Dreamwalkers: The Awakening

CHAPTER 9

Like a woman possessed, I run for the stairs, Zoë following close behind me. I meet my dad at the door, inundating him with information about Natalie as he moves toward the kitchen. Zoë watches me run through details like I'm having a psychotic episode. He tries to slow me down, but I can't stop the words from erupting out of me.

"Alright, Emma. Calm down. Let's talk about this realistically. If I tell you it's okay for you to try to find this girl, how will you do it?"

"I don't think I'll have to try very hard. She finds me. She's done it three times already. That I know of."

"Okay. Say you find her. What if she's so overpowered by whatever that dark walker has done to her, that she can't remember anything about who she is? You know nothing about her. How will you be able to bridge her back to reality?"

A key part of waking up from a dreamwalk is being able to reconnect with your physical body. You need to know who you are and how to recognize the powerful energy your body gives off. "I don't know. I haven't worked out all the details yet."

"That's a pretty major aspect of trying to help a lost dreamwalker, Em. You have to know what you're doing before you put yourself in harm's way."

"I'll figure it out. I've been so close so many times. I just didn't know it."

"Why are you so passionate about this girl? Things like this happen every day and we do nothing to help."

I sigh, worrying my reason isn't good enough. "She's the only other dreamwalker besides you and Zoë I've ever linked with. That has to mean something. You saw the same news report I did. Her parents don't know she's a dreamwalker. They'll give up on her and let her die. Her soul will be trapped there forever."

After too long a silence, he finally speaks again. "How can I possibly tell you it's okay for you to do this? You're just a kid yourself. You want to go chasing after a complete stranger in a place where I can't protect you."

"I'll never forgive myself if I don't try."

He paces the floor between the island and the cabinets. It's clear he doesn't want to offer his approval, but he knows this is a fight he won't win. An inspired thought bursts into my brain and I do nothing to stop it from exploding out of me. "I won't be alone." I turn towards Zoë. "Zoë will be with me." Her eyes widen dramatically. "Who better to help keep me safe than the one person who's been doing it for over a decade?"

He turns on a dime, shooting a disapproving glance my way. "And what will happen to Zoë's parents when she doesn't wake up tomorrow morning? Or the next? Or for three months?"

Zoë chimes in. "I must be crazy, but she's right. I can't let her do this alone. My parents will just have to worry about me."

"Dad, I'm doing this with or without your help. With would probably be a heck of a lot easier." When he says nothing, I continue. "You once told me there's a colony of dreamwalkers in Maine. That they found a way to keep their bodies alive for months at a time while they dreamwalk. Where is that colony?"

He's shocked that I remember, his expression is clear. "The colony isn't a place you can just walk in to. It's buried in a forest, surrounded by security."

"If I explain to them why I'm there, they might let me in. If it's for dreamwalkers and I am one, then they have to, right?"

He turns away from me, rubbing his hand over his face. "It's not just as black and white as you think it is, Emma. There are consequences to taking extended dreamwalks. Not only can you become so profoundly lost that the link between your soul and your body breaks, but if you somehow manage to return to your body, it'll be weak. You'll be physically ill for an extended amount of time. You may even lose some of your memory and not know who any of us are when you return—if you return."