Dream Walker

Chapter 22 | Ordinary People

Normal: such a simple word, but it held so much weight. People always thought they wanted to be extraordinary. Ordinary was usually more than enough for those same people. Yet, their minds never stopped picturing what life could be like. Fantasies were preferred over reality.

For someone like Callie, normality was her dream. She hated to even associate that concept with the word normal, because her dreams were the problem. She was the problem. She had been desperate for years to be normal. She wanted to be someone who worried only about college loans, finding a job, and maybe her love life.

Instead, she had to keep her emotions in control to avoid tearing holes in the fabric of the universe. During a study session the previous week, Callie had thought to ask Alex how not to create a tear in the veil that shadow creatures could sneak through. She didn't want to be responsible for any more harm to innocent people. According to him, her powers heightened along with her mental state. So, essentially, she had to remain calm during her worst nightmares to protect people from their own worst nightmares. Sounded easy enough, right?

Callie defaulted to her routine in an effort to avoid strong emotional reactions. Normal people were allowed to have breakdowns whenever they wanted and only hurt themselves. She had to remain impervious for the sake of humanity. That wasn't such a big deal, was it?

She reached over to increase the weight on the machine, then replaced her feet on the platform. As she pushed her legs forward, the effort felt more satisfying than before. Just like normal people, she was channeling her emotions into other things instead of bottling them up. She worked, she went to classes, she exercised, and she slept.

There was little to complain about with regard to her sleep. That, at least, was back on track. As soon as she woke up in an unfavorable dream, she simply redirected her energy elsewhere. She usually visited the glowing ocean, but she allowed herself to explore anywhere else, as long as there was no maze. She felt certain the terror that flooded her body when she rushed to escape the menacing sounds and sights of that world was the reason for the tear in the first place. Terror was quite a strong emotion.

Eight, breathe, nine, breathe, ten, breathe. Sweat was pouring in a thin stream along Callie's left temple. She used her sleeve to wipe it off. Just a few more reps and her workout would be over. Quinn's practice would be over, he would drive her and Lyn home, and she could take a long hot shower. The pain was always worth it once she stood under the punishing stream of water, letting it soothe her aches.

As she wiped down the machine, ready to leave, a familiar voice came from behind her. "So, you come here often?"

Callie turned around to look at Alex. He was leaning against a weight machine with one foot crossed over the other. His attempt to look cool was ruined when his arm slipped and his ankles tangled. He fell forward slightly, then reached a hand out to steady himself. His wet hair slid across his forehead, covering his eyes like a puppy with oversized ears.

The laugh bubbled out of Callie's chest despite her physical exhaustion. She was almost at the point of tears and had started coughing by the time she finished. Wiping the mix of tears and sweat from under her eyes, she finally reduced her laughs to mere chuckles. "Was that your attempt at a pickup line? You should know, I'm not that easy."

Alex shrugged, careful not to lose his balance again. "My charm is a special treat for a select few. You're welcome."

"Wow, could you deflate that ego a little? It's not a good look on an innocent little boy like you," Callie said. She picked up her phone and skimmed the notifications. Alex's offended expression was visible just over the top of the screen.

"Innocent little boy?" he scoffed. His accent came out stronger than usual, and it made the words even more adorable. "I am a grown adult man, and I am far from innocent."