Dreamwalkers: The Awakening

CHAPTER 14

"How many hours of driving are left today?" I ask Zoë as she starts the Jeep's engine, already knowing the answer but hoping to distract her with small talk.

"Maybe three."

"Do we need the map yet?"

"No, I checked it out this morning and wrote down the highway changes on this paper."

She pulls a notepad of hotel stationery out of her pocket and hands it to me. "When did you have time to do this?" I ask, baffled.

"Early. Around five. I woke up and felt too restless to stay in bed."

"But you were in bed when I woke up."

"I tried unsuccessfully to get more sleep." She leans her head from side to side trying to stretch her tired neck muscles.

"You sure you don't want me to drive for a little?"

"No, I'm okay. I promise." She offers me a forced half smile, trying to hide her anxiety. Enacting my half of our unspoken best friend contract, I give her the only thing I can right now. Silence. The Zoë next to me today is the complete opposite of the strong, confident woman I'm used to seeing, the one who finds all the solace she needs within herself.

Last night was the most intense night of my life. Reading the journals barely prepared us for experiencing everything firsthand via the pendant. The sheer volume of information that we were forced to process is mentally exhausting to say the least. I've never experienced anything even remotely close to it. Zoë's dealing with double what I am right now. Not only did she learn about the true danger the caligo poses to dreamwalkers, but she also has to figure out how to defend us from it. I don't even have words to describe the pressure she must be feeling.

Staring out the window, I watch the morning frost sparkle like glitter under the sun. In the harsh light of day, the mistakes I made centuries ago are obvious. The smart thing to do would've been to let the curse die with me, sacrifice myself to the caligo and give Isabel the soul she wanted all those years ago. But instead, I escaped and taught my father how to as well, intensifying the curse. When my soul was immediately returned to live another human life, I repeated my errors, again and again in spite of the knowledge I was given by the Carver family.

It's been well over three hundred years since the curse was cast. By this point, Isabel could've captured hundreds of thousands of souls to torture for eternity, all because I fought back.

Still feeling tired, I close my eyes and let the rhythm of the car grab hold of me. After a few moments, I drift into a light sleep.

I have no idea how much time has passed when I feel the car come to a stop.

My eyes open to the parking lot of a rest area along the side of the highway. Without a word, Zoë gets out of the car and walks toward a picnic area at the opposite end of the lot.

Confused and half asleep, I lean forward in my seat and watch her walk away. Something is obviously bothering her and now is my chance to get answers. I follow her to a bench in a grassy area.

"What's wrong?"

After a moment, she vocalizes her concern. "Do I exist only to protect you?"

"What? No! You exist because your parents wanted you to exist. Not because of me."

"Why am I two months younger than you then? Why not a hundred years older?"

The evidence is damning and if I were in her shoes, I'd probably be thinking the same thing. But it's still only circumstantial. "Maybe they weren't ready to have a family until then."