DRAUMRS - Dreamweavers - Book Two

28 - Dream of Me

Will and Snow sat beside each other on the Challenger jet as it took the Green Clan and White Clan teams back to North America. They were dead-tired and would soon be asleep.

Will asked quietly, "Can we risk dreaming as one?"

It was such a strange question given all that they had experienced together; the very notion of not simply slipping away hand-in-hand seemed ridiculous. Yet, Gloria's words rang in their ears: Every dream can be joined; joined by enemies who would destroy not only their world, but the world of millions of innocent people. If they slipped up, even while only dreaming of a safe retreat in the high forest, they could be the cause of that destruction.

But, they wouldn't slip up. Snow's willing answer was: "Yes."

Then they were in that high forest. Will might have picked Northern Ontario, but Snow had taken them to the slopes of the BC Rockies. Just above them, snow was starting to frost the mountain tops. Below their feet, green-tinted glacier run-off cascaded down a steep gorge on the way to a wide river far off in a marsh-filled valley. Late Fall sun barely warmed the air, while the orange highlights in the conifers spoke to a changing season. They were walking hand-in-hand along a beaten earth path that led somewhere.

Snow pointed up to the mountains. "I'll be working soon. First runs in deep powder. I left Spring down south; I have to catch the early snows way up there, before the crowds get here."

Will was thinking ahead too. "Guess, I should get my butt to Boston, before they give my place away." He laughed. "Not that Jack couldn't get it right back. But, I'd rather leave all other Greens and their favors-owed at home for a while."

Snow intended to keep talking only while they were walking. Later, they wouldn't need any words. Lulu wasn't with them, making them both a little sad. But, before they flew out, Gloria had passed on a message: "Lulu wishes you both pleasant dreams, while she enjoys a drug-addled stupor, without any dreams at all, thank you very much." The comment had made them laugh and breath a big sigh of relief. She'd be back soon, with a few new scars to show off. The better to fill out her preferred grunge persona.

Will now said, "I think that we can just keep on talking about life and our plans and all that stuff. Can't see the harm. I'm happy to just be a half-assed pilot and full-time student for as long as possible. One thing that a pilot can do is fly out to see his girlfriend once in a while. That is, if he has a girlfriend."

Snow laughed, "Well, that's nice for him. But, did you know that snowboard guides can work just about anywhere, even on the little bumps they call ski hills in Vermont. If she really wants to slum-it that is, so that she can be close to her boyfriend."

They stopped on the path and enjoyed a long deep kiss. With a simple thought they could have just fallen over into a bed, but the walk down the path without the overhang of bad guys was proving to be just the recovery therapy that they needed. Snow broke off the kiss when it was obvious that Will needed some more air in the altitude. As he was catching his breath, she laughed and took off at a full run down the path.

"Ah, no fair!" Will was still heaving at the thin air. But, he had to give chase, so took off after her at the best clip he could manage. Snow was easily outdistancing him and disappeared around a tight bend.

Her sudden absence from his view caused a small spike of worry in Will's gut. He tried to pick up his pace. There was no reason to worry about any threat in this pristine forest dreamscape, but the nagging recall that Xana was also an outdoors woman was pushing him to catch up. Heaving for air and feeling his legs starting to fight him, he finally rounded the bend, not to find Snow, but to come upon a tiny chalet made of dark wood, with green trim. The mossy cedar-shake roof was partly covered in deep snow, even though there was none in sight anywhere else. There was a curl of smoke coming from a black stone chimney.