Dreamwalker (24 page)

The scene was graphic and so real. This was far worse than playing a three dimensional videogame and killing a target. It felt so real; I could still feel the kick of the gun as the bullet left it. I shivered in horror, wanting to shed the feelings that were forever scarred in my mind. It felt as if I had just murdered Graham myself and I shuddered.

Then I realized that Autumn and Clark had already left and were walking right into Madison and her lethal motives. “Boone, Autumn is in danger. We have to get to her before Madison does,” I said frantically.

“
Madison? She is the mole? Damn. I should have sensed it. That bitch,” he replied beating himself up with fury in his tone.

As with the last vision, I didn’t have time to continue. I was being pulled back under, into another scene. My vision tunneled and it took me a moment to regain my bearings this time. When my vision cleared, I was outside Groovy Days all over again.

Clark was by my side and we were heading for the rear entrance to the store. I wanted to shout to stop and turn around, but I had no control. I merely had to sit and watch this play out, unable to shake myself from the vision or interfere.

Clark tried the door and it sprung open with little force. He nodded and I followed him inside, my heart thudding in my chest a million beats a minute. I stifled a sneeze as we entered the dusty backroom. Clark scowled at me and raised a finger to his mouth to signal silence.

My eyes were watering but I tried to focus on where we were going. I looked around and took in the dusty library of a backroom and its bizarre contents. Black magic had been performed here and I suppressed a chill up my spine. It was so dark, so black and very powerful.

I heard footsteps and my eyes went wide. We couldn’t be caught yet. We hadn’t found Madison and Graham yet. We looked around frantically to find a spot to hide and settled quickly on a pile of boxes in the corner. We wasted no time nestling down behind them before the footsteps were right on us. Then we heard the voices.

“
Noise, I heard something,” a muffled voice said.

“
Are you sure, Nan?”

“
Yes, look! The dust has been disturbed back here. There are foot prints everywhere.”

Now I was beginning to sweat. My heart was thudding and I was almost to a panic. Clark was clearly panicked as well as he looked at me with wide eyes. I wanted to shrink to the size of an ant and crawl off. I held my breath in the hopes that we wouldn’t be discovered and just waited in fear. A third voice joined and I couldn’t avoid letting out a choked gasp.

“
Over hear, by the corner,” August said.

The sound of his voice made my skin crawl. We had been made. I could only hope that backup was here and ready to help. He yanked me up by my neck and smiled a Ferrell grin that was far from human.

“
Look what the cat dragged in, Nan. It is Autumn, Noel’s keeper.”

Clark wasn’t going to go down without a fight though. He pulled out his pistol and it clicked as he released the safety and aimed it right at August.

“
Don’t you dare touch her,” he said valiantly.

“
Awe, you have a bodyguard. How cute. Too bad bullets aren’t going to do much but piss me off boy.”

“
Yeah, well iron ones will,” Clark said with bravado and fired without hesitation.

The seconds ticked by but nothing happened. Clark and I turned to each other in confusion when another voice interjected.

“
They are blanks. I couldn’t have you shooting us. That wouldn’t really help. Sorry, but you have been dismissed,” Madison interrupted as she aimed her gun at Clark and released point blank.

He was flung back by the force and hit with a thud against the wall, sliding to the floor, dead in the blink of an eye. I let out a blood curling shriek and hoped to alert anyone that I could. It was no use though and I dropped to the floor in broken sobs.

“
You, get to come with me. It is time for you to have a little reunion with your other bestie, as you call her,” Madison said with venom in her voice.

Like before, I was flung back to reality like a rubber band. The sheer force of it led to instantaneous violent heaving. I once again felt the comforting touch of Boone wiping my tears away and tucking my hair behind my ears. This time was different though.

I couldn’t just snap out of it. It was Autumn and she was in so much trouble. Everyone I love was lost to me right now. It seemed increasingly less likely for a rescue attempt and it filled me with more despair.

For a while, Boone just held me. He could feel the state of shock that I was in and he gave me some time to digest. But after a while, he spoke with reluctance.

“
What happened? You have to pull yourself together. I need you.”

That jolted me out of my shock. He needed me. Autumn needed me. We had to do something and fast.

“
It was Madison again. August was there too,” I choked out in broken sobs.

“
What? Are you sure? Is Autumn ok?”

“
Clark and Graham are dead and Autumn was captured,” I said in a hollow voice. My red rimmed eyes met Boone’s empathetic ones and I broke there in the comfort of his arms.

From behind me I heard a familiar voice, none too welcome. It was Wren, again. I really wanted to kick the shit out of her now more than ever. Remembering the force she treated my sister with brought venom to my voice when I spoke.

“
You stupid bitch, I will see your head on a silver platter for what you have done to my sister. If you lay a finger on Autumn, I swear to it.”

“
Tsk, Tsk little dream walker, that’s no way for a lady to talk. Didn’t Rita and Jason teach you better?” she taunted.

That just infuriated me and I was up and swinging before Boone could get a grip on me. I missed by just mere inches and felt slight satisfaction knowing she was finally going to get what she deservedS. I went to swing again, but Boone was pleading with his eyes for me not to pick this particular fight. I ground my teeth in reluctance, and then backed off.

“
Oh, lucky your guard dog is so smart. We wouldn’t want you to do anything you would regret, and you would regret it,” she stated in a menacing tone.

“
He’s not my guard dog. He doesn’t tell me what to do. I have had enough of your shit. Let’s go right now, you and me.” I said more brazen.

Before I had a chance to step forward or even change stance, she hit me. Her fist connected with the hard tissue of my cheek with such force that I was down, in the grass.

My consciousness was waning and all I could make out was Boone coming at her with pure rage. The last thing I heard before I reached oblivion was the yelp as Boone collapsed by my side and the unmistakable voice of Madison.

Chapter 18: Persephone’s League of Immortals

When I came to, we were being thrust into a cell with enough force to bring me to my knees. I expected the imprisonment, but not the roughness. It was probably for pissing off Wren, the bitch. I was a candidate according to August damn it, I should be treated like one. I was about to complain but realized I was in the same cell as Sam.

It was Sam in the flesh for the first time in twelve years. She gave me a weak smile and I rushed to embrace her in a hug. God, I missed her so darn much.

It felt like a dream to finally be face to face with the only other member of the Maristolla family and heir to all things psychic. I didn’t even mind the smells from being neglected in a cell for all these days. I was too happy to have a piece of my life back.

“
God sis, I missed you,” I said, brushing tears from her face.

“
You have no idea! I have been torturing myself ever since that day I left you at Autumn’s twelve years ago,” she replied as she winced slightly at the sting of her own words.

“
I forgive you, Sam. Just never do that to me again. You, me and Autumn are a team ok?”

She looked relieved and I pulled Autumn in for a hug.

“
Are you ok? I couldn’t get to you in time. I was puking my guts up from the snap in snap out visions I was graced with. I saw almost everything,” I told her.

“
Clark.. and Graham..” she began before the sobs took hold again and she sat down on the cold cement floor.

“
I know, and I am sorry. It was horrible.”

I turned my attention to the other person in the room, but couldn’t face him. I should be ashamed for the mess I got myself in. I wasn’t sure I was ready to face him just yet.

Against my better judgment, I looked up, tears forming in my own emerald eyes when I felt the conflict warring in full force from within. Jared and Boone were both reaching to comfort me and I was reminded of my own follies. I had strung both along and still couldn’t seem to pull myself away from either of them. Boone however, understood and read my warring feelings. He stepped back and gracefully allowed Jared to comfort me.

It seemed strange after these few days with Boone to feel Jared wrapping his arms around me in support. I was embracing Jared but my eyes were trained on Boone and the hurt I read in his stormy eyes. Jared and Sam were oblivious and Autumn was nice enough to distract Boone as she wiped the tears away from her own blue eyes.

“
What are we going to do now Boone? Do you have a plan C?” she asked with a quiver in her voice.

“
Hmm, afraid not, we were intercepted before we could get away. I didn’t exactly see this coming.”

“
Madison is already immortal, what is her endgame? I don’t understand why she would turn traitor after all these years,” Jared said.

“
Unless she was a plant from the start,” Autumn said, using her sleeve to wipe away the remainder of her tears.

“
I wondered at the first safe house, how we managed to slip her when we were escaping. I should have focused on it a little harder I guess,” Boone replied. He looked stressed and conflicted as he reached into his pocket to retrieve a cigarette and his lighter.

“
It would have made it so much easier to pick us off and isolate us. It is brilliant really. Then we lead her here and she gets us all. We are all incredibly talented and would be assets to PLI,” Autumn said.

It was my turn to ask for information. It was the one thing I have been grey on this whole time. I knew who was right and wrong and the general concept of the two groups, but not much more beyond that.

“
PLI, why do they collect people with abilities if they are immortal?”

Sam was the one to answer my questions. It was clear she had been well researched when it came to this.

“
Persephone uses them for slaves in the human world in exchange for a chance at immortality. As queen of the underworld, she has power others can’t touch. Every year, when she descends for her time below, she chooses a select few to accompany her. They gain immortality and have the ability to move through realms during those times when the veil between them is the thinnest. Samhain is the descent.”

“
What? Today is Samhain,” Autumn stated in a panicked tone.

“
Yeah, I know, Myotis lucifugus, which is why I cried May Day. We were too late though. They have us and now Madison, Wren and August will have what they want,” Sam said in a somber tone.

Jared was stroking my hair and I couldn’t help but still feeling so conflicted. I could see the ignorance in Jared’s eyes, but I also saw the hurt in Boone’s. I felt like crap. How could I be
that
girl? Now I was trapped with two men I couldn’t choose between. At this point, I would like to just disappear into vapors.

Having Jared in real life was just like the Jared in my dreams. I also couldn’t deny my feelings for Boone. He was perfection wrapped up in one sexy package. Worst of all, I didn’t want to break up what Boone and Jared had. I just felt cruel.

I looked up, wiping tears from my eyes and moved to Sam. “Can I talk to you, over here?” I asked head tilting to the corner.

“
Sure,” she replied, brows furrowed in confusion.

I moved to whisper in her ear, making sure no one else can here. “I don’t have the box but I have my bracelet.”

This was apparently good news, because she thrust me into a huge hug and thanked me.

“
Where is it?” she asked in a hushed tone.

“
In my bra, along with a protection charm from Jared,” I whispered.

“
Keep the coin; it could be useful if the magic is still good. Pull the bracelet out. We can use it to astral project for help. It only works with both of us though,” she said.

I hesitated but she nodded encouragingly. “Please, Noel it may be our only chance.”

I saw the others looking curiously at us and I reluctantly pulled the bracelet from my bra. I noticed both men looked way too interested in my actions. Autumn let out a gasp since she knew what was about to happen, but didn’t stop me. Boone was soon furrowing his brow trying to assess the power radiating from this new artifact. Jared’s eyes went wide as he recognized the item.

“
That’s it, what do we do now?” I asked Sam.

“
Now we sit cross-legged facing each other. We place our hands palms to one another and the bracelet goes over the wrist of each of us,” she said.