“Wow. How did that happen?”
Dylan smiled at her. His eyes crinkled at the corners with pleasure. “This is the way I travel. I don’t need to sleep because I’m a full clan member. You can travel like this too, but you will grow tired and will need to sleep, so only use this method for emergencies or if you have to travel in the day. Press the same spot and concentrate to go back home.”
“That’s so awesome.” She jumped up and dusted her pants clean. “My clothes!” she shouted. “I’m wearing my normal clothes.”
“Yes, most of the time you’ll get to keep the clothes you’re wearing when you travel with the dream catcher, but it’s not an exact science. The dream catcher takes us between Earth and Lanta. It transports us there and back.”
“Cool. Can I use it to jump to places once I’m in Lanta?” she asked.
“No, it only transports us between Earth and Lanta, not back and forth in Lanta.” His mouth curled into a lopsided grin. “You can travel back and forth on Earth, but not here.”
“Okay. I’ll have to bring spare clothing when I use the dream catcher and store it at your place then.” She smiled brightly.
“I’ve got a better idea.” He grinned and pulled her up. “Come with me.”
Silently, she followed him along the river’s edge. The water lapped at the pebbles scattered along its path, and the smell of apple blossoms filled the air. Dylan led her toward his house and Goldilocks honked at them from behind the white picket fence.
“Hey, Gold.” She greeted the big bird. “I haven’t seen you in ages.” The big goose fanned her tail feathers and vibrated them excitedly.
“We’ll come back soon, Gold. I’ll have some food for you then,” Dylan promised.
The bird honked loudly as they passed by, but they continued walking. Dylan was headed for a large house that stood apart from the others. Weeds and bushes grew around it. The timber siding was sorely in need of paint, and Aspen noticed places where shingles were missing on the roof.
The porch steps creaked as he climbed them, and he jerked the door open on rusty hinges. With a wave of his hand, he motioned for her to look inside.
“What a beautiful old house.” She breathed in awe. “It just needs a little paint and a lot of TLC, and it’ll be as good as new.”
After letting her enter, he led her into the living room. The room had a high ceiling and wooden floors. Linen sheets covered the couches, and a dusty coffee table was centered between the chairs. A large fireplace faced the furniture, and the ashes from an old fire lay like a carpet over the stones. A can of paint and a paintbrush sat at one side of the room, and it seemed as though someone was fixing the walls. The house smelled of paint and turpentine.
“Whose house is this?”
Dylan took a deep breath and turned to face her. “It belonged to your father.”
Aspen’s chest burned and her knees weakened. “It can’t be. Why haven’t you showed this to me before?” Her fingers dug into his forearm, but he didn’t flinch from the burst of electricity that shot from her palm.
“I didn’t think you were ready to see it.”
Aspen shook her head and stared at the room around her. Feeling overwhelmed, she moved forward to see what memories the house held of her father. With her bottom lip clamped between her teeth, she looked back at Dylan as he waited by the doorway.
The floorboards squeaked as she walked through the living room and into the hallway. The first door opposite the living room led into a medium-sized kitchen. Dust and cobwebs covered some of the surfaces, including a large table and chairs in the middle of the room, and an old cast-iron stove and a sink against the wall. A bucket of soapy water and a mop stood against the kitchen door as though someone had cleaned up.
She stepped back into the hallway and turned into the first door on her left. A porcelain claw-foot bathtub stood in the center of the room. Old towels lay neatly across a wooden chest of drawers, and a massive sink hugged the wall. Once she’d left the bathroom, she entered a room to her right.
It contained a single bed, a closet, and a chest of drawers. The curtains were shut, and the air smelled stale. After a quick perusal of the small room, she crossed the hallway and entered the room opposite the one she’d just vacated.