Dreamwalkers: The Awakening

CHAPTER 1

APRIL

There are moments in life when you can feel the creation of a memory somewhere deep in your psyche. A night you'll never forget, an hour that will be forever frozen in time, filed away in the endless macrocosm of your mind. Tonight, is one of those nights.

I'll feel the cold breeze stinging my cheek and the thick fabric of Charlie's winter hat on my fingertips as I reminisce about my teenage years. I'll see him standing next to his truck, the pile of brown curls on his head fluttering in the wind as he shivers and questions why he ever agreed to come here tonight.

"Here," I warn before tossing him the thick wool hat I knitted in an art class.

Catching it with ease, he slides it onto his head, tugging it past his ear lobes. "When they find us in the morning, we'll be frozen solid. They'll have to reanimate our bodies like in that movie we watched last night."

I spread the last of the blankets over the bed of his well-loved 86' Ford, while Charlie digs through the cab for sleeping bags. "We'll be fine once we get bundled," I reassure him as he unzips a bag. "I promise not to let you turn into a human popsicle."

An icy breeze blows across Massabesic Lake, rustling the trees lining its shore. Charlie snaps the red plaid jacket he's wearing closed over his sweater. "I think we might be the only people in New Hampshire dumb enough to sit outside and watch these meteors tonight."

"No way. This is the most active the Perseids have been in decades. Everyone who appreciates nature is outside, looking up."

"And freezing their asses off."

I shoot him an exasperated glare. "It's forty-nine degrees. Not negative ten. You'll survive."

"Emma," he grumbles before dramatically exhaling a cloud of steam. With a cursory roll of my eyes, I hold back laughter. "This is a great spot we picked though," he adds looking at the darkening clearing in the woods. "There's nobody around. You can't even see the lights from town out here." He takes a few steps closer to the partially frozen lake and lifts his hand to the edge of his brow. "Is that a polar bear floating on a chunk of ice out there?"

My attempt to stifle laughter fails. "Just get in here and lay down with me," I order him as I burrow into the pile of blankets and sleeping bags. "I'm freezing!" His face lights up as he hops onto the tailgate without hesitation. He kicks off his boots before climbing under the covers and snuggling in next to me. With an effortless move, his muscled arm wraps around my waist and pulls me into his chest.

Warmth radiates through my body and I slip into a state of pure bliss as I wriggle as close to him as I can. But it's still not close enough. As his forehead presses against mine, he gives me a squeeze to say he's feeling the same and I can't help but smile.

There's love, that feeling that grows over time for someone you have deep affection for. And then there's what Charlie and I share. Somewhere beyond just a physical and emotional connection where our hearts communicate without words, lies that unexplainable feeling that on a complex spiritual level, we've shared a profound, intimate connection since before we met last autumn. A connection that was lost somewhere in space and time; two meandering souls finally unified at a time so perfect, it was almost unimaginable.

The tip of his nose nuzzles into my hair just before his warm lips press against my cheek. "I love you," he breathes softly into my ear. "Too much."

I'm hit with a wave of euphoria that renders me momentarily frozen. When I regain my senses, I turn my head toward him, unavoidably rubbing my nose over his as I do. "There's no such thing as too much." He leans in to kiss me and I completely surrender myself to him. With his lips pressed against mine, I can feel our connection grow stronger than ever. It's hard to imagine anything on earth that feels better than this.