They walked on the path for a bit longer. As they rounded a curve on the road up ahead, Aspen gasped at the sight of a lake stretched out lazily before them.
The surface of the lake was calm and glassy in the center, but near the bank the water rippled somewhat where a babbling brook folded into it. Its circumference was framed by lime-green grass dotted with buttercup-yellow flowers, a scene as perfect as a picture postcard.
Aspen couldn’t see the sun, but the air was warm on her face. A bead of sweat trickled down her temple, and she grimaced as she looked down again at the hot and heavy skirt she wore, wondering if she could change her clothes mid-dream.
Goldilocks quacked again and waddled quickly to the lake’s bank to eat the lush green grass.
She glanced up at Dylan. “It’s so amazing. You must love coming here.”
“It is and I do.” He smiled, and a moment of silence hung between them. Dylan reached for a blade of grass and sat down on a huge white boulder.
“It’s the Dream Walker Lake, Aspen. It’s a part of Lanta where we live, and it belongs to all of us, including you and me.”
She licked her dry lips and leaned over to pluck one of the pretty yellow flowers, then sat down on a boulder close to him. The petals were waxy under her fingertips, and she rubbed them absentmindedly.
“We come here to recharge,” he said.
She closed her eyes and smiled as the warm breeze tickled her cheeks. “Yes, I bet you do,” she said with a sigh.
“No, really, we come here to recharge our life force.”
Aspen lifted a brow and opened one eyelid to look at him dubiously. Dylan stretched his fingers upward and a stream of electricity charged up and down his hand. The blue flames spluttered like an electric bug zapper, and she jumped up.
“Relax, you can do this too.” He shook his head and chuckled. “Sit down and raise your hand up like mine.”
It’s a dream, it’s just a dream.
“Um, okay.” Slowly she lifted her arms and jerked as blue flames rushed from her elbow up into her hands. Shaking her hands, she screamed.
“Ow! I’m on fire! Oh my gosh, help me!” Instinctively seeking to cool the searing burning sensation that ran down her arms, Aspen rushed to the lake and stuck her hands deep into the cool water. Instantly a burst of electricity hit her so hard that she was flung back, landing in a heap on the grass behind her.
Dylan’s body shook with laughter. “Aspen, haven’t you been paying attention in school? Water is a conductor of electricity. It’ll only make the current stronger.”
She rubbed her palms dry on the heavy skirt. At least the skirt served a purpose, she thought. Determined to do it right this time, she once again raised her arms. But as soon as she lifted her hands toward the sky, blue flames of electricity sprang from her fingers again.
“Concentrate and try to stop the current,” Dylan shouted as she bounced up and down, desperately flicking her hands.
“Make it stop!” she cried out. Her heart pounded in her chest and she took short, panicky breaths.
Dylan rushed up behind her and pulled her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her in a soothing manner. His chest rumbled with laughter, then he leaned his head toward her ear and spoke gently.
“Watch. This is how you do it.” Pressing his cheek against hers, he rubbed his jaw softly against her skin. Aspen got such a fright that she forgot about the flames. Instantly the blue current stopped, but the warmth she felt whenever he touched her spread from her face throughout her body.
“See? You need to concentrate. Let the power flow through you, because it’s a part of what you are. You can control it with your mind.”
His hard chest cradled her back and she tried to pull away from him.
“Calm down.” He tightened his grip on her and kept his cheek pressed close to hers. “Try it again.”
Inhaling deeply, Aspen allowed herself to rest against his upper body. Dylan was so close that his breath puffed against her neck and his heart hammered against her spine. Stretching her hands out, she tensed as soon as flames sprang from her fingertips again.
“Concentrate,” he insisted. “Make the power stop. Tell it to flow away from you.”
She took a deep breath and concentrated as hard as she could. The blue flames receded as soon as they’d started. Aspen looked at her hands in amazement.
“Just like that?” she asked.
He laughed. “Just like that.”
Trying again, she felt the tingling spread until the flames appeared. Her fingertips looked like a blowtorch and she squealed. “I could get used to this.”
“There. Switch it off.”
After concentrating, the flame disappeared magically. This is such a cool dream, she thought.
Dylan gave her a quick squeeze, but didn’t release her. “It’ll get easier with practice.”
She looked back at him in amazement. “How is this possible?”
His gaze softened. “I think you’ve seen enough for one day, my little princess.” Smiling, he kissed her forehead. “I’ll continue our lessons when we get to school tomorrow.”
Chapter 4