Crystal's one escape from the pretentious life her parents want for her is the dreams that fill her mind as she sleeps. In those dreams awaits the same boy who comes to her night after night, filling her heart with hope that can only be a fantasy. T...
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Just because I'm not letting Dad help me practice doesn't mean I haven't at least gotten a few pieces of information from him.
Helpful tip number one, if I'm having trouble falling asleep, there's a pill for that. A special one for our kind that puts us out in less than a minute. Dad gave me enough to use for a couple of days but said I would need to go to him when I need more. It feels like he's already putting me on a leash and it doesn't help when I'm still pissed it took him this long to finally tell me what we are.
He might've kept that secret forever if it weren't for Hunter.
I shake that thought off as I continue to try and focus. I've been wondering if the beach where Hunter and I always met was his creation, but after falling asleep, I'm starting to wonder if it's mine, or at least a safe place my mind keeps returning to. Wiggling my toes in the sand, I keep my eyes on the soft waves crashing in the distance and try to...do something. Make them higher, stronger, like a storm rolling in to match my dark thoughts. But so far, nothing.
Tip two, practice makes perfect.
I throw my hand out in front of me, spreading my fingers toward the water in an attempt to direct whatever abilities I have. All I manage to do is make myself feel dumb.
Yeah, so much for practice. I have no idea what the hell I'm doing.
But no matter how dumb I feel, I keep at it. Maybe the ocean is too big and I need to focus on something smaller. So, I start small. I don't know how much time passes but I eventually manage to turn a seashell from white to purple and change my t-shirt into a summer dress. That last one has my head pounding like the waves in the distance, which somehow have begun to turn more aggressive. I'm not sure I can take responsibility for that though.
How do I know when it's me doing something and not just this place?
That's probably a question for my dad but the idea of asking him for more makes my stomach uneasy.
Wiping a stream of sweat from my head, I plop down in the sand. I try to let the view calm my nerves and aching head, but when I turn to glance at the greenery behind me, I'm surprised to see a familiar face. By the time I jump to my feet, she's gone, ducked down in the trees.
"Mia?" I call out, already walking toward the tree line.
It's not like I've never spotted people on this beach before, but they always seemed like they were somewhere else. Like the patrons at the tavern where Dad took me to find Hunter, they were in their own world. But I didn't know them and they never acknowledged me more than a passing hazy wave.
Mia was looking right at me. She saw me, and she sure as hell reacted once she was spotted.
"Mia!" I shout again, this time braving a step into the tropical forest.
A few more feet in and I see movement, like someone running from one tree to another. I chase after it, running as best I can through the foliage that grows thicker and darker as the sun vanishes from the sky. I don't even realize I've reached the other side of the forest until my foot slips and suddenly I'm teetering on a cliff's edge. Breathing heavily, I try to shift my weight but the ground begins to crumble beneath me. All I can do is stare at the water beating against the rocks below, doing the best I can to conjure some kind of boat or floaty. Anything that could catch me.
