Dream Walker

Chapter 16 | Nothing But the Truth?

The silence persisted throughout the ride to Alex's apartment. Callie was pressed as close as possible to the door on her side of the backseat, wanting to avoid any accidental contact with the mysterious man next to her. Though she felt gratitude to him for helping her out of the sticky situation she faced in that otherworldly maze, she was also incredibly frustrated with Alex. With each second that passed in the car, her frustration continued to grow.

He had known what was going on the whole time. Innocent people were dying, and he was—what? Twiddling his thumbs doing physics homework with her? How could he have kept her in the dark?

She understood that explaining the existence of an alternate dimension to most people would be a daunting task. But she wasn't most people. While the traveling through inter-dimensional portals thing had been a bit disorienting, she wasn't surprised. It would take her a bit of time to get used to the idea of portals and other worlds, but she would come around. Adaptation was a necessary part of survival.

The car came to a stop outside of a brick apartment building a few blocks from campus. Callie got out and waited for Alex to walk around the car. He walked up to his door without looking at her directly, and she followed. After unlocking the door, he pushed it open and swept his arm toward it, gesturing for her to enter.

"The chivalry thing isn't that cute, you know," Callie said as she stepped across the threshold. Her head swiveled to take in the one-room studio. There was a kitchen and living room combo in the front half, and she could see a bed peeking out from behind a partition wall. A platter of muffins covered in plastic wrap sat atop the kitchen counter. A pile of books, novels and textbooks, was neatly stacked next to the sofa.

Callie turned around, crossed her arms over her chest, and demanded, "Talk. Now." Away from the noises of the fair and the heavy metal music the Uber driver had been playing, alone with him in a quiet apartment, she needed to maintain the tough facade. Otherwise her shock might have crept back in and prevented her from getting the answers she deserved.

Alex closed the door quietly and walked over to the kitchen counter to drop his keys. She turned to face him as he brushed past, refusing to back down. Alex put both hands on the edge of the counter and let his head drop down, releasing a deep sigh. He pushed back up, ran a hand through his hair, and finally made eye contact.

"Would you like to sit down?" he asked gently.

"No, I would like an explanation." She spoke slowly, as if she were talking to a stubborn child. She raised one eyebrow in challenge. He raised one back. She couldn't help the small grin that broke through her icy demeanor. His head dipped, hiding his face, but she could hear the soft chuckle.

"You drive a hard bargain. Would you at least like something to drink while we talk? Water? Soda? Cough syrup? That's the hardest beverage I keep on hand." His face had resumed an impassive expression, but she could tell that the humorous words were covering his anxiety.

"I'll stick with water for now," she replied. "I have harder drinks at home if I need help coping."

Alex grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge and handed one to Callie. He walked around her to sit on the sofa. She held out for a few seconds, then joined him on the sofa.

"So, eh, I don't know where to start." He dragged a hand through his hair again, tugging harshly before letting it go. The movement was definitely a sign of Alex's stress. The amount of abuse he'd wrought on his poor head of hair was only increasing.

Callie's heart softened a bit at his genuine distress. "Can you tell me what happened tonight? Obviously, I was there, and I know what happened, but I don't understand most of it."