Power (Book 1 in SRMTHFG Series)

20

I dream that I'm back in the clearing with the log cabin. I sigh and sit down by the lake, dipping my feet in.

"This is nice: a little relaxation after all that's happened." My stomach growls. "Hmm... well, it is a dream... I want a blackberry bush here, please."

The bush appears right beside the lake. "Actually.. can it be in front of the log cabin, please? With another one beside it. In fact, they'll both be on either side of the door." The blackberry bushes appear.

I gratefully pick off the ripe berries, putting them in my mouth by the handful. They're perfectly tangy and sweet.

Suddenly, I hear a voice in the distance. It's in the woods. I follow the sound. As I get closer, I can hear that it's singing. Not only one voice; millions of them. I walk into another clearing, very large, and look up.

It's the stars. With my voice throughout my life.

Each star has my voice singing every single song I've ever sang. It ranges from "Mary Had a Little Lamb" to "Tomorrow" from Annie. It's a song I used to keep my head up.

"What is this place?" I wonder out loud.

***************
I wake up in my pod, wondering what the dream was about. It's the middle of the night again.

I hear something in the Robot. Gibson's going to be mad I'm using my crutches early, but I can't help it. I take them from the side of the pod and force myself up.

Walking down corridors and rooms, I follow the voice. At last, I reach a room with a black mark on the open door. I put my head in and look around.

Inside the room is a miniature zen garden. It has water, grass, and sand with those little rakes. The room has a calming effect. In the middle is Antauri.

"But if Skeleton King is able to find us... another war will have to begin. We'll have to gather every ally of ours, every good force in the galaxies to take him down," he tells himself. Antauri pauses.

"You cannot sleep, I see," he says, his back turned to me. I shrug off the strange feeling he was able to tell I was up. I mean, he's Antauri, he's like the psychic monkey on the team.

"Well... yeah," I say. He motions to a bench.

"You may sit. Gibson should be worried enough as it is." I smile and gratefully sit down, resting my leg.

"You wanted to talk about something," Antauri says, getting into a meditating position and floating.

"Yeah. I keep on having this dream whenever I'm asleep or knocked out. I'm in the same place- a forest with a clearing and a log cabin and a lake, and it's night. I had it again tonight, and I heard these voices. I followed them and saw the stars had every song I've ever sung in my voice in them and they were sort of... I don't know, the stars were singing. Do you know what it means?"

Antauri smiles and nods. "Chelsea, long ago I had a friend that was a Mockingbird. I studied their people for a long time. What you've been 'dreaming' about is your voice."

"My voice?"

"Yes, your voice. Everybody has a voice, but Mockingbirds' voices are extremely unique. They create a whole environment for themselves inside of you, and store every song you've ever sung and known in themselves. Each Mockingbird's voice create its environment based on the voice and its holder."

"So... I've been going inside my mind?"

"Yes, and at such a young age, it is another reason that proves you are a master."

I nod and go back to my pod, falling asleep.