Tasteful Darkness

Chapter 17

Balendin - Now

I fell into someone's dream world only once before.

I was on a boat, traveling with several hundred others on our way to a new country. All the humans were long asleep, but I couldn't find rest. I hated being on unsteady land, and the sight of the water, darkened from the night sky, reminded me of the pitch black River flowing in the Underworld.

A girl had fallen asleep on my shoulder, and I didn't want to move. I had seen her struggle the day before—she was also not a fan of boats and often grew sick—and had no desire to wake her. I only risked moving my arm to move a strand of my long brown hair from out of her face.

I knew she was dreaming by the way she twitched and let out soft sounds. I wasn't trying to do anything. I had only leaned my temple against the top of her head and closed my eyes when suddenly I wasn't in the boat anymore.

It was a strange experience. As if my mind detached from my body and floated so high in the air that any attempts at getting back down were useless.

But then I started falling. Like a bird suddenly turning to stone, I quickly went from flying to screaming towards the ground I would never reach.

Then my body snapped into a standing position, and my feet were on solid ground. Just as I was attempting to register where I was, everything around me shifted. What used to be an empty horizon morphed into a cityscape.

Dreams worked in mysterious ways, I began to realize.

I spotted the girl walking down the streets, often pausing to look into the windows of the shops. When I took a step forward, the street seemed to narrow. I paused and looked around. Nothing moved. I took another step and when nothing happened, I continued further.

The girl pressed her hand against a door leading into a building. Then the buildings lined up on either side of the street jerked closer together, and started closing in towards me. Panic sprouted in my chest and I ran forward to follow the girl as she disappeared into the building. I managed to slip in behind her just before the buildings could crush me.

I sucked in a breath and sighed it all out.

"Hello there," the girl said to me.

I looked up, my chest heaving. "Did you see what happened outside?"

She blinked at me. "No. Who are you?"

"No one," I told her, unsure if she would even remember me when she woke up. "I'm not sure how I got here."

"That's okay," she said, then offered her hand. "I'm Sam."

I took it.

The moment my fingers brushed her palm, the world around us seemed to flicker like a flame. The world faded and I was dragged out of existence once again.

I was ripped out of the dream with such force it stole the breath from my chest. My eyes snapped open, yet I managed to stay still.

The girl woke up with a sharp gasp as she snapped into a sitting position. She blinked twice. Her gaze fell towards me. Something passed through her eyes—recognition, then realization. She didn't say anything and simply looked away.

I know better now.

This time, I am purposeful, and I'll tread carefully. Especially now that I know I cannot touch him and risk having him wake.

Breaking into Peter's room is easier than it should be. He left the window open, and climbing up to it took no time at all.

I pause on the windowsill, looking at Peter on the opposite side of the room. Half his body is uncovered by the sheets, exposing his bare chest, bathed in moonlight.