looking for. And it was Josh .
He looked older, about thirty years old, but it was definitely him. He was wearing traditional clothes and carrying a bow, which he presently raised to draw the string and release an arrow at the approaching soldiers.
Behind him, a hoghan collapsed under its own weight, spitting up flames and smoke toward the sky. Hannah coughed, her eyes beginning to tear.
And then, s he jolted awake, startled by the sound of her phone. Someone must have charged it. Hannah opened her eyes and wildly flailed her left arm to grab it from the bedside table.
“Hey, Nick,” she answered in a groggy voice after glancing at the display. “How’s life?”
“ Wonderful. You don’t sound very alive yourself, though.”
“You woke me up,” Hannah groaned. “Sorry. I was supposed to text you yesterday, but I forgot.”
“What time are we meeting up?”
“Josh and Emily will be here around five. So if you want to talk to them about your thesis...”
“Great! I’ll be there. What’s the name of your street?”
“It doesn’t have one. Once you get to St. Mary’s Port, just follow the signs saying ‘Log Cabin Park’ and you’ll end up here.”
“Okay, see you later then. Sorry I woke you up.”
“No problem. Bye.”
Hannah threw her phone back on the bedside table and s tretched her arms and legs, staring at the ceiling. That dream. It had been so bizarre, and yet so life-like. She could still smell the burning wood and hear the villagers scream. She’d never dreamed in Spanish before. She’d been able to understand those soldiers, even though they’d had a strange accent. In a flash, she remembered the Josh from her dream. Older, with a more worn and muscular body and an alert attitude that made him look like a born warrior. And yet, his eyes had been the same when he looked at her. So intense and gentle.
Hannah shivered despite the heat. Dreaming about Josh wasn’t that strange – after all, she’d been thinking about him a lot lately – but dreaming like this was. It had felt like a blast from the past.
“Hey,” Ben called out from th e other side of the door. “You awake?”
“No, I was on the phone in my sleep.”
Ben opened the door with a cheeky grin. “Snarky as ever. So, how are you feeling, Sleeping Beauty?”
Hannah yawned. “I slept well. Sorry for skipping dinner.” She conveniently forgot to mention her strange dream. She was so not about to fess up to Ben and say she’d dreamed about his best friend playing her protector in some pre-Civil War setting. He’d probably think she was losing it. If she ever had it, to start with. She groaned and got out of bed.
“How about some tacos for breakfast , then?” Ben pointed at the plate on the kitchen table. “I saved two vegetarian ones for you.”
“Wonderful.” Hannah smiled at her brother and sat down at the table.
“Ivy said they’d be here at four,” Ben said. “What about Nick? What did he say when you called him in your sleep?”
“Oh, he’ll be here at five. Let’s go out and get groceries before they show up. We don’t have enough stuff to feed all of our guests.”
“Amber and Ivy promised to bring drinks for everybody. Josh is bringing some burgers, and I said we’d get ice cream and stuff to make salad. We’ll pick berries some other time.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Hannah sank her teeth into one of the tacos and finished it in a heartbeat. She was really hungry.
After she scarfed down her breakfast, they got into Ben’s old Chevy convertible with the top open. While Ben started the engine, Hannah hit the side of the car stereo, which made it sputter to life after a few seconds. It was set to a radio channel playing lazy country music.
“Good. You still know how my radio works.” Ben chuckled. He was notorious for never throwing anything out until it crumbled to dust in his hands. His car stereo was so old it needed special treatment.
As Johnny Cash crooned through the
He looked older, about thirty years old, but it was definitely him. He was wearing traditional clothes and carrying a bow, which he presently raised to draw the string and release an arrow at the approaching soldiers.
Behind him, a hoghan collapsed under its own weight, spitting up flames and smoke toward the sky. Hannah coughed, her eyes beginning to tear.
And then, s he jolted awake, startled by the sound of her phone. Someone must have charged it. Hannah opened her eyes and wildly flailed her left arm to grab it from the bedside table.
“Hey, Nick,” she answered in a groggy voice after glancing at the display. “How’s life?”
“ Wonderful. You don’t sound very alive yourself, though.”
“You woke me up,” Hannah groaned. “Sorry. I was supposed to text you yesterday, but I forgot.”
“What time are we meeting up?”
“Josh and Emily will be here around five. So if you want to talk to them about your thesis...”
“Great! I’ll be there. What’s the name of your street?”
“It doesn’t have one. Once you get to St. Mary’s Port, just follow the signs saying ‘Log Cabin Park’ and you’ll end up here.”
“Okay, see you later then. Sorry I woke you up.”
“No problem. Bye.”
Hannah threw her phone back on the bedside table and s tretched her arms and legs, staring at the ceiling. That dream. It had been so bizarre, and yet so life-like. She could still smell the burning wood and hear the villagers scream. She’d never dreamed in Spanish before. She’d been able to understand those soldiers, even though they’d had a strange accent. In a flash, she remembered the Josh from her dream. Older, with a more worn and muscular body and an alert attitude that made him look like a born warrior. And yet, his eyes had been the same when he looked at her. So intense and gentle.
Hannah shivered despite the heat. Dreaming about Josh wasn’t that strange – after all, she’d been thinking about him a lot lately – but dreaming like this was. It had felt like a blast from the past.
“Hey,” Ben called out from th e other side of the door. “You awake?”
“No, I was on the phone in my sleep.”
Ben opened the door with a cheeky grin. “Snarky as ever. So, how are you feeling, Sleeping Beauty?”
Hannah yawned. “I slept well. Sorry for skipping dinner.” She conveniently forgot to mention her strange dream. She was so not about to fess up to Ben and say she’d dreamed about his best friend playing her protector in some pre-Civil War setting. He’d probably think she was losing it. If she ever had it, to start with. She groaned and got out of bed.
“How about some tacos for breakfast , then?” Ben pointed at the plate on the kitchen table. “I saved two vegetarian ones for you.”
“Wonderful.” Hannah smiled at her brother and sat down at the table.
“Ivy said they’d be here at four,” Ben said. “What about Nick? What did he say when you called him in your sleep?”
“Oh, he’ll be here at five. Let’s go out and get groceries before they show up. We don’t have enough stuff to feed all of our guests.”
“Amber and Ivy promised to bring drinks for everybody. Josh is bringing some burgers, and I said we’d get ice cream and stuff to make salad. We’ll pick berries some other time.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Hannah sank her teeth into one of the tacos and finished it in a heartbeat. She was really hungry.
After she scarfed down her breakfast, they got into Ben’s old Chevy convertible with the top open. While Ben started the engine, Hannah hit the side of the car stereo, which made it sputter to life after a few seconds. It was set to a radio channel playing lazy country music.
“Good. You still know how my radio works.” Ben chuckled. He was notorious for never throwing anything out until it crumbled to dust in his hands. His car stereo was so old it needed special treatment.
As Johnny Cash crooned through the
Similar Books
