Aspen and the Dream Walkers

  Chapter 9

  Roman

  The Mickey Mouse alarm clock clanged wildly, and Aspen reached out to bash the ears down. She lay back in her bed for a second before the previous night's dream sifted through to her consciousness. Her eyes widened and she looked around the gloomy room. Slowly, she sat up and felt something around her neck.

  In the darkness, she felt a warm, smooth object. It was the threaded dream catcher from the previous night. She lifted the pendant and could swear that sparks hummed around it. Her jewelry throbbed with power; even the leather bracelet seemed to glow around her wrist. She spread her arms above her head and stretched like a cat. Immediately a flame surrounded her hands, and she slammed her arms down to stop the flow.

  Carefully, she lifted her hands again, and a blue flame ignited once more. It licked over the surface of her skin and switched off just like a light on command.

  Aspen squealed in delight. This is so cool.

  The quilt fell to the floor as she jumped up and ran to the bathroom. She washed and changed into a pair of jeans and an emerald-green top. The dream catcher looked good against the material of her T-shirt, and the ring, watch, and bracelet really made her feel like a princess.

  Within seconds, she'd run down the stairs and into the kitchen.

  Her mom looked up as she entered the room. "Looks like you had a good night's sleep."

  "I did. And I had the most fantastic dream," she said with a smile.

  "What's that around your neck?" her mom asked.

  "It's a present."

  "Let me see. Oh, Aspen. Your father had one just like that." Her mother gasped. "Wait here. I'll get it for you."

  Norma left the kitchen and returned with a wooden box a few moments later. She opened the box and lifted a massive pendant, much larger than Aspen's, from the red velvet bed it rested in.

  "Look, the pattern is almost the same." She touched the dream catcher. "Where did you get yours from?"

  "Um, my friend Dylan gave it to me for my birthday. It would be so cool if you could wear yours too. If I've got one and you wear Dad's, then it'll remind me of him and I'll be so happy."

  Her mom beamed. "Well, if it means that much to you, then of course I will." She turned around while Aspen placed the dream catcher around her neck.

  "Yes, Mom, it will. Promise me you'll wear it all the time?" If she wore her pendant, the Chancellors would know where she was, and she didn't want them to find her mother. It wouldn't be so bad if they found her stepsister or stepfather, though.

  She pulled out a wooden chair and sat down at the table. "Mom, what was Dad like?"

  Norma's eyes lit up and she sighed. "He was a total heartbreaker, and he was so full of energy. There wasn't a thing he wouldn't do for me. I swear, he almost didn't seem human at times."

  "Why was that?"

  "Well, not literally, it's just he was too perfect to be true. I guess I should have known that it would end too soon. It's impossible to be happy for so long." She pulled out a chair and sat next to Aspen. "He had the same eyes as you. Silvery blue. You were his little angel, and he used to call you his sweetest dream walker." She smiled.

  The skin on her arms prickled as she listened to her mom. "Did he ever talk about his dreams?"

  "Yes, he loved talking about his dreams." Her mom smiled in remembrance. "He said he wished that he could take me with him when he dreamed, and he wanted to take me to his special house. He said he'd built the most beautiful veranda and a lake was close by. He'd made a room especially for you, and he'd dreamed of taking you there while you slept."

  Aspen gave her mom a wan smile as her chest tightened with emotion.

  "He said he was working with a spell master in his dreams, and he'd be able to take me over someday. I just laughed at his stories. He'd get sad when I wouldn't believe him, so I eventually played along and told him that I'd love to go there. I miss him so." Norma stared at the dream catcher, deep in thought.

  "How did Dad die?" Aspen asked quietly.

  "Your father had a job as an electrician's assistant at Pilkington's just outside of town. He worked with heavy current. They were setting up electric pylons when a large storm developed. His friends told him to go inside but he wouldn't listen. He said he knew what kind of storm it was and that he was prepared."

  Aspen tilted her head toward her mom. "What happened next?"

  "The workers say that lightning hit the ground constantly, louder than they'd ever heard before. They were too scared to go outside until much later." Norma shook her head sadly. "They found his melted rubber shoes. That was all that was left of him."

  Aspen swallowed with difficulty. Suddenly Stephan's footsteps thudded on the staircase.

  "Hide the necklace under your sweater, Mom!"

  Jumping up, she grabbed the box while her mother tucked the necklace out of sight. She tucked the box into the back of a drawer and shouted, "'Bye, Mom," then sprinted to the bus stop before Stephan got to the kitchen.