Aspen and the Dream Walkers

  Chapter 4

  Miriam's Revenge

  The next morning, Aspen peered through the dirty bus window as the vehicle turned onto the school property, and saw Dylan leaning nonchalantly against the short wall that separated the parking lot from the schoolyard. He seemed to be waiting for someone, and her heart fluttered nervously. At her bus's approach, he stood up and brushed off his jeans, then ambled toward it.

  Her cheeks warmed as she remembered the dream, and she wondered how he'd react if she said, So, Dylan. Thanks for teaching me how to shoot electric bolts from my fingers last night.

  Rising from the bus seat, she smoothed the hem of her gray top over her white shorts as she moved to the exit. Having bare legs made her feel nervous, but she'd taken extra care with her appearance and hoped that she looked better than she felt. The cork sandals she wore had a bit of a heel to give her some height, and she knew that they made her legs look longer. She took a big breath to steady herself, then turned and waved good-bye to Mamma Megs as she walked down the metal steps.

  Dylan was waiting for her as she turned back around, looking up at her as she paused on the last step. His gaze traveled from her head down to her toes and then back up again. Smiling, he held out his hand.

  Aspen didn't know what to do, so she handed him her backpack instead of taking his hand. He looked at the bag and grinned, but grasped it and waited for her to jump down.

  "Hi, did you have a good night?' he asked as she joined him on the asphalt.

  She squinted up at him. "Um, yeah, thanks. Did you sleep well?"

  "I had the best dream ever," he said, smiling broadly.

  "I'm glad. Thanks for waiting for me."

  "You're welcome. I wanted to introduce you to someone. This is my good friend, Sandy."

  He motioned to a small girl with long silver-blond hair as she stood quietly behind him. She smiled hesitantly, then bobbed her chin toward her chest.

  Aspen's heart dropped. Was this his girlfriend? They weren't holding hands or anything, and the girl seemed almost scared of her.

  "Hey, I'm Aspen," she said, greeting her with a small wave.

  The girl lifted her head and gave her a big smile. "Hey, I'm Sandy. I'm so happy to meet you."

  They stood and watched each other awkwardly, but Sandy didn't seem interested in Dylan and it didn't look like they were involved, so Aspen relaxed her stiff shoulders and smiled.

  "We have the same hair," she commented wryly, lifting her ponytail to show Sandy how similar the length and color was.

  "Yes, we do," Dylan's friend agreed.

  "It's a pain brushing it, though, don't you think?" she jabbered, trying to fill the silence.

  The girl seemed to sense her nervousness and suddenly became animated. "I know. Don't even talk about washing it." Grabbing her hair, she fluffed strands of it upward, causing stacks of shiny bracelets to jingle on her arm. On her other wrist she wore a leather strap similar to Dylan's, and was dressed in a white sleeveless shirt and brown capris.

  Aspen nodded. "Yes, I know. Um, okay. Well, I'd better get going."

  She claimed her backpack from Dylan before he could protest, and walked toward the school building, threading her way through the throng of students standing around talking and laughing before classes started. Car horns sounded in quick toot-toot good-byes from parents dropping their kids in the parking lot, and a group of girls huddled in a nearby group squealed with laughter.

  Dylan called out, "Aspen, wait."

  Stopping, she turned to face him.

  He jogged to catch up with her and came to a stop just inches away. "I wanted to ask if you slept well last night," he said, and she was convinced that his smile was tender. "Did you have good dreams too?"

  Aspen's mouth opened in surprise. He couldn't possibly mean .?.?. ?

  "Um, I can't remember .?.?. ," she lied.

  It looked as if he wanted to say something more, but Sandy had followed behind and joined them, and chose that moment to interrupt. "It's going to be a scorcher today. Do you think it'll get hotter?"

  Dylan continued to stare at Aspen over Sandy's head. He inhaled deeply after a few seconds and then said, "Yes, it's going to get a lot hotter today. I'll see you both in class. I've got to get something from the office."

  Aspen stood transfixed, watching him as he strolled away. Blue jeans really suited him, and his T-shirt outlined firm muscles. He looked way too good, and she wished the previous night hadn't been a fantasy. If only it weren't a dream.

  "So, um, which class do you have first?" Sandy asked.

  Aspen dragged her eyes away from his delicious body. "I've got political science. Where are you going?"

  "I'm not sure, let me get my schedule." With a flick of her blond ponytail, Sandy retrieved a timetable from her shirt pocket. She opened up the document and Aspen saw the girl's name printed in the corner of the paper.

  "Your last name is Walker too? That's cool, so is mine."

  Sandy laughed. "Wow, that is a coincidence. We must be related."

  "Wouldn't that be crazy?"

  "We'll have to get together later and see where we find a connection." Sandy winked conspiratorially and tucked the schedule back in her pocket. "Looks like I've got history first."

  "That's easy. Take a right at the end of the corridor, and it's the second door to the left. How about meeting me at lunch and we can go through the"-Aspen used her fingers to form air quotes-"family tree."

  "Sounds good. See you then." Giving her a friendly wave, Sandy disappeared into the crowd.

  Aspen entered her classroom and almost bumped into Miriam, who stood in her way and forced her to move to the side to get in.

  "So, who's the new friend?" she asked as Aspen maneuvered around her.

  Ignoring her stepsister didn't work, as proven by the sound of her high heels clicking on the tile floor behind her. She glanced back and noted the familiar pinched expression on Miriam's face, which signaled she wasn't giving up and was itching for a fight. Aspen sighed, not in the mood for the girl's dramatics.

  "She looks just like you. Is she an orphan or does she actually have a dad?" Miriam asked hatefully as Aspen dumped her bag on the table.

  She whipped around. "Look, what's your problem? Just leave me alone, okay?" Aspen took a deep breath, willing herself to react calmly. Her stepsister loved to bait her, and delighted in embarrassing her. Luckily the room was empty and no one could hear their conversation.

  "Another Walker brat," Miriam said with a sneer. "As if we don't have enough running around already."

  "Excuse me?" Her mouth gaped. This was low, even for Miriam.

  "You heard me. She's scrawny and white as a ghost. She's probably some trailer-trash relative that your mom's been hiding from my dad. I bet you've been stealing money from my dad's wallet just to support her."

  "What the hell are you talking about?" Aspen asked incredulously. "Where did you come up with that load of crap? I can't believe you just said that." Her fists tingled with static, and she balled them up and lifted them in line with Miriam's chest.

  "Huh-uh, not so easy." Miriam shook her head. "I know you've been stealing money from my dad. Now I know why." As she spoke, she held out a thick wad of money in front of her.

  Aspen snorted. "You're sick, Miriam. You seriously do need help." Then she stepped aside as a boy walked between them to his desk.

  She stared at the cash that her stepsister flapped in her hands. "Where did you get that money from?" she asked. Miriam didn't usually have access to so much money.

  "This is the money that my dad will be looking for when he gets home tonight," she answered gleefully.

  "What do you mean? Miriam, I've never stolen a cent from anyone in my life."

  "Are you sure?" She lowered her head and challenged Aspen with her dark brown eyes.

  "Don't play games." Aspen's stomach rolled, and the sour taste of bile hit the back of her throat. "It's not funny anymore."

  Her stepsister reached out a
nd fanned the money against Aspen's cheek. It had a musky, sweaty scent, and she wrinkled her nose.

  "Oh, I don't know. I think I like this game. I think I'd like to see my dad's face when I tell him that you took his cash."

  "I wouldn't do that." Aspen swallowed hard. "You know I'd never steal from anyone." She glanced around at the classroom filling up, and tried not to wince at the kids who stared at them with interest.

  "Hmm, I don't think so. I'm sure my dad would be curious to know where you got the money to buy food for your friends in the cafeteria. Dylan ate with you. I thought that your precious mommy made your lunch."

  Aspen's heart sank. So this was what the fuss was all about. Her stepsister was jealous. Dylan had bought his own food, but that didn't matter to her.

  "What do you want?" she asked flatly.

  Miriam pulled the money away from her face. "That's better." She put the cash back into her wallet carefully.

  Aspen's heart raced and her cheeks burned with anger.

  "So Dylan sat with you at second break yesterday, even after I asked him to join us?" Miriam spoke through her teeth as she shoved the wallet into her backpack. "Do you think it's fun to be turned down?" She ran her hand through her auburn curls. "Did the two of you enjoy your little joke?"

  "I don't know what you're talking about, I swear. He just joined me." Aspen shrugged. "I thought you'd dumped him."

  Miriam cocked her head to one side, and it was clear that she hadn't thought about using that as an excuse. If Aspen weren't so annoyed, she would have laughed at the manual gear change obviously taking place in her stepsister's brain.

  Narrowing her eyes, Miriam said, "Well, yeah, that's right. I don't know what he told you, but I did dump him. But that's not the point."

  Trying not to roll her eyes, Aspen glared at her stepsister. Red lip gloss was smeared along the collar of Miriam's yellow top, but Aspen refused to say a word. If she had a real relationship with her stepsister, she would have pointed it out, but this was the meanest person in the world and she hated the fact that she was related to her even in the smallest way.

  "What do you want?" she repeated.

  "I want you to leave Dylan alone. I don't want you anywhere near him, or else I'll tell Dad that you're stealing his money." Miriam then stepped back and put her manicured hands on her hips. "Stay away from him and I'll put the money back. Keep sitting with him at lunch, and I'll keep the money. My dad will believe anything I tell him, you know that." A self-satisfied smirk spread over her face.

  Instantly, Aspen's cheeks burned. She could feel the heat as it crept up her neck and into her hair roots. How did she end up with the stepsister from hell? Her arms tingled, and she tucked her throbbing fists against her thighs. If only she could do something to defend herself. She winced as static electricity shocked her legs where her hands touched her body.

  "What have I ever done to you?" she asked, annoyed to find her own voice trembling. "Why do you hate me so much?"

  Miriam jutted her jaw and crossed her arms. "Because I want to." She sneered. "You think you're so fantastic with your blond hair and blue eyes. Your mother thinks that she's important too. Well, I've got news for you. You're both nothing in my life, and my dad listens to no one but me."

  Aspen reeled back in shock. Cinderella's stepsisters were no match against this girl. How could she feel so threatened by Aspen? She had no possessions and Miriam had everything in life. Why would she want to take the one thing that was special to her?

  Anger smoldered inside and she wanted to scream, but she couldn't. Fat tears welled up in the corner of her eyes and caused her vision to blur. She didn't know what to do.

  Miriam laughed as Aspen picked up her backpack and ran out of the classroom. "Go on, run away, that's right," she shouted after her.

  Aspen could hear her mocking laugh as she shoved open the school's exit door at a full run. Her feet slapped against the sidewalk as she ran, then she paused for a second at the parking lot to shift her backpack behind her shoulder. A car's horn startled her as she tried to cross the street, and anger propelled her forward blindly for the next three blocks before she slowed down.

  Rows of parked vehicles lined the street as she ran forward in the shadow of large apartment buildings. Crying openly now, she wiped at her face with the back of her hand, and made her way to the only safe place she'd ever known.

  The neighborhood playground lay like a sanctuary between her house and the school. As she'd done many times before, Aspen entered through green metal gates and rushed to a maintenance shed at the end of the park.

  Inside the unlocked shed, the smell of wet grass, oil, and gasoline was almost overpowering. It was filled with gardening implements such as rakes and garden hoses, hanging from hooks on a pegboard attached to the walls. A large lawnmower took up most of its floor space, along with a cluttered worktable and a wooden bench. Dropping her backpack onto the bench, she sank down beside it.

  As she slowed her breathing in an effort to calm herself, she thought of all the trouble that Miriam had tried to make for her. Despite the warmth of the shed, she couldn't stop shivering, and rubbed her arms briskly to try to warm them. Suddenly a shuddering sob worked its way up her chest and got caught in her throat. With the back of her hand against her mouth, she let loose her emotions and cried freely.

  When her sobs eventually began to slow, Aspen wiped her face. Shifting so she could lay on her side with her knees hugged to her chest, she rested her head on her backpack.

  Why would Miriam try to stop her friendship with Dylan? He was special, and she didn't want to give him up. Her stepsister could have anything her heart desired, but that wasn't enough.

  Aspen couldn't remember her real father, and Miriam had made sure that she wouldn't get along with her stepfather. She wondered if he was so mean to her because of Miriam.

  Finally Stephan's poor treatment of her made sense.

  Why couldn't her mother leave Stephan and his stupid daughter? Didn't she understand how unhappy Aspen's life had become? Her chest ached when she thought of the arguments that would take place in a few hours' time if she didn't give in to Miriam's demands. With a heavy heart, she squeezed her eyes shut and wept silently.

  The heat from the shed made her drowsy and, after a few minutes, her crying subsided and she drifted off to sleep.

  - - -

  When she opened her eyes and saw Dylan standing before her, his hair tousled and an anxious expression on his face, she knew at once that she was dreaming.

  He glanced around the shed, then frowned down at her. "Aspen, where have you been? I've searched for you everywhere."

  Sighing, she looked away and said softly, "I can't be friends with you anymore."

  The words hurt as she said them, and she realized this was the worst punishment that Miriam could have given her.

  Dylan crouched down on his haunches. "Why not? What happened?" he asked, and reached out to pull her into his arms.

  Aspen didn't resist and snuggled into his warmth. Putting her chin against his chest, she closed her eyes and breathed in his fresh scent. Her body tingled as though it was charged, and an unfamiliar but pleasant flutter in her stomach made her want to smile.

  "Miriam is causing trouble for me," she said, and wiped at her tearstained cheeks.

  "It's okay, princess. You'll be fine. Your sixteenth birthday is just two days away, and she won't be able to hurt you then." Rubbing her arms, he kissed the top of her head lightly. "You need to get up and go home."

  "She won't let me speak to you anymore."

  "It's not that easy to stop me." A muscle flexed in his jaw. "She doesn't have a say in the matter."

  When Aspen looked up at Dylan, he hugged her tightly again.

  "Don't worry, I've got you." He smiled and brushed a strand of hair from her face, then kissed her forehead gently.

  - - -

  Aspen woke up suddenly. Long shadows had formed on the shed's dirt floor, and children shrieked with joy in th
e playground outside.

  Her backpack lay crumpled on the bench next to her, so she picked it up and dusted off her shorts and top. She must have slept longer than she thought. The familiar sound of the school bus rumbled past nearby, which meant that school would be finished already.

  The walk home took about fifteen minutes. Taking a fortifying breath, Aspen opened the front door and snuck into the house as quietly as possible. The sweet smell of vanilla scented the air, a good indicator that her mom had been baking.

  As she grabbed the handrail to head upstairs, her mother called out, "Hey, honey. How was school? Do you want something to eat? I've made vanilla cake and I'm icing it with caramel."

  "No thanks, Mom. I'm not feeling so good."

  "What's the matter? You don't look well." Norma walked out from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel and frowning with concern. She climbed the first two stairs and reached for Aspen's forehead, which was still warm from her brisk walk home. "Hmm, you feel a bit feverish. Go and lie down. I'll get some aspirin to make you feel better."

  It wasn't a lie, Aspen did feel sick, but it was because of the morning's tension and she wasn't really acting. After dropping her backpack on her bedroom floor, she walked into the bathroom to splash water on her face.

  What is Miriam jealous of?

  Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she saw a slim face with a small, slightly upturned nose and full lips. She dragged one bottom eyelid down and stared at her light blue eyes. They were probably her best feature. When she was angry, they changed to a silvery hue. Her face was normally pale, but her cheeks were flushed from today's events.

  Aspen was pale and fair, with waist-length blond hair and blue eyes. Miriam, on the other hand, was more vibrant with auburn hair highlighted with streaks of copper, and her eyes were chocolate brown. All the boys loved Miriam. Her body was beautiful and she had a pretty face. Why would she feel threatened by anyone, let alone her own stepsister?

  There was no explanation for Miriam's behavior, so Aspen shrugged her shoulders and grabbed a toothbrush. After she'd brushed her teeth, she changed into pajamas and crawled under the white quilt on her bed, feeling sore and fragile.

  Lying on her back, she stroked the white bedding, running her fingers along the stitching. Stephan insisted on the color white to make sure that she didn't bring food upstairs. The rule was, no eating outside of the kitchen. He was always on the lookout to see if she'd cheated and had made a mess on the quilt.

  Her mother switched on the overhead light as she entered the room. Aspen's bedroom was the smallest one, on the back side of the house and shaded by thick trees, so it was dark in the afternoon. She brought a plastic cup of water with two headache tablets, and gave them to her daughter to swallow.

  "You must be coming down with a virus," Norma said as she handed back the cup.

  "I don't feel so well," Aspen croaked convincingly.

  "If you don't feel better tomorrow, you can stay at home. I'll take you to the doctor."

  "That's okay, Mom." Aspen continued to play with the edge of the quilt while an old Mickey Mouse clock ticked softly in the background.

  "I'll let you rest for a bit." Norma smiled and turned to leave.

  "Mom," she called out.

  "Yes, honey." Her mother grasped the empty cup in one hand and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear with the other.

  "Do you love Stephan?"

  Her mother gasped. She placed the cup on the chest of drawers and then sat down at the edge of the bed. "That's a strange question to ask."

  "Do you, though?" Aspen insisted.

  Norma gazed up at the ceiling and thought for a bit. "I suppose I have to. Don't I?"

  "No, you don't. You don't have to do something you don't want to," she whispered. Turning on her side, she held her mother's hand in hers.

  "Oh, really? Well, just remember you said that." Her mother grinned and playfully pinched Aspen's cheek, then tucked the quilt under her body and rose from the bed.

  "Don't worry so much, honey. Things will be fine. Just rest, okay?" Norma blew a kiss at her and pulled the door shut as she left the room.

  Aspen jumped up and switched off the light before she slipped back under the covers. Not really sleepy, she lay there thinking about Miriam, and Dylan, and her strange dreams.

  Soon Stephan's bike roared into the garage, and she winced when his voice rose in anger at her mother. She couldn't hear exactly what was being said since he was downstairs, but it couldn't have been good.

  Miriam's bedroom door slammed shut an hour later, and she shouted, "Great, now my TV isn't working. Did the brat come into my room tonight?"

  This was followed by more shouts and door slamming. Aspen squeezed her eyes shut and clutched the quilt firmly, angry at the way she and her mother were treated.

  After a while, the house became quiet again. In the pitch dark, she finally drifted off to sleep.