. She realized what she was doing and started pacing back and forth on her side of the room instead. She was always careful to try not and intrude on her roommate's side, but right now she wanted to run laps around the room.

  Maybe the ceiling too.

  "You okay?"

  "Uh huh. I'm great. Never better."

  Charisse gave her an odd look from her bed where she was lounging on a mound of pillows. Didn't matter. Kaylia could not seem to sit still. She was not sure what to do with herself.

  He'd tried to kiss her. Just like in the dream. But better.

  That gorgeous, impossibly real boy had tried to kiss her for real.

  Only she'd turned her head at the last second. He'd taken it in stride but the moment was ruined. But at least she'd avoided disaster right?

  Wrong.

  Um... Why had she done that again?

  Oh right, because this was all madness and they were clearly headed for the insane asylum. Kissing him would only make things worse. Well, not during the kiss. That would be nice. But after.

  Post-kiss bedlam.

  What the hell was happening to her? She'd always known she was a bit odd. Different somehow. Nan had called her 'special' which had sounded good until she'd realized that often meant that someone had a few screws loose upstairs.

  But that didn't quite fit either. Her feet were firmly on the ground. When she was awake, anyway. She was a sensible, hard working young woman.

  One thing Kaylia definitely did not have, were loose screws. But she did have this odd ability to travel in her dreams. She'd looked it up. It was called astral projection apparently. But her abilities seemed to go way beyond what the spiritual blogs described.

  So she never told a soul about it. Or encountered the same person more than once. Oh, she did come across people now and then. They usually did not see her, or acknowledge her in anyway.

  Except for him.

  She remembered the first time she'd found herself in his room. Staring down at this beautiful boy. He'd opened his eyes. And smiled.

  It had been like a shock to the system. She hadn't been alone anymore. Somehow, just like that, they were together.

  And now he was real, and he wanted to kiss her. Did he want to date her? Sleep with her? She didn't know. But she had never felt more vulnerable and exposed in her life.

  For or the first time someone knew about her. Her darkest secret. Someone normal. Oh yeah. Dylan was as true blue American as they came.

  He should have been freaked out by the weird, dream-invading girl from the wrong side of the tracks.

  But he wasn't.

  In fact, he didn't seem to mind at all. He even seemed to like her, freakish nightime abilities and all. Of course, he didn't know the half of it. How far she travelled. How sometimes she seems to know things before they happened, even when she was awake. How her hands got hot when she touched someone who was ailing.

  Her Gran called it 'healing hands' and credited her vital health at 75 to her granddaughters touch. She'd even laid hands on a dying bird in her backyard once. It had chirped at her and flown away. Not far though. The damn bird came back to visit all the time for the next few years, reminding her of all the things that were wrong with her.

  Unnatural things.

  Dylan didn't know any of that.

  And he wasn't going to find out. Ever. Even if she did see him again, which she was very tempted to do. It was a terrible idea. A terrible, wonderful, seductively dangerous idea.

  She hadn't answered him about the date. Tomorrow she would see if there was another shift she could take. Somewhere else on campus other than the sports complex. Anywhere else. Then there would just be class to contend with. She could switch but- she sighed.

  Who was she kidding?

  She couldn't run from this.

  She couldn't run from him. And she wasn't even sure she wanted to. Her feet felt as heavy as lead when he was around. She wanted to be around him, more than anything she'd ever felt before.

  It was hopeless.

  He already knew where she lived. He knew her name. And she could tell that he wasn't going to give up, no matter how many times she deflected his advances.

  The scariest part was, she wasn't sure she wanted him to give up.

  Once she'd admitted that to herself she finally calmed down. She was thoughtful as she got ready for bed. She climbed in, bringing her sketchpad with her. It might seem odd to curl up with a pencil and a smudged up old pad of paper, but for once she didn't care what Charisse or anyone else thought.

  Kaylia relied on her sketches as a link to the dream world. She would often draw what she saw when she woke up early in the morning or the middle of the night. It was like a record of her second life, one she hoped would someday make sense of her gift.

  She had shoeboxes full of drawings at home. She'd just started this sketch pad over the summer but already it was halfway full. There were even several pictures of Dylan inside it. He was that prominent in her dreams.

  Kaylia opened the book and stared at the one she'd drawn just last week. She stared at the drawing, not remembering the dream at all. It took her a moment to figure out what was bothering her about the finely drawn sketch.

  When she realized what it was she gasped, dropping her pad as if it was on fire. The pages fluttered and she found herself staring, almost unable to look away.

  In it, Dylan's eyes were red.

  Dylan

  ☿

  He dreamed about her that night. But this time it was different. This time he had a purpose, and as soon as he knew he was in the dream, he did something he'd never dared to do before.

  This time he went to her.

  Like the other dreams, he was
lucid. He woke in his own bed, in the athlete housing complex. Before he knew it he was outside, walking through campus. But his steps were so broad that each one transversed fifteen feet or more. He felt strong, invincible even. He felt like he was somehow more than.

  Something bigger than himself. Stronger. Braver.

  And he was searching for the one person who would see it.

  His feet carried him inevitably toward her dorm. He didn't even have to think about it. She drew him, almost as if she was a magnet. As if he were an animal on the hunt. But not to kill.

  To join.

  Yes, he wanted to have sex with her but it was more than that. He felt driven to be as close to her as possible. To combine with her. Conjoin.

  To absorb and be absorbed.

  He stared up to a window on the third floor, sensing that she was inside. He blinked and he was inside her room, staring down at her. He wondered briefly if dream sex would be as fun as real sex. Or even more fun.

  Either way, he was definitely wanting to crawl into that bed with her.

  She slept in the same white nightgown that he remembered from before. She looked delicious, her face softened in sleep, her long legs tangled up in her mismatched sheets. This time it was he who reached out and pressed his hand against her chest.

  Immediately her eyes opened, looking adorably surprised. She wasn't frightened though. She smiled when she saw who it was.

  "Oh, it's you."

  In an instant he was back in his own bed, covered in sweat. He could remember every detail about the dream, from the warm feeling of her skin underneath his palm, to the lack of decorations on her side of her dorm room, to the feeling of the cool night air on his skin as he travelled across the campus.

  He also understood something new.

  The feeling he had in the dream was still with him, but stronger than before.

  Touching her had changed him.

  Kaylia had changed him.

  He felt powerful, more alive than ever before. He felt something inside him surging. Heat, vitality, desire.

  At practice that morning, he was unstoppable. He ran circles around his teammates until they started to look at him differently. He saw fear and respect in their eyes. Coach pulled him aside and said that if he kept it up, he'd be starting.