by K. E. Miller
I watched Shaylee all through Anatomy. I couldn’t even begin to guess what she had dreamed about that would cause her voice to be so hoarse. Plus, her odd behavior from dinner was still a mystery. The whole situation worried me.
When I sat down in Government, I tapped my foot impatiently as I waited for Jaden to arrive. We’d been careful not to discuss anything important in our class so others wouldn’t overhear, but I needed to know exactly what had happened.
Jaden walked in and sat down next to me without saying a word. She took her books out of her bag and carefully placed them on top of her desk. I waited to see if she would say anything.
“Well?” I demanded when it became clear that she wasn’t going to volunteer anything.
“Well what” she asked, evasively.
“What happened last night?”
Jaden sighed. I knew she was feeling conflicted about betraying Shaylee’s trust, but I needed to know what happened and I carefully conveyed to her the urgency I felt. As quietly as she could, she told me everything she knew about Shaylee’s dream.
“You should have heard her scream,” Jaden said, finishing the story. “It was the worst sound I’ve ever heard. She’d never admit it, but she was truly terrified.”
“And it was a dream within a dream?”
“Yeah. That’s how she described it,” Jaden verified.
I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall above the door. I had over an hour before my next class with Shaylee. I contemplated discussing things with Andrew then, but I knew that would never work. Shaylee would be suspicious, not to mention the other students. I couldn’t risk it.
“I’m going to disappear for a while. I have to talk to Drew about this. If I don’t make it back by lunch, tell Shaylee I got detention or something,” I whispered.
I knew detention as a weak excuse, but it was the first thing I could think of and I wasn’t about to sit around thinking up something better.
“Detention?” Jaden scoffed.
“It’s all I can come up with right now.”
I went to stand, but Jaden grabbed my arm.
“Aaron, I can’t save her from the dreams, but I’ll protect her while you’re gone.”
I nodded, overwhelmed by the emotion with which she spoke and the emotions I was feeling. I left the classroom and went down the hallway towards Andrew’s classroom, making a brief stop in the detention room. It was an understatement to say that Ms. Archer was surprised to see me.
The bell rang just as I reached Andrew’s door. I listened to him take the attendance of his freshman class, something he never did with the seniors. Once the class filed out, I went in. Andrew looked up from the papers on his desk when he noticed me.
“We need to talk,” I told him. “In private.”
“What’s wrong?” he asked, instantly concerned.
“In private,” I insisted.
He nodded. He left instructions on the board for his next class. I hated knowing that Shaylee would be on her own when she arrived.
“If anyone asks,” I told him. “You caught me skipping class and gave me detention. I refused to go back to class so you took me to detention yourself and stayed because Ms. Archer was missing. She will corroborate your story.”
“If you’re going to so much trouble to hide that we’re having a private meeting, I’m not sure I want to know what this is about,” Andrew said, looking even more concerned.
I kept my thoughts to myself until we got to his apartment. It wasn’t until we were behind the locked door and Andrew was sitting in his recliner that I felt secure enough for our conversation.
“What is all of this about?” he asked, once I’d taken a seat.
I stood up again, having only been seated for a few seconds. I began pacing back and forth. I ran a hand through my hair, trying to find some kind of outlet for my nervous energy.
“Shaylee had a dream last night,” I said.
“Yes. We’ve already discussed that she’s been having dreams.”
“No, you don’t understand. This wasn’t a typical dream. It started as one, but then it morphed into something else. Jaden had to shake her awake as she was screaming.”
“Screaming?” he asked, leaning forward in his chair.
“Jaden said she was terrified,” I replied.
I stopped pacing to watch his reaction. He looked even more worried than I felt. He could sense just as I did that there was something sinister going on.
“Please, tell me everything,” he said.
I told him everything I’d learned from Jaden. I also told him about what had happened at dinner. As I spoke, I watched, as the color drained from Andrew’s face. When I finished, he got up and crossed the room to his bookshelf. I sat down, unwilling to nervously fidget any more than I already had. It took Andrew several minutes to find the book he wanted, eroding what little patience I had.
“In the dream, you’re sure he touched her?” he asked, carrying the book back to his chair. He sat back down in his chair and opened the book, flipping through the pages.
“Yes. Shaylee said it burned her skin when he grabbed her.”
I began tapping my foot in anticipation as Andrew read and I became increasingly agitated as the seconds passed. When he finally looked up at me, I saw that he was paler than ever and sweat had developed on his brow.
“The Council knows she’s here,” he said.
“What do you mean?” I asked, feeling sick.
“It was a Dream Spell.”
“It can’t be. You have to be wrong. That’s old magic. It was banished long ago.”
“That may be, but the I am certain it was a Dream Spell.” Looking back at his book, he continued, “The spell was outlawed for everyone but a member of the Council or someone of higher rank. Since we know it wasn’t you…”
“I should go,” I said, jumping to my feet and moving towards the door. “If I leave, they’ll have no reason to suspect anything. I can convince them that she’s just a human and not worth the effort.”
“No, Aaron,” Andrew said, blocking my way. “It’s far too late for that. Whoever it is has already made the connection. The Warrior that was here must have seen to much and the Council assigned someone to track her. That’s what the spell does. You enter someone’s dreams and create a connection to them that is nearly impossible to sever. Then you can track them anywhere. If you make physical contact in the dream it burns the victim’s skin.” He paused for a moment, allowing me to contemplate this information. “If you leave now it will only make her more vulnerable. Not to mention what it would actually do to Shaylee if you left now.”
I knew Andrew was right. Leaving would only make things worse. Shaylee needed me now more than ever. Even if she wasn’t the one, we were waiting for and had nothing to do with the Prophecy, she still needed me. I was beginning to realize that I needed her too. I didn’t think I could leave her even if I truly wanted to.
“You’re right, of course,” I sighed and sat back down, defeated.
“Even if she isn’t…” I continued. “I don’t think I’m capable of leaving her. I feel connected to her, even if she isn’t who you thought.”
***
Eventually, Andrew went back to his classroom, leaving me with my thoughts. I wandered around the school grounds and ended up at the old oak tree that had been the setting of Shaylee’s nightmare. Ignoring the crunchy snow, I sat down next to the tree and leaned against it. The first thing I needed to do was confirm that the dream was in fact a Dream Spell.
I knew I needed to talk to Jaden. If Shaylee had a mark, I knew it would be next to impossible to convince her to tell me. Jaden on the other hand, knew many ways to convince Shaylee into giving her information.
Inside the school, the bell rang. I got up and brushed the snow off my pants before heading inside. Students were making their way from lunch to various classrooms. I stood outside Jaden’s sixth period classroom. I knew Jaden would be along any minute. She wasn’t the type to s
kip a class.
I saw her coming, looking confident and in charge, and breathed a sigh of relief that she was alone. I took her arm as she walked past without seeing me.
“I need to talk to you,” I whispered into her ear as I pulled her to the side of the hallway.
“You’re going to need a major excuse for why you were supposedly in detention,” she told me. “Shaylee is really suspicious. She said that everyone loves you and there’s no way you would get detention no matter what you did.”
“I’ll handle it,” I said, unconcerned. “Listen, I need you to find out if Shaylee has a mark where the man touched her in her dream.”
I spoke quietly, aware of the students that were watching us with curiosity as they passed. I didn’t want anything getting out into the student body.
“A mark?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“And if it did?”
I shook my head in reply, not meeting her eyes. How could I tell her that the Council had a virtually permanent way of tracking her best friend?
“I need more than that,” she said.
“It’s not good,” I warned.
“How not good?”
“It could change everything.”
“That’s all I needed to know,” she said and turned to go to class.
“Wait,” I stopped her. “That’s it? You don’t want to know anything else?”
“Yeah, of course I want to know, but I can tell you don’t want to tell me.”
She looked down and I suddenly felt guilty for withholding information from her. I began to apologize but she held up her hand to stop me.
“I had a thought earlier. For whatever reason this is all happening, I’m choosing to believe that it was meant to happen. I’m choosing to believe that I’m supposed to be the one protecting her. So I don’t need to know everything. All I need to know is how alert I need to be.”
I stared at her not knowing what to say.
“I’m a Warrior, Aaron. I’m her Warrior. I promise I’ll protect her with my life. You deal with the rest,” she said.
She turned away and walked into the classroom before I could say anything else.
I stood, frozen. I wondered if she realized the consequences of the words she’d just spoken. I doubted that she knew enough about Warrior history to be fully aware of what she’d just done.
I went back to my room, hoping that Jaden had meant what she said and wouldn’t regret her words later. Shaylee needed her. I needed her too.
Chapter 15
Jaden
Somehow, I made it through the rest of the day. After my conversation with Aaron, I’d barely been able to sit still. All I could think about was how I would find out if the dream had left a mark. If Shaylee did have a mark, she would never come out and admit it to me.
It was eighth period and when the bell ran I practically ran out of the classroom. I went to the Dining Hall and grabbed some food. I forced myself to pay attention to what I picked, not wanting a repeat of the previous night’s meatloaf incident.
I sat down and couldn’t help twisting my hair around my finger as I waited for my friends. When they entered the hall, I forced myself to calm down. As they walked, I noticed that Shaylee was definitely worried about something.
They got their food and walked to our table. As they approached, I could feel Shaylee’s worry growing. As I felt this new sensation, I realized that I was not imagining it or guessing based on the look on her face. I was actually feeling her worry. My heart raced as I started to freak out, not understanding what was happening. Then I remembered a story my grandmother had told me over Winter Break and I relaxed enough to get through dinner.
“Hey, guys,” I said as they sat down. Being so close to Shaylee, I had to mentally push her out of my head as it was almost overwhelming.
“Hi,” Shaylee answered, her voice sounding much improved.
I glanced at Aaron and we exchanged a brief, but meaningful look.
“How was class?” I asked, Shaylee.
“Uneventful,” she replied.
It sounded like she had more to say, but was keeping herself from continuing. I wanted to ask, but I could tell from the vibes I was getting that it wouldn’t go over well.
We ate without talking for some time. I kept my eyes on my tray, glancing up at Shaylee every few minutes. She seemed so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she didn’t realize that none of us were talking. I took one look at Aaron and saw that he was even more out of touch than Shaylee.
We finished eating, but both Shaylee and Aaron seemed oblivious. I could feel that Shaylee was dying to leave. I wondered why she hadn’t noticed we were all finished eating if she was so desperate to leave.
I kicked Aaron under the table. The sharp look he gave me when he looked up could have wilted the hardiest flower. Knocked out of his trance, he picked up his tray and stood.
“See you later,” he said.
I watched him walk away. It worried me that Shaylee hadn’t heard him and had yet to notice that he was gone.
“Shay,” I said.
“Yeah” she replied, looking up. She turned to where Aaron should have been sitting an I felt her sadness when she realized that he was gone.
“Ready to go?
She nodded and we left. The entire walk to our room was spent in silence. Once there, I got my homework out and started working. I thought it would be better to let Shaylee relax for a while before jumping on her about the dream. I could both feel and see that she needed some down time to at least pretend things were normal.
We worked in silence for over an hour. I was only partially focused on my homework. I paid more attention to how Shaylee was chewing on the end of her pencil, which I had never seen her do before.
I finished my homework, but pretended that I was still working. I waited until Shaylee closed her book and dropped it on the floor before deciding that it was time for some answers.
“Okay, Shay. Enough is enough. What’s up?”
“Huh? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she replied.
“You’ve been off since this morning. You acted like you really needed to see Aaron when he wasn’t at lunch and then at dinner you barely spoke to him and didn’t even notice when he left.”
“I was worried about him at lunch,” Shaylee explained, sounding defensive. “I don’t like being away from him. It’s weird and it’s too fast, I know that. It’s just how I feel. When he came to walk me to dinner, he was fine. I don’t need to be constantly talking to him to enjoy his presence.”
I could tell her defensiveness was only to draw my attention away from what was really bothering her. She was hoping to shut down the conversation. I couldn’t let that happen.
“It’s just not like you to be completely unaware that someone you’re close to was upset about something and left. Just like it’s not like you to chew on the end of your pencil.”
“I didn’t,” she said, looking offended.
I pointed to the chewed pencil still in her hand. She glared at it before tossing it onto the floor. She flung herself back onto her bed and stared up at the ceiling.
“Talk to me, Shay,” I said, gently.
I could feel her apprehension lessening.
“It’s that dream,” she said so quietly that if I were human, I would have struggled to hear her. “I just can’t stop thinking about it. I feel like it was more than just a dream. Like it means something. I can’t explain it.”
She paused and closed her eyes. She began rubbing her arm and I sensed the fear that was running through her.
“It’s okay. You can tell me,” I said.
She sighed and sat up.
“It’s this…” She pulled up her sleeve and held her arm out to me.
I gasped and slowly got off of my bed. Sitting next to her, I gently took her arm and examined it. Just below her elbow was a bright red welt. I turned her arm and could clearly see that it was in the shape of a hand. I started reaching out
to touch it, but stopped myself.
“It’s okay,” Shaylee said. “It doesn’t hurt. I didn’t even notice it until I was in the shower this morning. It’s just hot.”
I gently touched the handprint and understood what she meant. It burned under my fingertips and I pulled my hand away, unable to touch it any longer. The handprint scared me. As a Warrior, I didn’t have very much magic, but I knew enough to know that burn was supernatural and that it couldn’t be good.
“There’s more,” she said. “A voice.”
“What voice?” I asked.
“At dinner last night. There was a voice. It kept telling me to run. It was the same voice as the man in my dream.”
I froze, not knowing what to think or feel. I had to tell Aaron. Whatever was happening was getting very dangerous, very quickly.
“I knew I shouldn’t have told you,” Shaylee said, pulling away. “Now you’re going to be more protective of me than usual.”
“No, Shay. I’m glad you told me,” I said. “You can always tell me anything. I only worry about you because I love you. You’re my best friend. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
It felt good to reiterate the promise I’d made to Aaron to the person it was truly meant for. I knew Shaylee had no idea how far I was willing to go to keep that promise, but just saying it to her made it feel all the more real.
***
I quietly shut the door behind me. It had taken two hours and more than ten reassurances that I wouldn’t keep worrying about the dream for Shaylee to fall asleep. What she didn’t know was that I couldn’t help worrying about the dream, which was far more dangerous than Shaylee realized. I wasn’t sure how she was rationalizing the voice she heard or the dream. If I were in her shoes, I’d be convinced that I was going crazy.
I knew I wouldn’t feel better until Aaron knew the full situation. I went up to his room and knocked. After knocking for a third time, without an answer, I thought about going to look for him, but I had a feeling I would walk around all night trying to find him, so I decided to try the door. To my surprise, it was unlocked.
