Let Her Sleep (Dream Walker Chronicles #1)

Chapter 10

Cordy sat at her desk, thumping the eraser on her pencil up and down as she stared unseeingly at the calculus homework in front of her.  Her thoughts still swirled around Reid and the strange dream she’d had the day before.  She had spent the whole day waiting for him to mention it; say something that would let her know she wasn’t going slowly mad.  His only conversation with her had consisted of the awkward lunch and his strange comment about things being dangerous.  She’d felt sure he meant the man in her dream and not her fainting…but she couldn’t be sure.

The doorbell rang, echoing loudly through the house.  Cordy ignored it, waiting for Effie to answer the door.  After several moments it rang again and Cordy froze.  It was Effie’s day off and she never scheduled anything for those days.  The only friend that might drop by would be Noelle and she was babysitting, which is why she wasn’t already sprawled across Cordy’s bed pretending to do homework.  It was way too early for a dinner delivery if Effie planned one…

Cordy peeked out her window, which looked out onto the driveway but didn’t recognize the battered car sitting on the street.  Stomach tightening, she ran down the stairs just as the doorbell rang a third time.  Well, whoever it is isn’t giving up.  A shadowy figure was just visible through the frosted glass in the door.  Her breath caught and for a moment she thought it was the shadow from her dream the day before and then the emaciated man with red eyes from her nightmares.  Taking a deep breath she forced those thoughts out, arguing with herself.  She flung the door open and gasped.

“Reid?”  Reid was standing on her porch, leaning against one of the columns, looking every bit the same as he had in all her dreams.  She wondered when the sight of him in the real world wouldn’t send shock waves through her.  His eyes, such a strange shade of turquoise that she still wanted to ask if they were contacts.  His hair was longer now, the ends curling slightly.  He ran his hands through it, tugging at the curls like they annoyed him and then he smiled.

His cheeks were pinker than usual from the cool wind blowing, making him look younger.  “What are you doing here?”  She knew it sounded rude but the question popped out before she could stop it.

His easy smile turned down at the corners.  “Is this a bad time?  I could come by another time.”

“Well it’s Tuesday…”  He gave her a quizzical look, one eyebrow arching.  “It’s Effie’s day off, so I’m afraid I’m ill equipped to entertain you.”  This had happened when she was younger; kids dropping by, wanting to play with her stuff and eat her food…never to see her.

“That’s okay.  I just wanted to talk to you, unless you’d be more comfortable with Effie here.”  He half turned back to the beat up car in the driveway.

“No, that’s fine.”  She backed away from the door, and he stepped in.  He grinned at her and her heart thudded unevenly.  “Can I get you something to drink…or a snack?”  She was pretty sure there had to be some kind of prepackaged something in the pantry.

“A coke would be great,” Reid said as he followed her into the enormous kitchen.  Effie had once said she would have taken the job just for the kitchen.  Stainless steel appliances glimmered in the light and the black granite countertops were spotless.  Cordy opened the fridge, praying there would be some coke there.  No such luck.

“Um…we don’t have coke, but there’s Blue Sky cherry vanilla.”  Timidly she held out the blue can of all natural soda.  He took it and cracked it open, taking a tentative sip. 

“This is pretty good,” he said smiling again.

Cordy stared back, waiting for him to say why he was there.  He gazed around the room, clearly impressed.  When he didn’t say anything Cordy said, “You wanted to talk to me?”