Dream Weaver ✓

Chapter 1

Olivia drummed her fingers on the table and looked at her watch. She was impatient for Emily, but her friend was always late. She drummed her fingers again - the thick leather band of the watch felt like a bracelet on her wrist. After school, she sped through the town, up to Emily's house, and Emily had all but forced Olivia to experience a tarot card reading. Now Emily carelessly strode through the kitchen and collected soft drinks and sweets from the cupboards.

"Are you still coming? I don't have all day."

"I'm coming!"

Olivia was a pragmatist to the core. She couldn't believe in things that couldn't be showed. And she certainly wasn't going to waste her time thinking about things she had no control over. But for the past few weeks or even months, Emily had been bombarding her with questions about the tarot cards.

With the bag of chips pressed against her side, Emily rushed into the living room, threw the bag in the chair, and gave Olivia an apologetic smile as she sat down with her loot. The sun streamed in through the windows and made little mottled spots on the table.

She raised her finger accusingly once Olivia tried to open the bag of salt. "First, the reading."

Olivia let out a sigh. "Understood."

"You're not open to it."

"See that already?" Olivia asked, her eyebrow raised. "The cards aren't even on the table yet."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Sean and Louis had the reading too."

Of course. Olivia had caught Sean and Louis gossiping about the session with Emily, and while she had heard nothing specific, the tone of their conversation had been clear. She sided with the boys for this kind of thing, though. While Emily leaned over the table and placed the cards upside down on it, her silver-blue hair tumbled onto the table like sunlit seaweed. Right then, Olivia sent another message to Sean.

Olivia:
Help. She's reading me.

At the sight of Emily's green eyes, Olivia shivered. She reluctantly put her mobile in the handbag that stood on the side of the chair. Olivia crossed her arms tightly and held them against her ribs as if they would keep her heart from fluttering out of control.

Leaning forward, Emily placed her hands on her knees and stared at Olivia - who didn't even dare to blink as she focused on Emily's fierce gaze. Even when Emily reached out and grabbed the cards, Olivia didn't dare to move.

Emily shuffled the deck and glanced up before looking back at Olivia. Suddenly, she stopped - her mouth half open and her eyes widened. She gave Olivia a serious facial expression. "I see a strong aura," she whispered.

"Already?"

Emily ignored her. "You can manipulate your dreams."

Biting her lip, Olivia tried not to laugh out loud. It was doomed to fail. Her friend sat there with the cards firmly in her hand, tilting her head and looking at her with no expression. The sweat on Emily's palms made the cards slippery, and she wiped it onto her jeans.

Crossing her arms, Olivia looked back. "Okay."

"I'm serious."

"I haven't experienced the dreams yet."

Emily drew the deck of cards toward her and flicked them with a sudden movement, sending them flying across the table. Her cheeks had turned bright red, she pursed her lips and shook her head slightly.

Olivia waited for a full minute before asking Emily the question - an apology on her lips. The ticking clock seemed louder than ever. She pressed her lips together in a thin line, noting the redness of her friend's face, which was already beginning to change to a deeper shade of crimson. The lines on Emily's forehead stood out like varicose veins. Her eyes were wide and unblinking. She stared at the cards.

The silence lasted for a full minute while Olivia tried to think of words to say, then, "What else do you see?"

Emily put the tarot cards back in the accompanying box with clouds on top. She put it in the drawer and took the bag of chips from the seat. "You don't believe me."

"I -" Olivia stared at the old pink tile floor. "I'm sorry. I'll listen."

To avoid laughing, she bit her tongue gently while Emily opened the chip bag - the smell of sour cream and cheese curled into the air. Throughout the day, Sean had warned her about this kind of scene. Her phone vibrated in her handbag, buzzing with a text message.

"Don't look."

"Just a message." Olivia's screen already lightened. "I'll switch it off afterward."

Sean:
Can you manipulate your dreams? Me too. And Louis? Well... he's also a member of the dream club.

A loud laugh escaped from Olivia. She covered her mouth, switched off the phone, and shoved the device back into her handbag. By now, Emily was already half on the edge of the seat, ready to interrupt the girls' night - deep inside, Olivia understood, she wasn't acting like a polite guest.

"Are you listening now?"

"Yes."

"Manipulating dreams is a special gift. You can choose the events and control the outcome."

"Good." Olivia scratched the back of her neck. "What's the benefit of this?"

Emily shrugged. "I only read about Dream Weavers. I haven't met one yet."

"What?"

"A Dream Weaver. That's what you are."

Frowning, Olivia teetered her foot from side to side. "What about you?"

She was tired of hearing about the legendary stories of Emily's paranormal experiences. Sure, she believed a few things happened, but really? This stuff was out of a book and not out of the true world. At this point, she hoped that their night ended soon - Emily rarely had an episode of her paranormal madness and yet she recognized it out of a thousand.

"Sometimes I have an idea about gifts."

"Like I'm a Dream Weaver?"

"Yes."

Red blotches began to appear on Olivia's face. Her body felt like a bloated balloon, filled with the pressure of laughter until it was going to pop. It thumped against her insides as if her heart had swollen and was pushing against her ribcage. She just nodded and had to come up with a plan to go home.

"But be careful," Emily warned. "There are Dream Weavers who are trapped in their dreams and couldn't escape so far."