Falling by Amber Jaeger Page B

Jordan’s world, or dream world, I was waking up in bed.
    “You are awake, aren’t you?” Ash asked.
    I sighed and sat up. “Yup.”
    “Good,” she said with smile, reaching into the wardrobe, searching for another ridiculous dress.
    I glanced down to see the same nightgown and the carefully printed letters on my hand. With some spit and vicious rubbing, I scrubbed the ink off entirely. “You have a pen?” I asked.
    Ash poked her head back out of the wardrobe. “A pin?”
    “Pen.”
    She shook her head. “You’ll have to ask Jordan.” The dress she pulled out was only slightly less frilly than the others. I put it on without argument and ran my fingers through my hair.
    I tried to focus on the questions I wanted to ask the most. I would be getting some answers from him.
    I expected to be led back to the small library, but instead of going down the stone hallway, she led me out under a stone archway and into a huge, paved yard. Giant torches lit the whole area and I was surprised to see so many people around, some pushing carts or wheelbarrows or carrying baskets or just rushing around in general.
    “Isn’t it kind of late to be working?” I asked.
    Ash shrugged. “I think we live on a different schedule than people do.”
    I frowned at that, opened my mouth to ask her about it and promptly had it snap shut on me when I saw what was in the stable I had been led into.
    A huge glossy carriage sat in the wide aisle way and in front of it were the two hugest, blackest horses I had ever seen. They looked like evil sculptures, all curves of muscles and flared nostrils and round, angry eyes. Their stamping shook the floor and if I had been suicidal enough to measure myself against them, I’m sure I would have found I could easily walk under their barreled stomachs.
    Ash, who had kept walking, finally noticed I was still standing in the doorway. “Come on,” she prompted with a little wave.
    I followed, skimming close to the wall. But when she opened the door to the oversized black carriage and motioned up, I balked. “No way,” I squeaked. “Not with those things pulling it.”
    “Come on,” she said more forcefully, making hand motions like it would be both our necks if I didn’t jump in the carriage.
    I closed my eyes and whispered to myself, “This is a dream, this is a dream, this is a dream.”
    Ash grabbed my hand and shoved me up into the carriage.
    Jordan was seated on one bench, looking bored. “What took so long?” he asked. “We only have a few hours.”
    “What the hell are those things?” I hissed.
    He frowned. “Horses. You don’t have horses in Michigan? What a weird place.”
    I flung myself down onto the opposite bench. “We have horses. Normal, nice looking horses that are small enough to ride. Those look like Satan’s horses!”
    Jordan grinned and managed not to be knocked from his bench like me when the carriage jerked to a start unexpectedly.
    I picked myself and tried not to be totally indignant. “So what exactly is it that we’re doing?”
    “I thought I’d take you on a tour of the countryside.”
    “Okay, A., I didn’t realize this was a Jane Austen novel and B., it’s dark outside.”
    “Jane Austen?”
    “A famous classic writer!” I snapped. “I know you have books.”
    Jordan frowned. “Are you angry with me?”
    I sighed and took a moment to arrange the long skirt of the dress. “No. I’m just ... this is really weird. And I’m starting to think it’s real, which just makes it weirder.”
    He nodded sympathetically. “But it is worth it, right? How’s your brother?”
    With that my game plan snapped back into my mind. “Right! My brother! What’s wrong with him?”
    Jordan rubbed a thumb down the seam of the bench. “I’d imagine the sorts of things that would be wrong with anyone who suffered in a car accident like he did.”
    I shook my head. “No, well, yes, he has some injuries they say would have come from a car crash but I mean he’s not