Someone cried out behind her and she stole a glance over her shoulder. Branches in the trees were moving, and loud voices shouted in the distance.
“Don’t look back, just run.” Dylan reached out for her arm and dragged her forward. She ignored the warmth that his touch always created in her body, and ran as fast as she could.
A strange, sweet smell clouded the air. Once, a teacher had used ethanol in her physics class, and the odor reminded her of its rich, sugary fragrance. The sky had changed from lemon to the color of old bruises, and the air was cool around them.
“Run with her, Sandy, quickly. I’ll distract them!” Dylan shouted. He loosened his grip and turned back. The girls stared after him for a second.
“Come on!” Sandy yelled. “We’ve got to hurry. Run as fast as you can.”
? ? ?
Aspen woke up suddenly, completely out of breath. She jackknifed out of bed and picked up the alarm clock. Ten minutes before she had to get up for the morning. Her breathing was still ragged, and she glanced down at her pajamas.
“Oh my word,” she whispered.
The pajamas she wore were slashed and ripped at the sleeves, as though she’d actually run through the forest. Jumping out of bed, she yanked the shirt off.
Her pants weren’t ripped, but the top was ruined. There was nothing sharp on the floor that could have caused the damage. Maybe Miriam had snuck in and cut her top during the night. She sighed and rolled her top into a ball, then stuck it as far as she could into the back of her clothing drawer.
Chapter 6
Time to Explain
Sandy was waiting for Aspen as the bus rolled into the school grounds again. She’d let her hair loose, and it hung like a curtain around her petite body.
“Hey.” She smiled as Aspen jumped from the vehicle. Other students walked around them in groups, laughing and chatting loudly.
“Hey, where’s Dylan?” Aspen asked too quickly, then mentally kicked herself, not wanting to sound eager.
Sandy grinned and played with a small dream catcher that she wore around her neck. It looked suspiciously similar to the one that Dylan wore.
“He had to divert the Chancellors. He’ll be here later.”
“Excuse me?” Aspen stopped looking at the necklace and stared at Sandy in shock. “Did you just say he diverted the Chancellors?”
Sandy burst out laughing and hugged her backpack. “Yes, dummy. Didn’t you know it was real?”
The bus rumbled to life next to her, and she jerked as Mamma Megs honked the horn and waved good-bye.
“Excuse me?” This time she asked the question in a state of shock.
“Ooh, Dylan. I like the way you make me feel all tingly inside.” Sandy giggled. “I told you you’d regret saying that.” Aspen stared at her blankly. “Hmm, I can see this is going to take longer than I thought.” Her friend dropped her smile and sighed dramatically. “Let’s meet at lunchtime and I’ll explain it all to you.”
Nothing could have shocked Aspen more, and she closed her open mouth abruptly.
“Come on, you’ll be late for class.” Sandy walked toward her class and Aspen followed her blindly. Once they reached her history class, Sandy pointed to the door.
“See you at lunch,” she mouthed silently, then disappeared into the throng of kids that surged through the hallway.
Aspen walked to her desk in a daze, barely noticing the scents of chalk and pine disinfectant that permeated the classroom she slumped into her chair in a state of bewilderment. Dylan’s seat was conspicuously empty behind her.
After looking around the class, she caught Miriam’s angry gaze from across the room. Her stepsister was dressed to kill in a low-cut tank top and a tight pair of Wranglers. Chewing a piece of gum vigorously, she sealed the bubble against her lips before popping it over and over. Aspen looked down and opened her books to avoid any further confrontation.
The lessons dragged on far longer than usual, and it was difficult to concentrate in any of her classes. She couldn’t wait for lunch to start. Luckily Miriam hadn’t spoken to her at all, and she was grateful for the small respite.
Finally the lunch bell rang and she ran to the cafeteria to search for her friend. Sandy waved to her from a table in a semiprivate alcove. Aspen dashed over and dropped her bag on the floor. Holding out two sandwiches stuffed with lettuce, tomato, and ham, Sandy motioned for her to sit and handed her a juice.
“Here, you look like you’re starving. I’ll talk while you eat.”
Aspen bit into the bread hungrily. The dream catcher charm that dangled from a suede cord around Sandy’s neck seemed to glow under the fluorescent lights.
“So, where to begin?” Sandy smiled and slotted a straw into her juice box. “You, Ms. Walker, are part of a very powerful race called the Dream Walkers.” She tugged at the straw with her mouth after the announcement.
Aspen couldn’t speak after she’d bitten off a large piece of bread, and she tried to chew without choking. Once she’d nodded her head, Sandy smiled and continued.